Hydrogenation, catalytic functional groups

Hydroperoxides can be reduced to alcohols with L1AIH4 or Ph3P or by catalytic hydrogenation. This functional group is very susceptible to catalytic hydrogenation, as shown by the fact that a double bond may be present in the same molecule without being reduced. 

Metal Amalgams and Hydrides. Metal hydrides and amalgams are sometimes the preferred method of reducing various functional groups in the laboratory, especially when the necessary equipment for catalytic hydrogenations is unavailable. However, these reagents are usually too expensive to make their use on a large commercial scale feasible. 

The presence of other functional groups ia an acetylenic molecule frequendy does not affect partial hydrogenation because many groups such as olefins are less strongly adsorbed on the catalytic site. Supported palladium catalysts deactivated with lead (such as the Liadlar catalyst), sulfur, or quinoline have been used for hydrogenation of acetylenic compound to (predominantiy) cis-olefins. 

In the earlier work, various reducing agents were used (63AHC(2)365). Catalytic hydrogenation is now almost always employed, and some examples illustrating the high yields attainable and the compatibility with other functional groups are shown in Scheme 35. 

Catalytic hydrogenation has been utilized extensively in steroid research, and the method has been found to be of great value for the selective and stereospecific reduction of various functional groups. A number of empirical correlations concerning selectivity and product stereochemistry compiled for steroid hydrogenations has been listed in a previous review. ... 

Since the stereochemical course of a catalytic hydrogenation is dependent on several factors, " an understanding of the mechanism of the reaction can help in the selection of optimal reaction conditions more reliably than mere copying of a published recipe . In the first section the factors which can influence the product stereochemistry will be discussed from a mechanistic viewpoint. In subsequent sections the hydrogenation of various functional groups in the steroid ring system will be considered. In these sections both mechanistic and empirical correlations will be utilized with the primary emphasis being placed on selective and stereospecific reactions. 

Photoketone (118) has served as the key intermediate in a relatively simple transformation of 3-keto-10/ -steroids to 3-keto-lOa-isomers without the assistance of other functional groups suitably situated next to the ring junction—a task that appears difficult to attempt by other methods. Optimal yields of (118) are achieved by catalytic hydrogenation of the unsaturated ketone (175), the photoisomer of 1-dehydrotestosterone acetate (see section III-C). In this way, a 6-step conversion of 1-dehydrotestosterone acetate (174) to IOa-testosterone acetate (127 acetate) is achieved in good yield. ° ... 

Until the second half of the twentieth century, the structure of a substance—a newly discovered natural product, for example—was determined using information obtained from chemical reactions. This information included the identification of functional groups by chemical tests, along with the results of experiments in which the substance was broken down into smaller, more readily identifiable fragments. Typical of this approach is the demonstration of the presence of a double bond in an alkene by catalytic hydrogenation and subsequent determination of its location by ozonolysis. After-considering all the available chemical evidence, the chemist proposed a candidate structure (or structures) consistent with the observations. Proof of structure was provided either by converting the substance to some already known compound or by an independent synthesis. 

Cr03/AcOH, 25°, 50% yield, ROCOPh ROH + PhC02H)]. This method was used to remove benzyl ethers from carbohydrates that contain functional groups sensitive to catalytic hydrogenation or dissolving metals. Esters are stable, but glycosides or acetals are cleaved. 

TABLE 19.2 The Ease of Reduction of Various Functional Groups Toward Catalytic Hydrogenation ... 

The catalytic hydrosi(ly)lations of other C=X functional groups (X = O, NR) constitute alternative routes to the reduction of aldehydes, ketones, imines and other carbonyl compounds (Scheme 2.9), circumventing the use of molecular hydrogen or occasionally harsh transfer hydrogenation conditions. 

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