Saturated hydrocarbon lithium complexes

The reduction of tosylhydrazones by complex metal hydrides has been used very effectively to prepare saturated steroid hydrocarbons in high yields.317 In certain cases this reduction (with lithium aluminum hydride) takes a different course, and olefins are formed.318 The effect is dependent on both the reagent concentration and the steric environment of the hydrazone.319 Dilute reagent and hindered hydrazone favor olefins borohydride gives the saturated hydrocarbon. The hydrogen picked up in olefin formation comes from solvent, and in full reduction one comes from hydride and the other from solvent. This was shown by deuteriation experiments with the hydrazone (150) 319... 

The hydrogenolyaia of cyclopropane rings (C—C bond cleavage) has been described on p, 105. In syntheses of complex molecules reductive cleavage of alcohols, epoxides, and enol ethers of 5-keto esters are the most important examples, and some selectivity rules will be given. Primary alcohols are converted into tosylates much faster than secondary alcohols. The tosylate group is substituted by hydrogen upon treatment with LiAlH (W. Zorbach, 1961). Epoxides are also easily opened by LiAlH. The hydride ion attacks the less hindered carbon atom of the epoxide (H.B. Henhest, 1956). The reduction of sterically hindered enol ethers of 9-keto esters with lithium in ammonia leads to the a,/S-unsaturated ester and subsequently to the saturated ester in reasonable yields (R.M. Coates, 1970). Tributyltin hydride reduces halides to hydrocarbons stereoselectively in a free-radical chain reaction (L.W. Menapace, 1964) and reacts only slowly with C 0 and C—C double bonds (W.T. Brady, 1970 H.G. Kuivila, 1968). 

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