Exchange reactions cyanohydrin

A" -3-Ketones do not undergo the exchange reaction with acetone cyanohydrin, although the formation of a 3-cyaiiohydrin has been reported by reaction with hydrocyanic acid. ... 

Cyanohydrins are prepared from unsubstituted 20-ketones by the exchange procedure but not in the presence of a diluent. A 17a-hydroxyl group inhibits the exchange reaction but 20-ketones react with potassium cyanide even in the presence of Ha-bromo or 21-acetoxy substituents. 

The use of acetone cyanohydrin (in an exchange reaction) instead of alcoholic hydrogen cyanide affords even higher yields of 17-cyanohydrins and the former reagent has the added advantage of reacting quantitatively and essentially selectively with the 17-ketone of androst-4-ene-3,17-dione. Sodium hydroxide promotes the exchange reaction in some cases. 

Transesterification [236] and the ester exchange reaction [237] were reported to be efficiently catalyzed (Eqs. 30 and 31). Either of the exchange reactions are sensitive to steric constraints of the substrates and to metal ion size. For example, transesterification is most applicable to primary alcohols. Increased catalytic activity in the presence of larger lanthanide centers is explained by enhanced coordinative unsaturation and increased basicity of the alkoxide complexes. Strong basicity of the lanthanide isopropoxides is considered to catalyze effectively the transhydrocyanation from acetone cyanohydrin to sev-... 

Recently, several other aminopolymers were synthesized for the NCA polymerization. Ichie and coworkers used copolymers of styrene-vinyl benzylamine and methyl methacrylate-vinyl benzylamine for NCA polymerization to study the kinetics of NCA polymerization with macroinitiators. 2 The polymerization was Ist-order with respect to monomer concentration and was much faster in nitrobenzene than in dioxane or THF. Kiba patented a new system for NCA polymerization with the different aminopolymers [38] produced according to Scheme 5. He also claimed the ester exchange reaction of the resulting graft copolymer with ethylene cyanohydrin over p-toluene sulfonic acid. 

Polymeric amines can be proton acceptors, acyl transfer agents, or ligands for metal ions. The 2- and 4-isomers of poly(vinylpyridine) (11) and (12) and the weakly basic ion exchange resins, p-dimethylaminomethylated PS (2) and poly(2-dimethylaminoethyl acrylate), are commercial. The ion exchange resins are catalysts for aldol condensations, Knoevenagel condensations, Perkin reactions, cyanohydrin formation and redistributions of chlorosilanes. " The poly(vinylpyridine)s have been used in stoichiometric amounts for preparation of esters from acid chlorides and alcohols, and for preparation of trimethylsilyl ethers and trimethylsilylamines from chlorotrimethylsilane and alcohols or amines. Polymer-suppored DBU (l,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene) (52) in stoichiometric amounts promotes dehydrohalogenation of alkyl bromides and esterification of carboxylic acids with alkyl halides. The protonated tertiary amine resins are converted to free base form by treatment with aqueous sodium hydroxide. 

Maruoka and co-workers recently reported an example of a Zr-catalyzed cyanide addition to an aldehyde [64]. As is also illustrated in Scheme 6.20, the reaction does not proceed at all if 4 A molecular sieves are omitted from the reaction mixture. It has been proposed that the catalytic addition proceeds through a Meerwein—Ponndorf—Verley-type process (cf. the transition structure drawn) and that the crucial role of molecular sieves is related to facilitating the exchange of the product cyanohydrin oxygen with that of a reagent acetone cyanohydrin. The example shown is the only catalytic example reported to date the other reported transformations require stoichiometric amounts of the chiral ligand and Zr alkoxide. 

Since the reaction has been reviewed recently (12) only a few additional facts will be mentioned. Many optically active cyanohydrins can be prepared (33) with e.e. s of 84 to 100% by the use of the flavopnotein D-oxynitrilase adsorbed on special (34) cellulose ion-exchange resins. Although the enzyme is stable, permitting the use of a continuously operating column, naturally only one enantiomer, usually the R isomer, is produced in excess. This (reversible) enzyme-catalyzed reaction is very rapid (34). Nonenzymic catalysts, such as the cinchona alkaloids, permit either enantiomer to be prepared in excess. 

