Ketones, preparation from nitriles

Other modifications of the polyamines include limited addition of alkylene oxide to yield the corresponding hydroxyalkyl derivatives (225) and cyanoethylation of DETA or TETA, usuaHy by reaction with acrylonitrile [107-13-1/, to give derivatives providing longer pot Hfe and better wetting of glass (226). Also included are ketimines, made by the reaction of EDA with acetone for example. These derivatives can also be hydrogenated, as in the case of the equimolar adducts of DETA and methyl isobutyl ketone [108-10-1] or methyl isoamyl ketone [110-12-3] (221 or used as is to provide moisture cure performance. Mannich bases prepared from a phenol, formaldehyde and a polyamine are also used, such as the hardener prepared from cresol, DETA, and formaldehyde (228). Other modifications of polyamines for use as epoxy hardeners include reaction with aldehydes (229), epoxidized fatty nitriles (230), aromatic monoisocyanates (231), or propylene sulfide [1072-43-1] (232). 

The requisite starting cyanohydrin is readily prepared from a 20-keto-pregnane substitution at C-21 has no effect on the success of this step. However, the stability of the cyanohydrin is markedly dependent on other features of the molecule thus a 3-acetate confers greater stability than the free alcohol, and a 3-ketone is so unstable that subsequent dehydration with phosphorus oxychloride gives poor yields of the A -unsaturated nitrile. 

The ketoxime derivatives, required as starting materials, can be prepared from the appropriate aromatic, aliphatic or heterocyclic ketone. Aldoximes (where R is H) do not undergo the rearrangement reaction, but rather an elimination of toluenesulfonic acid to yield a nitrile. With ketoxime tosylates a Beckmann rearrangement may be observed as a side-reaction. 

A thioamide of isonicotinic acid has also shown tuberculostatic activity in the clinic. The additional substitution on the pyridine ring precludes its preparation from simple starting materials. Reaction of ethyl methyl ketone with ethyl oxalate leads to the ester-diketone, 12 (shown as its enol). Condensation of this with cyanoacetamide gives the substituted pyridone, 13, which contains both the ethyl and carboxyl groups in the desired position. The nitrile group is then excised by means of decarboxylative hydrolysis. Treatment of the pyridone (14) with phosphorus oxychloride converts that compound (after exposure to ethanol to take the acid chloride to the ester) to the chloro-pyridine, 15. The halogen is then removed by catalytic reduction (16). The ester at the 4 position is converted to the desired functionality by successive conversion to the amide (17), dehydration to the nitrile (18), and finally addition of hydrogen sulfide. There is thus obtained ethionamide (19)... 

In order to establish the primary character of farnesol, farnesenic acid was prepared from farnesal oxime and the corresponding nitrile. Saponification of the farnesene-nitrile with caustic soda solution yields farnesenic acid and acetic acid, and also a ketone which was identified as a dihydropsewdoionone. The semi-carbazone melts between 95° and 96°. The dihydropmtdoionone from farnesene nitrile proved to be... 

The imidazole nucleus is often found in biologically active molecules,3 and a large variety of methods have been employed for their synthesis.4 We recently needed to develop a more viable process for the preparation of kilogram quantities of 2,4-disubstituted imidazoles. The condensation of amidines, which are readily accessible from nitriles,5 with a-halo ketones has become a widely used method for the synthesis of 2,4-disubstituted imidazoles. A literature survey indicated that chloroform was the most commonly used solvent for this reaction.6 In addition to the use of a toxic solvent, yields of the reaction varied from poor to moderate, and column chromatography was often required for product isolation. Use of other solvents such as alcohols,7 DMF,8 and acetonitrile9 have also been utilized in this reaction, but yields are also frequently been reported as poor. 

The alkylation of activated halogen compounds is one of several reactions of trialkylboranes developed by Brown (see also 15-16,15-25,18-31-18-40, etc.). These compounds are extremely versatile and can be used for the preparation of many types of compounds. In this reaction, for example, an alkene (through the BR3 prepared from it) can be coupled to a ketone, a nitrile, a carboxylic ester, or a sulfonyl derivative. Note that this is still another indirect way to alkylate a ketone (see 10-105) or a carboxylic acid (see 10-106), and provides an additional alternative to the malonic ester and acetoacetic ester syntheses (10-104). 

