Hydrogenation ketones, aliphatic

Aldehydes and ketones are similar in their response to hydrogenation catalysis, and an ordering of catalyst activities usually applies to both functions. But the difference between aliphatic and aromatic carbonyls is marked, and preferred catalysts differ. In hydrogenation of aliphatic carbonyls, hydrogenolysis seldom occurs, unless special structural features are present, but with aryl carbonyls either reduction to the alcohol or loss of the hydroxy group can be achieved at will. 

The use of chiral ruthenium catalysts can hydrogenate ketones asymmetrically in water. The introduction of surfactants into a water-soluble Ru(II)-catalyzed asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of ketones led to an increase of the catalytic activity and reusability compared to the catalytic systems without surfactants.8 Water-soluble chiral ruthenium complexes with a (i-cyclodextrin unit can catalyze the reduction of aliphatic ketones with high enantiomeric excess and in good-to-excellent yields in the presence of sodium formate (Eq. 8.3).9 The high level of enantioselectivity observed was attributed to the preorganization of the substrates in the hydrophobic cavity of (t-cyclodextrin. 

Fig. 32.40 Hydrogenation of aliphatic ketones with the modified Raney Ni.

Aliphatic Ketones The asymmetric hydrogenation of simple aliphatic ketones remains a challenging problem. This may be attributed to the difficulty with which the chiral catalyst differentiates between the two-alkyl substituents of the ketone. Promising results have been obtained in asymmetric hydrogenation of aliphatic ketones using the PennPhos-Rh complex in combinahon with 2,6-lutidine and potassium bromide (Tab. 1.11) [36]. For example, the asymmetric hydrogenation of tert-butyl methyl ketone affords the requisite secondary alcohol in 94% ee. Similarly, isopropyl, Butyl, and cyclohexyl methyl ketones have been reduced to the corresponding secondary alcohols with 85% ee, 75% ee, and 92% ee respectively. 

No difficulty exists in the hydrogenations where aliphatic and alicyclic ketones are formed. Thus, acetylcyclohepetene was hydrogenated to acetylcycloheptane in 97% yield over Pd-C (eq. 3.63).235... 

Hydrogenation of olehns, aromatics, anilines, phenols, nitriles, naph> thalcnes. alcohols, and aldehydes. CO, and COj (Fischcr-Tropsch) Dehydrogenation of cyclohexanols. cyclohexanones, alkanes, alcohols Hydrogenolysts of C-C, C-N, N-O, steam reforming of CH4 Hydrogenation of olefins, aromatic aldehydes and ketones, aliphatic alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, unsaturatcd nitriles,... 

In fact, diketones in a medium sized ring give several transannular reactions such as pinacol coupling [equation (i)] or aldolization [equation The later reaction also occurs during hydrogenation of aliphatic monoketones under favorable conditions (Pd-on-carbon, zeolite, 200°C, 4 X 10 kPa) to produce methyl isobutyl ketone from acetone (in 96%) -... 

Ruthenium catalysts have been found particularly effective for the hydrogenation of aliphatic aldehydes and ketones at room temperature and atmospheric pressure, whereas at somewhat elevated temperatures and pressures, ruthenium is a very active catalyst for the reduction of sugars to polyhydroxyalcohols. 

For aliphatic aldehydes and ketones, reduction to the alcohol can be carried out under mild conditions over platinum or the more-active forms of Raney nickel. Ruthenium is also an excellent catalyst for reduction of aliphatic aldehydes and can be used to advantage with aqueous solutions. Palladium is not very active for hydrogenation of aliphatic carbonyl compounds, but is effective for the reduction of aromatic aldehydes and ketones excellent yields of the alcohols can be obtained if the reaction is interrupted after absorption of one mole of hydrogen. Prolonged reaction, particularly at elevated temperatures or in the presence of acid, leads to hydrogenolysis and can therefore be used as a method for the reduction of aromatic ketones to methylene compounds. 

A. Schlatter, W.-D. Woggon, Enantioselective transfer hydrogenation of aliphatic ketones catalyzed by ruthenium complexes linked to the secondary face of j3-cyclodextrin, Adv. Synth. 

Tris(triphenylphosphine)ruthenium(ll) chloride is a good catalyst for the homogeneous hydrogenation of aliphatic aldehydes to alcohols. Ketones and nitro-groups are not reduced under these conditions. ... 

The ability to catalyze the asymmetric hydrogenation of aliphatic ketones provides an opportunity to extend the scope of these reactions to the dynamic kinetic resolution of ketones that contain a stereocenter in the enolizable a-position. The catalysts containing bisphosphine and diamine ligands are activated by base, and the base used to activate the metal catalyst can also catalyze the racemization of the ketone. An example of such a process is shown in Equation 15.76. ... 

Claisen reaction is the condensation of benzaldehyde with aliphatic aldehydes and ketones containing a-hydrogen C6H5CHO -r CH3CHO C6H5CH=CH CHO -r HjO... 

Because osmium tetroxide is expensive, and its vapors are toxic, alternate methods have been explored for effecting vic-glycol formation. In the aliphatic series, olefins can be hydroxylated with hydrogen peroxide with the use of only a catalytic amount of osmium tetroxide. Anhydrous conditions are not necessary 30% hydrogen peroxide in acetone or acetone-ether is satisfactory. The intermediate osmate ester is presumably cleaved by peroxide to the glycol with regeneration of osmium tetroxide. When this reaction was tried on a A -steroid, the product isolated was the 20-ketone ... 

Stability toward reduction makes hydrogen fluoride a good medium for different hydrogenation processes [1, 2] It is a useful solvent for the hydrogenation of benzene in the presence of Lewis acids [f ] Anhydrous hydrofluonc acid has pronounced catalytic effect on the hydrogenations of various aromatic compounds, aliphatic ketones, acids, esters, and anhydrides in the presence of platinum dioxide [2] (equations 1-3)... 

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