Hydrogenolysis, of ethers

Koso S, Nakagawa Y, Tomishige K (2011) Meehanism of the hydrogenolysis of ethers over silica-supported rhodium catalyst modified with ihenium oxide. J Catal 280 221-229... 

Koso S, Watanabe H, Okumura K, Nakagawa Y, Tomishige K (2012) Comparative study of Rh-MoOx and Rh-ReO supported on Si02 for the hydrogenolysis of ethers and polyols. Appl Catal B 111-112 27-37... 

The conversion ROR — RR (R =alkyl or aryl) is included in this section. For the hydrogenolysis of ethers (ROR — RH) see section 159 (Hydrides from Ethers)... 

This section lists examples of the hydrogenolysis of ethers, ROR For the conversion ROR — RR" (R"=alkyl or aryl) see section 69 (Alkyls and Aryls from Ethers)... 

An example of a conventional cascade system with two catalysts comprising a high-valent metal triflate Lewis add and a supported Pd catalyst for the hydrogenolysis of ethers is illustrated in Fig. 8.24. Since primary C—O bonds are resistant to cleavage, in the presence of water, there is formation of the parent primary alcohol that further undergoes acid-catalyzed dehydration to alkene and rapid, irreversible metal-catalyzed hydrogenation to alkane. 

The enone 807 is converted into the dienol triflatc 808 and then the conjugated diene 809 by the hydrogenolysis with tributylammonium for-mate[689,690]. Naphthol can be converted into naphthalene by the hydrogenolysis of its triflate 810[691-693] or sulfonates using dppp or dppf as a ligand[694]. Aryl tetrazoyl ether 811 is cleaved with formic acid using Pd on carbon as a catalyst[695]. 

Hydrogenation of furfuryl alcohol can yield 2-tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, 2-methylfuran, 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, or straight-chain compounds by hydrogenolysis of the ring. Ethoxylation and propoxylation of furfuryl alcohol provide usefiil ether alcohols. 

Historically, simple Vz-alkyl ethers formed from a phenol and a halide or sulfate were cleaved under rather drastic conditions (e.g., refluxing HBr). New ether protective groups have been developed that are removed under much milder conditions (e.g., via nucleophilic displacement, hydrogenolysis of benzyl ethers, and mild acid hydrolysis of acetal-type ethers) that seldom affect other functional groups in a molecule. 

Catalytic hydrogenolysis of an O-benzyl protective group is a mild, selective method introduced by Bergmann and Zervas to cleave a benzyl carbamate (>NC0-0CH2C6H5 —> >NH) prepared to protect an amino group during peptide syntheses. The method has also been used to cleave alkyl benzyl ethers, stable compounds prepared to protect alkyl alcohols benzyl esters are cleaved by catalytic hydrogenolysis under neutral conditions. 

Catalytic hydrogenation in acetic anhydride-benzene removes the aromatic benzyl ether and forms a monoacetate hydrogenation in ethyl acetate removes the aliphatic benzyl ether to give, after acetylation, the diacetate. Trisubstituted aDcenes can be retained during the hydrogenolysis of a phenolic benzyl ether. ... 

A case in point is hydrogenolysis of the 1-phenyl tetrazolyl ether of tyrosine, to phenylalanine 107). 

In general, hydrogenolysis of vinylic compounds is favored by platinum and hydrogenation by ruthenium and rhodium 31,55,59,72,106). In the reduction of 4-methyl-1-cyclohexenyl ether, the order of decreasing hydrogenolysis to give methylcyclohexane was established as Pt Ir > Rh > Os Ru = Pd (52). 

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). 

Platinum may be more useful than palladium in reduction of nitro compounds containing functions easily reduced by palladium. Hydrogenation of I over 5% Pd-on-C was nonselective with hydrogenolysis of the benzyl ethers competing with nitro hydrog ation, but over PtO in ethanol 2 was obtained in 96% yield (4). 

Hydrogenolysis of 1-phenyltetrazolyl ether has been applied to deoxygenation of several heavily substituted phenols, for example, ethyl orsellinate (4a). 

