Nucleophilic carbonyl addition reaction mechanism

Our UNDERSTANDING OF THE REACTIONS of popular reagents dates back to the early 1920s, when Lewis, Lowry, and Br nsted began developing their acid-base theories. Shortly thereafter, Lap worth, who had pioneered the study of carbonyl addition reaction mechanisms in the early 1900s, proposed the classification of polar reagents into the classes we know today as electrophiles and nucleophiles. 

In general terms, there are three possible mechanisms for addition of a nucleophile and a proton to give a tetrahedral intermediate in a carbonyl addition reaction. 

In principle, all carbonyl addition reactions could be reversible but, in practice, many are essentially irreversible. Let us consider mechanisms for the reverse of the nucleophilic addition reactions given above. For the base-catalysed reaction, we would invoke the following mechanism ... 

The unimolecular mechanism is unusual for carbonyl substitution reactions. Those in the last chapter as well as the carbonyl addition reactions in Chapter 6 all had nucleophilic addition to the carbonyl group as the rate-determining step. An example would be the formation of an ester from an anhydride instead of from an acid chloride. 

The carbonyl-carbon kinetic isotope effect (KIE) and the substituent effects for the reaction of lithium pinacolone enolate (112) with benzaldehyde (equation 31) were analyzed by Yamataka, Mishima and coworkers ° and the results were compared with those for other lithium reagents such as MeLi, PhLi and AllLi. Ab initio (HF/6-31-I-G ) calculations were carried out to estimate the equilibrium isotope effect (EIE) on the addition to benzaldehyde. In general, a carbonyl addition reaction (equation 32) proceeds by way of either a direct one-step polar nucleophilic attack (PL) or a two-step process involving electron transfer (ET) and a radical ion intermediate. The carbonyl-carbon KIE was of primary nature for the PL or the radical coupling (RC) rate-determining ET mechanism, while it was considered to be less important for the ET rate-determining mechanism. The reaction of 112 with benzaldehyde gave a small positive KIE = 1.019),... 

A large body of polymerization reactions following step growth mechanism are carbonyl addition reactions followed by elimination. The general reaction mechanism of the carbonyl addition-elimination reaction is well understood (6). The nucleophilic reagent attacks approximately perpendicular to the sp -orbitals of the carbonyl and forms a bond with the electropoative carbonyl carbon. The metastable intermediate has the ji electron pair of the C=0 bond localized on the oxygen. Furtha reaction leads to the loss of either substiuent X or Y. In the latter case reaction leads to the desired product ... 

The kinetic ambiguity registered between general acid and specific acid-general base mechanisms in carbonyl addition reactions with nucleophiles (Scheme 17) is a classic mechanistic problem. ... 

Carbonyl compounds such as aldehydes and ketones undergo a wide variety of important reactions with most involving nucleophilic acyl addition. The mechanisms for these reactions are similar because almost all of the steps can be described as one of the four mechanistic elements first mentioned in the Primer Reaction Mechanisms. 

Now consider how we might make the carbonyl addition reaction easier.Two ways seem possible— we could make either the electrophile or the nucleophile stronger. Let s start with the acid-catalyzed reaction in which the carbonyl group is converted into a stronger electrophile. If we take as our model for the mechanism the acid-catalyzed additions to alkenes, a reasonable first step for hydration of a carbonyl would be protonation. But which end is protonated Again, there are two possiblities (Fig. 16.24). 

A number of compounds of the general type H2NZ react with aldehydes and ketones m a manner analogous to that of primary amines The carbonyl group (C=0) IS converted to C=NZ and a molecule of water is formed Table 17 4 presents exam pies of some of these reactions The mechanism by which each proceeds is similar to the nucleophilic addition-elimination mechanism described for the reaction of primary amines with aldehydes and ketones... 

The first three chapters discuss fundamental bonding theory, stereochemistry, and conformation, respectively. Chapter 4 discusses the means of study and description of reaction mechanisms. Chapter 9 focuses on aromaticity and aromatic stabilization and can be used at an earlier stage of a course if an instructor desires to do so. The other chapters discuss specific mechanistic types, including nucleophilic substitution, polar additions and eliminations, carbon acids and enolates, carbonyl chemistry, aromatic substitution, concerted reactions, free-radical reactions, and photochemistry. 

Olefination Reactions Involving Phosphonium Ylides. The synthetic potential of phosphonium ylides was developed initially by G. Wittig and his associates at the University of Heidelberg. The reaction of a phosphonium ylide with an aldehyde or ketone introduces a carbon-carbon double bond in place of the carbonyl bond. The mechanism originally proposed involves an addition of the nucleophilic ylide carbon to the carbonyl group to form a dipolar intermediate (a betaine), followed by elimination of a phosphine oxide. The elimination is presumed to occur after formation of a four-membered oxaphosphetane intermediate. An alternative mechanism proposes direct formation of the oxaphosphetane by a cycloaddition reaction.236 There have been several computational studies that find the oxaphosphetane structure to be an intermediate.237 Oxaphosphetane intermediates have been observed by NMR studies at low temperature.238 Betaine intermediates have been observed only under special conditions that retard the cyclization and elimination steps.239... 

Although the reaction of ketones and other carbonyl compounds with electrophiles such as bromine leads to substitution rather than addition, the mechanism of the reaction is closely related to electrophilic additions to alkenes. An enol, enolate, or enolate equivalent derived from the carbonyl compound is the nucleophile, and the electrophilic attack by the halogen is analogous to that on alkenes. The reaction is completed by restoration of the carbonyl bond, rather than by addition of a nucleophile. The acid- and base-catalyzed halogenation of ketones, which is discussed briefly in Section 6.4 of Part A, provide the most-studied examples of the reaction from a mechanistic perspective. 

Since nucleophilic addition to a metal-coordinated alkene generates a cr-metal species bonded to an -hybridized carbon, facile 3-H elimination may then ensue. An important example of pertinence to this mechanism is the Wacker reaction, in which alkenes are converted into carbonyl compounds by the oxidative addition of water (Equation (108)), typically in the presence of a Pd(n) catalyst and a stoichiometric reoxidant.399 When an alcohol is employed as the nucleophile instead, the reaction produces a vinyl or allylic ether as the product, thus accomplishing an etherification process. 

Fig. 9.1. Simplified reaction mechanisms in the hydrolytic decomposition of organic nitrates. Pathway a Solvolytic reaction (Reaction a) with formation of a carbonium ion, which subsequently undergoes SN1 addition of a nucleophile (e.g., HO ) (Reaction b) or proton E1 elimination to form an olefin (Reaction c). Pathway b HO -catalyzed hydrolysis (,SN2). Pathway c The bimolecular carbonyl-elimination reaction, as catalyzed by a strong base (e.g., HO or RO ), which forms a carbonyl derivative and nitrite.

The most significant change in these reactions is the formation of the carbon-nncleophile bond so, in both types of mechanism, the reaction is termed a nucleophilic addition. It should be noted that the polarization in the carbonyl group leads to nucleophilic addition, whereas the lack of polarization in the C=C donble bond of an alkene leads to electrophilic addition reactions (see Chapter 8). Carbonyl groups in carboxylic acid derivatives undergo a similar type of reactivity to nucleophiles, but the... 

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