Saponification of esters

The major application of p keto esters to organic synthesis employs a similar pat tern of ester saponification and decarboxylation as its final sfage as described m fhe fol lowing secfion... 

Menger and Portnoy (1967) developed a quantitative treatment which adequately described inhibition of ester saponification by anionic micelles. Micelles bound hydrophobic esters, and anionic micelles excluded hydroxide ion, and so inhibited the reaction, whereas cationic micelles speeded saponification by attracting hydroxide ion (Menger, 1979b). 

Write equations showing the hydrolysis of esters (saponification)... 

The reactions of fatty acids are identical to those of short-chain carboxylic acids. The major reactions that they undergo include esterification, acid hydrolysis of esters, saponification, and addition at the double bond. 

Fatty acids are saturated and unsaturated carboxylic acids containing between twelve and twenty-four carbon atoms. Fatty acids with even numbers of carbon atoms occur most frequently in nature. The reactions of fatty acids are identical to those of carboxylic acids. They include esterification, production by acid hydrolysis of esters, saponification, and addition at the double bond. Prostaglandins, thromboxanes, and leukotrienes are derivatives of twenty-carbon fatty acids that have a variety of physiological effects. 

Here, as in part (a), we have an electron-withdrawing substituent increasing the rate of ester saponification. It does so by stabilizing the negatively charged intermediate formed in the rate-determining step. 

Base-Catalyzed Hydrolysis of Esters Saponification (section 21.11)... 

Saponification of esters. Aqueous sodium hydroxide method. To hydrolyse an ester of an alcohol, reflux 5-6 g. with 50 ml. of 20 per cent, sodium hydroxide solution for 1-2 hours or until the ester layer disappears. Distil the alkahne mixture and collect about 6 ml. of distillate. This will contain any volatile alcohol formed in the saponification. If the alcohol does not separate, i.e., is water-soluble, saturate the distillate with sohd potassium carbonate an upper layer of alcohol is then usually formed. (The alcohol may be subsequently identified as the 3 5-dinitrobenzoate see Section 111,27,2.) Cool the residual alkahne mixture, and acidify it with dilute sulphuric acid. If no crystalline acid is precipitated, the acid may frequently be isolated by ether extraction, or it may be distilled from the acidified solution and isolated from (or investigated in) the distfllate. (The acid may be subsequently identified, e.g., as the S benzyl wo-thiuronium salt see Section 111,85,2.)... 

The determination of the saponification equivalent of an ester by the alcohohc potassium hydroxide method is described in Section 111,106 an alternative procedure using diethylene glycol is given below. This constant should be determined if possible in the prehminary examination, since a knowledge of its value together with the boihng point provides a basis for a fairly good approximation of the size of the ester molecule. 

Determination of the Saponification Equivalent of an Ester BY THE Diethylene Glycol Method... 

In base the tetrahedral intermediate is formed m a manner analogous to that pro posed for ester saponification Steps 1 and 2 m Figure 20 8 show the formation of the tetrahedral intermediate m the basic hydrolysis of amides In step 3 the basic ammo group of the tetrahedral intermediate abstracts a proton from water and m step 4 the derived ammonium ion dissociates Conversion of the carboxylic acid to its corresponding carboxylate anion m step 5 completes the process and renders the overall reaction irreversible... 

Saponification (Section 20 11) Hydrolysis of esters in basic solution The products are an alcohol and a carboxylate salt The term means soap making and denves from the process whereby animal fats were converted to soap by heating with wood ashes... 

Animal fats and vegetable oils are triacylglycerols, or triesters, formed from the reaction of glycerol (1,2, 3-propanetriol) with three long-chain fatty acids. One of the methods used to characterize a fat or an oil is a determination of its saponification number. When treated with boiling aqueous KOH, an ester is saponified into the parent alcohol and fatty acids (as carboxylate ions). The saponification number is the number of milligrams of KOH required to saponify 1.000 g of the fat or oil. In a typical analysis, a 2.085-g sample of butter is added to 25.00 ml of 0.5131 M KOH. After saponification is complete, the excess KOH is back titrated with 10.26 ml of0.5000 M HCl. What is the saponification number for this sample of butter ... 

One of the most sensitive tests of the dependence of chemical reactivity on the size of the reacting molecules is the comparison of the rates of reaction for compounds which are members of a homologous series with different chain lengths. Studies by Flory and others on the rates of esterification and saponification of esters were the first investigations conducted to clarify the dependence of reactivity on molecular size. The rate constants for these reactions are observed to converge quite rapidly to a constant value which is independent of molecular size, after an initial dependence on molecular size for small molecules. The effect is reminiscent of the discussion on the uniqueness of end groups in connection with Example 1.1. In the esterification of carboxylic acids, for example, the rate constants are different for acetic, propionic, and butyric acids, but constant for carboxyUc acids with 4-18 carbon atoms. This observation on nonpolymeric compounds has been generalized to apply to polymerization reactions as well. The latter are subject to several complications which are not involved in the study of simple model compounds, but when these complications are properly considered, the independence of reactivity on molecular size has been repeatedly verified. 

MetaUic ions are precipitated as their hydroxides from aqueous caustic solutions. The reactions of importance in chlor—alkali operations are removal of magnesium as Mg(OH)2 during primary purification and of other impurities for pollution control. Organic acids react with NaOH to form soluble salts. Saponification of esters to form the organic acid salt and an alcohol and internal coupling reactions involve NaOH, as exemplified by reaction with triglycerides to form soap and glycerol,... 

The hydrophile—hpophile balance (HLB) is an empirical system based on the fact that oil—water (o/w) emulsions are best stabilized by water-soluble-emulsifiers and water—oil (w/o) emulsions are best stabilized by oil-soluble ones (3). The HLB scale mns from 0—20 and is based on the ratio of the saponification number of ester, A, to the acid number of recovered acid, where HLB = 20 1-Sj A). The dispersibiUty of an emulsifier in water is related to HLB value. 

Saponification number (DIN 51 559). The saponification number is indicative of the presence of ester groups in a resin. The saponification number is defined as the consumption of potassium hydroxide in milligrams by one gram of resin under standardized conditions. 

Identical conclusions come from stereochemical studies. Saponification of esters of optically active alcohols proceeds with retention of configuration. 

A substituted benzoic acid serves as precursor for the nontricyclic antidepressant bipena-mol (175). Selective. saponification of ester 171 afford.s the half-acid 172. Reaction of the acid chloride derived from this intermediate (173) with ammonia gives the amide 174. Reduction of the last by means of lithium aluminum hydride gives bipenamol (175) [44]. 

The specific gravity ol the crude oil at C. = 0 S705 rotation a = -(- 15-1 relractiTe index at23 C. = lAtHl. The saponification number is 2 4, equal to (l 84 per cent, of ester as bornyl or gemoyl acetate. 

Terpinyl acetate in the absence of esters of high molecular weight, or ethyl esters of the fatty acids of coconut oil, is indicated by a difference to be observed in the apparent ester value by different times of saponification. This ester is far more resistant to the action of caustic alkali than is linalyl acetate, and requires two hours at least for complete saponification. Hence, if the oil shows a difference in the saponification value in thirty minutes and in two hours, which amounts to more than from 1 to 2, terpinyl acetate is almost certainly present. The following table shows the effect of this partial-saponrfication on the two esters and on adulterated oils —... 

An important reaction of fats is the reverse of ester formation. They hydrolyze, or react with water, just as disaccharides do. Usually hydrolysis is carried out in aqueous Ca(OH)2, NaOH, or KOH solution. Because of long use in the preparation of soap from fats, the alkaline hydrolysis reaction (6) is called saponification. 

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