Reductant-solvent reagent selection

Complete control of the diastereoselectivity of the synthesis of 1,3-diols has been achieved by reagent selection in a one-pot tandem aldol-reduction sequence (see Scheme l). i Anti-selective method (a) employs titanium(IV) chloride at 5°C, followed by Ti(OPr )4, whereas method (b), using the tetrachloride with a base at -78 °C followed by lithium aluminium hydride, reverses the selectivity. A non-polar solvent is required (e.g. toluene or dichloromethane, not diethyl ether or THF), and at the lower temperature the titanium alkoxide cannot bring about the reduction of the aldol. Tertiary alkoxides also fail, indicating a similarity with the mechanism of Meerwein-Ponndorf reduction. 

Reduction. The reagent is useful for reduction of carboxylic acid esters to primary alcohols. For example, the following esters have been reduced to the corresponding carbinols ethyl p-nitrobenzoate (96% yield), ethyl phenylacetate (90% yield), ethyl gly-cinate (70% yield). The reaction has some useful features Hydroxylic solvents (ethanol, water) can be used, the selectivity is higher than in the case of lithium aluminum hydride, and the reagent is nearly neutral. The reagent was found to be satisfactory for reduction of the dimethyl ester of 4,4 -dinitro-2,2 -diphenic acid (la) to the corresponding alcohol (lb, 51%yield).2... 

The examples that are treated below are those sequences where all steps - except the last — are preparations for a color or fluorescence derivatization reaction which is carried out in the last step, i. e. they can be regarded as a sort of selective in situ pretreatment for a final detection reaction. Such reaction sequences are frequently necessary because all the reagents cannot be mixed together in a single solvent, or because it is necessary to dry, heat or irradiate with UV light between the individual reaction steps. The detection of aromatics by the reaction sequence nitration — reduction — diazotization - couple to form an azo dye is an example of this type (Fig 21). 

These reagents generally show increased solubility in organic solvents, particularly at low temperatures, and are useful in certain selective reductions.75 Lithium tri-r-butoxyaluminum hydride and sodium Mv-(2-meLhoxyethoxy)aluminum hydride (Red-Al)76 are examples of these types of reagents that have synthetic use. Their reactivity toward carbonyl groups is summarized in Table 5.3. 

By proper choice of reaction conditions (metal, solvent, the order of addition of reagent and reactant), fused polycyclic aromatics can be converted to different partially reduced derivatives with high selectivity. When the red complex of naphthalene, for example, formed in the Na-NH3 solution, is quenched with aqueous ammonium chloride solution, 1,4-dihydronaphthalene is formed209 [Eq. (11.58)]. Reaction in the presence of an alcohol yields 1,4,5,8-tetrahydronaphthalene210 [Eq. (11.59)]. The Benkeser reduction affords further saturation to the isomeric octalins211 [Eq. (11.60)] or even to decalin212 [Eq. (11.61)] ... 

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