3-Hydroxy-3-methyl-2-butanone preparation

Methyl vinyl ketone can be produced by the reactions of acetone and formaldehyde to form 4-hydroxy-2-butanone, followed by dehydration to the product (267,268). Methyl vinyl ketone can also be produced by the Mannich reaction of acetone, formaldehyde, and diethylamine (269). Preparation via the oxidation of saturated alcohols or ketones such as 2-butanol and methyl ethyl ketone is also known (270), and older patents report the synthesis of methyl vinyl ketone by the hydration of vinylacetylene (271,272). 

Biacetyl is produced by the dehydrogenation of 2,3-butanediol with a copper catalyst (290,291). Prior to the availabiUty of 2,3-butanediol, biacetyl was prepared by the nitrosation of methyl ethyl ketone and the hydrolysis of the resultant oxime. Other commercial routes include passing vinylacetylene into a solution of mercuric sulfate in sulfuric acid and decomposing the insoluble product with dilute hydrochloric acid (292), by the reaction of acetal with formaldehyde (293), by the acid-cataly2ed condensation of 1-hydroxyacetone with formaldehyde (294), and by fermentation of lactic acid bacterium (295—297). Acetoin [513-86-0] (3-hydroxy-2-butanone) is also coproduced in lactic acid fermentation. 

Raspberry ketone is prepared by alkali-catalyzed condensation of the alkali salt of 4-hydroxybenzaldehyde and acetone, followed by selective hydrogenation of the double bond in the resulting 4-hydroxybenzalacetone. Other syntheses start from phenol which is converted into 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone with methyl vinyl ketone (e.g., in the presence of phosphoric acid) [179] or with 4-hydroxy-2-butanone in the presence of concentrated sulfuric acid [180]. 

Preparation of 3-Methyl-3-hydroxy-2-butanone, p. 412 Hydrolysis of Anhydrides, p. 432... 

On the other hand, as mentioned in the preceding subsection, a preparative-scale enzymic synthesis of 1-deoxy-D-r/ireo-pentulose can be achieved, according to Reaction 1, in the presence of an extract of B. pumilus. Obviously, this raises the question of the relevance of Eq. 1 to the production of the pentulose in microorganisms. Acetoin in Reaction 1 could be replaced by 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-butanone (then the by-product is acetone). More interestingly, it can be also replaced by pyruvate, then the pentulose is synthesized according to Reaction 3 ... 

The hexahydro-2-methyl-477-[l,4]oxazino[3,4-3][l,3]oxazin 4-one 393 was prepared in excellent yield by electrochemical oxidation and cyclization of the 3-hydroxy-l-(morpholin 4-yl)butanone 392 (Equation 44). The oxazino[3,4+][l,3]oxazin-4-one 393 is one of a series of compounds obtained by utilization of electrochemistry in parallel and combinatorial syntheses <2000JC0545>. 

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