Ketones reductive aminations, sodium cyanoborohydride

The reaction of a ketone with ammonia, followed by catalytic reduction or reduction by sodium cyanoborohydride, produces a 1° amine. 

Sodium cyanoborohydride is remarkably chemoselective. Reduction of aldehydes and ketones are, unlike those with NaBH pH-dependent, and practical reduction rates are achieved at pH 3 to 4. At pH 5—7, imines (>C=N—) are reduced more rapidly than carbonyls. This reactivity permits reductive amination of aldehydes and ketones under very mild conditions (42). 

REDUCTION OF ALKYL HALIDES AND TOSYLATES WITH SODIUM CYANOBOROHYDRIDE IN HEXAMETHYL-PHOSPHORAMIDE (HMPA) A. 1-IODODECANE TO n—DECANE B. 1-DODECYL TOSYLATE TO n-DODECANE, 53, 107 REDUCTION OF KETONES BY USE OF TOSYLHYDRAZONE DERIVATIVES ANDROSTAN-17 0—OL, 52, 122 REDUCTIVE AMINATION WITH SO-... 

Sodium cyanoborohydride NaBIpCN in methanol is the reagent of choice for the reductive alkylation of ammonia, primary aliphatic and aromatic amines and secondary aliphatic amines with aldehydes and relatively unhindered ketones (equation 53). 

Synthesis of a C(8)-C(18) segment of the larger fragment of lb using the same basic strategy is depicted in Scheme 25. Here, hydroxy ketone 176 was subjected to syn-selective (dr of crude product=90 10) reductive amination [42] with sodium cyanoborohydride and benzylamine followed by tetrahydro-oxazine formation using aqueous formaldehyde. The resulting heterocycle 182 was then converted to unsaturated ester 184 by successive desilylation, oxidation, and entirely (Z)-selective Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons olefination. Re-... 

Hydrazones treated with alkalis decompose to nitrogen and hydrocarbons [845, 923] Woljf-Kizhner reduction) (p. 34), and p-toluenesulfonylhydra-zones are reduced to hydrocarbons by lithium aluminum hydride [812], sodium borohydride [785] or sodium cyanoborohydride [813]. Titanium trichloride hy-drogenolyzes the nitrogen-nitrogen bond in phenylhydrazones and forms amines and ketimines which are hydrolyzed to the parent ketones. Thus 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone of cycloheptanone afforded cycloheptanone in 90% yield [202]. 

Reductive amination (or alkylation) may be used to conjugate an aldehyde- or ketone-containing molecule with an amine-containing molecule. The reduction reaction is best facilitated by the use of a reducing agent such as sodium cyanoborohydride,... 

Reductive amination. Conversion of ketones or aldehydes to amines is usually accomplished by reduction of the carbonyl compound with sodium cyanoborohydride in the presence of an amine (Borch reduction, 4, 448-449). However, yields are generally poor in reactions of hindered or acid-sensitive ketones, aromatic amines, or trifluoromethyl ketones. Yields can be improved markedly by treatment of the ketone and amine first with TiCl4 or Ti(0-i -Pr)42 in CH2C12 or benzene to form the imine or enamine and then with NaCNBH3 in CH3OH to effect reduction. Note that primary amines can be obtained by use of hexamethyldisilazane as a substitute for ammonia (last example). 

The first reported synthesis of MDMA was from safrole by converting it to its bromo derivative followed by reaction with meth-ylamine (Biniecki et al., 1960). Bailey et al. describe the synthesis of MDMA from 3,4-methylenedioxyphenylacetone using a Leuckart reaction with N-methylformamide and hydrolysis of the N-formyl derivative (Bailey et al., 1975). A third synthesis for MDMA described in the literature starts with peperonal which is reacted with nitroethane, ammonium acetate, and acetic acid to form a nitrostyrene derivative that is reduced to the ketone and then reacted with methylamine to form MDMA (Rabjohns, 1963). Using the method of Borch et al., MDMA can be synthesized by the reductive amination of the appropriate ketone in the presence of sodium cyanoborohydride (Borch et al., 1971). The MDMA syntheses used in clandestine laboratories are analogous. 

Sodium cyanoborohydride, NaBHsCN Reacts with ketones and aldehydes in the presence of ammonia to yield an amine by a reductive animation process (Section 24.6). 

Fentanyl and its analogs are made from TV-substituted-4-piperidones [i.e., from the same intermediates of the reversed esters of pethidine (p. 266)]. These ketones condense with aniline under the influence of catalysts such as toluene-p-sulfonic acid(2) and zinc chloride(18) to give Schiff bases, which are reduced to diamines 4 by NaBH4 or LAH. Recently, the direct conversion of 4-piperidones to 4-anilino derivatives 4 has been achieved by reductive amination with aniline and sodium cyanoborohydride (NaBH3CN).(19) The diamines are acylated with propionic anhydride. 

Thus reaction of cyclohexanone, n-propylamine, and sodium cyanoborohydride in methanol at pH 6-8 at 25° for 24 hr. gives n-propyleyelohexylamine in 85 % yield. The reaction is general for ammonia and primary and secondary amines aromatic amines are somewhat sluggish. All aldehydes and relatively unhindered ketones can be reduc-tively aminated. Yields are improved by use of 3A molecular sieves to absorb the water generated in the reaction. Note that reductive amination of substituted pyruvic acids with ammonia leads to oi-amino acids. Thus alanine can be obtained from pyruvic acid in 50 % yield. A pH of 7 is optimum for. synthesis of a-amino acids. 

Sodium triacetoxyborohydride Na[BH(OAc)3] ° and hydrogenation (H2, Pd/C) are used as alternatives to sodium cyanoborohydride for the reductive amination of carbonyl compounds. Also, Zn[BH4]2 is a particularly effective agent for the reductive amination of a,p-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones. ... 

The reaction of a 1° or 2° amine with an aldehyde or ketone in the presence of sodium cyanoborohydride (NaBHsCN) to give a 2° or 3° amine is called reductive alkylation (of the amine) or reductive amination (of the aldehyde or ketone) and is a valuable method for alkylating amines. The starting amine is mostly protonated and hence nonnucleophilic under mildly acidic conditions, but it is in equilibrium with a small amount of unprotonated amine that can act as a nucleophile toward the carbonyl compound. NaBH3CN is an acid-stable source of H that reacts only with iminium ions, not carbonyl compounds or imines. Slightly acidic conditions are required to generate the iminium ion. The iminium ion can also be reduced by catalytic hydrogenation (Chapter 6). 

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