Steric factors ketones

The exact position of the aldol equilibrium depends both on reaction conditions and on substrate structure. The equilibrium generally favors condensation product in the case of aldehydes with no a substituent (RCH2CHO) but favors reactant for disubstituted aldehydes (R2CHCHO) and for most ketones. Steric Factors are probably responsible for these trends, since increased substitution near the reaction site increases steric congestion in the aldol product. 

Whether 1,2 or 1,4-addition occurs depends upon a number of factors, such as the precise reagent used, and any steric factors present on the substrate. Thus, for example, lithium dialkylcopper reagents usually undergo 1,4-addition. However, Grignard reagents usually add in a 1,2-manner to aldehydes but with conjugated ketones, steric factors are important, as illustrated below. 

The use of oximes as nucleophiles can be quite perplexing in view of the fact that nitrogen or oxygen may react. Alkylation of hydroxylamines can therefore be a very complex process which is largely dependent on the steric factors associated with the educts. Reproducible and predictable results are obtained in intramolecular reactions between oximes and electrophilic carbon atoms. Amides, halides, nitriles, and ketones have been used as electrophiles, and various heterocycles such as quinazoline N-oxide, benzodiayepines, and isoxazoles have been obtained in excellent yields under appropriate reaction conditions. 

HS(CH2) SH, BF3-Et20, CH2CI2, 25°, 12 h, high yield, n = 2, n = 3. In a,/3-unsaturated ketones the olefin does not isomerize to the /3,7-position as occurs when an ethylene ketal is prepared. Aldehydes are selectively protected in the presence of ketones except when steric factors force the ketone to be protected as in the example below." A TBDMS group is not stable to these conditions. ... 

These steric factors are also indicated by the relative basicity of enamines derived from five-, six-, and seven-membered ketones. The five- and seven-membered enamines are considerably stronger bases, indicating better conjugation between the amine lone pair and the double bond. The reduced basicity of the cyclohexanone enamines is related to the preference for exo and endo double bonds in six-membered rings (see Section 3.10). 

Protonation of the a-carbanion (50), which is formed both in the reduction of enones and ketol acetates, probably first affords the neutral enol and is followed by its ketonization. Zimmerman has discussed the stereochemistry of the ketonization of enols and has shown that in eertain cases steric factors may lead to kinetically controlled formation of the thermodynamically less stable ketone isomer. Steroidal unsaturated ketones and ketol acetates that could form epimeric products at the a-carbon atom appear to yield the thermodynamically stable isomers. In most of the cases reported, however, equilibration might have occurred during isolation of the products so that definitive conclusions are not possible. 

In the absence of steric factors e.g. 5 ), the attack is antiparallel (A) (to the adjacent axial bond) and gives the axially substituted chair form (12). In the presence of steric hindrance to attack in the preferred fashion, approach is parallel (P), from the opposite side, and the true kinetic product is the axially substituted boat form (13). This normally undergoes an immediate conformational flip to the equatorial chair form (14) which is isolated as the kinetic product. The effect of such factors is exemplified in the behavior of 3-ketones. Thus, kinetically controlled bromination of 5a-cholestan-3-one (enol acetate) yields the 2a-epimer, (15), which is also the stable form. The presence of a 5a-substituent counteracts the steric effect of the 10-methyl group and results in the formation of the unstable 2l5-(axial)halo ketone... 

Protecting groups are generally formed by nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl group and the rate of this process is determined by steric and electronic factors associated with the ketone. In steroid ketones steric effects are usually more important due to the rigid tetracychc skeleton. 

X0 to hydroxy compounds. Lower temperatures favor ketone formation and sterically hindered carbonyls, such as 2-thienyl t-butyl ketone, are not reduced. The sensitivity of desulfurization to steric factors is evident by the failure to desulfurize 2,5-di-i-butyl-3-acetylthiophene. The carbonyl groups of both aldehydes and ketones can be protected by acetal formation, as particularly cyclic acetals are stable during desulfurization in methanol at room temperature. " The free aldehydes give primary alcohols on desulfurization. Another method to obtain only keto compounds is to oxidize the mixtures of ketone and secondary alcohol with CrOs after the desulfurization. - Through the desulfurization of 5,5 -diacetyl-2,2, 5, 2"-terthienyl (228), 2,15-hexadecandione (229) has been obtained, which... 

Double bonds in conjugation with the carbon-hetero multiple bond also lower addition rates, for similar reasons but, more important, may provide competition from 1,4 addition (p. 977). Steric factors are also quite important and contribute to the decreased reactivity of ketones compared with aldehydes. Highly hindered ketones like hexamethylacetone and dineopentyl ketone either do not undergo many of these reactions or require extreme conditions. 

