Reductions boron trifluoride etherate

Although the synthesis of multiple-pyrrolyl compounds can be achieved by SnAt reactions of perfluoroaromatics with pyrrolylsodium at ambient temperature <96JOC9012>, deleterious side reactions are often observed during attempted A-alkylations of the alkali salts of pyrrole. A protocol has therefore been developed for the preparation of N-arylmethylenepyrroles by reduction of the corresponding AT-acyl derivatives by treatment with sodium borohydride/boron trifluoride etherate in a sealed tube <96S457>. ... 

In contrast, when boron trifluoride etherate is substituted for the free boron trifluoride, only a trace of the hydrocarbon is formed, even after weeks of reaction.143 The unique effectiveness of boron trifluoride gas in promoting these reductions is believed to be due to several factors, including the ability of the coordinatively unsaturated boron center to rapidly and tightly coordinate with oxygen centers and to the thermodynamically favorable creation of a Si-F bond.1 A slight pressure of boron trifluoride gas must be maintained over the surface of the solution throughout the reaction because boron trifluoride has only limited solubility in the weakly coordinating dichloromethane solvent. 

Similarly, and in contrast to the behavior of its secondary isomer, 2-adaman-tanol, 1-adamantanol undergoes smooth, quantitative reduction to adamantane in less than an hour at room temperature in dichloromethane solution containing triethylsilane under the catalysis of either free boron trifluoride129 or boron trifluoride etherate (Eq. 13).143... 

Treatment of l-[2-(2-methoxy-5-isopropylphenyl)-l-hydroxyethyl]-2,6,6-tri-methylcyclohexene with triethylsilane and boron trifluoride etherate in dichloro-methane at —10° leads to its reduction to 2-(2,6,6-trimethyl-l-cyclohexenyl)-l-(2-methoxy-5-isopropylphenyl)ethane in 69% yield (Eq. 36).174... 

Highly diasteroselective and chemoselective reductions may be performed on the hydroxy functions of (r/6-arene)-tricarbonylchromium complexes. Treatment of the chromium-complexed benzylic alcohol 29 with triethylsilane and boron trifluoride etherate in dichloromethane at —78° to 0° gives only diastereomer 30 in 75% yield (Eq. 40).181 In a similar fashion, treatment of the complexed exo-allyl-endo-benzylic alcohol 31 with an excess of Et3SiH/TFA in dichloromethane at room temperature under nitrogen produces only the endo-aflyl product 32 in 92% yield after 1.5 hours (Eq. 41). It is noteworthy that no reduction of the isolated double bond occurs.182... 

The combination of boron trifluoride etherate and triethylsilane can cause the reduction of tertiary fluoride centers even in polyfunctional compounds (Eq. 55).194... 

The reduction of aldehydes with the combination Et3SiH/BF3 OEt2 gives both the alcohol and the symmetrical ether,70 as do the Et3SiH/TFA (and other acids) combinations.313 Addition of boron trifluoride etherate to a mixture of 1-octanal and triethylsilane leads to the formation of di-n-octyl ether in 66% yield and //-octyl alcohol in 34% yield (Eq. 155).74... 

They offer the advantage that reductions can be effected under conditions that permit the conversion of substrates that may be adversely sensitive to the presence of strong Brpnsted acids. For example, in the presence of a 10% excess of triethylsilane, addition of one-half equivalent of boron trifluoride etherate to octanal results, within one hour, in the formation of a 66% yield of dioctyl ether after a basic hydrolytic workup. Benzaldehyde provides a 75% yield of dibenzyl ether under the same reaction conditions. The remainder of the mass is found as the respective alcohol.70 Zinc chloride is also capable of catalyzing this reaction. With its use, simple alkyl aldehydes are converted into the symmetrical ethers in about 50% yields.330... 

Treatment of a pentacyclic la, I I -(2-oxethano) thioketal steroid with excess Et3SiH/TFA causes reduction of the carbon-carbon double bonds as well as the 17-carbonyl group to give a single reaction product (Eq. 213).368 Other work utilizes trifluoroacetic acid, triethylsilane, and anisole in the presence of a catalytic amount of boron trifluoride etherate to reduce the acetyl carbonyl of a 3-acetyl-2-azetidinone derivative with a dr of 8 1 (Eq. 214).395... 

