OSMIUM TETROXIDE, OXIDATION OLEFINS

A positional isomer of xylopinine of structure (345), prepared by synthesis, has been subjected to Hofmann degradation to the olefin (346), which on oxidation with osmium tetroxide gives the diol (347). Cleavage of the diol gave the dialdehyde (348), photolysis of which yields a mixture of cis-alpen-igenine (30%) and alpenigenine (339) (1%) (S.B. Prabhakar, et al., J.Chem.Soc., Perkin I 1981, 1273). The 7,8,13,14-tetra-... 

Abstract The oxidative functionalization of olefins is an important reaction for organic synthesis as well as for the industrial production of bulk chemicals. Various processes have been explored, among them also metal-catalyzed methods using strong oxidants like osmium tetroxide. Especially, the asymmetric dihydroxylation of olefins by osmium(Vlll) complexes has proven to be a valuable reaction for the synthetic chemist. A large number of experimental studies had been conducted, but the mechanisms of the various osmium-catalyzed reactions remained a controversial issue. This changed when density functional theory calculations became available and computational studies helped to unravel the open mechanistic questions. This mini review will focus on recent mechanistic studies on osmium-mediated oxidation reactions of alkenes. 

To construct tricycHc compound 275, they first employed sodium boro-hydride to reduce the keto group to furnish alcohol 273. The terminal olefin was then converted to an alcohol via a two-step protocol employing oxidation with osmium tetroxide and sodium periodate followed by reduction with sodium borohydride to furnish diol 274, which underwent acid mediated lactonization. Dess—Martin oxidation of the remaining secondary alcohol then led to the desired tricyclic lactone 275. 

The osmium-catalyzed dihydroxylation reaction, that is, the addition of osmium tetr-oxide to alkenes producing a vicinal diol, is one of the most selective and reliable of organic transformations. Work by Sharpless, Fokin, and coworkers has revealed that electron-deficient alkenes can be converted to the corresponding diols much more efficiently when the pH of the reaction medium is maintained on the acidic side [199]. One of the most useful additives in this context has proved to be citric acid (2 equivalents), which, in combination with 4-methylmorpholine N-oxide (NMO) as a reoxidant for osmium(VI) and potassium osmate [K20s02(0H)4] (0.2 mol%) as a stable, non-volatile substitute for osmium tetroxide, allows the conversion of many olefinic substrates to their corresponding diols at ambient temperatures. In specific cases, such as with extremely electron-deficient alkenes (Scheme 6.96), the reaction has to be carried out under microwave irradiation at 120 °C, to produce in the illustrated case an 81% isolated yield of the pure diol [199]. 

In summary, the reaction of osmium tetroxide with alkenes is a reliable and selective transformation. Chiral diamines and cinchona alkakoid are most frequently used as chiral auxiliaries. Complexes derived from osmium tetroxide with diamines do not undergo catalytic turnover, whereas dihydroquinidine and dihydroquinine derivatives have been found to be very effective catalysts for the oxidation of a variety of alkenes. OsC>4 can be used catalytically in the presence of a secondary oxygen donor (e.g., H202, TBHP, A -methylmorpholine-/V-oxide, sodium periodate, 02, sodium hypochlorite, potassium ferricyanide). Furthermore, a remarkable rate enhancement occurs with the addition of a nucleophilic ligand such as pyridine or a tertiary amine. Table 4-11 lists the preferred chiral ligands for the dihydroxylation of a variety of olefins.61 Table 4-12 lists the recommended ligands for each class of olefins. 

CATALYTIC OSMIUM TETROXIDE OXIDATION OF OLEFINS cis-1,2-CYCLOHEX ANEDIOL... 

Preparation of cis-Diols by Catalytic Oxidation of Olefins with Osmium Tetroxide... 

Osmium tetroxide, 58, 45, 51 OSMIUM TETROXIDE, OXIDATION OF OLEFINS, 58,43... 

