Ring opening steric effects

A decisive solvent effect is also observed with other a,/ -epoxy ketones. Specifically, 3jS-hydroxy-16a,17a-epoxypregn-5-en-20-one and its acetate do not react with thiocyanic acid in ether or chloroform. However, the corresponding thiocyanatohydrins are formed by heating an acetic acid solution of the epoxide and potassium thiocyanate. As expected, the ring opening reaction is subject to steric hindrance. For example, 3j6-acetoxy-14f ,15f5-epoxy-5) -card-20(22)-enoIide is inert to thiocyanic acid in chloroform, whereas the 14a,15a-epoxide reacts readily under these conditions.Reactions of 14a,15a-epoxides in the cardenolide series yields isothiocyanatohydrins, e.g., (135), in addition to the normal thiocyanatohydrin, e.g., (134). 

Syn elimination and the syn-anti dichotomy have also been found in open-chain systems, though to a lesser extent than in medium-ring compounds. For example, in the conversion of 3-hexyl-4-d-trimethylammonium ion to 3-hexene with potassium ec-butoxide, 67% of the reaction followed the syn-anti dichotomy. In general syn elimination in open-chain systems is only important in cases where certain types of steric effect are present. One such type is compounds in which substituents are found on both the P and the y carbons (the unprimed letter refers to the branch in which the elimination takes place). The factors that cause these results are not completely understood, but the following conformational effects have been proposed as a partial explanation. The two anti- and two syn-periplanar conformations are, for a quaternary ammonium salt ... 

These catalysts are believed to function through an acyclic TS. In addition to the normal steric effects of the open TS, the facial selectivity is probably influenced by tt stacking with the aryl ring and possibly hydrogen bonding by the formyl hydrogen.152... 

Valence Isomerism. Restricted Rotation and Permutational Isomer i sm. - The variable temperature spectra of bicyclic tetraphosphines (29) has been analysed in terms of valence isomerism involving the corresponding two coordinate open-chain isomers.62 A report on ab initio MO calculations of the inversion barriers for a series of methyl phosphines includes a discussion of the electronic consequences of steric effects.63 Inversion barriers of 1,2-diphosphinobenzenes are in the range 100 - 110 kJ mol". 66 The ring inversion barrier for a dibenzophosphorin has also been measured.63... 

Both sets of observations confirm that the ring-opening process is subject to both steric and electronic influences, the combination of which produces some subtle effects in product distribution. Ultimately, the regiochemistry of the product must be decided after a cyclopropene-Fe(CO)4 complex is formed, but probably during the cleavage of one of the C-C bonds in the cyclopropene ring. 

Crotti and co-workers work on regiochemical control of ring opening of epoxides by means of chelating agents has continued. Under standard conditions the regio-isomeric C(l) derivatives are the sole products from the trans epoxides (22a) and (22b) and are the predominant products from the cis epoxides (23a) and (23b). Under chelating conditions the cis epoxides unexpectedly show a consistent increase in C(2) selectivity. The results are discussed in terms of electronic and steric effects. 

Aromatic Ring Cleavage of Phenolic 0-0-4 Substructure Model Compounds by Laccase. When vanillyl alcohol was used as a substrate, only biphenyl formation (C5-C5 linked) occurred and no evidence for the formation of any ring-opened products was obtained (26). Hence, we also examined the effect of laccase on the sterically hindered 4,6-di-<-butylguaiacol substrate 50, as it would be unlikely to undergo such free-radical coupling reactions... 

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