Hydrogenolysis formate reactions

Hydrogenation of carbonyls, or incipient carbonyls such as phenols (86), in lower alcohol solvents may result in the formation of ethers. The ether arises through formation of acetals or ketals with subsequent hydrogenolysis. The reaction has been made the basis of certain ether syntheses (45,97). Reaction of alcohols with carbonyls may be promoted by trace contamination, such as iron in platinum oxide (22,53), but it is also a property of the hydrogenation catalyst itself. So strong is the tendency of palladium-hydrogen to promote acetal formation that acetals may form even in basic media (61). 

Hydrogenolysis. This reaction also involves the C—C bond breaking and the formation of C-H bonds, but with all the steps catalyzed by the metal function. This is a very similar reaction to the hydrocracking, but the product distribution is different. The main difference is that the C—C bond rupture on the metal produce methane as one of the major products, whereas the acid-catalyze C—C bond breaking practically does not form methane. Methane has a very low economical value. The hydrogenolysis is undesirable because consumes hydrogen and is highly exothermic. 

Ethylene. It should be noted in Figure 3 that both ethylene-di and -do are the primary products in the initial stage of hydrogenolysis. Formation of ethylene-di is naturally expected by the presence of reaction (e ),... 

In the reaction of Q,/3-unsaturated ketones and esters, sometimes simple Michael-type addition (insertion and hydrogenolysis, or hydroarylation, and hydroalkenylation) of alkenes is observed[53,54]. For example, a simple addition product 56 to methyl vinyl ketone was obtained by the reaction of the heteroaromatic iodide 55[S5]. The corresponding bromide affords the usual insertion-elimination product. Saturated ketones are obtained cleanly by hydroarylation of o,/3l-unsaturated ketones with aryl halides in the presence of sodium formate, which hydrogenolyses the R—Pd—I intermediate to R— Pd—H[56]. Intramolecular hydroarylation is a useful reaction. The diiodide 57 reacts smoothly with sodium formate to give a model compound for the afla-toxin 58. (see Section 1.1.6)[57]. Use of triethylammonium formate and BU4NCI gives better results. 

Many examples of insertions of internal alkynes are known. Internal alkynes react with aryl halides in the presence of formate to afford the trisubstituted alkenes[271,272]. In the reaction of the terminal alkyne 388 with two molecules of iodobenzene. the first step is the formation of the phenylacetylene 389. Then the internal alkyne bond, thus produced, inserts into the phenyl-Pd bond to give 390. Finally, hydrogenolysis with formic acid yields the trisubstituted alkene 391(273,274], This sequence of reactions is a good preparative method for trisubstituted alkenes from terminal alkynes. 

The Pd-catalyzed hydrogenoiysis of acyl chlorides with hydrogen to give aldehydes is called the Rosenmund reduction. Rosenmund reduction catalyzed by supported Pd is explained by the formation of an acylpalladium complex and its hydrogenolysis[744]. Aldehydes can be obtained using other hydrides. For example, the Pd-catalyzed reaction of acyl halides with tin hydride gives aldehydes[745]. This is the tin Form of Rosenmund reduction. Aldehydes are i ormed by the reaction of the thio esters 873 with hydrosilanes[746,747]. 

As a further application of the reaction, the conversion of an endocyclic double bond to an c.xo-methylene is possible[382]. The epoxidation of an cWo-alkene followed by diethylaluminum amide-mediated isomerization affords the allylic alcohol 583 with an exo double bond[383]. The hydroxy group is eliminated selectively by Pd-catalyzed hydrogenolysis after converting it into allylic formate, yielding the c.ro-methylene compound 584. The conversion of carvone (585) into l,3-disiloxy-4-methylenecyclohexane (586) is an example[382]. 

