17/8-Hydroxyl group, role

Another contribution to die reaction involving steam is thought to be the role of the oxide support in the provision of hydrogen to the surface of adjacent catalyst particles. It is suggested drat die water molecule is adsorbed on the surface of oxides such as alumina, to form hydroxyl groups on the surface, thus... 

Glucose undergoes a large number of seleetive, acid-catalyzed substitution reaetions at Cj. Sinee the role of aeid is to protonate the Ci hydroxyl and make it a better leaving group, it is not apparent why only this hydroxyl group gets replaeed. 

As inert as the C-25 lactone carbonyl has been during the course of this synthesis, it can serve the role of electrophile in a reaction with a nucleophile. For example, addition of benzyloxymethyl-lithium29 to a cold (-78 °C) solution of 41 in THF, followed by treatment of the intermediate hemiketal with methyl orthoformate under acidic conditions, provides intermediate 42 in 80% overall yield. Reduction of the carbon-bromine bond in 42 with concomitant -elimination of the C-9 ether oxygen is achieved with Zn-Cu couple and sodium iodide at 60 °C in DMF. Under these reaction conditions, it is conceivable that the bromine substituent in 42 is replaced by iodine, after which event reductive elimination occurs. Silylation of the newly formed tertiary hydroxyl group at C-12 with triethylsilyl perchlorate, followed by oxidative cleavage of the olefin with ozone, results in the formation of key intermediate 3 in 85 % yield from 42. 

The 6-endo activated epoxy alcohol cyclization process was also expected to play a central role in the annulation of pyran ring G of the natural product (see Scheme 22). Silylation of the free secondary hydroxyl group in compound 131 furnishes, after hydrobora-tion/oxidation of the double bond, compound 132. Swern oxidation of alcohol 132 produces an aldehyde which reacts efficiently with (ethoxycarbonylethylidene)triphenylphosphorane in the presence of a catalytic amount of benzoic acid in benzene at 50 °C, furnishing... 

The present procedure affords a simple and general method for preparing bromohydrins from alkenes which avoids the heterogeneous solvent systems often used in such reactions. Labeling experiments have demonstrated that the oxygen from the dimethyl sulfoxide appears in the hydroxyl group of the bromohy-drin. Therefore the role of the water is to hydrolyze the intermediate /3-bromodimethylsulfoxonium ion. 

The oxidation by strains of Pseudomonas putida of the methyl group in arenes containing a hydroxyl group in the para position is, however, carried out by a different mechanism. The initial step is dehydrogenation to a quinone methide followed by hydration (hydroxylation) to the benzyl alcohol (Hopper 1976) (Figure 3.7). The reaction with 4-ethylphenol is partially stereospecific (Mclntire et al. 1984), and the enzymes that catalyze the first two steps are flavocytochromes (Mclntire et al. 1985). The role of formal hydroxylation in the degradation of azaarenes is discussed in the section on oxidoreductases (hydroxylases). 

Co-adsorption experiments show a complex role of the nature and concentration of chemisorbed ammonia species. Ammonia is not only one of the reactants for the synthesis of acrylonitrile, but also reaction with Br()>nsted sites inhibits their reactivity. In particular, IR experiments show that two pathways of reaction are possible from chemisorbed propylene (i) to acetone via isopropoxylate intermediate or (ii) to acrolein via allyl alcoholate intermediate. The first reaction occurs preferentially at lower temperatures and in the presence of hydroxyl groups. When their reactivity is blocked by the faster reaction with ammonia, the second pathway of reaction becomes preferential. The first pathway of reaction is responsible for a degradative pathway, because acetone further transform to an acetate species with carbon chain breakage. Ammonia as NH4 reacts faster with acrylate species (formed by transformation of the acrolein intermediate) to give an acrylamide intermediate. At higher temperatures the amide may be transformed to acrylonitrile, but when Brreform ammonia and free, weakly bonded, acrylic acid. The latter easily decarboxylate forming carbon oxides. 

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