Monoterpenes conversion

Croteau, R., Felton, M. and Ronald, R.C. (1980a) Biosynthesis of monoterpenes conversion of the acyclic precursors geranyl pyrophosphate and neryl pyrophosphate to the rearranged monoterpenes fenchol and fenchone by a soluble enzyme preparation from fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 200(2), 524-533. 

Cyclical monoterpenes such as limonene have also been used as substrate for the production of valuable products. A good example is the conversion of limonene to a-terpineol by Cladosporium sp. Thus,... 

The activity of the FePeCli6-S/tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) catalytic system was studied under mild reaction conditions for the synthesis of three a,p-unsaturated ketones 2-cyclohexen-l-one, carvone and veibenone by allylic oxidation of cyclohexene, hmonene, and a-pinene, respectively. Substrate conversions were higher than 80% and ketone yields decreased in the following order cyclohexen-1-one (47%), verbenone (22%), and carvone (12%). The large amount of oxidized sites of monoterpenes, especially limonene, may be the reason for the lower ketone yield obtained with this substrate. Additional tests snggested that molecular oxygen can act as co-oxidant and alcohol oxidation is an intermediate step in ketone formation. 

The selective diene hydrogenation of monoterpenes such as myrcene, which contain both isolated monoene and diene moieties, forms a particular challenge [84]. The catalyst [RhH(CO)(PPh3)3] (60) has been reported to perform remarkably well for such hydrogenation reactions, and the diene moiety was shown to be selectively reduced to the monoene, while the isolated double bond remained unaffected under the reaction conditions used (Scheme 14.20). The rates of reaction expressed as average TOF (determined at ca. 80% conversion) ranged from ca. 640 (in benzene, 20 atm H2 at 100 °C) to 7600 mol mol 1 h 1 (in cyclohexane, 20 atm H2 at 80 °C). The hydrogenation in benzene solution resulted in... 

Catalytic conversions in the monoterpene field have been reviewed recently [13-15]. There is an ongoing transition from conventional homogeneous catalysts (mineral acids, zinc halides) to solid Bronsted and Lewis acid catalysts. Thus, limonene can be alkoxylated with lower alcohols using zeolite H-Beta as the catalyst [16] at room temperature already, with high selectivity and conversion (Scheme 5.3). The alkoxy compounds are applied as fragrances with, dependent on the length of R, characteristic odors. 

The gas-phase reactivity of various terpenes has been measured. Stephens and Scott were the first to include two terpenes (pinene and a-phel-landrene) with their study of the relative reactivity of various hydrocar ns. Both monoterpenes showed the high reactivity predicted by their olefinic structure. Conversion of nitric oxide to nitrogen dioxide in e presence of isoprene is at a rate intermediate between those for ethylene and trans-2-butene, and Japar et al, reported rate constants for the a-pinene and terpinolene-ozone reactions. Grimsrud et a/. measured the rate con-... 

Croteau R, Venkatachalam KV, Metabolism of monoterpenes Demonstration that (-l-)- t-isopulegone, not piperitenone, is the key intermediate in the conversion of (—)- isopiperitenone to (-l-)-pulegone in peppermint Mentha piperita), Arch Biochem Biophys 249 306—315, 1986. 

A synthesis of the monoterpene alkaloid ( )-actinidine has been accomplished through the intramolecular cycloaddition of a substituted pyrimidine (81JCS(P1)1909). Condensation of the diester (756) with formamidine provided the pyrimidine precursor (757) which when heated at its melting point (203 °C) underwent cycloaddition with elimination of isocyanic acid to produce the pyridone (758). Conversion of the pyridone into the chloropyridine was effected with phosphoryl chloride. The chlorine atom was then removed by hydrogenoly-sis over palladium on charcoal to afford the racemic alkaloid (759 Scheme 175). 

Very recently, the purification and characterisation of an epoxide hydrolase, catalysing the conversion of limonene-1,2-epoxide to limonene-1,2-diol has been described [90]. The enzyme was isolated from Rhodococcus erythropolis DCL14 and is induced when the microorganism is grown on monoterpenes. The authors found evidence that the enzyme, limonene-1,2-epoxide hydrolase is the first member of a new class (the third class) of epoxide hydrolases [91]. 

