Radical epoxide reduction

Radical Epoxide Reduction Borane-free Two-step Synthesis of anti-Markownikow Alcohols from Alkenes... 

With chiral catalyst 47d regioselective reductive ring opening reactions of racemic epoxides can be achieved, For alkynyl epoxy ethers it leads to effective asymmetric 5-exo cyclization of one radical, but reduction of the other [161, 162]. 

The electrode converts MbFe into MbFe, which reacts with oxygen to give MbFe -02. Electrochemical reduction of MbFe F02 produces H2O2, which converts MbFe to the radical MbFe = 0, the active oxidant. This oxyferryl radical epoxidizes styrene by oxygen transfer to the double bond. In this process, a catalytic electrochemical reduction drives a catalytic enzymelike oxidation in a doubly catalytic process. 

Oxidation products of Hpids (hydroperoxides, free alkoxyl and peroxyl radicals, epoxides and aldehydes) react with a number of food constituents during the processing and storage of food. These reactions often lead to a reduction in the nutritional value of foods (such as reactions with proteins and vitamins) and a deterioration of their organoleptic properties (e.g. reactions with flavour active substances). 

The hydrogenolyaia of cyclopropane rings (C—C bond cleavage) has been described on p, 105. In syntheses of complex molecules reductive cleavage of alcohols, epoxides, and enol ethers of 5-keto esters are the most important examples, and some selectivity rules will be given. Primary alcohols are converted into tosylates much faster than secondary alcohols. The tosylate group is substituted by hydrogen upon treatment with LiAlH (W. Zorbach, 1961). Epoxides are also easily opened by LiAlH. The hydride ion attacks the less hindered carbon atom of the epoxide (H.B. Henhest, 1956). The reduction of sterically hindered enol ethers of 9-keto esters with lithium in ammonia leads to the a,/S-unsaturated ester and subsequently to the saturated ester in reasonable yields (R.M. Coates, 1970). Tributyltin hydride reduces halides to hydrocarbons stereoselectively in a free-radical chain reaction (L.W. Menapace, 1964) and reacts only slowly with C 0 and C—C double bonds (W.T. Brady, 1970 H.G. Kuivila, 1968). 

Some instances of incomplete debromination of 5,6-dibromo compounds may be due to the presence of 5j5,6a-isomer of wrong stereochemistry for anti-coplanar elimination. The higher temperature afforded by replacing acetone with refluxing cyclohexanone has proved advantageous in some cases. There is evidence that both the zinc and lithium aluminum hydride reductions of vicinal dihalides also proceed faster with diaxial isomers (ref. 266, cf. ref. 215, p. 136, ref. 265). The chromous reduction of vicinal dihalides appears to involve free radical intermediates produced by one electron transfer, and is not stereospecific but favors tra 5-elimination in the case of vic-di-bromides. Chromous ion complexed with ethylene diamine is more reactive than the uncomplexed ion in reduction of -substituted halides and epoxides to olefins. ... 

Reductive ring opening of epoxides in radical reactions in presence of titanocenes as electron transfer catalysts 98SL801. 

Scheme 10.27 Catalytic cycle of HppE. Dashed arrows indicate electron transport. In this scheme HPP binds to iron1". After a one-electron reduction, dioxygen binds and reoxidizes the iron center. The peroxide radical is capable of stereospecifically abstracting the (pro-R) hydrogen. Another one-electron reduction is required to reduce one peroxide oxygen to water. Epoxide formation is mediated by the resulting ironlv-oxo species.

The reductive elimination of a variety of )3-substituted sulfones for the preparation of di-and tri-substituted olefins (e.g. 75 to 76) and the use of allyl sulfones as synthetic equivalents of the allyl dianion CH=CH—CHj , has prompted considerable interest in the [1,3]rearrangements of allylic sulfones ". Kocienski has thus reported that while epoxidation of allylic sulfone 74 with MCPBA in CH2CI2 at room temperature afforded the expected product 75, epoxidation in the presence of two equivalents of NaHCOj afforded the isomeric j ,y-epoxysulfone 77. Similar results were obtained with other a-mono- or di-substituted sulfones. On the other hand, the reaction of y-substituted allylic sulfones results in the isomerization of the double bond, only. The following addition-elimination free radical chain mechanism has been suggested (equations 45, 46). In a closely related and simultaneously published investigation, Whitham and coworkers reported the 1,3-rearrangement of a number of acyclic and cyclic allylic p-tolyl sulfones on treatment with either benzoyl peroxide in CCI4 under reflux or with... 

Before turning to epoxide opening with low valent metal complexes, the reduction of epoxides under Birch conditions [10-13] will be discussed very briefly for historical reasons. The initially formed radical is reduced further to give carbanionic species, that do not display the reactivity of radicals. No C - C bond-forming reactions have initially been reported. 

Nugent and RajanBabu described that with Cp2TiCl , that had been isolated and purified prior to use, an (E) to (Z) ratio of 3-4 1 of 5-decenes was observed from either cis- or trans-5-decene oxide [28,29]. Therefore, it seems clear that a common long-lived /f-lilanoxy radical intermediate was formed from both epoxides. After further reduction and elimination the formation of the mixture of olefin diastereoisomers was observed. 

The above-mentioned important and impressive applications of titanocene mediated and catalyzed epoxide opening have been achieved by using the already classical 5-exo, 6-exo and 6-endo cyclizations with alkenes or alkynes as radical acceptors. Besides these achievements, the high chemoselectiv-ity of radical generation and slow reduction of the intermediate radicals by Cp2TiCl has resulted in some remarkable novel methodology. 

Epoxides can also be reductively opened to form a radical. An example of an intramolecular cyclization of such a radical has recently been reported <06TL7755>. Treatment of 40 with Cp2TiCl generates an intermediate alkoxy radical, which then adds to the carbonyl of the formate ester. The product, 41, is formed as a 2 1 mixture of isomers at the anomeric carbon. This reaction is one of the first examples of a radical addition to an ester. The major byproduct of this reaction is the exo-methylene compound, 42, arising from a P-hydrogen elimination. 

The proposed mechanism includes a reductive epoxide opening, trapping of the intermediate radical by a second equivalent of the chromium(II) reagent, and subsequent (3-elimination of a chromium oxide species to yield the alkene. The highly potent electron-transfer reagent samarium diiodide has also been used for deoxygenations, as shown in Scheme 12.3 [8]. 

Alternatively, pyranosyl radicals can be generated through the reduction of 3,4,6-tri-O-benzyl glucal epoxide with Cp2TiCl2 and manganese metal.136 With the conformationally restricted 1-phenylseleno-D-xylose derivatives 151 and 152 (4Ci conformation) their reaction with Bu3SnCH2 CH=CH2 in the presence of AIBN (Scheme 51) affords the corresponding a-C-pyranosyl derivatives (153) preferentially.137... 

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