Hydroxy esters from ester acids

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. 

Linkers that enable the preparation of y-lactones by cleavage of hydroxy esters from insoluble supports are discussed in Section 3.5.2. Resin-bound y-lactones have been prepared by Baeyer-Villiger oxidation of cyclobutanones [39], by intramolecular addition of alkyl radicals to oximes [48], by electrophilic addition of resin-bound sele-nenyl cyanide or bromide to 3,y-unsaturated acids (Figure 9.2 [100]), and by palladium-mediated coupling of resin-bound aryl iodides with allenyl carboxylic acids (Entry 10, Table 5.7 [101]). 

Esters from Carboxylic Acids and Alcohols via Hydroxy Group Activation (HGA)... 

As bases. Formation of magnesium enolates from a-chloro-a-arenesulfinylcar-boxylic acid derivatives involves desulfinylation with a Grignard reagent. f-Butyl Grignard reagents are preferred in certain circumstances for the deprotonation of carbon acids. This method has been applied to a synthesis of chiral jS-hydroxy esters from arenesulfinylacetic esters. ... 

A different type of steric shielding method can be used to obtain substituted 6-hydroxy-esters from a dioxanone derived from (R)-3-hydroxybutyric acid and pivalaldehyde (Scheme 14). The... 

N 0 Me 0 From hydroxymethyl polystyrene by treatment with COClj, HjNNHCOjMe and NBS or Cl,.2i Mitsunobu reactions esters from carboxylic acids and alcohols lactones from hydroxy acids A/-aUcylation of phthalimides, a-alkylation of cyanoacetate carbodiimides from thioureas. ... 

This reaction was first reported by Bouveault and Blanc in 1903, and was further extended by Bouveault and Locquin. It is the synthesis of symmetrical a-hydroxy ketones via the reductive condensation of esters in an inert solvent in the presence of sodium. Since symmetrical a-hydroxy ketones, the aliphatic analogs of benzoins, are generally known as acyloins, the formation of a-hydroxy ketones from esters is simply referred to as acyloin condensation. In a few cases, it is also referred to as acyloin reaction." For the individual acyloin, the name is derived by adding the suffix oin to the stem name of corresponding acid, e.g., acetoin prepared from acetate. The most common method used to make acyloin is the reductive condensation of aliphatic esters with sodium in inert solvents, such as ether, xylene or even in liquid NH3 The yield of this reaction can be greatly improved when trimethylchlorosilane presents." " Intromolecular acyloin condensation from aliphatic diesters affords cyclic ketones of different ring sizes. 

Catecholborane reduces carboxylic acids to the corresponding alcohols while esters are unaffected, thus offering an alternative to diborane for the synthesis of hydroxy-esters from monoesters of diacids. 

N-Benzylamides are recommended when the corresponding acid is liquid and/or water-soluble so that it cannot itself serve as a derivative. Phe benzylamides derived from the simple fatty acids or their esters are not altogether satisfactory (see Table below) those derived from most hydroxy-acids and from poly basic acids or their esters are formed in good yield and are easily purified. The esters of aromatic acids yield satisfactory derivatives but the method must compete with the equally simple process of hydrolysis and precipitation of the free acid, an obvious derivative when the acid is a solid. The procedure fails with esters of keto, sul phonic, inorganic and some halogenated aliphatic esters. 

In peptide syntheses, where partial racemization of the chiral a-carbon centers is a serious problem, the application of 1-hydroxy-1 H-benzotriazole ( HBT") and DCC has been very successful in increasing yields and decreasing racemization (W. Kdnig, 1970 G.C. Windridge, 1971 H.R. Bosshard, 1973), l-(Acyloxy)-lif-benzotriazoles or l-acyl-17f-benzo-triazole 3-oxides are formed as reactive intermediates. If carboxylic or phosphoric esters are to be formed from the acids and alcohols using DCC, 4-(pyrrolidin-l -yl)pyridine ( PPY A. Hassner, 1978 K.M. Patel, 1979) and HBT are efficient catalysts even with tert-alkyl, choles-teryl, aryl, and other unreactive alcohols as well as with highly bulky or labile acids. 

Most reported boric acid esters are trialkoxy or triaryloxy boranes. The esters range from colorless low boiling Hquids to soHds that possess high melting points. Boric acid esters usually have an odor similar to the hydroxy compound from which they are derived. A more complete description of the physical... 

Dimethoxybenzyl esters prepared from the acid chloride and the benzyl alcohol are readily cleaved oxidatively by DDQ (CH2CI2, H2O, rt, 18 h, 90-95% yield). A 4-methoxybenzyl ester was found not to be cleaved by DDQ. The authors have also explored the oxidative cleavage (ceric ammonium nitrate, CH3CN, H2O, 0°, 4 h, 65-97% yield) of a variety of 4-hydroxy- and 4-amino-substituted phenolic esters. ... 

The most common impurities are the corresponding acid and hydroxy compound (i.e. alcohol or phenol), and water. A liquid ester from a carboxylic acid is washed with 2N sodium carbonate or sodium hydroxide to remove acid material, then shaken with calcium chloride to remove ethyl or methyl alcohols (if it is a methyl or ethyl ester). It is dried with potassium carbonate or magnesium sulfate, and distilled. Fractional distillation then removes residual traces of hydroxy compounds. This method does not apply to esters of inorganic acids (e.g. dimethyl sulfate) which are more readily hydrolysed in aqueous solution when heat is generated in the neutralisation of the excess acid. In such cases, several fractional distillations, preferably under vacuum, are usually sufficient. 

Tnflrc anhydride is a useful reagent for the preparation of covalent triflate esters from alcohols, ketones, and other organic substrates [66] In many cases, very reactive triflates can be generated m situ and subjected to subsequent transformation without isolation [94, 95, 96, 97] Typical examples are cyclization of amides into dihydroisoqumolines (equation 45) and synthesis of Al-hydroxy-a-amino acid denvatives (equation 46) via the intermediate covalent triflates... 

Butylethylidene and 1-phenylethylidene ketals were prepared selectively from the C4-C6, 1,3-diol in glucose by an acid-catalyzed transketalization reaction [e.g., Me3CC(OMe)2CH3, TsOH/DMF, 24 h, 79% yield PhC(OMe)2Me, TsOH, DMF, 24 h, 90% yield, respectively]. They are cleaved by acidic hydrolysis AcOH, 20°, 90 min, 100% yield, and AcOH, 20°, 3 days, 100% yield, respectively. Ozonolysis of the /-butylmethylidene ketal affords hydroxy ester, albeit with poor regiocontrol, but a more sterically differentiated derivative may give better selectivity, as was observed with the ethylidene ketal. ... 

A number of 5-hydroxy-2-oxotetrahydro-l,3-oxazine derivatives can also be formed from glycide esters of carbamic acid ... 

A terpene yielding isofenchyl alcohol on hydration, which Wallach considers to be one of the fenchenes, was artificially prepared by converting nopinone into a hydroxy ester by means of bromoacetic ester and zinc-dust. The hydroxy ester is dehydrated by potassium bisulphate, and so yields an unsaturated ester, which on saponification yields an acid from which the terpene results by distillation. This fenchene has the following characters —... 

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