Reduction by hydride donors

Bicyclo[3.3.1]nonan-9-one is another ketone that exhibits interesting stereoselectivity. Reduction by hydride donors is preferentially syn to electron-attracting substituents at C-5 (X = EWG in the structure shown below) and anti to electron-releasing substituents (X = ERG below). These effects are observed even for differentially substituted phenyl... 

A large amount of data has been accumulated on the stereoselectivity of reduction of cyclic ketones.120 Table 5.4 compares the stereoselectivity of reduction of several ketones by hydride donors of increasing steric bulk. The trends in the table illustrate... 

Reduction of Other Functional Groups by Hydride Donors... 

Reduction of Ketones and Enones. Although the method has been supplanted for synthetic purposes by hydride donors, the reduction of ketones to alcohols in ammonia or alcohols provides mechanistic insight into dissolving-metal reductions. The outcome of the reaction of ketones with metal reductants is determined by the fate of the initial ketyl radical formed by a single-electron transfer. The radical intermediate, depending on its structure and the reaction medium, may be protonated, disproportionate, or dimerize.209 In hydroxylic solvents such as liquid ammonia or in the presence of an alcohol, the protonation process dominates over dimerization. Net reduction can also occur by a disproportionation process. As is discussed in Section 5.6.3, dimerization can become the dominant process under conditions in which protonation does not occur rapidly. 

M. M. Midland, L. A. Morell, K. Krohn, Formation of C-H Bonds by Reduction of Carbonyl Groups (C=0) - Reduction with Hydride Donors, in Methoden Org. Chem. (Houben-Weyl) 4th ed., 1952-, Stereoselective Synthesis (G. Helmchen, R. W. Hoffmann, J. Mulzer, E. Schaumann, Eds.), Vol. E21d, 4082, Georg Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart, 1995. 

Reduction of acyclic ketones by hydride donors and by electron transfer have been compared52. The SET reduction of 3-phenyl-2-butanone to 3-phenyl-2-butanol showed a preference towards formation of the anti-Cram isomer. 

Table 5.3. Reaction Conditions for Reductive Replacement of Halogen and Tosylate by Hydride Donors...

Reaction conditions for reductive replacement of halogen and tosylate by hydride donors... 

A traditional method for such reductions involves the use of a reducing metal such as zinc or tin in acidic solution. Examples are the procedures for preparing l,2,3,4-tetrahydrocarbazole[l] or ethyl 2,3-dihydroindole-2-carbox-ylate[2] (Entry 3, Table 15.1), Reduction can also be carried out with acid-stable hydride donors such as acetoxyborane[4] or NaBHjCN in TFA[5] or HOAc[6]. Borane is an effective reductant of the indole ring when it can complex with a dialkylamino substituent in such a way that it can be delivered intramolecularly[7]. Both NaBH -HOAc and NaBHjCN-HOAc can lead to N-ethylation as well as reduction[8]. This reaction can be prevented by the use of NaBHjCN with temperature control. At 20"C only reduction occurs, but if the temperature is raised to 50°C N-ethylation occurs[9]. Silanes cun also be used as hydride donors under acidic conditions[10]. Even indoles with EW substituents, such as ethyl indole-2-carboxylate, can be reduced[ll,l2]. 

Reductive cleavage of oxiranes to alcohols by lithium aluminum hydride is an important reaction (64HC(19-1)199), but the most powerful hydride donor for this purpose is lithium triethylborohydride (73JA8486). 

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