Lithium borohydride esters

Lithium borohydride is a more powerful reducing agent than sodium borohydride, but not as powerful as lithium aluminum hydride (Table 6). In contrast to sodium borohydride, the lithium salt, ia general, reduces esters to the corresponding primary alcohol ia refluxing ethers. An equimolar mixture of sodium or potassium borohydride and a lithium haUde can also be used for this purpose (21,22). 

Other reagents used for reduction are boranes and complex borohydrides. Lithium borohydride whose reducing power lies between that of lithium aluminum hydride and that of sodium borohydride reacts with esters sluggishly and requires refluxing for several hours in ether or tetrahydrofuran (in which it is more soluble) [750]. The reduction of esters with lithium borohydride is strongly catalyzed by boranes such as B-methoxy-9-bora-bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane and some other complex lithium borohydrides such as lithium triethylborohydride and lithium 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane. Addition of 10mol% of such hydrides shortens the time necessary for complete reduction of esters in ether or tetrahydrofuran from 8 hours to 0.5-1 hour [1060],... 

Borane prepared by adding aluminum chloride to a solution of sodium borohydride in diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (diglyme) reduced aliphatic and aromatic esters to alcohols in quantitative yields in 3 hours at 25° using a 100% excess, or in 1 hour at 75° using a 25% excess of lithium borohydride over 2 mol of the hydride per mol of the ester [738] Procedure 20, p. 209). 

The original racemic patents described the use of resolution to give a chiral oxirane, such as 25, as an intermediate or the use of a chiral auxiliary (20) to produce the salmeterol enantiomers. Alkylation of chiral amine 20 with 2-benzyloxy-5-(2-bromo-acetyl)-benzoic acid methyl ester, followed by diastereoselective reduction of the ketone with lithium borohydride furnished intermediate 21 after chromatographic separation of the diasteromers. Removal of the benzyl group and the chiral auxiliary was... 

Some strategies used for the preparation of support-bound thiols are listed in Table 8.1. Oxidative thiolation of lithiated polystyrene has been used to prepare polymeric thiophenol (Entry 1, Table 8.1). Polystyrene functionalized with 2-mercaptoethyl groups has been prepared by radical addition of thioacetic acid to cross-linked vinyl-polystyrene followed by hydrolysis of the intermediate thiol ester (Entry 2, Table 8.1). A more controllable introduction of thiol groups, suitable also for the selective transformation of support-bound substrates, is based on nucleophilic substitution with thiourea or potassium thioacetate. The resulting isothiouronium salts and thiol acetates can be saponified, preferably under reductive conditions, to yield thiols (Table 8.1). Thiol acetates have been saponified on insoluble supports with mercaptoethanol [1], propylamine [2], lithium aluminum hydride [3], sodium or lithium borohydride, alcoholates, or hydrochloric acid (Table 8.1). 

Asymmetric reduction of -arylcarbonyl esters.1 Reduction of these esters with lithium borohydride and (R,R )-1 and t-butyl alcohol affords the corresponding 3-hydroxy esters in 80-92% ee (equation I). 

Lithium borohydride, 92 y-Hydroxy esters and lactones Zinc chloride, 349... 

The proposal of the ester linkage was later withdrawn when it was found that the decomposition products of lithium borohydride (presumably dimethoxyborane) in acidic anhydrous methanol can reduce free carboxyl groups (37). 

Lithium borohydride is intermediate in activity as a reducing agent between lithium aluminium hydride and sodium borohydride. In addition to the reduction of aldehydes and ketones it will readily reduce esters to alcohols. It can be prepared in situ by the addition of an equivalent quantity of lithium chloride to a 1m solution of sodium borohydride in diglyme. Lithium borohydride should be handled with as much caution as lithium aluminum hydride. It may react rapidly and violently with water contact with skin and clothing should be avoided. 

Reduction of esters.1 Lithium borohydride is more effective than Ca(BH4)2 or NaBH4 for reduction of esters in ethyl ether. It is less active in THF than in ether. Alcohol solvents are less useful for this reduction because of competitive solvolysis. Selective reduction is possible in the presence of nitro, halo, cyano, and alkoxy groups.3... 