Organometallic reagents and catalysts continue to be of considerable importance, as illustrated in several procedures CAR-BENE GENERATION BY a-ELIMINATION WITH LITHIUM 2,2,6,6-TETRAMETHYLPIPERIDIDE l-ETHOXY-2-p-TOL-YLCYCLOPROPANE CATALYTIC OSMIUM TETROXIDE OXIDATION OF OLEFINS PREPARATION OF cis-1,2-CYCLOHEXANEDIOL COPPER CATALYZED ARYLA-TION OF /3-DICARBONYL COMPOUNDS 2-(l-ACETYL-2-OXOPROPYL)BENZOIC ACID and PHOSPHINE-NICKEL COMPLEX CATALYZED CROSS-COUPLING OF GRIG-NARD REAGENTS WITH ARYL AND ALKENYL HALIDES 1,2-DIBUTYLBENZENE. 

Miscellaneous. Aside from the oxidation chemistry described, only a few catalytic applications are reported, including hydrogenation of olefins (114,115), a, [3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds (116), and carbon monoxide (117) and the water gas shift reaction (118). This is so owing to the kinetic inertness of osmium complexes. A 1% by weight osmium tetroxide solution is used as a biological stain, particulady for preparation of samples for electron microscopy. In the presence of pyridine or other heterocyclic amines it is used as a selective reagent for single-stranded or open-form B-DNA (119) (see Nucleic acids). Osmium tetroxide has also been used as an indicator for unsaturated fats in animal tissue. Osmium tetroxide has seen limited if controversial use in the treatment of arthritis (120,121). 

Oxidative cleavage of the olefin is accomplished by the method of ijemieux-Johnson.12 The process begins with dihydroxylation of the double bond using osmium tetroxide (see Chapter 3)T leading to a cis diol and osmium(VI) oxide. The added periodate has two functions first, it reoxidizes the osmium(VI) species to os-mium(VIII), but it also cleaves the glycol oxidatively to an aldehyde. This is the reason for utilizing several equivalents of periodate. The periodate is in turn reduced from the +VH to the +V oxidation state. 

Inclusion in the reaction of a cooxidant serves to return the osmium to the osmium tetroxide level of oxidation and allows for the use of osmium in catalytic amounts. Various cooxidants have been used for this purpose historically, the application of sodium or potassium chlorate in this regard was first reported by Hofmann [7]. Milas and co-workers [8,9] introduced the use of hydrogen peroxide in f-butyl alcohol as an alternative to the metal chlorates. Although catalytic cis dihydroxylation by using perchlorates or hydrogen peroxide usually gives good yields of diols, it is difficult to avoid overoxidation, which with some types of olefins becomes a serious limitation to the method. Superior cooxidants that minimize overoxidation are alkaline t-butylhydroperoxide, introduced by Sharpless and Akashi [10], and tertiary amine oxides such as A - rn e t h y I rn o r p h o I i n e - A - o x i d e (NMO), introduced by VanRheenen, Kelly, and Cha (the Upjohn process) [11], A new, important addition to this list of cooxidants is potassium ferricyanide, introduced by Minato, Yamamoto, and Tsuji in 1990 [12]. 

Asymmetric induction also occurs during osmium tetroxide mediated dihydroxylation of olefinic molecules containing a stereogenic center, especially if this center is near the double bond. In these reactions, the chiral framework of the molecule serves to induce the diastereoselectivity of the oxidation. These diastereoselective reactions are achieved with either stoichiometric or catalytic quantities of osmium tetroxide. The possibility exists for pairing or matching this diastereoselectivity with the face selectivity of asymmetric dihydroxylation to achieve enhanced or double diastereoselectivity [25], as discussed further later in the chapter. 

The conversion of alkenes to 1,2-diols by osmium tetroxide is also an olefin addition reaction. In this case a hydroxy group is added to each carbon of the olefin group, and the addition is termed an oxidative addition since the diol product is at a higher oxidation level than the alkene reactant. Oxidation of the carbon atoms of the alkene takes place in the first step, which is the reaction with 0s04 to produce the intermediate osmate ester. 

There are other stereospecific olefin addition processes which occur with cis or syn stereochemistry. Common examples include catalytic hydrogenation, hydroboration/oxidation, and dihydroxylation using osmium tetroxide. The stereospecificity of these syn additions requires that die facial properties of the olefinic bond be maintained throughout die addition process and that both new bonds are formed to the same face of the olefin. This is normally accomplished by a concerted syn addition to the n system. 

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