Reduction by diimide

Reduction by diimide can be advantageous when compounds contain functional groups that would be reduced by other methods or when they are unstable to hydrogenation catalysts. There are several methods for generation of diimide and they are illustrated in Scheme 5.4. The method in Entry 1 is probably the one used most frequently in synthetic work and involves the generation and spontaneous decarboxylation of azodicarboxylic acid. Entry 2, which illustrates another convenient method, thermal decomposition of p-toluenesulfonylhydrazide, is interesting in that it... 

Since diimide exists as a transient intermediate and cannot be isolated under normal conditions, procedures for reduction by diimide necessarily involve generation of the reagent in situ1 1 11. Diimide can be generated by (i) oxidation of hydrazine, (ii) acid decomposition of azodicarboxylate salts and (iii) thermal or base-catalyzed decomposition of substituted benzenesulfonyl hydrazides. 

The relative reactivity of alkenes toward reduction by diimide depends on the degree of substitution. Increasing alkyl substitution results in decreasing reactivity, and strained alkenes exhibit higher reactivity than nonstrained compounds 187... 

STRUCTURE-REACTIVITY IN THE HYDROGENATION OF ALKENES. COMPARISONS WITH REDUCTIONS BY DIIMIDE AND THE FORMATION OF A Ni(O) COMPLEX... 

The effect of structure on the rates of hydrogenations catalyzed by Pt, Pd, and Ni is compared with the effects upon the rates of reduction by diimide (diazene) (Garbisch) and the association constants with a Ni(0) complex (Tolman). These later reactions serve as models for the effect of structure on certain of the elementary reactions of catalysis by metals. Some of the factors which determine the selectivity of a catalyst are reviewed including the kinetics, the metal, and the importance of isomerization as a competing reaction. 

A correlation of the effect of structure on the Ni(0) association constants and reductions by diimide is displayed in Fig. 1. Unfortunately, none of the negatively substituted ethylenes in Tolman s series are included in Garbisch et al. s study. 

The correlation between the apparent association constants, K. which are derived from the competitive rates on Pt and reductions by diimide indicates that structural changes in the alkene generally have parallel effects on these reactions, Fig. 2. Because the diimide reduction is essentially free of steric effects, this effect is liable to account for some of the differences which are observed in extended groups of compounds. The small range of individual reactivities on Pt, which are zero order in alkene, can be understood in that the variation in structure which increases the driving force towards... 

Figure 1 Postulated conformation of the reactant during reduction by diimide...

Although not many examples are known, properly constrained organic compounds can transfer the elements of hydrogen in what appears to be a concerted process akin to reductions by diimide, HN=NH. The reduction of 1,2-dimethylcyclohexene (72) by c -9,10-dihydronaphthalene (71) is an example (equation 31). Yields are only moderate, but the stereospecificity is consistent with a concerted pro-... 

This chapter is devoted to the discussion of the reduction of carbon-carbon double and triple bonds by noncatalytic methods, These methods include reductions by diimide, by dissolving metals in the presence or absence of proton donors, by low-valent metal ions, by metal hydride-metal halide combinations and by so-called ionic hydrogenation procedures. Of these widely diverse methods of reduction of carbon-carbon double and triple bonds, the reduction by diimide appears to be the most versatile. The reduction of carbon-carbon double and triple bonds by diimide occurs with complete stereoselectivity and stereo-specificity, and can be effected in the presence of a variety of other, very chemically reactive functional... 

It was shown that conjugated dienes are more reactive than monoenes in their reduction by diimide ". According to the data of Table 1, conjugation increases the relative reactivity in reduction of dienes (fcjei) compared with the reduction of monoenes, but the more substituted double bond is less reactive. 

The installation of the pharmacologically important isoquinoline group was achieved by a Stille coupling. Reduction by diimide yielded the trans-fused perhydroindane subunit in 329. An oxidation, enol triflation and reduction sequence converted 329 to enone 331. Enol triflation and deprotection afforded 332. Palladium-catalyzed vinylation, followed by a Parikh-Doering oxidation gave 333. The final and rather splendid step consisted of dimethyl imine-formation and vinysilane cyclization to furnish cortistatin J in high yield and with the correct dimethylamine stereochemistry (Scheme 18.66). 

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