An alternate route to substituted tetrahydrobenzazepines (Scheme 33) commenced with the Michael addition of the ester 351 to acrylonitrile in the presence of Triton B, and the intermediate cyanoester was converted to 352 by reduction of the ester function with lithium borohydride and O-benzylation (168). Base-induced hydrolysis of the nitrile group of 352 delivered the corresponding acid, which was transformed to 353 via a Curtius rearrangement. Subjection of 353 to a modified two-step Tschemiac-Einhom reaction involving AMiydroxymethyla-tion and subsequent acid-catalyzed cyclization gave 354. 

Two large-scale syntheses were reported by Quaedflieg et al. at Tibotec.31 Chiral synthon 20, obtained from ascorbic acid, was converted to a,p-unsaturated ester 21 in 92% yield and E/Z ratio was > 95 5. Michael addition of nitromethane to 21 was carried out with DBU as base to provide 22 in 80% yield and a syn/anti ratio of 5.7 1. A Nef reaction then converted 22 to a mixture of lactone 23 (major, 56%) (a/p = 3.8 1) and ester 24 (minor). The a-23 was obtained via recrystallization in isopropanol (37%), with high enantiomeric purity (> 99%). Isomerization of P-23 followed by recrystallization in isopropyl alcohol gave an additional 9% yield of a-23. It is interesting that most of 24 remained in the aqueous layer. Lithium borohydride reduction of a-23 followed by acid-catalyzed cyclization resulted in (-)-ll. 

What is interesting to note here is that the catalyst that facilitates the conversion of the borohydride to borate can be an acid, metal, or metal boride. So, as this reaction proceeds, it is producing the very catalyst that degrades the starting reactant. It is possible to control the boride formation with the use of borohydride esters such as lithium triethoxyborohydride, commonly referred to as superhydride. 

L1AIH4 is often the best reagent, and gives alcohols by the mechanism we discussed in Chapter 12. As a milder alternative (L1AIH4 has caused countless fires through careless handling), lithium borohydride in alcoholic solution will reduce esters—in fact, it has useful selectivity for esters over acids or amides that LiAlH4 does not have. Sodium borohydride reduces most esters only rather slowly. 

In 1972 Link and Bernauer (69) published a synthesis of (+)-isopilosine and of (+)-pilocarpine, and then obtained (—)-epiisopilosine as a by-product. The readily available ester 53 was converted in two steps to the aldehyde (54), which on Stobbe condensation with succinic ester gave the half-ester acid salt 55. Lithium borohydride reduction followed by prolonged acid treatment gave ( )-pilosinine [( )-32], together with 2,3-dehydropilosin-... 

Conversion of esters to secondary alcohols The reaction of esters with Grignard reagents results mainly in tertiary alcohols, which are formed by way of an intermediate ketone. Direct conversion of an ester to a secondary alcohol is possible by reaction with a Grignard reagent (2 equiv.) and lithium borohydride (0.5 equiv.), which reduces the intermediate ketone much more rapidly than it does the ester. 

The new metallic hydrides are excellent reducing agents for carbonyl compounds. These hydrides now include lithium aluminum hydride, lithium borohydride, and sodium borohydride. The last reagent may be used in either aqueous or methanolic solutions. It does not reduce esters, acids, or nitriles and, for this reason, is superior for certain selective reductions. Other groups which are unaffected by this reagent include a,/S-double bonds and hydroxyl, methoxyl, nitro, and dimethylamino groups. ... 

LiBH4 (lithium borohydride) Tetrahydrofuran OtoRT ester —> alcohol ketone —> alcohol aldehyde —> alcohol... 

A. Determination of Esters in Collagen Using Lithium Borohydride... 

Lithium borohydride is very widely used for the specific cleavage of ester linkages. It is generally thought not to reduce free carboxyl groups or amide groups. On this basis it was introduced into protein chemistry as a reagent to be used in the determination of COOH-terminal amino acids (Chibnall and Rees, 1951). 

Blumenfeld and Gallop (1962b) have used lithium borohydride reduction, with subsequent chromatographic separation of the amino alcohols produced, to identify the carboxyl donor of the ester links previously found by Gallop et al. (1959) using hydroxylamine and hydrazine. The peaks obtained on the chromatogram for the two products in question, namely homoserine and /3-amino-7-hydroxybutyric acid, are very small, but nonetheless seem to establish that a- and /3-carboxyl groups of aspartic acid participate in the hydroxylamine-sensitive links. 

Control Studies on Lithium Borohydride Identification of Esters in Collagen... 

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