Olefins catalytic epoxidation

For a recent example involving a one-pot, two-step olefination/catalytic epoxidation procedure, see, S. Matsunaga, T. Kinoshita, S. Okada, S. Harada, M. Shibasaki, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2004, 126, 7559-7570. 

The tert-huty hydroperoxide is then mixed with a catalyst solution to react with propylene. Some TBHP decomposes to TBA during this process step. The catalyst is typically an organometaHic that is soluble in the reaction mixture. The metal can be tungsten, vanadium, or molybdenum. Molybdenum complexes with naphthenates or carboxylates provide the best combination of selectivity and reactivity. Catalyst concentrations of 200—500 ppm in a solution of 55% TBHP and 45% TBA are typically used when water content is less than 0.5 wt %. The homogeneous metal catalyst must be removed from solution for disposal or recycle (137,157). Although heterogeneous catalysts can be employed, elution of some of the metal, particularly molybdenum, from the support surface occurs (158). References 159 and 160 discuss possible mechanisms for the catalytic epoxidation of olefins by hydroperoxides. 

Asymmetric catalytic epoxidation of nonfunctionalized olefins 93MI3, 98MI1. 

The reaction of olefin epoxidation by peracids was discovered by Prilezhaev [235]. The first observation concerning catalytic olefin epoxidation was made in 1950 by Hawkins [236]. He discovered oxide formation from cyclohexene and 1-octane during the decomposition of cumyl hydroperoxide in the medium of these hydrocarbons in the presence of vanadium pentaoxide. From 1963 to 1965, the Halcon Co. developed and patented the process of preparation of propylene oxide and styrene from propylene and ethylbenzene in which the key stage is the catalytic epoxidation of propylene by ethylbenzene hydroperoxide [237,238]. In 1965, Indictor and Brill [239] published studies on the epoxidation of several olefins by 1,1-dimethylethyl hydroperoxide catalyzed by acetylacetonates of several metals. They observed the high yield of oxide (close to 100% with respect to hydroperoxide) for catalysis by molybdenum, vanadium, and chromium acetylacetonates. The low yield of oxide (15-28%) was observed in the case of catalysis by manganese, cobalt, iron, and copper acetylacetonates. The further studies showed that molybdenum, vanadium, and... 

Jacobsen EN (1993) Asymmetric catalytic epoxidation of unfunctionalized olefins. In Ojimal (ed) Catalytic asymmetric synthesis. VCH, Weinheim,p 159... 

Catalytic epoxidation of olefins (typical procedure) Solid catalyst (1 g) prepared from XAD-2 resin is stirred with 20 mL of 1.0 M cyclohexane and 1.0 M H2O2 in t-BuOH or dioxane at 60°C for 24 h. Cyclohexenoxide is obtained in a quantitative yield. 

The reactions of aldehydes at 313 K [69] or 323 K [70] in CoAlPO-5 in the presence of oxygen results in formation of an oxidant capable of converting olefins to epoxides and ketones to lactones (Fig. 23). This reaction is a zeolite-catalyzed variant of metal [71-73] and non-metal-catalyzed oxidations [73,74], which utilize a sacrificial aldehyde. Jarboe and Beak [75] have suggested that these reactions proceed via the intermediacy of an acyl radical that is converted either to an acyl peroxy radical or peroxy acid which acts as the oxygen-transfer agent. Although the detailed intrazeolite mechanism has not been elucidated a similar type IIaRH reaction is likely to be operative in the interior of the redox catalysts. The catalytically active sites have been demonstrated to be framework-substituted Co° or Mn ions [70]. In addition, a sufficient pore size to allow access to these centers by the aldehyde is required for oxidation [70]. 

SCHEME 67. Steric and electronic effects in the diastereoselective catalytic epoxidation of cyclic olefins and aUyUc alcohols with MTO/UHP... 

Mimoun and coworkersdescribed the first well-defined example of a d° metal aUtylperoxidic species 49 which epoxidized simple olefins with high selectivity. Several features of the epoxidation performed by 49 resemble those of the Halcon catalytic epoxidation process " . Novel tungsten complexes containing 2 -pyridyl alcoholate ligands like 50 have been synthesized and tested as catalysts in the epoxidation of cw-cyclooctene with TBHP in the absence of solvent . The system displayed modest catalytic activity (100% conversion in 60 h) but excellent product selectivity. 