The cavity of p-CD, with a diameter of about 7 A, provides an attractive binding site for the substrate on the side of the primary OH groups. Benzaldehyde enclosed in the hydrophobic cavity of a thiamine-functionalized p-CD was first converted to a thiazolium adduct having a similarity to a cyanohydrin (Figure 4). This adduct readily formed a benzylic anion, as evidenced by fhe anion s characteristic reactions such as deuterium exchange and oxidation. 

Cyanohydrins eliminate HCN under basic conditions, giving the corresponding planar aldehyde or ketone. When combined with an asymmetric reaction, the equilibrium can be used for an efficient in situ racemization of cyanohydrins, leading to a DKR process. For example, chiral secondary cyanohydrins can be acylated by isopropenyl acetate in the presence of lipase and solid base such as anion-exchange resin (OH" form) [8a,b] or silica-supported ammonium hydroxide [8c] (Scheme 5.31). A range of aromatic cyanohydrin acetates can be obtained in high chemical and optical yields, although the efficiency is lower for aliphatic precursors [8a]. The success of DKR is ascribable not only to the stereochemical... 

Although the sugars condense with nitromethane in aqueous alkali (148a), the reaction usually is carried out in methanol solution (or suspension) with sodium methoxide acting as the basic catalyst. In the most favorable examples of the condensation reaction, the sodium salts of the C-nitroalco-hols precipitate from this solution and can be isolated simply by filtration. As in the cyanohydrin condensation, two epimeric products are formed, usually in unequal amounts. After removal of the sodium by ion exchange, the epimeric (7-nitroalcohols frequently can be separated by fractional crystallization. For some syntheses, partially substituted sugars, such as the benzylidene derivatives, may be used to advantage. 

Allylic ethers of aldehyde cyanohydrins have also been prepared under phase transfer conditions [23]. The organic phase, consisting of aldehyde cyanohydrin, an allylic halide (preferably the bromide) and dichloromethane is brought into contact with aqueous sodium hydroxide and tricaprylmethylammonium chloride. Anion exchange in the aqueous phase leads to the tricaprylmethylammonium/hydroxide ion pair, which reacts with the cyanohydrin to form the corresponding alkoxide. Reaction of the alkoxide with the allylic halide leads to the allylic ether of the cyanohydrin (Eq. 7.9). The formation of small amounts of allylic nitriles is apparently due to the side... 

Schmidle and Mansfield reported on cyanohydrin formation, benzoin condensation, nitroalcohol formation by the condensation of aldehydes with nitroparaffins, and cyanoethylation. Application to Michael reaction has also been investigated. Anion-exchange resins are very useful catalysts for the production of silane by the disproportionation of dihydrodichlorosilane. ... 

Butylation of phenylacetonitrile with aqueous NaOH, as shown in Scheme 25, proceeds faster by use of high DF (>0.5) anion exchange resins.The strongly alkaline conditions degrade the quaternary ammonium ions of the catalyst. Catalyst (64) (1% DVB) is active for alkylation of phenylacetonitrile and benzyl phenyl ketone, and for Williamson ether synthesis, and it is much more stable in base than AERs. AERs in OH form are catalysts for dichlorocyclopropane syntheses from alkenes, chloroform and solid sodium hydroxide, and for dehydration of amides to nitriles. AERs in the appropriate hydroxide, acetate, or cyanide form are catalysts for aldol condensations, Michael reactions, Knoevenagel condensations, cyanoethylations and cyanohydrin syntheses. " ... 

Sulfonyloxynitriles derived from cyanohydrins of aromatic aldehydes react with weak nucleophiles, e.g., KOAc, with partial racemization [56] (Scheme 14, R = Ph). The Mitsunobu reaction represents an alternative to the O activation of cyanohydrins combined with nucleophilic substitution [57]. Mitsunobu conditions work especially well in the exchange of allylic and benzylic hydroxyl groups in cyanohydrins [57b]. 

---