In a similar way, a mixture consisting of 2% boron trifluoride etherate in trifluoroacetic acid and triethylsilane brings about the regioselective reduction of the acyclic carbonyl group of the diketovinyl chloride shown in Eq. 215 in high yield (>94%), but with formation of approximately equal amounts of the two possible diastereomers formed from the creation of a new chiral center.396... 

Reduction of aromatic carboxylic acids to alcohols can be achieved by hydrides and complex hydrides, e.g. lithium aluminum hydride 968], sodium aluminum hydride [55] and sodium bis 2-methoxyethoxy)aluminum hydride [544, 969, 970], and with borane (diborane) [976] prepared from sodium borohydride and boron trifluoride etherate [971, 977] or aluminum chloride [755, 975] in diglyme. Sodium borohydride alone does not reduce free carboxylic acids. Anthranilic acid was reduced to the corresponding alcohol by electroreduction in sulfuric acid at 20-30° in 69-78% yield [979],... 

A more useful way of reducing esters to ethers is a two-step procedure applied to the reduction of lactones to cyclic ethers. First the lactone is treated with diisobutylaluminum hydride in toluene at —78°, and the product - a lactol - is subjected to the action of triethylsilane and boron trifluoride etherate at —20° to —70°. y-Phenyl-y-butyrolactone was thus transformed to 2-phenyltetrahydrofuran in 75% yield, and 5-lactone of 3-methyl-5-phenyl-5-hydroxy-2-pentenoic acid to 4-methyl-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydropyran in 72% yield [1034]. 

Methoxy-6-propyl-l,4-benzoquinone (170, Scheme 43) with hydrogen chloride undergoes dimerization and yields the biquinone 171 and the di-benzofuran 172. 2-Hydroxy-3,6-dimethyl-1,4-benzoquinone (173, Scheme 44), however, on treatment with boron trifluoride etherate in ether, or with concentrated sulfuric acid in acetic acid at room temperature, yields the extended quinone 174, which on reductive acetylation affords the dibenzo-furan 175. 

Neopentyl sulfides have been prepared by alkylation of sodium sulfide with neopentyl tosylate in high-boiling polar solvents,4,5 or in low yields by reduction of alkyl 2,2-dimethylpropanethioate with the combination of lithium aluminum hydride and a large excess of boron trifluoride-etherate. ... 

Indolizines with a saturated six-membered ring may be obtained from pyrrole or furan derivatives.225,226 The reaction of 3,4-dimethylpyrryl-magnesium bromide with y-chlorobutyronitrile followed by dilute acid gave 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-l,2-dimethyl-5-oxoindolizine. 5,6,7,8-Tetrahy-droindolizine can be obtained by the cyclodehydration of 3-(2-furyl)-propylamine over alumina at 400°C. The same product is obtained by the treatment of 3-(2-pyrryl)propyl cyanide with hydrogen chloride in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate catalyst, followed by Wolff-Kishner reduction of the intermediate ketone. 

Reduction of esters, nitriles, and amides. These groups are rapidly reduced by horanc-dimcthyl sulfide in refluxing THF (b.p. 67°) if the dimethyl sulfide (b.p. 38°) is removed as liberated. Under these conditions, the reagent is comparable to uncomplexed diborane. Reduction of secondary and tertiary amides is best effected in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate otherwise, excess reagent is utilized for formation of complexes with the products. 

A more concise route to ( )-cherylline was also devised and commenced with the reductive animation of isovanillin with methylamine followed by reaction of the intermediate benzylamine with vinyl triphenylphosphonium bromide to provide the aminophosphonium salt 619. Sequential treatment of 619 with n-butyllithium and the quinone ketal 615 followed by reaction of the resulting crude allylic amine 620 with boron trifluoride etherate gave the phenolic amine 618 in good overall yield (225). 

We also found that ester functionality was compatible with this reduction sequence. Thus, treatment of the ester-lactone 81 with sodium borohydride and boron trifluoride etherate provided the tetrahydropyran 123 in 55% purified yield. Upon reaction with sodium hydroxide, 81 underwent simple ester hydrolysis to furnish the carboxylic acid 127 (see Table 3). 

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