Ketones cyanide addition

The potential substrates for the Strecker reaction fall into two categories ald-imines (derived from aldehydes, for which cyanide addition results in formation of a tertiary stereocenter) and ketoimines (derived from ketones, for which addition results in a quaternary stereocenter). As in the case of carbonyl cyanation, significant differences are observed between the substrate subclasses. To date, while a few catalyst systems have been found to display broad substrate scope with respect to aldimine substrates, successful Strecker reactions of ketoimines have been reported in only two cases. As is the case for all asymmetric catalytic methodologies, the breadth of the substrate scope constitutes a crucial criterion for the application of the Strecker reaction to a previously unexplored substrate. 

These are O-, S- and iVnucleophiles. Halide ions are not able to react as nucleophiles with carbonyl compounds, but a pseudohahdethat is, the cyanide ion, is. The addition of the cyanide ion to aldehydes and ketones displays considerable analogies with the addition reactions of ()-, S- and N nucleophiles and this is why Section 9.1 addresses these cyanide additions. 

Cyanohydrins are versatile building blocks that are used in both the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries [2-9]. Consequently their enantioselective synthesis has attracted considerable attention (Scheme 5.1). Their preparation by the addition of HCN to an aldehyde or a ketone is 100% atom efficient. It is, however, an equilibrium reaction. The racemic addition of HCN is base-catalyzed, thus the enantioselective, enzymatic cyanide addition should be performed under mildly acidic conditions to suppress the undesired background reaction. While the formation of cyanohydrins from aldehydes proceeds readily, the equilibrium for ketones lies on the side of the starting materials. The latter reaction can therefore only be performed successfully by either bio- or chemo-cat-... 

Synthesis of Optically Active Epoxides. Alkaloids and alkaloid salts have been successfully used as catalysts for the asymmetric synthesis of epoxides. The use of chiral catalysts such as quinine or quinium benzylchloride (QUIBEC) have allowed access to optically active epoxides through a variety of reaction conditions, including oxidation using Hydrogen Peroxide (eq 5), Darzens condensations (eq 6), epoxidation of ketones by Sodium Hypochlorite (eq 7), halohydrin ring closure (eq 8), and cyanide addition to a-halo ketones (eq 9). Although the relative stereochemistry of most of the products has not been determined, enan-tiomerically enriched materials have been isolated. A more recent example has been published in which optically active 2,3-epoxycyclohexanone has been synthesized by oxidation with t-Butyl Hydroperoxide in the presence of QUIBEC and the absolute stereochemistry of the product established (eq 10). ... 

Similarly, functional groups such as ketones, cyanides, esters, and amides accelerate the rate of the Ni-catalyzed alkyl-alkyl couphng. It was found that additives, such as acetophenones, benzophenones, and styrenes, with electron-withdrawing substituents accelerate the reaction (Scheme 3.65) [238]. Among all of these additives, p- and m-trifluoromethyl-substituted styrenes were the most effective ones in affording high yields at faster rates. 

Bisulfite addition to an aldehyde or ketone is similar to cyanide addition, although the nucleophile in this case is sulfur. Sodium bisulfite adds to many aldehydes and ketones to give an addition product, often a nicely isolable solid (Rg. 16.36). 

In 2002, Snapper and Hoveyda reported a chiral peptide 15-Al(OiPr)3 complex for the cyanosilylation of ketones (Scheme 19.9). This catalyst system exhibited excellent results (67->98% peld and 80-95% enantiomeric excess) for aromatic (cyclic and acyclic) and aliphatic ketones (saturated and unsaturated). Notably, the first example of catalytic enantioselective cyanide addition to an alkynyl ketone was developed. Meanwhile, the chiral ligand 15 was recyclable, readily modifiable and easily synthesised in six steps with 75% overall yield. 

In Summary a,jS-Unsaturated aldehydes and ketones are synthetically useful building blocks in organic synthesis because of their ability to undergo 1,4-additions. Hydrogen cyanide addition leads to j8-cyano carbonyl compounds oxygen and nitrogen nncleophiles also can add to the j8-carbon. 

The irreversibility of the latter reaction allowed the formation of the corresponding P-azidoalcohols and P-hydroxynitriles in good to excellent yields and with perfect enantiopurity. As some ADHs, for example, ADH-A from R. ruber used in this study, suffer from inactivation from cyanide, addition of the nucleophile must be carried out after complete reduction of the a-chloro ketone substrate. 

Trimethylsilyl [ C]cyanide is conveniently accessible from trimethylsilyl chloride, Na CN and Nal in the presence of lutidine or pyridine ". In carbon-14 synthesis it is normally generated in situ and used immediately in subsequent Lewis acid catalyzed chemical transformations. It is useful for some reactions in which alkah metal [ " C]cyanides normally fail, such as cyanide addition to acetals and aromatic and heteroaromatic aldehydes and ketones. Examples include the Znl2-catalyzed addition of TMS " CN to 2-furaldehyde followed by hydride reduction of the resultant silylated cyanohydrin to the aminoalcohol 96 " and the SnCLj-catalyzed formation of D-[l- " C]allonitrile 98, obtained from reaction of TMS " CN to the 0-acetylated hemiacetal 97 (Figure 7.26). Subsequent addition of H2Se to the nitrile group, cyclocondensation of the intermediate selenoamide in situ with ethyl bromopymvate and deprotection yielded 99, precursor to [2- " C]CI-935, a compound with... 

By (he direct addition of hydrogen cyanide to aldehydes and ketones, giving cyanhydrins ... 

