Nucleophilic Opening of Cyclic Ethers

Opening of Cyclic Ethers. This anion is sufficiently nucleophilic to open epoxides in the presence of boron trifiuoride ether-ate (eqs 16-17). ... 

In addition, there may be an equilibrium in ring-opening polymerizations between onium ions and covalent species. This equilibrium has been observed in the polymerizations of cyclic ethers [29], oxazolines [68], and phosphorus-containing monomers [69], The position of the equilibrium and its dynamics depend on the relative nucleophilicities of the monomer and the counteranion, as well as on the nucleofugacity ot the leaving group. 

Treatment of cyclopropyl sulfides bearing a hydroxy group in the side chain with ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) in methanol gives five- and six-membered cyclic ethers.In this reaction, the formation of cyclic ethers is understood by assuming a single electron transfer mechanism, which involves ring opening of the cation intermediate followed by intramolecular nucleophilic addition. 

Most cationic ring-opening polymerizations of cyclic ethers involve the formation and propagation of oxonium ion centers. Reaction involves the nucleophilic attack of monomer on the oxonium ion, e.g., for 1,2-epoxides (oxiranes) ... 

CROP is only reported for a limited number of cyclic ethers that exhibit enough ring strain to be readily opened. In addition, the rather similar nucleophilicity of the ether moieties in the monomers and the ring-opened polymers together with the reactive cationic oxonium species, often leads to the occurrence of transetherification reactions, complicating the development of living CROP methods. This section will focus on the living CROP of ethylene oxide, oxetane, and tetrahydrofuran. 

Transition metal catalyzed ring expansions of cyclic ethers to lactones under pressures of CO [51, 52] have been reported for tetrahydrofuran [53], oxetanes, and epoxides [54—56]. Carbonylation of epoxides is particularly important since P-lactone products are challenging synthetic targets (see Section 2.2.5). Using Co(CO)4 in combination with a Lewis acidic Al-salen counterion, the reaction of (R)-propylene oxide and CO occurs with stereochemical retention (Scheme 2.23) [57]. The mechanism is believed to involve Lewis acid activation of the epoxide followed by nucleophilic ring opening with Co(CO)4 [58]. 

Alkyl and 2-Alkenyl Halides or Sulfonates Ring Opening of Cyclic Amines and Ethers Addition onto Carbon-Carbon Multiple Bonds Addition onto Heteroconjugated Multiple Bonds Nucleophilic Substitution of 1-Alkenyl Halides Nucleophilic Addition onto Arenes and Hetarenes Substitution of Halo-, Alkoxy-, and Metalloarenes or -hetarenes Addition onto Nonaromatic Carbon-Nitrogen Multiple Bonds Addition onto Carbonyl Compounds... 

It was noted early by Smid and his coworkers that open-chained polyethylene glycol type compounds bind alkali metals much as the crowns do, but with considerably lower binding constants. This suggested that such materials could be substituted for crown ethers in phase transfer catalytic reactions where a larger amount of the more economical material could effect the transformation just as effectively as more expensive cyclic ethers. Knbchel and coworkers demonstrated the application of open-chained crown ether equivalents in 1975 . Recently, a number of applications have been published in which simple polyethylene glycols are substituted for crowns . These include nucleophilic substitution reactions, as well as solubilization of arenediazonium cations . Glymes have also been bound into polymer backbones for use as catalysts " " . 

If the carbonyl and the hydroxyl group are in the same molecule, an intramolecular nucleophilic addition can take place, leading to the formation of a cyclic hemiacetal. Five- and six-membered cyclic hemiacetals are relatively strain-free and particularly stable, and many carbohydrates therefore exist in an equilibrium between open-chain and cyclic forms. Glucose, for instance, exists in aqueous solution primarily in the six-membered, pyranose form resulting from intramolecular nucleophilic addition of the -OH group at C5 to the Cl carbonyl group (Figure 25.4). The name pyranose is derived from pyran, the name of the unsaturated six-membered cyclic ether. 

Polyethers are prepared by the ring opening polymerization of three, four, five, seven, and higher member cyclic ethers. Polyalkylene oxides from ethylene or propylene oxide and from epichlorohydrin are the most common commercial materials. They seem to be the most reactive alkylene oxides and can be polymerized by cationic, anionic, and coordinated nucleophilic mechanisms. For example, ethylene oxide is polymerized by an alkaline catalyst to generate a living polymer in Figure 1.1. Upon addition of a second alkylene oxide monomer, it is possible to produce a block copolymer (Fig. 1.2). 

To make ethers more reactive, they must be complexed with strong Lewis acids. BF3 is commonly used with cyclic ethers, and even with epoxides it increases the rate and yield of the reaction when organometallic reagents are used as nucleophiles. BF3 is most easily handled as its complex with diethyl ether, written BF3 OEt, BuLi does not react with oxetane, for example, unless a Lewis acid, such as BF3, is added, when it opens the fouremembered ring to give a quantitative yield of H-heptanoI. 

The diols (97) from asymmetric dil droxylation are easily converted to cyclic sii e esters (98) and thence to cyclic sulfate esters (99).This two-step process, reaction of the diol (97) with thionyl chloride followed by ruthenium tetroxide catalyzed oxidation, can be done in one pot if desired and transforms the relatively unreactive diol into an epoxide mimic, ue. the 1,2-cyclic sulfate (99), which is an excellent electrophile. A survey of reactions shows that cyclic sulfates can be opened by hydride, azide, fluoride, thiocyanide, carboxylate and nitrate ions. Benzylmagnesium chloride and thie anion of dimethyl malonate can also be used to open the cyclic sulfates. Opening by a nucleophile leads to formation of an intermediate 3-sidfate aiuon (100) which is easily hydrolyzed to a -hydroxy compound (101). Conditions for cat ytic acid hydrolysis have been developed that allow for selective removal of the sulfate ester in the presence of other acid sensitive groups such as acetals, ketals and silyl ethers. 

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