Lithium borohydride ketones

Enamines of A" -3-ketones (45) are stable to lithium aluminum hydride, but lithium borohydride reduces the 3,4-double bond of the enamine system." In the presence of acetic acid the enamine (45) is reduced by sodium borohydride to the A -3-amine (47) via the iminium cation (46). ... 

The success of the halo ketone route depends on the stereo- and regio-selectivity in the halo ketone synthesis, as well as on the stereochemistry of reduction of the bromo ketone. Lithium aluminum hydride or sodium borohydride are commonly used to reduce halo ketones to the /mm-halohydrins. However, carefully controlled reaction conditions or alternate reducing reagents, e.g., lithium borohydride, are often required to avoid reductive elimination of the halogen. 

Transformation of ketones to alcohols has been accomplished by many hydrides and complex hydrides by lithium aluminum hydride [55], by magnesium aluminum hydride [89], by lithium tris tert-butoxy)aluminum hydride [575], by dichloroalane prepared from lithium aluminum hydride and aluminum chloride [816], by lithium borohydride [750], by lithium triethylboro-hydride [100], by sodium borohydride [751,817], by sodium trimethoxyborohy-dride [99], by tetrabutylammonium borohydride [771] and cyanoborohydride [757], by chiral diisopinocampheylborane (yields 72-78%, optical purity 13-37%) [575], by dibutyl- and diphenylstannane [114], tributylstanrume [756] and others Procedure 21, 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... 

Lithium borohydride, 92 (lR,2S)-N-Methylephedrine-0-pro-pionate, 308 Norephedrine, 200 2-Oxazolidones, chiral, 225 (2R,4R)-Pentanediol, 237 Potassium triethylborohydride, 260 Other hydroxy carbonyl compounds (R)-( + )- and (S)-( - )-2,2 -Bis-(diphenylphosphine)-1,1 -binaphthyl, 36 Ketones... 

Isosorbide (3) and isomannide (4) act as chiral auxiliaries for the sodium borohydride reduction of some prochiral ketones optical yields of up to 20% were achieved. It seems that the isohexides form chiral complexes with sodium borohydride, whereby the chiral information is transferred to the substrate.219 Optical active alcohols were obtained by reduction of appropriate ketones with sodium or lithium borohydride in the presence of isosor-bide.219 Asymmetric reduction of propiophenone using sodium borohydride, modified with (+)-camphoric acid and isosorbide, resulted in C -phenylethylcarbinol in 35% enantiomeric excess.2,9b... 

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. 

Various benzophenones and aryl alkyl ketones substituted with a fluorine atom on the ortho position were effectively converted into the corresponding alcohols with high to excellent enantioselectivities in the presence of the optically active ketoim- inatocobalt(II) complexes (14). The combination of o-F substituent and a modified lithium borohydride reagent contributed to the high yield and high enantioselectivity (88-96% ee).316... 

A convenient method for the specific introduction of 2H or 3h (or both) into a molecule is by ketone reduction with labeled metal hydride. Beale and MacMillan (10) have utilized this method for the preparation of GAs labeled at the 1, 2 or 3 positions from GA3 or GA7 (Figure 12). One point of interest is the lithium borohydride reduction of the enone formed by manganese dioxide oxidation of GA3 or GA7. When the reaction is carried out in anhydrous tetrahydrofuran it proceeds in two steps. Initially the lithium enolate is formed which incorporates a proton at carbon-2 from the acid used in the work-up, forming the 3 ketone. This ketone is reduced to the 3 -alcohol by the borohydride which is decomposed more slowly than is the lithium enolate. Thus it is possible to introduce two different labels in a single reaction. 

In non-hydroxylic solvents, the effects of the cation co-ordination become important, particularly if the cation is Li+ or Zn + 2. Lithium borohydride reductions of cyclohexanone, in THF, for example, are strongly inhibited by addition of the stoichiometric amount of the lithium specific [2.1.1]cryptand (Handel and Pierre, 1975). In the reduction of a,P-unsaturated ketones, lithium borohydride shows a strong selectivity for 1,2-addition (D Incan et al., 1982a,b) but in the presence of the cryptand, conjugate addition is favoured indeed, the selectivity is then indistinguishable from tetrabutyl-ammonium borohydride (D lncan and Loupy, 1981 Loupy and Seyden-Penne, 1979, 1980). 