Catalytic Epoxidation of Olefins by Hydroperoxides Catalytic Oxidation of Olefins to Aldehydes... 

Many transition-metal complexes have been widely studied in their application as catalysts in alkene epoxidation. Nickel is unique in the respect that its simple soluble salts such as Ni(N03)2 6H20 are completely ineffective in the catalytic epoxidation of alkenes, whereas soluble manganese, iron, cobalt, or copper salts in acetonitrile catalyze the epoxidation of stilbene or substituted alkenes with iodosylbenzene as oxidant. However, the Ni(II) complexes of tetraaza macrocycles as well as other chelating ligands dramatically enhance the reactivity of epoxidation of olefins (90, 91). 

Warnmark et al. [12] have reported the formation of a dynamic supramolecular catalytic system involving a hydrogen bonding complex between a Mn(ll I) salen and a Zn(II) porphyrin (Figure 1.4). The salen sub-unit acts as the catalytic center for the catalytic epoxidation of olefins while the Zn-porphyrin component performs as the binding site. The system exhibits low selectivity for pyridine-appended styrene derivatives over phenyl-appended derivatives in a catalytic epoxidation reaction. The... 

Jonsson, S., Odille, F.G.J., Norrby, P.-O. and Wammark. K. (2005) A dynamic supramolecular system exhibiting substrate selectivity in the catalytic epoxidation of olefins. Chem. Commun., 549-551,... 

Jonsson, S., Odille Fabrice, G.J., Norrby, P.-O. and Warnmark, K. (2006) Modulation of the reactivity, stability and substrate- and enantioselectivity of an epoxidation catalyst by noncovalent dynamic attachment of a receptor functionality - aspects on the mechanism of the Jacobsen-Katsuki epoxidation applied to a supramolecular system. Org. Biomol. Chem., 4, 1927-1948 Jonsson, S., Odille Fabrice, G.J., Norrby, P.-O. and Warnmark, K. (2005) A dynamic supramolecular system exhibiting substrate selectivity in the catalytic epoxidation of olefins. Chem. Commun., 549-551. 

In situ Catalytic Epoxidation of Olefins with Tetrahydrothiopyran-4-one and Oxone 2-Methyl-2,3-diphenyloxirane. 

Jacobsen, E. N. Asymmetric catalytic epoxidation of unfuctionalized olefins. In Catalytic Asymmetric Synthesis-, Ojima, I. (Ed.) VCH publishers New York, 1993 pp. 159-202. 

Alkyl hydroperoxides, including ethyl hydroperoxide, cuminyl hydroperoxide, and tert-butyl hydroperoxide, are not used by V-BrPO to catalyze bromination reactions [29], These alkyl hydroperoxides have the thermodynamic driving force to oxidize bromide however, they are kinetically slow. Several examples of vanadium(V) alkyl peroxide complexes have been well characterized [63], including [V(v)0(OOR)(oxo-2-oxidophenyl) salicylidenaminato] (R = i-Bu, CMe2Ph), which has been used in the selective oxidation of olefins to epoxides. The synthesis of these compounds seems to require elevated temperatures, and their oxidation under catalytic conditions has not been reported. We have found that alkyl hydroperoxides do not coordinate to vanadate in aqueous solution at neutral pH, conditions under which dihydrogen peroxide readily coordinates to vanadate and vanadium( V) complexes (de la Rosa and Butler, unpublished observations). Thus, the lack of bromoperoxidase reactivity with the alkyl hydroperoxides may arise from slow binding of the alkyl hydroperoxides to V-BrPO. 

Catalytic epoxidation of olefins by various forms of bound oxygen (ROOH, H202, peroxy acids) in the liquid phase was comprehensively studied in a review [132, 133] in which... 

Denmark has developed a practical dioxirane-mediated protocol for the catalytic epoxidation of alkenes, which uses Oxone as a terminal oxidant. The olefins studied were epoxidized in 83-96% yield. Of the many reaction parameters examined in this biphasic system, the most influential were found to be the reaction pH, the lipophilicity of the phase-transfer catalyst, and the counterion present. In general, optimal conditions feature 10 mol% of the catalyst l-dodecyl-l-methyl-4-oxopiperidinium triflate (30) and a pH 7.5-8.0 aqueous-methylene chloride biphasic solvent system [95JOC1391]. 

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