Hydroxy acids from aldehydes

Mandelic Acid.—The reaction furnishes a simple and general method for obtaining hydroxy-acids from aldehydes or ketones by the aid of the cyanhydrin. The formation of the cyanhydrin may be effected in the manner described or by the action of hydrochloric acid on a mixture of the aldehyde or ketone with potassium cyanide, or, as in the case of the sugais, by the use of liquid hydrocyanic acid and a little amme-nia. 

By analogy with the synthesis of a-hydroxy acids one can envisage a one-pot synthesis of a-hydroxy amides from aldehydes via hydrocyanation and in situ NHase-catalyzed hydrolysis to the amide. Since enantioselective NHases are very rare, the enantioselectivity should be derived from HnL-catalyzed hydrocyanation. The second step has been described for the Rhodococcus erythropolis NHase-catalyzed hydration of (R)-mandelonitrile to give the (R)-amide with retention of enantiopurity [43]. 

Figure 3. The Strecker and cyanohydrin mechanisms for the formation of amino-and hydroxy-acids from ammonia, cyanide, aldehydes and ketones.

Analysis The a-hydroxy acid can best be made from an aldehyde and, then we can cany on as usual with a 1,3-dicarbonyl disconnection ... 

The purification of diethyl ether (see Chapter 4) is typical of liquid ethers. The most common contaminants are the alcohols or hydroxy compounds from which the ethers are prepared, their oxidation products (e.g. aldehydes), peroxides and water. Peroxides, aldehydes and alcohols can be removed by shaking with alkaline potassium permanganate solution for several hours, followed by washing with water, concentrated sulfuric acid [CARE], then water. After drying with calcium chloride, the ether is distilled. It is then dried with sodium or with lithium aluminium hydride, redistilled and given a final fractional distillation. The drying process should be repeated if necessary. 

Although 3y5-hydroxy-A -l9-aldehydes can be obtained from the corresponding oxime by acid treatment, the most efficient method for the production of A -19-aldehydes is nitrosation of the oximes followed by zinc reduction of the 5a-halo hemiacetal. ... 

Use of the valine derived (4S )-3-acetyl-4-isopropyl-1,3-oxazolidine (8)92, the C2-symmetric reagents (2.5,55)-l-acetyl-2,5-bissubstituted pyrrolidine 994, or the doubly deprotonated acetyl urea /V-acetyl- V..V -bis[(.S)-l-phcnylethyl]urea (10), also does not lead to sufficient induced stereoselectivity combined with acceptable chemical yield. When the acetyl urea enolate is reacted with aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes, the diastereomeric adducts (ratios ranging from 1 1 to 3 1) may be separated by column chromatography to give ultimately both enantiomers of the 3-hydroxy acids in 99% ee110. 

Frequently, it is the bisulfite addition product that is treated with CN. This method is especially useful for aromatic aldehydes, since it avoids competition from the benzoin condensation. If desired, it is possible to hydrolyze the cyanohydrin in situ to the corresponding a-hydroxy acid. This reaction is important in the Kiliani-Fischer method of extending the carbon chain of a sugar. 

Higher-molecular-weight normal 2-alkenoic acids have been prepared in poor yields by the Doebner condensation of aldehydes with malonic acid,5-7 and by the Reformatsky reaction of aldehydes with ethyl bromoacetate followed by dehydration.8 The a-iodo acid, prepared from the bromo acid, has been dehydrohalogenated with potassium hydroxide in ethanol,9 but large quantities of the a-hydroxy acid are formed as a by-product which is difficult to separate in some instances. The present procedure is an adaptation of a published method.6... 

AT-Boc group, was followed by reductive debenzylation of 30 and Yamaguchi lactonization of the resultant hydroxy acid to provide macrodiolide 31 in 25% yield accompanied by a dimer. Finally, removal of the N-Boc group and reductive N-methylation yielded pamamycin-607 (lb). In total, ca. 40 steps were required to access the target from ester 4, aldehyde 22, and allyl stannanes 10 and ent-lO. 

In 2004, Bode and Rovis independently and concurrently reported the catalytic coupling of reducible aldehydes and alcohols. This mode of reactivity is most closely related to the work published by Wallach, who generated dichloroacetic acid from chloral under cyanide catalysis in aqueous media [108]. Bode and coworkers reported the catalytic, diastereoselective synthesis of P-hydroxy esters from a,P-epoxy aldehydes using thiazolium pre-catalyst 173 Eq. 16a [109]. MeOH, EtOH, and BnOH are effective nucleophiles providing upwards of >10 1 diastere-oselectivity. Aziridinylaldehyde 174 has also been shown to provide the desired iV-tosyl-P-aminoester 175 in 53% yield Eq. 16b. 

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