Perkin reactions

The combretastatins are a group of antimitotic agents isolated from the bark of the South African tree Combretum caffrum. A novel and highly stereoselective total synthesis of both the c/s and trans isomers of combretastatin A-4 was developed by J.A. Hadfield and co-workers.The (Z)-stereoisomer was prepared using the Perkin reaction as the key step in which 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylacetic acid and 3-hydroxy-4-methoxbenzaldehyde was heated with triethylamine and acetic anhydride at reflux for several hours. The a,p-unsaturated acid was isolated in good yield after acidification and had the expected ( ) stereochemistry. Decarboxylation of this acid was effected by heating it with copper powder in quinoline to afford the natural product (Z)-combretastatin A-4. 

In the laboratory of D. Ma, the asymmetric synthesis of several metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists derived from a-alkylated phenylglycines was undertaken. The preparation of (S)-1-aminoindan-1,5-dicarboxylic acid (AIDA) started with the Perkin reaction of 3-bromobenzaldehyde and malonic acid. The resulting ( )-cinnamic acid derivative was hydrogenated and the following intramolecular Friedel-Crafts acylation afforded the corresponding indanone, which was then converted to (S)-AIDA. 

The large-scale pilot plant preparation of the chiral aminochroman antidepressant ebaizotan (also known as NAE-086) was developed by H.J. Federsel and co-workers. The structural features of the target included a disubstituted chroman skeleton, a stereocenter, as well as a non-symmetrical tertiary amine moiety at the C3 position and a secondary carboxamide group at C5. The backbone of the target molecule was constructed using the Perkin condensation of 2-hydroxy-6-methoxybenzaldehyde with hippuric acid under mild conditions. 

Condensation of aromatic aldehydes with carboxylic anhydrides 

The aldol-like reaction of an aromatic aldehyde 1 with a carboxylic anhydride 2 is referred to as the Perkin reaction. As with the related Knoevenagel reaction, an o ,/3-unsaturated carboxylic acid is obtained as product the /3-aryl derivatives 3 are also known as cinnamic acids. 

The reaction mechanism involves deprotonation of the carboxylic anhydride 2 to give anion 4, which then adds to aldehyde 1. If the anhydride used bears two a-hydrogens, a dehydration takes place already during workup a /3-hydroxy carboxylic acid will then not be isolated as product  

If the starting anhydride bears only one a-hydrogen, the dehydration step cannot take place, and a /3-hydroxy carboxylic acid is obtained as the reaction product. 

In principle the formation of a mixture of E- and Z-isomers is possible however the preferential formation of the fi-isomer is generally observed. 

Cinnamic acid synthesis from aryl aldehyde and acetic anhydride. 

Perkin, W. H. J. Chem. Soc. 1868, 21, 53. William Henry Perkin (1838—1907), bom in London, England, studied under Hofmann at the Royal College of Chemistry. In an attempt to synthesize quinine in his home laboratory in 1856, Perkin synthesized mauve, the purple dye. He then started a factory to manufacture mauve and later other dyes including alizarin. Perkin was the first person to show that organic chemistry was not just mere intellectual curiosity but could be profitable, which catapulted the discipline into a higher level. In addition, Perkin was also an exceptionally talented pianist. 

Palinkd, L Kukovecz, A. Torok, B. Kortvelyesi, T. Monatsh. Chem. 2001, 131, 1097. 

Name Reactions, 4th ed., DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-01053-8 196, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009 

Name Reactions A Collection of Detailed Mechanisms and Synthetic Applications, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-03979-4 209, Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014 

DES = Biodegradable deep eutectic solvent generated from choline chloride and urea. 

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Prepared by healing benzaldehyde with sodium ethanoate and ethanoic anhydride (Perkin reaction) or with ethyl ethanoate and sodium ethoxide. Occurs in storax, or liquid... 

Perkin reaction A condensation between aromatic aldehydes and the sodium salts of fatty acids or their aromatic derivatives. The reaction between benzaldehyde and sodium ethanoate in the presence of ethanoic anhydride leads to sodium cinnamate... 

Perkin reaction. The condensation of an aromatic aldehyde with an acid anhydride in the presence of the sodium or potassium salt of the acid... 

It is interesting to note that altliough cis-lrans isomerism about the double bond is theoretically possible in cinnamic acid, the Perkin reaction gives rise only to the trans form, m.p. 133°, the cis form, m.p. 68° (termed aHo-cinnamic acid) being unstable and easily converted into the trails acid. 

Basic catalysts other than alkali acetates have been employed in the Perkin reaction thus salicylaldehyde condenses with acetic anhydride in the presence of triethylamine to yield coumarin (tlie lactone of the cis form of o-hydroxy-cinnamio acid) together with some of the acetyl derivative of the trans form (o-acetoxycoumaric acid) ... 

