Homologation Carboxylic acid, ester, amide

Homologations. Hydroformylation of S- and O-containing alkenes is mediated by Rh4(CO)i2. Homologous carboxylic acids and derivatives (esters, amides) are obtained from allyl phosphates. ... 

The Wolff rearrangement of a-diazocarbonyl compounds (8.58, R = H, alkyl, aryl, OR) has great synthetic importance because in most cases the ketenes formed react smoothly with water, alcohols, and amines (Scheme 8-34). An early application that still has considerable importance is the homologization of carboxylic acids (Arndt-Eistert reaction Arndt and Eistert, 1935). As shown in Scheme 8-34, the reaction starts from the chloride of the acid RCOOH, which leads to an a-diazo ketone with diazomethane (R = H), followed by the Wolff rearrangement and the hydrolysis of the ketene intermediate to give the homologous carboxylic acid (8.59, R =H). In alcohols and amines esters (8.60) and amides (8.61, R = H), respectively. 

A sequence of reactions has been described for the one-carbon homologation of aldehydes and ketones to carboxylic acids, esters, and amides through the initial formation of a-t-butoxyacrylonitriles (Scheme 42). ... 

Arndt-Eistert synthesis A procedure for converting a carboxylic acid to its next higher homologue, or to a derivative of a homologous acid, e.g. ester or amide. 

Since ketene is probably the intermediate of the Wolff rearrangement, the choice of solvents dictates the nature of the product. Indeed, water gave carboxylic acids, whereas alcohols or amines led to esters and amides, respectively. These combinations have been applied to the synthesis of more complex molecules. For example, the total synthesis of carbonolide B, a 16-membered macrolide antibiotic, relied on Amdt-Eistert homologation. In this sequence, a protected furanuronic acid was transformed to the corresponding a-diazoketone, which was then converted to its homologous carboxylic ester. The reaction was achieved using catalytic amounts of silver benzoate and excess of triethylamine in methanol (Scheme 3.4).11... 

In the first step of the reaction sequence a methyl ester is formed via a Wolff rearrangement. The Wolff rearrangem ent provides acids, esters or amides from a-diazo ketones and is often used in a ring contractive way to form strained ring systems, which are not accessible by other sequences.It also occurs as the key step in the Arndt-Eistert homologation of carboxylic acids. ... 

With a bountiful supply of 69 at our disposal, the synthesis was continued by PCC oxidation to the aldehyde level and application of the Corey-Fuchs procedure [35] for chain homologation via dibromo olefin 70 to the acetylenic ester 71. Since amide bond construction next had to be implemented, this ester was saponified under mild conditions and the resulting carboxylic acid was activated by formation of a mixed anhydride with mesitylenesulfonyl chloride in advance of in situ condensation with 59. In order to preclude hydrolysis of the silyl ether functionality in 72, deacetalization had to be performed under anhydrous conditions in dry acetone containing a catalytic quantity of p-toluene-... 

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