The Pd-catalyzed hydrogenolysis of vinyloxiranes with formate affords homoallyl alcohols, rather than allylic alcohols regioselectively. The reaction is stereospecific and proceeds by inversion of the stereochemistry of the C—O bond[394,395]. The stereochemistry of the products is controlled by the geometry of the alkene group in vinyloxiranes. The stereoselective formation of stereoisomers of the syn hydroxy group in 630 and the ami in 632 from the ( )-epoxide 629 and the (Z)-epoxide 631 respectively is an example. 

Alkali moderation of supported precious metal catalysts reduces secondary amine formation and generation of ammonia (18). Ammonia in the reaction medium inhibits Rh, but not Ru precious metal catalyst. More secondary amine results from use of more polar protic solvents, CH OH > C2H5OH > Lithium hydroxide is the most effective alkah promoter (19), reducing secondary amine formation and hydrogenolysis. The general order of catalyst procUvity toward secondary amine formation is Pt > Pd Ru > Rh (20). Rhodium s catalyst support contribution to secondary amine formation decreases ia the order carbon > alumina > barium carbonate > barium sulfate > calcium carbonate. 

Alcohols are the most frequently formed products of ester hydrogenolysis. The hydrogenation of esters to alcohols is a reversible reaction with alcohol formation favored at high pressure, ester at low pressure (/). Copper chromite is usually the catalyst of choice. Details for the preparation of this catalyst (/7) and a detailed procedure for hydrogenation of ethyl adipate to hexamethylene glycol (/[Pg.80]

The above equation adequately accounts for the action of ammonia, but it may function in other ways as well, for a variety of bases, such as tertiary amines, carbonates (46), and hydroxides 20,32), also suppress formation of coupled products. Greenfield (28) suggested that bases may function by suppressing the hydrogenolysis reaction leading to secondary and tertiary amines. 

An unusual sensitivity of this reaction to structure was reported by Ram and Neumeyer (51). When R = H (1), hydrogenolysis could not be effected either directly or by catalytic hydrogen transfer (13), but etherification to give 2 (R = CH3) permitted slow formation of 3, The mild conditions of hydrogenation were required to avoid racemization at the 6a-position. Hydrogenolysis is usually much more facile than is indicated by this example. 

In subsequent studies,22 Sheehan et al. demonstrated that the action of diisopropylcarbodiimide on penicilloate 24, prepared by protection of the free primary amino group in 23 with trityl chloride (see Scheme 6b), results in the formation of the desired -lactam 25 in a very respectable yield of 67 %. In this most successful transformation, the competing azlactonization reaction is prevented by the use of a trityl group (Ph3C) to protect the C-6 amino function. Hydrogenolysis of the benzyl ester function in 25, followed by removal of the trityl protecting group with dilute aqueous HC1, furnishes 6-aminopenicillanic acid (26), a versatile intermediate for the synthesis of natural and unnatural penicillins. 

The C2-symmetric epoxide 23 (Scheme 7) reacts smoothly with carbon nucleophiles. For example, treatment of 23 with lithium dimethylcuprate proceeds with inversion of configuration, resulting in the formation of alcohol 28. An important consequence of the C2 symmetry of 23 is that the attack of the organometallic reagent upon either one of the two epoxide carbons produces the same product. After simultaneous hydrogenolysis of the two benzyl ethers in 28, protection of the 1,2-diol as an acetonide ring can be easily achieved by the use of 2,2-dimethoxypropane and camphor-sulfonic acid (CSA). It is necessary to briefly expose the crude product from the latter reaction to methanol and CSA so that the mixed acyclic ketal can be cleaved (see 29—>30). Oxidation of alcohol 30 with pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC) provides alde-... 

Both the solvent and ligand were found to play pivotal roles in the reaction. In dioxane the byproduct formation was minimized while acceptable rates and yields were retained. In these studies it was also shown that both n-Bu3P and Ph3P are efficient ligands for the hydrogenolysis, but it is important that the ligand Pd(0) ratio be kept below 1 [158]. 

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