Here the phenylacetic anhydride, possessing more reactive a-hydrogen atoms, condenses with benzaldehyde to give a-phenylcinnamic acid. The preparation of the latter is an example of the Oglialoro modiflcation of the Perkin reaction. 

Phthalic anhydride may be used as the carbonyl compound in the Perkin reaction see the preparation of phthalylacetic acid under Ninhytlrin (Section VIII,14),... 

Furfural condenses with acetic anhydride and potassiuiu acetate to give furylacrylic acid (compare Perkin reaction, Cinnamic Acid, Section IV, 124) ... 

Chapter IV. a-Chloromethylnaphthalene (IV,23) benzylamine (Gabriel synthesis) (IV,39) i r.N -dialkylanilines (from amines and trialkyl orthophosphates) (IV,42) a-naphthaldehyde (Sommelet reaction) (IV,120) a-phenyl-cinnamic acid (Perkin reaction using triethylamine) (IV,124) p-nitrostyrene (IV,129) p-bromonaphthalene and p naphthoic acid (from 2 naphthylamine-1 -sulphonic acid) (IV,62 and IV,164) diphenic acid (from phenanthrene) (IV,165). 

Other reactions similar to the aldol addition include the Claisen and Perkin reactions. The Claisen reaction, carried out by combining an aromatic aldehyde and an ester in the presence of metallic sodium, is useful for obtaining a,P-unsaturated esters. 

The Perkin reaction, uti1i2ing an aromatic aldehyde, an acid anhydride, and a base such as an acid salt or amine, produces the corresponding a,P-unsaturated acid. 

Perkin Reaction. A product of significant commercial importance, coumarin [91-64-5] is made by the reaction of sahcylaldehyde with acetic anhydride and sodium acetate, a Perkin reaction (61). 

Aldehydes and Ketones. Pyrrole aldehydes and ketones are somewhat less reactive than the corresponding benzenoid derivatives. The aldehydes do not undergo Cannizzaro or Perkin reactions but condense with a variety of compounds that contain active methylene groups. They also react with pyrroles under acidic conditions to form dipyrryhnethenes (26). The aldehydes can be reduced to the methyl or carbinol stmctures. The ketones undergo normal carbonyl reactions. 

Manufacture. The most widely employed method for the commercial synthesis of (H)-cinnamic acid uti1i2es ben2aldehyde, acetic anhydride, and anhydrous sodium or potassium acetate in a condensation reaction commonly referred to as the Perkin reaction (11). 

Perkin Reaction. Perkin first syathesized coumaria ia 1868 by reactioa of the sodium salt of sahcylaldehyde with acetic anhydride (44) and it was foundlater that the reaction could be made from sahcylaldehyde [90-02-8] itself by usiag sodium acetate as a catalyst, through the iatermediary of i7j -(9-acetoxycianamic acid [50363-92-3]. 

The Perkin reaction is of importance for the iadustrial production of coumarin and a number of modifications have been studied to improve it, such as addition of a trace of iodine (46) addition of oxides or salts of metals such as iron, nickel, manganese, or cobalt (47) addition of catalytic amounts of pyridine (48) or piperidine (49) replacement of sodium acetate by potassium carbonate (50,51) or by cesium acetate (52) and use of alkaU metal biacetate... 

The cinnamic acid is readily prepared by heating benzaldehyde with acetic anhydride and sodium acetate (the Perkin Reaction) (Figure 16.2). 

Because of the mild reaction conditions, and its broad applicability, the Knoevenagel reaction is an important method for the synthesis of a ,/3-unsaturated carboxylic acids. Comparable methods are the Reformatsky reaction, the Perkin reaction, as well as the Claisen ester condensation. The Knoevenagel reaction is of greater versatility however the Reformatsky reaction permits the preparation of a ,/3-unsaturated carboxylic acids that are branched in a-position. 

A variant of the Perkin reaction is the Erlenmeyer-Plochl-azlactone synthesis By condensation of an aromatic aldehyde 1 with an N-acyl glycine 5 in the presence of sodium acetate and acetic anhydride, an azlactone 6 is obtained via the following mechanism ... 

Azlactones like 6 are mainly used as intermediates in the synthesis of a-amino acids and a-keto acids. The Erlenmeyer-Pldchl reaction takes place under milder conditions than the Perkin reaction. 

The condensation of aromatic aldehydes with anhydrides is called the Perkin reaction When the anhydride has two a hydrogens (as shown), dehydration always occurs the P-hydroxy acid salt is never isolated. In some cases, anhydrides of the form (R2CHC0)20 have been used, and then the hydroxy compound is the product since dehydration cannot take place. The base in the Perkin reaction is nearly always the salt of the acid corresponding to the anhydride. Although the Na and K salts have been most frequently used, higher yields and shorter reaction times have been reported for the Cs salt. Besides aromatic aldehydes, their vinylogs ArCH=CHCHO also give the reaction. Otherwise, the reaction is not suitable for aliphatic aldehydes. ... 

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