Figure 6.11 Biosyntheses of isoprenoid pheromone components by bark and ambrosia beetles from host conifer monoterpenes. (A) Conversion by the male California fivespined ips, Ips paraconfusus Lanier (Coleoptera Scolytidae), of myrcene from the xylem and phloem oleoresin of ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Laws., to (4S)-(+)-ipsdienol and (4S)-(-)-ipsenol, components of the aggregation pheromone (Hendry et al., 1980). (B) Conversion by male and female I. paraconfusus of (1 S,5S)-(-)-a-pinene (2,6,6-trimethyl-bicyclo[3.1,1]hept-2-ene) from the xylem and phloem oleoresin of P. ponderosa to (1 S,2S,5S)-(+)-c/s-verbenol (c/s-4,6,6-trimethyl-bicyclo[3.1,1]hept-3-en-2-ol), an aggregation pheromone synergist and of (1 R,5R)-(+)-a-pinene to (1 fl,2S,5fl)-(+)-frans-verbenol (frans-4,6,6-trimethyl-bicyclo[3.1,1]hept-3-en-2-ol), a compound of unknown behavioral activity for /. paraconfusus. Male and female western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte (Coleoptera Scolytidae), convert (1 S,5S)-(-)-a-pinene to (1S,2ft,5S)-(-)-frans-verbenol, an aggregation pheromone interruptant and (1R,5R)-(+)-a-pinene to (1 R,2S,5R)-(+)-frans-verbenol, a compound of...

Oxidation of these monoterpene alcohols has been carried out with the biphasic MT0/H202 system in CH2C12 in the presence of pyridine with very good conversions but moderate selectivities. With a 1 1 ratio of substrate and oxidant, the selectivity for the monoepoxide is 76-78% (6,7-epoxide/2,3-epoxide ratio = 11 1) with some diepoxide present. Predominant diepoxide formation was found at a 1 2.8 ratio of substrate to oxidant with geraniol and nerol as substrates (respectively, 61 and 87% selectivity with full conversion) [50]. Switching the oxidant to UHP did not make any difference, while switching to ethanol as the solvent only yielded decomposition products and diepoxide [60]. 

Table I shows the quantitative comparison of selective compounds in the hydrocarbon fraction. The total amount of monoterpenes in the steam distilled sample was less than that in the liquid carbon dioxide extract. These compounds could have been lost during distillation. The significant decrease in zingiberene and the concomitant increase in ar-curcumene confirmed that zingiberene was converted to ar-curcumene (16). g-Sesquiphelladrene, another compound which could be converted to ar-curcumene, decreased slightly. The scheme of oxidative conversion of zingiberene and B-sesquiphel-...

Monoterpene hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes and ketones are commercially available with sufficient purity. Thus, total syntheses are not required but only conversions of commercial product and synthetic derivatives. 

Separation of enantiomers on chiral phases without derivatizations have been described only for a few compounds, such as monoterpenes (3). Most separations require derivatization of the enantiomers, e.g. conversion into N-containing derivatives ( ), and at present the number of available thermally-stable chiral stationary phases is limited. 

The catalyzed ene reaction has been used for isoprenylation of monoterpenes with an isopropenyl side chain to form sesquiterpenes of the bisabolane group. An example is the three-step conversion of (+)-limonene (1) into / -bisabolene (2). ... 

Sammes and his group (77JCS(P1)663 78JCS(P1)1293 81JCS(P1)1909) attempted the thermal intramolecular cycloaddition of the substituted pyrimidine 507 possessing an alkyne to produce a monoterpene alkaloid ( )-actinidine (511)(Scheme 64). Upon thermolysis of the pyrimidine 507 at 200°C in a sealed tube, using dimethylformamide as solvent, intramolecular cycloaddition led to the known pyridone 509 in 87% yield by the loss of the amide bridge from intermediate 508. Conversion of the pyridone 509 into the chloropyridine followed by reductive dechlorination afforded racemic actinidine 511. 

The conversion of a bicyclo[2.2.1]octenone derivative to the corresponding bicyclo[3.3.0]octenone, a common intermediate in the total synthesis of several iridoid monoterpenes, was achieved by N.C. Chang et al. The target was obtained by sequential application of the Corey-Chaykovsky epoxidation, Demjanov rearrangement and a photochemical [1,3]-acyl shift. 

Two elements of the cyclization have yet to be addressed the isomerization of geranyl pyrophosphate to linalyl pyrophosphate (or the equivalent ion-pair) and the construction of bicyclic skeleta. Studies on the biosynthesis of linalool (61), and on the analogous nerolidyl system in the sesquiterpene series (52), have shown this allylic transposition to occur by a net suprafacial process, as expected. On the other hand, the chemical conversion of acyclic or monocyclic precursors to bicyclic monoterpenes, under relevant cationic cyclization conditions, has been rarely observed (47,62-65) and, thermodynamic considerations notwithstanding (66), bicyclizations remain poorly modeled. 

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