Ketones reaction with cyanide

Reaction with Cyanide Ion Reaction with Ilalide Ions Reaction with Amines Acetoxylation Reaction with Aromatics Reaction with Olefins Reaction with Ketones... 

Some imine-forming reactions are shown in Figure 14.30—all of these were part of longer synthetic sequences. Imines undergo many of the same types of addition reactions as aldehydes and ketones. A particularly useful example of this is their reaction with cyanide ion, the Strecker reaction (Figure 14.31). When a carbonyl compound is treated with ammonia and sodium or KCN, the ammonia adds to the carbonyl to give an unstable imine. This is attacked by cyanide to give the a-aminocyanide. Since the cyanide can be hydrolyzed to a carboxylic acid, this constitutes a simple amino acid synthesis. 

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 ... 

Cyanohydrins are prepared from unsubstituted 20-ketones by the exchange procedure but not in the presence of a diluent. A 17a-hydroxyl group inhibits the exchange reaction but 20-ketones react with potassium cyanide even in the presence of Ha-bromo or 21-acetoxy substituents. 

The enhanced reactivity of fluoroalkyl ketones is also manifested in the failure to stop the reaction with hydrogen cyanide at the stage of cyanohydrins Instead, oxazohdinones or dioxolanones are formed (equation 11) If, however, the reaction IS conducted under basic conditions with sodium bisulfite and sodium cyanide, the desired cyanohydrin can be prepared [ll ... 

In a German patent issued in 1929, Bergs described a synthesis of some 5-substituted hydantoins by treatment of aldehydes or ketones (1) with potassium cyanide, ammonium carbonate, and carbon dioxide under several atmospheres of pressure at 80°C. In 1934, Bucherer et al. isolated a hydantoin derivative as a by-product in their preparation of cyanohydrin from cyclohexanone. They subsequently discovered that hydantoins could also be formed from the reaction of cyanohydrins (e.g. 3) and ammonium carbonate at room temperature or 60-70°C either in water or in benzene. The use of carbon dioxide under pressure was not necessary for the reaction to take place. Bucherer and Lieb later found that the reaction proceeded in 50% aqueous ethanol in excellent yields for ketones and good yields for aldehydes. ... 

Thiohydantoin 9 was obtained from the treatment of carbonyl 1 with carbon disulfide and ammonium cyanide in aqueous methanol. The transformation could also be carried out step-wise, that is, treatment of 1 with ammonium cyanide to form aminonitrile 10 followed by reaction with carbon disulfide to produce thiohydantoin 9. Alternatively, 5,5-disubstituted 4-thiohydantoins could be prepared by the reaction of ketones with ammonium monothiocarbamate and sodium cyanide. ... 

Aromatic aldehydes 1 can undergo a condensation reaction to form a-hydroxy ketones 2 (also called benzoins) upon treatment with cyanide anions.This reaction, which is called benzoin condensation, works by that particular procedure with certain aromatic aldehydes and with glyoxals (RCOCHO). 

The reduction of carbonyl compounds by reaction with hydride reagents (H -) and the Grignard addition by reaction with organomagnesium halides (R - +MgBr) are examples of nucleophilic carbonyl addition reactions. What analogous product do you think might result from reaction of cyanide ion with a ketone ... 

Aldehydes and unhindered ketones undergo a nucleophilic addition reaction with HCN to yield cyanohydrins, RCH(OH)C=N. Studies carried out in the early 1900s by Arthur Eapworth showed that cyanohydrin formation is reversible and base-catalyzed. Reaction occurs slowly when pure HCN is used but rapidly when a small amount of base is added to generate the nucleophilic cyanide ion, CN. Alternatively, a small amount of KCN can be added to HCN to catalyze the reaction. Addition of CN- takes place by a typical nucleophilic addition pathway, yielding a tetrahedral intermediate that is protonated by HCN to give cyanohydrin product plus regenerated CN-. 

Nitriles are similar in some respects to carboxylic acids and are prepared either by SN2 reaction of an alkyl halide with cyanide ion or by dehydration of an amide. Nitriles undergo nucleophilic addition to the polar C=N bond in the same way that carbonyl compounds do. The most important reactions of nitriles are their hydrolysis to carboxylic acids, reduction to primary amines, and reaction with organometallic reagents to yield ketones. 