The addition of Grignard reagents to aldehydes, ketones, and esters is the basis for the synthesis of a wide variety of alcohols, and several examples are given in Scheme 7.3. Primary alcohols can be made from formaldehyde (Entry 1) or, with addition of two carbons, from ethylene oxide (Entry 2). Secondary alcohols are obtained from aldehydes (Entries 3 to 6) or formate esters (Entry 7). Tertiary alcohols can be made from esters (Entries 8 and 9) or ketones (Entry 10). Lactones give diols (Entry 11). Aldehydes can be prepared from trialkyl orthoformate esters (Entries 12 and 13). Ketones can be made from nitriles (Entries 14 and 15), pyridine-2-thiol esters (Entry 16), N-methoxy-A-methyl carboxamides (Entries 17 and 18), or anhydrides (Entry 19). Carboxylic acids are available by reaction with C02 (Entries 20 to 22). Amines can be prepared from imines (Entry 23). Two-step procedures that involve formation and dehydration of alcohols provide routes to certain alkenes (Entries 24 and 25). 

Nitrilium salts, e.g., 66, prepared from the alkylation of nitriles, react with sodium azide to yield 1,5-disubstituted tetrazoles, e.g., 67 (Scheme 7).121 The Schmidt reaction,122 a versatile method for the preparation of 1,5-disubstituted tetrazoles from ketones and hydrazoic acid, can now be regarded as a special case of azide addition to nitrilium salts.123... 

The second cycloaddition substrate took to form of 91 (Scheme 1.9b), incorporating a vinyl sulfone dipolarophile. Beginning with cyano ketone 84, which was readily prepared from 1,5-dicyanopentane via a previously reported three-step sequence [45], condensation with thiophenol produced vinyl sulfide 85 in 84 % yield. Vinyl sulfide 85 underwent bromination in acetonitrile to afford bromo-vinyl sulfide 86 (86 %), which was then treated with isopropylmagnesium chloride [46] to effect metal-halogen exchange affording an intermediate vinyl magnesium bromide species. Subsequent alkylation with Mel in the presence of catalytic CuCN provided the alkylated vinyl sulfide 87 in 93 % yield. The nitrile within vinyl... 

Geranyl acetoacetate (685) is converted into geranylacetone (686). On the other hand, a mixture of E- and Z-isomers of 688 is obtained from neryl acetoacetate (687). The decarboxylation and allylation of the allyl malonate or cyanoacetate 689 affords the a-allylated acetate or nitrile[447]. The trifluoromethyl ketone 691 is prepared from cinnamyl 4,4,4-trifluoroacetoace-tate (690)[448] ... 

Most solid-phase syntheses of pyrazoles are based on the cyclocondensation of hydrazines with suitable 1,3-dielectrophiles. The reported examples include the reaction of hydrazines with support-bound a,(3-unsaturated ketones, 1,3-diketones, 3-keto esters, a-(cyano)carbonyl compounds, and a, 3-unsaturated nitriles (Table 15.19). Pyrazoles have also been prepared from polystyrene-bound 3-(hydrazino)esters, which are generated by the addition of ester enolates to hydrazones (Entry 7, Table 15.19 see also Section 10.3). Benzopyrazoles can be prepared from support-bound hydra-zones using the reaction sequence outlined in Figure 15.11. Oxidation of a polystyrene-bound benzophenone hydrazone yields an a-(acyloxy)azo compound. Upon treatment with a Lewis acid, this intermediate is converted into a 1,2-diazaallyl cation,... 

Stork has used the addition of a,/ -unsaturated aldehydes, ketones, esters, and nitriles to enamines prepared from ketones and pyrrolidine, piperidine, or morpholine for the synthesis of a-substituted carbonyl compounds264 266 (Scheme 9). 

Alkyl halides (particularly bromides) undergo oxidative addition with activated copper powder, prepared from Cu(I) salts with lithium naphthalenide, to give alkylcopper species10. The alkyl halides may be functionalized with ester, nitrile and chloro functions ketone and epoxide functions may also be tolerated in some cases11. The resulting alkylcopper species have been shown to react efficiently with acid chlorides, enones (conjugate addition) and (less efficiently) with primary alkyl iodides and allylic and benzylic bromides (equations 5 and 6). If a suitable ring size can be made, intramolecular reactions with epoxides and ketones are realized. 

Besides a-halocarbonyl compounds, a-mercapto ketones and acids are also used for the preparation of thiazoles from nitriles and aldoximes. 

The Fischer indole synthesis has also been employed. The nitrile (XXXVIII) reacts with the Grignard reagent prepared from y-ethoxy-propyl bromide to give an intermediate (XXXIX) which in the presence of acid generates the cyclic ketone XL. The phenylhydrazone of the last can be cyclized to sempervirine (XXXV) (24). 

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