Hydrogenolysis of 2-phenyltetrazolyl ethers has been accomplished cleanly, using Pd-on-C and hydrazine or sodium phosphinate (13). 

Extensive hydrogenolysis of vinyl ethers does not occur always over platinum. Reduction of 28 proceeded smoothly to 29 (/09). It is likely that the high pressure and low temperature used in this experiment helped to minimize hydrogenolysis. For effective use of subambient ( —30°C) temperatures in stopping hydrogenolysis of vinyl functions, see (/Oa). 

The present method of preparing 2-cyclohexyloxyethanol has been described before,6 but on a smaller scale. Other /3-hydroxy ethers6 and /3-hydroxy thio ethers 8 can be prepared by the same method. Hydrogenolysis of the C—O bond in acetals has also been reported7 with diisobutylaluminum hydride for example, 2-cyclohexyloxyethanol was obtained in 91% yield in this manner. 

From intermediate 28, the construction of aldehyde 8 only requires a few straightforward steps. Thus, alkylation of the newly introduced C-3 secondary hydroxyl with methyl iodide, followed by hydrogenolysis of the C-5 benzyl ether, furnishes primary alcohol ( )-29. With a free primary hydroxyl group, compound ( )-29 provides a convenient opportunity for optical resolution at this stage. Indeed, separation of the equimolar mixture of diastereo-meric urethanes (carbamates) resulting from the action of (S)-(-)-a-methylbenzylisocyanate on ( )-29, followed by lithium aluminum hydride reduction of the separated urethanes, provides both enantiomers of 29 in optically active form. Oxidation of the levorotatory alcohol (-)-29 with PCC furnishes enantiomerically pure aldehyde 8 (88 % yield). 

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-... 

The completion of the synthesis of gilvocarcin V (2) only requires a few functional group manipulations. Hydrogenolysis of the four benzyl groups, followed by acetylation of the liberated hydroxyl groups, provides 30 in 68 % overall yield. After cleavage of the MOM ether in 30 with bromotrimethylsilane, application... 

The oxirane ring in 175 is a valuable function because it provides a means for the introduction of the -disposed C-39 methoxy group of rapamycin. Indeed, addition of CSA (0.2 equivalents) to a solution of epoxy benzyl ether 175 in methanol brings about a completely regioselective and stereospecific solvolysis of the oxirane ring, furnishing the desired hydroxy methyl ether 200 in 90 % yield. After protection of the newly formed C-40 hydroxyl in the form of a tert-butyldimethylsilyl (TBS) ether, hydrogenolysis of the benzyl ether provides alcohol 201 in 89 % overall yield. 

The completion of the synthesis of 1 only requires two deprotection steps. Hydrogenolysis of the four benzyl ethers, followed by cleavage of the triisopropylsilyl ether with hydrofluoric acid in acetonitrile, provides paeoniflorin (1) in an overall yield of 92 %. 

Hydrogenolysis of the C-7 benzyl ether, followed sequentially by selective triethylsilylation of the newly liberated C-7 hydroxyl and mesylation of the C-5 secondary hydroxyl, provides compound 34 in 60% overall yield (see 33—>34, Scheme 6). On the basis of Potier s studies,35 it was hoped that the C 20 hydroxyl group,... 

Palladium-catalyzed aminations of aryl halides is now a well-documented process [86-88], Heo et al. showed that amino-substituted 2-pyridones 54 and 55 can be prepared in a two-step procedure via a microwave-assisted Buchwald-Hartwig amination reaction of 5- or 6-bromo-2-benzyloxypyri-dines 50 and 51 followed by a hydrogenolysis of the benzyl ether 52 and 53, as outlined in Fig. 9 [89]. The actual microwave-assisted Buchwald-Hartwig coupling was not performed directly at the 2-pyridone scaffold, but instead at the intermediate pyridine. Initially, the reaction was performed at 150 °C for 10 min with Pd2(dba)3 as the palladium source, which provided both the desired amino-pyridines (65% yield) as well as the debrominated pyridine. After improving the conditions, the best temperature and time to use proved... 

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