A particularly useful variation of this reaction uses cyanide rather than HCN. a-Amino nitriles can be prepared in one step by the treatment of an aldehyde or ketone with NaCN and NH4CI. This is called the Strecker synthesisand it is a special case of the Mannich reaction (16-15). Since the CN is easily hydrolyzed to the acid, this is a convenient method for the preparation of a-amino acids. The reaction has also been carried out with NH3-I-HCN and with NH4CN. Salts of primary and secondary amines can be used instead of NH to obtain N-substituted and N,N-disubstituted a-amino nitriles. Unlike 16-51, the Strecker synthesis is useful for aromatic as well as aliphatic ketones. As in 16-51, the Me3SiCN method has been used 64 is converted to the product with ammonia or an amine. ... 

By studying the NMR spectra of the products, Jensen and co-workers were able to establish that the alkylation of (the presumed) [Co (DMG)2py] in methanol by cyclohexene oxide and by various substituted cyclohexyl bromides and tosylates occurred primarily with inversion of configuration at carbon i.e., by an 8 2 mechanism. A small amount of a second isomer, which must have been formed by another minor pathway, was observed in one case (95). Both the alkylation of [Co (DMG)2py] by asymmetric epoxides 129, 142) and the reduction of epoxides to alcohols by cobalt cyanide complexes 105, 103) show preferential formation of one isomer. In addition, the ratio of ketone to alcohol obtained in the reaction of epoxides with [Co(CN)5H] increases with pH and this has been ascribed to differing reactions with the hydride (reduction to alcohol) and Co(I) (isomerization to ketone) 103) (see also Section VII,C). 

Isomerization has been observed with many a,j3-unsaturated carboxylic acids such as w-cinnamic 10), angelic, maleic, and itaconic acids (94). The possibility of catalyzing the interconversion of, for example, 2-ethyl-butadiene and 3-methylpenta-l,3-diene has not apparently been explored. The cobalt cyanide hydride will also catalyze the isomerization of epoxides to ketones (even terminal epoxides give ketones, not aldehydes) as well as their reduction to alcohols. Since the yield of ketone increases with pH, it was suggested that reduction involved reaction with the hydride [Co" (CN)jH] and isomerization reaction with [Co (CN)j] 103). A related reaction is the decomposition of 2-bromoethanol to acetaldehyde... 

Several alternative procedures have been developed in which other reagents replace carbon monoxide as the migration terminus.11 The most generally applicable of these methods involves the use of cyanide ion and trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA). In this reaction the borane initially forms an adduct with cyanide ion. The migration is induced by N-acylation of the cyano group by TFAA. Oxidation and hydrolysis then give a ketone. 

Allylation of acyloyl-imidazoles and pyrazoles61 with allyl halide mediated by indium in aqueous media provides a facile regioselective synthesis of P, y-unsaturated ketones (Scheme 11.1), which has been applied to the synthesis of the monoterpene artemesia ketone. The same product can be obtained by indium-mediated allylation of acyl cyanide (Eq. 11.35).62 Samarium, gallium, and bismuth can be used as a mediator for the allylation of nitrones and hydrazones to give homoallylic hydroxylamine and hydrazides in aqueous media in the presence of Bu4NBr (Scheme 11.2).63 The reaction with gallium and bismuth can be increased dramatically under microwave activation. 

The anions of primary nitramines, like other nucleophiles, can undergo Michael 1,4-addition reactions with a range of a,-unsaturated substrates to form secondary nitramines of varying molecular complexity (Equation 5.18). Kissinger and Schwartz prepared a number of secondary nitramines from the condensation of primary nitramines with a,/3-unsaturated ketones, esters, amides and cyanides. In a standard experiment a solution of the primary nitramine and... 

The reaction is reversible, and cyanohydrin formation is more favoinable with aldehydes than with ketones, as with other addition reactions. The reverse reaction is easily effected by treating a cyanohydrin with aqueous base, since cyanide is a reasonable leaving group (see Section 6.1.4). 

Monocyanohydrins of P-diketones.3 In the presence of TiCl4, acetyl cyanide reacts with enol silyl ethers of ketones at - 78° to afford monocyanohydrins of diketoncs in excellent yield. The corresponding reaction with enol silyl ethers aldehydes proceeds in only about 35% yield. A low temperature is essential for this reaction. A similar reaction is possible with allyltrimethylsilane. 

This obviously is unlikely for the given example because there is no reason for cyanide ion to have anything other than an exactly equal chance of attacking above or below the plane of the ethanal molecule, producing equal numbers of molecules of the enantiomers, 21 and 22. However, when a chiral center is created through reaction with a dissymmetric (chiral) reagent, we should not expect an exactly 1 1 mixture of the two possible isomers. For example, in an aldol-type addition (Section 18-8E) of a chiral ester to a pro-chiral ketone the two configurations at the new chiral center in the products 23 and 24 are not equally favored. That is to say, asymmetric synthesis is achieved by the influence of one chiral center (R ) on the development of the second ... 

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