Nitriles reductive hydrolysis

Negishi reaction 157 Nitriles, reduction/hydrolysis 25 Nitrogen heterocycles, on-resin cyclization, minopropenones 108 C-Nucleoside analogues 274... 

Nitriles and oximes are considered together because of common features. Both functions are reduced to primary amines, both undergo coupling reactions to secondary amines, and both are subject to reductive hydrolysis. These similarities arise from a common intermediate, an imine. The imine is... 

Among the most useful reactions of nitriles are hydrolysis to yield first an amide and then a carboxylic acid plus ammonia, reduction to yield an amine, and Grignard reaction to yield a ketone (Figure 20.3). 

Diastereoselective intermolecular nitrile oxide—olefin cycloaddition has been used in an enantioselective synthesis of the C(7)-C(24) segment 433 of the 24-membered natural lactone, macrolactin A 434 (471, 472). Two (carbonyl)iron moieties are instrumental for the stereoselective preparation of the C(8)-C(ii) E,Z-diene and the C(i5) and C(24) sp3 stereocenters. Also it is important to note that the (carbonyl)iron complexation serves to protect the C(8)-C(ii) and C(i6)-C(i9) diene groups during the reductive hydrolysis of an isoxazoline ring. 

The chiral cyanohydrins also lead directly to a-hydroxy acids by hydrolysis (sequence B) [69] and to protected a-hydroxy aldehydes by first hydroxyl group protection, followed by reduction of the nitrile and hydrolysis of the intermediate imine (not shown) (sequence C) [114]... 

Isoxazolines can be transformed into a,p-enones by several methods from the initial aldol product. This strategy was applied by Barco et al. (285) toward the synthesis of ( )-pyrenophorin (98), a macrocychc fow(enone-lactone) with antifungal properties. The hydroxy group was introduced from the nitrile oxide component (95), while the carboxy function was derived from the acrylate dipo-larophile. Thus, cycloaddition of the optically active nitropentyl acetate 94 to methyl acrylate 95 afforded isoxazoline 96 as a mixture of optically active diastereomers. Reductive hydrolysis using Raney nickel/acetic acid gave p-hydro-xyketone (97), which was subsequently utilized for the synthesis of (—)-pyreno-phorin (98) (Scheme 6.63) (285). 

A dipolar cycloaddition of a steroidal nitrile oxide to trifluoropropene, followed by reductive hydrolysis, was used to prepare the trifluoromethyl cholestanone... 

The sesquiterpene skeleton has also been assembled by the intramolecular nitrile oxide cycloaddition sequence. Oxime 238 (obtained from epoxy silyl ether 237), on treatment with sodium hypochlorite gave isoxazoline 239, which was sequentially hydrolyzed and then subjected to the reductive hydrolysis conditions-cyclization sequence to give the furan derivative 240 (330) (Scheme 6.93). In three additional steps, compound 240 was converted to 241. This structure contains the C11-C21 segment of the furanoterpene ent-242, that could be obtained after several more steps (330). 

Another related synthesis made use of the intramolecular cycloaddition of co-nitroalkene 243, also derived from geraniol epoxide 237. Generation of the expected nitrile oxide dipole using p-chlorophenyl isocyanate and triethylamine quantitatively gave the annulated isoxazoline 244 as a 2 1 mixture of diastereo-isomers (Scheme 6.94). Reductive hydrolysis of the cycloadduct to the aldol product followed by dehydration provided enone 245, which was used to prepare the sesquiterpene nanaimoal 246 (242). 

Shibasaki and co-workers used an intramolecular nitrile oxide cycloaddition to prepare the skeleton of phorbol (272) (Scheme 6.99), a tumor promoter that activates protein kinase C (PKC) (333). Nitroalkene 268 was elaborated in several steps from (+)-3-carene (267) and was subjected to cycloaddition by means of -chlorophenyl isocyanate-triethylamine to give cycloadduct 269 in 88% yield. Reductive hydrolysis employing Raney Ni and boric acid afforded hydroxyketone 270, that was subsequently used for the construction of the optically active derivative 271, which contains the phorbol skeleton (333). 

Aliphatic nitro compounds are versatile building blocks and intermediates in organic synthesis,14 15 cf. the overview given in the Organic Syntheses preparation of nitroacetaldehyde diethyl acetal.16 For example, Henry and Michael additions, respectively, lead to 1,2- and 1,4-difunctionalized derivatives.14 18 1,3-Difunctional compounds, such as amino alcohols or aldols are accessible from primary nitroalkanes by dehydration/1,3-dipolar nitrile oxide cycloaddition with olefins (Mukaiyama reaction),19 followed by ring cleavage of intermediate isoxazolines by reduction or reduction/hydrolysis.20 21... 

Ankati, H., Zhu, D., Yang, Y, Biehl, R.R., and Hua, L. 2009. Asymmetric synthesis of both antipodes of P-hydroxy nitriles and P-hydroxy carboxylic acids via enzymatic reduction or sequential reduction/hydrolysis. Journal of Organic Chemistry, 74 1658-62. 

Nitriles are easily reduced by Ni—A1 alloy, to the corresponding primary amine in aqueous alkali, and to the aldehyde in aqueous formic acid solution. Reductive hydrolysis may lead to the carbinol after furAer hydrogenation of the aldehydic group, as... 

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