Hydroxy acids lactonization

Pirkle, W.H. and House, D.W., Chiral high-performance liquid chromatographic stationary phases. 1. Separation of the enantiomers of sulfoxides, amines, amino acids, alcohols, hydroxy acids, lactones, and mercaptans, J. Org. Chem., 44, 19574 960, 1979. 

Hydroxy acids compounds that contain both a hydroxyl and a carboxylic acid function have the capacity to form cyclic esters called lactones This intramolecular esterification takes place spontaneously when the ring that is formed is five or six membered Lac tones that contain a five membered cyclic ester are referred to as 7 lactones, their six membered analogs are known as 8 lactones... 

Lactones, l xictides, iMciams, and Lactims. When the hydroxy acid from which water may be considered to have been eliminated has a trivial name, the lactone is designated by substituting -olactone for -ic acid. Locants for a carbonyl group are numbered as low as possible, even before that of a hydroxyl group. 

P-Hydroxy acids lose water, especially in the presence of an acid catalyst, to give a,P-unsaturated acids, and frequendy P,y-unsaturated acids. P-Hydroxy acids do not form lactones readily because of the difficulty of four-membered ring formation. The simplest P-lactone, P-propiolactone, can be made from ketene and formaldehyde in the presence of methyl borate but not from P-hydroxypropionic acid. P-Propiolactone [57-57-8] is a usehil intermediate for organic synthesis but caution should be exercised when handling this lactone because it is a known carcinogen. 

Chiral Lactones and Polyesters. Similar to intermolecular reactions described previously. Upases also catalyze intramolecular acylations of hydroxy acids the reactionsults in the formation of lactones. 

The nature of the product strongly depends on the length of the hydroxy acid generally when the hydroxyl group is remote the yield of lactone drops significantly. For example, 10-hydroxydecanoic acid [1679-53-4] does not produce any decanoUde instead, the reaction proceeds by intermolecular oligomerization, and a complex mixture of di-, tri-, tetra-, and pentalactones results (90). However, when Pseudomonas sp. or Candida iylindracea]i 2Lses are incubated with 16-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid [506-13-8] hexadecanoUde is the predorninant product (91). 

Bicucine, C20H19O7N, H2O. This alkaloid has m.. 222° (dec.) and — 115 4° (N/10, KHO) but in N/HCl it shows mutarotation — 145° to — 100°,due to the formation of an equilibrium mixture of bicucine and bicuculline. Alkaline permanganate oxidises it to 3 4-methylene-dioxyphthalic acid, isolated as the ethylimide. In view of its formation from bicuculline by the action of alkali, Manske has suggested for its formula (II) or (III), the former representing it as the nomarceine (p. 208) analogue of bicuculline, whilst (III) makes it the hydroxy-acid corresponding to the lactone, bicuculline and is preferred. 

CHsjOH. CHlCgHg). CH(COOH). CH. COOH COOH. CHlCgHg). CH(CHaOH). CH. COOH COOH. CH(C2Hg). CH(COOH). CH. CH OH AomoPilopic acid is very stable, and is probably therefore the y-lactonic acid of one of these three hydroxy-acids. Further, pilopic acid seems to be produced from its higher homologue by loss of carbon dioxide and oxidation of the contiguous carbon atom. Of the four y-lactonic acids derivable from these three hydroxy-acids only two (I and II) answer these conditions,... 

Acetoxy-D-homo-androst-5-en-17a-one, 64 3 -Acetoxy-5/3-hydroxy-17-keto-B-noran-drostan-6/3-carboxylic acid lactone, 435 3/3-Acetoxy-5-hydroxy-B-norcholestan-6-carboxylic acid 5,6-lactone, 431... 

Reactions that are expected to produce hydroxy acids often yield the derived lactones instead if a five- or six-membered ring can be formed. 

The rhodium catalyst previously discussed is employed in the hydrogenation of / -hydroxybenzoic acid. The resulting mixture of cis and trans products is separated by virtue of the ready formation of the lactone of the cis product, which is then hydrolized to the hydroxy acid. 

Less important methods are the self condensation of w-hydroxy acid and the ring opening of lactones and cyclic esters. In self condensation of w-hydroxy acids, cyclization might compete seriously with linear polymerization, especially when the hydroxyl group is in a position to give five or six membered lactones. 

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