Scheme 1.1 shows data for the regioselectivity of enolate formation for several ketones under various reaction conditions. A consistent relationship is found in these and related data. Conditions of kinetic control usually favor formation of the less-substituted enolate, especially for methyl ketones. The main reason for this result is that removal of a less hindered hydrogen is faster, for steric reasons, than removal of a more hindered hydrogen. Steric factors in ketone deprotonation are accentuated by using bulky bases. The most widely used bases are LDA, LiHMDS, and NaHMDS. Still more hindered disilylamides such as hexaethyldisilylamide9 and bis-(dimethylphenylsilyl)amide10 may be useful for specific cases. 

Both the regiochemistry and stereochemistry of Wacker oxidation can be influenced by substituents that engage in chelation with Pd. Whereas a single y-alkoxy function leads to a mixture of aldehyde and ketone, more highly oxygenated systems such as the acetonide or carbonate of the diol 1 lead to dominant aldehyde formation.107 The diol itself gives only ketone, which perhaps indicates that steric factors are also important. 

Steric factors are also important in hydrodimerizations carried out in acidic media. Excessive steric hindrance about the 0-carbon in an a, 0-unsaturated carbonyl compound can retard tail-to-tail coupling, e.g., 2 130 - 131, and lead to products of head-to-head (and occasionally head-to-tail) coupling. Thus in the reduction of mesityl oxide at pH lg.4 there is also formed a small amount of ketone 140, apparently formed via head-to-head coupling of 130 and subsequent pinacol rearrangement of 139 134) ... 

Single coordination units are found where the O ligands are large, as in Ph3SnLL 144 for L = diphenylcyclopropenone and L an isothiazolone or the similar saccharine. OSnO is near-linear and CSnC adjust to steric factors in the range 114-134°, SnO(ketone) = 237-241 pm, Sn-O(hetero-ring) = 216 pm, Sn-C = 211-216 pm. 

The mode of reaction of titanacydobutenes with carbonyl compounds is largely dependent on steric factors (Scheme 14.31) [72]. Ketones and aldehydes tend to insert into the titanium—alkyl bond of 2,3-diphenyltitanacydobutene, and homoallylic alcohols 70 are obtained by hydrolysis of the adducts 71 [65a,73]. On the contrary, when dialkyl-substi-tuted titanacydobutenes are employed, the reaction with aldehydes preferentially proceeds through insertion into the titanium—vinyl bond. Thermal decomposition of the adducts 72 affords conjugated dienes 73 with E-stereoselectivity as a result of a concerted retro [4+2] cycloaddition [72]. 

Much emphasis has been placed on the selectivity of quaternary ammonium borohydrides in their reduction of aldehydes and ketones [18-20]. Predictably, steric factors are important, as are mesomeric electronic effects in the case of 4-substituted benzaldehydes. However, comparison of the relative merits of the use of tetraethyl-ammonium, or tetra-n-butylammonium borohydride in dichloromethane, and of sodium borohydride in isopropanol, has shown that, in the competitive reduction of benzaldehyde and acetophenone, each system preferentially reduces the aldehyde and that the ratio of benzyl alcohol to 1-phenylethanol is invariably ca. 4 1 [18-20], Thus, the only advantage in the use of the ammonium salts would appear to facilitate the use of non-hydroxylic solvents. In all reductions, the use of the more lipophilic tetra-n-butylammonium salt is to be preferred and the only advantage in using the tetraethylammonium salt is its ready removal from the reaction mixture by dissolution in water. 

Rate constants and Arrhenius parameters for the reaction of Et3Si radicals with various carbonyl compounds are available. Some data are collected in Table 5.2 [49]. The ease of addition of EtsSi radicals was found to decrease in the order 1,4-benzoquinone > cyclic diaryl ketones, benzaldehyde, benzil, perfluoro propionic anhydride > benzophenone alkyl aryl ketone, alkyl aldehyde > oxalate > benzoate, trifluoroacetate, anhydride > cyclic dialkyl ketone > acyclic dialkyl ketone > formate > acetate [49,50]. This order of reactivity was rationalized in terms of bond energy differences, stabilization of the radical formed, polar effects, and steric factors. Thus, a phenyl or acyl group adjacent to the carbonyl will stabilize the radical adduct whereas a perfluoroalkyl or acyloxy group next to the carbonyl moiety will enhance the contribution given by the canonical structure with a charge separation to the transition state (Equation 5.24). 

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