Nitro groups, aliphatic hydrogenation

The hydrogenation of aliphatic nitro groups takes place with retention of configuration when the reaction is run under the normal conditions. The basic nature of Raney nickel does not promote epimerization of the nitro group before hydrogenation at low temperatures but the alkaline impurity found in platinum oxide does. The use of platinum oxide in ethanol resulted in the formation of a mixture of product stereoisomers but, in acetic acid, retention of configuration was observed. Higher temperatures also promoted inversion (Eqn. 19.24).5>... 

Oishi T, Akita H 0983) Asymmetric reduction by yeasts. Formation of optically active synthons having two chiral centers useful for natural product synthesis. J Synth Org Chem Jpn 41 1031-1043 Okamoto T, Ohno A, Oka S (1977a) Reaction of N-propyl-1,4-dihydro-nicotinamide with ferricyanide ion. J Chem Soc Chem Commun 181-182 Okamoto T, Ohno A, Oka S (1977b) Alkali-metal ion acceleration of the electron-transfer reaction between N-propyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide and ferricyanide ion. J Chem Soc Chem Commun 784-785 Okamoto T, Ohno A, Oka S (1979) Reduction of transition-metal salts by N-propyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide. Bull Chem Soc Jpn 52 3745-3746 Ono N, Tamura R, Kaji A (1980) 1-Benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide as a reagent for replacing aliphatic nitro groups by hydrogen An... 

With aliphatic derivatives that have a hydrogen atom bonded to the carbon atom which has the nitro, nitrite or nitrate functional group, this hydrogen atom has a mobility that makes it easy to form the corresponding anion due to the effect of a base. Unfortunately this anion is unstable and detonates immediately when dry. Even if these conditions are not fulfilled, the reaction that involves this type of intermediate is always dangerous. With aromatic nitrated derivatives the base-... 

Aromatic nitroso groups are as easily hydrogenated as nitro groups however such groups attached to aliphatic moieties are not so readily hydrogenated. 

Nitro Compounds. Under mild conditions, aromatic nitro compounds are hydrogenated easily to amines.518 The reaction may give partially reduced products, according to the circumstances. Palladium, platinum, and nickel are used frequently for this reaction. For example, nitro and benzyl ester functions are reduced on Pd(OH)2/C on THF and on Pd/C in EtOH.519 Aliphatic nitro groups are reduced more slowly. 

The property of being converted by energetic reduction into primary amines belongs to the nitro-compounds both of the aliphatic and of the aromatic series. Six atoms of hydrogen are required for the reduction of each nitro-group. In industry nitrobenzene is reduced, not with expensive tin, but with iron filings or iron powder according to the old method of Bechamp, which is still in use at the present time. The amount of hydrochloric acid indicated by the equation... 

A-(/>-Nitrophenyl)alkylenediamines 18 form intramolecular hydrogen bonds between the two N—H groups (aromatic and aliphatic) as reported in equilibrium 9. When hydrogen bond acceptor solvents are used, intramolecular hydrogen bonds are formed between 18 and solvents, but when the nitro group is in the ortho position, the hydrogen bond is formed between the aromatic amino and nitro groups. 

In aliphatic amines (diethylamine or triethylamine) the intramolecular hydrogen abstraction is quenched almost completely. Instead, smooth photoreduction of the nitro group without participation of the side chain is observed with 1,3,5-tri-fezf-butyl-2-nitrobenzene (5) and 14, R = C(CH3)3 ). Products derived from the respective phenylhydroxylamines were isolated in both cases. Again, an electron transfer, which does not seem to suffer from steric restrictions, is operative (see also Section A. 1.3). 

Aliphatic nitro compounds with the nitro group on a tertiary carbon were reduced to amines with aluminum amalgam [146 or iron [559]. 2-Nitro-2-methylpropane afforded ferf-butylamine in 65-75% yield [146. Even some secondary nitroalkanes were hydrogenated to amines. fra s-l,4-Dinitrocy-clohexane was converted to frans-l,4-diaminocyclohexane with retention of configuration. This may be considered as an evidence that the intermediate nitroso compound is reduced directly and not after tautomerization to the isonitroso compound [560] (see Scheme 54). 

The reduction of aliphatic nitrocompounds in acid solution proceeds in two steps. First the nitrosocompound is formed. A low steady state concen ation of 2-methyl-2-nitrosopropane has been detected during the reduction of 2-methyl-2-nitropropane [13]. At the cathode potential necessary to attach the first electron to a nitro group, the nitroso intermediate undergoes further reduction to the hydroxyla-mine. When the nitrocompound has one a-hydrogen substituent, tautomerism of the nitroso intermediate to an oxime is in competition with further reduction. Both temperature and proton availability affect the rate of this isomerisation. Reduction of aliphatic nitrocompounds to the hydroxylamine is usually carried out in acid solution at 0-5° C to minimise oxime formation [14, 15], The hydroxylamine is stable towards further reduction in acid solution. Oximes in acid solution are reduced... 

The nitrosation of aliphatic carbon atoms, particularly of carbon atoms activated by adjacent carbonyl, carboxyl, nitrile, or nitro groups, has been reviewed in great detail [2]. Judging from this review, with few exceptions, nitrosation of active methylene compounds leads to the formation of oximes (unfortunately termed isonitroso compounds in the older literature). The few exceptional cases cited in which true nitroso compounds (or their dimers) were formed involved tertiary carbon atoms in which no hydrogen atoms were available to permit tautomerism to the oxime or involved a reaction which was carried out under neither acidic nor basic conditions. 

Aliphatic nitro compounds are reduced to various products, in all the published examples, only C-F bonds at a-positions are reduced, while the nitro group can be reduced in two steps. Catalytic hydrogenation of primary nitro compounds over palladium transforms them to the corresponding isonitroso compounds, i. e. oximes, while secondary nitro groups are converted into amines (Table 4). The reduction with Raney nickel alloy converts all types of nitro compounds into the corresponding amines, e. g. formation of 14.136... 

The possibility of using of aliphatic alcohols as hydrogen donors for the catalytic transfer reduction of nitro group over MgO was examined. Catalytic hydrogen transfer was found to be effective and selective method for reduction of nitrobenzene, A-nitrotoluene, A-chloronitrobenzene, 4-nitro-m-xylene, 3-nitro-styrene, 3-nitrobenzaldehyde, 1-nitropropane, and 1-nitrobutane. Conversion of starting nitro compound into desired product depended on the alcohol used as a donor. Adsorption of reactant and catalyst deactivation were studied by esr. New aspects of a role of one-electron donor sites in hydrogen transfer over MgD were demonstrated. 

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