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. 

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

Lithium borohydride decomposed by /V-benzoylcysteine (61) or /V/v -dibenzoylcystine (62), a sulfur-containing modifier, is a highly efficient chiral reducing agent. A complex prepared from (61), t-butyl alcohol and LiBH4 affords carbinols in maximum 92% ee by the reduction of aryl alkyl ketones in THF at -78 °C (Scheme 13). A LiBH4 complex with (62) and t-butyl alcohol is useful for the reduction of -keto esters to give (R)-P-hydroxy esters in up to 91 % ee. In both cases the use of r-butyl alcohol is essential in order to achieve efficient enantiofacial differentiation. ... 

Comins has reported that simple esters can be converted to secondary alcohols in cxie step with a mixture of Grignard reagent and lithium borohydride (LiBH4) in THF. The reaction is conducted at 0 to -10 C to preclude undesired reduction of the ester by LiBH4. Once acylation has occurred, reduction of the intermediate ketone occurs more rapidly than does addition of a second equivalent of the Grignard... 

In contrast to the usual reaction of aromatic aldehydes with cyclic ketones o-nitrobenzaldehyde condenses with 17-ketones to produce good yields of seco-acids, a reaction which has been applied to the preparation of 16-oxa-steroids. Thus, 3 -hydroxy-5a-androstan-17-one or its acetate affords the seco-steroid (153), which can be oxidised either as the free acid by ozone and alkaline hydrogen peroxide to the diacid (155) or, as its methyl ester (154), with chromium trioxide to the monomethyl ester (156). Diborane reduction of the diacid (155) or lithium aluminium hydride reduction of the dimethyl ester (157) gave the trans-diol (158), cyclised with toluene-p-sulphonic acid to 16-oxa-androstan-3)5-ol (159) or, by oxidation with Jones reagent to the lactone (152) (as 3-ketone) in quantitative yield. This lactone could also be obtained by lithium borohydride reduction of the monomethyl ester (156), whilst diborane reduction of (156) and cyclisation of the resulting (151) afforded the isomeric lactone (150). The diacid (155) reacted with acetic anhydride to afford exclusively the cis-anhydride (161) which was reduced directly with lithium aluminium hydride to the cis-lactone (160) or, as its derived dimethyl ester (162) to the cis-diol (163) which cyclised to 16-oxa-14)5-androstan-3) -ol (164). 

Reductions can also be performed in water. Systems for reduction of ketones in water can be water-compatible sodium and lithium borohydrides, amino acid-based cationic surfactants to reduce aryl ketones [19], iridium hydrides used in transfer hydrogenations, such as [Cp Irm(bpy)H]+ (Cp — q5-C5Mes, bpy = 2,2 - bipyridine) [20], and IrHCI2(cod) 2 with a chiral diaminodiphosphine ligand to form secondary alcohols in high enantioselectivity and almost quantitative yield (Equation 4.12) [21]. 

A variety of other chiral modifiers are known, although these have not been as widely studied and may not be as generally applicable as those discussed above. Lithium borohydride in the presence of, V,/V -dibenzoylcystine reduces 3-aryl-3-oxoesters with 80-92% ee36. In the presence of AT-benzoylcysteine, lithium borohydride reduces alkyl aryl ketones to secondary alco-... 

By Reduction of Carbonyl Compounds. Use of high (10 kbar) pressures has been shown to effect trialkylstannane reductions of ketones in the absence of radical initiators or Lewis acids.10 Zinc borohydride has been demonstrated to be a mild reducing agent for the conversion of benzenethiol esters into alcohols in good yield. Use of mixed solvents containing methanol has been found to confer some chemoselectivity upon reductions with lithium borohydride and permits enhanced rates of reduction of esters, lactones, and... 

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