Ketones, methyl with potassium permanganate

Ketones are more stable to oxidation than aldehydes and can be purified from oxidisable impurities by refluxing with potassium permanganate until the colour persists, followed by shaking with sodium carbonate (to remove acidic impurities) and distilling. Traces of water can be removed with type 4A Linde molecular sieves. Ketones which are solids can be purified by crystallisation from alcohol, toluene, or petroleum ether, and are usually sufficiently volatile for sublimation in vacuum. Ketones can be further purified via their bisulfite, semicarbazone or oxime derivatives (vide supra). The bisulfite addition compounds are formed only by aldehydes and methyl ketones but they are readily hydrolysed in dilute acid or alkali. 

Wallach has prepared a-phellandrene synthetically from sabinenic acid by oxidising it to sabina ketone with potassium permanganate. This ketone was converted into its semicarbazone, and the latter compound treated with dilute sulphuric acid, when sabina ketone is not regenerated, but an isomer, which was found to be isopropyl-hexenone. By the interaction of this body with methyl-magnesium iodide, loss of water occurs with a simultaneous conversion into a-phellandrene, which appears to be a mixture of the dextro- and laevo- varieties. This syntheticallj prepared a-phellandrene has the following characters —... 

The oxidation of manool has been re-examined with the aim of producing ambergris-type perfumes. Oxidation with potassium permanganate afforded the known s methyl ketone (6), the diether (7), and at 40 °C the lactone (8). Sodium dichromate gave the aldehyde (9) as a mixture of E- and Z-isomers. Further oxidation of the methyl ketone with hypobromite gave an a-hydroxy-acid (10) and an ether (11) which was also obtained from manoyl oxide. Oxidation of the ketone with per-acid gave an acetoxy-epoxide which on reduction with lithium aluminium hydride afforded a diol. This was converted into an odoriferous ether (12). The ready formation of 5- and 6-membered-ring ethers of this type is a characteristic feature of this area of diterpenoid chemistry. 

Methyl Methylthiomethyl Sulfone. Methyl methyl-thiomethyl sulfone is the 5-methyl analog of MT-sulfone and it is conveniently synthesized by oxidation of methyl methylthiomethyl sulfoxide (FAMSO) with potassium permanganate or H202-Na0H. It is useful for synthetic methods similar to those using MT-sulfone synthesis of carboxylic esters, ketones, and a-aLkoxy- -arylacetates. In the reaction of this reagent with allylic bromides, a-methylthio- /,5-unsaturated sulfones are obtained by stirring the bromide with potassium carbonate and potassium iodide in hexamethylphosphoric triamide (eq 14), which does not occur with MT-sulfone. 

The most widely used routes to benzo[ >]thiophene-2-carboxylic acids are (a) successive lithiation and carbonation of the parent benzo[ >]thiophene,42,76 90 98,183,477, 481>487,521,685-687 (ft) oxidation of the corresponding aldehyde,90,91,106,189 424, 477,640 (c) hypohalite oxidation of the corresponding methyl ketone,82 °8,189,424 and (d) cyclization reactions (Section IV,D, and E). Acids prepared by these routes are listed in Table XV. Oxidation of aldehydes usually proceeds almost quantitatively with moist silver oxide,90,91,105, 189,424 hut potassium permanganate is satisfactory.477, 640... 

The oxidation of methyl ketones to a-keto carboxylic acids is rare and is accomplished by treatment with a cold solution of potassium permanganate. However, the reaction is not general acetophenone, p-methyl-acetophenone, and 3,4-dimethylacetophenone are oxidized all the way to the corresponding benzoic acids. On the other hand, 2,4-dimethylaceto-phenone, when shaken with approximately 1% aqueous potassium permanganate at room temperature, gives 6 72% yields of 2,4-dimethyl-phenylglyoxylic acid [555, 559],... 

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