To 2 ml. of the ester, add 2--3 drops of a saturated freshly prepared solution of scdium bisulphite. On shaking, a gelatinous precipitate of the bisulphite addition product (D) of the keto form separates, and on standing for 5-10 minutes usually crystallises out. This is a normal reaction of a ketone (see p. 344) hydrogen cyanide adds on similarly to give a cyanhydrin. 

The formation of ethyl isopropylidene cyanoacetate is an example of the Knoevenagel reaction (see Discussion before Section IV,123). With higher ketones a mixture of ammonium acetate and acetic acid is an effective catalyst the water formed is removed by azeotropic distillation with benzene. The essential step in the reaction with aqueous potassium cyanide is the addition of the cyanide ion to the p-end of the ap-double bond ... 

The most general methods for the syntheses of 1,2-difunctional molecules are based on the oxidation of carbon-carbon multiple bonds (p. 117) and the opening of oxiranes by hetero atoms (p. 123fl.). There exist, however, also a few useful reactions in which an a - and a d -synthon or two r -synthons are combined. The classical polar reaction is the addition of cyanide anion to carbonyl groups, which leads to a-hydroxynitriles (cyanohydrins). It is used, for example, in Strecker s synthesis of amino acids and in the homologization of monosaccharides. The ff-hydroxy group of a nitrile can be easily substituted by various nucleophiles, the nitrile can be solvolyzed or reduced. Therefore a large variety of terminal difunctional molecules with one additional carbon atom can be made. Equally versatile are a-methylsulfinyl ketones (H.G. Hauthal, 1971 T. Durst, 1979 O. DeLucchi, 1991), which are available from acid chlorides or esters and the dimsyl anion. Carbanions of these compounds can also be used for the synthesis of 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds (p. 65f.). 

Finally a general approach to synthesize A -pyrrolines must be mentioned. This is tl acid-catalyzed (NH4CI or catalytic amounts of HBr) and thermally (150°C) induced tea rangement of cyclopropyl imines. These educts may be obtained from commercial cyan> acetate, cyclopropyl cyanide, or benzyl cyanide derivatives by the routes outlined below. Tl rearrangement is reminiscent of the rearrangement of 1-silyloxy-l-vinylcyclopropancs (p. 7 83) but since it is acid-catalyzed it occurs at much lower temperatures. A -Pyrrolines constitut reactive enamines and may be used in further addition reactions such as the Robinson anei lation with methyl vinyl ketone (R.V. Stevens, 1967, 1968, 1971). 

With this as background let us now examine how the principles of nucleophilic addition apply to the characteristic reactions of aldehydes and ketones We 11 begin with the addition of hydrogen cyanide... 

The product of addition of hydrogen cyanide to an aldehyde or a ketone contains both a hydroxyl group and a cyano group bonded to the same carbon Compounds of this type are called cyanohydrins... 

A cyanohydrin is an organic compound that contains both a cyanide and a hydroxy group on an aUphatic section of the molecule. Cyanohydrias are usually a-hydroxy nitriles which are the products of base-cataly2ed addition of hydrogen cyanide to the carbonyl group of aldehydes and ketones. The lUPAC name for cyanohydrias is based on the a-hydroxy nitrile name. Common names of cyanohydrias are derived from the aldehyde or ketoae from which they are formed (Table 1). 

Addition of hydrogen cyanide to an aldose to form a cyanohydrin is the first step in the Kiliani-Fischer method for increasing the carbon chain of aldoses by one unit. Cyanohydrins react with Grignard reagents (see Grignard reaction) to give a-hydroxy ketones. 

AH ahphatic aldehydes and most ketones react to form cyanohydrins. The lower reactivity of ketones, relative to aldehydes, is attributed to a combination of electron-donating effects and increased steric hindrance of the second alkyl group in the ketones. The magnitude of the equiUbrium constants for the addition of hydrogen cyanide to a carbonyl group is a measure of the stabiUty of the cyanohydrin relative to the carbonyl compound plus hydrogen cyanide ... 

Cyclohexanone shows most of the typical reactions of aUphatic ketones. It reacts with hydroxjiamine, phenyUiydrazine, semicarbazide, Grignard reagents, hydrogen cyanide, sodium bisulfite, etc, to form the usual addition products, and it undergoes the various condensation reactions that are typical of ketones having cx-methylene groups. Reduction converts cyclohexanone to cyclohexanol or cyclohexane, and oxidation with nitric acid converts cyclohexanone almost quantitatively to adipic acid. 

Silylated cyanohydrins have also been prepared via silylation of cyanohydrins themselves and by the addition of hydrogen cyanide to silyl enol ethers. Silylated cyanohydrins have proved to be quite useful in a variety of synthetic transformations, including the regiospecific protection of p-quinones, as intermediates in an efficient synthesis of a-aminomethyl alcohols, and for the preparation of ketone cyanohydrins themselves.The silylated cyanohydrins of heteroaromatic aldehydes have found extensive use as... 

The cyanohydrin of methyl perfluoroheptyl ketone was synthesized by a two-step process addition of sodium bisulfite and subsequent treatment with sodium cyanide. When the ketone was reacted with sodium cyanide, cyclic addition products were obtained, instead of the product of cyanohydrin formation. This result was attributed to the solubility characteristic of a long perfluoroalkyl group, which makes the compound less soluble in water and polar organic solvents [54] (equation 40) (Table 14). 

The formation of adducts of enamines with acidic carbon compounds has been achieved with acetylenes (518) and hydrogen cyanide (509,519,520) (used as the acetone cyanohydrin). In these reactions an initial imonium salt formation can be assumed. The addition of malonic ester to an enamine furnishes the condensation product, also obtained from the parent ketone (350,521). 

---