Selective Reductions of Olefins

Most problems concerned with olefin hydrogenation involve the competitive hydrogenation of a double bond in the presence of another double bond or other function. There Is usually a way of achieving the desired selectivity. 

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Nickel boride is useful for selective reduction of olefins without hydrogenolysis of hydroxyl substituents or hydrogenation of carbonyl or epoxy groups also amines and amide groups are also unaffected . 

Selective reduction of the 22,23-olefin of avermectin yields the 22,23-dihydro derivative assigned the nonproprietary name ivermectin (18). The stmcture shown depicts the 25-j -butyl derivative [70161 -11-4] but it should be noted that both commercial products contain up to 20% of the 25-isopropyl... 

Olefins are also the products of hydroboratlon of enamines, followed by treatment of the organoborane products with hot acid (543,544). The reduction of enamines with sodium borohydride and acetic acid (545) and the selective reduction of dienamines with sodium borohydride to give homo-allylic tertiary amines (138-140,225,546,547), has been applied to the synthesis of conessine (548) and other aminosteroid analogs (545,549-552). Further examples of the reduction of imonium salts by sodium borohydride can be found in the reduction of Bischler-Napieralski products, and other cyclic imonium salts (102). 

Several generalities can be formulated regarding selective reduction of polyolefins. Usually the least hindered double bond is hydrogenated pre ferentially (123), and, with steric hindrance about equal, the most strained bond will be reduced first. Exocyclic olefins are reduced more easily than those in the ring (R)-(+ )-Limonene, 190 g, was shaken with W-4 Raney nickel (12 g) under hydrogen at atmospheric pressure. After 31.9 1 of hydrogen had been absorbed, the solution was filtered. Essentially, pure (R)-( -i- )-carvomenthene was obtained in 96% yield (58). 

A frequent problem is selective reduction of an acetylene to the olefin in the presence of other easily reducible functions. Usually the reaction can be done without difficulty because of the relatively strong and preferential adsorption of the acetylenic function on the catalyst. Functions adjacent to the triple bond may cause special problems if the resulting allylic compound is itself susceptible to facile hydrogenolysis (18,23). The product composition is, as expected, sensitive to steric effects (82). 

The selective reduction of the carbonyl group in the olefination product of keto-esters using Na2HP04 and NaBH4 leads to the synthesis of a-alkylmelhylene-y-butyrolactones (see Eq. 7.130).176... 

The selective reduction of the D-ring olefin in 106 using a partially poisoned catalyst (Pd/C, 0.25 % pyridine) provided intermediate 107 (83 %), which was epimerized at -78 °C with sodium methoxide (HOAc quench at -78 °C, 89 %) (Scheme 10.9). Deoxygenation by means of tosyl hydrazone 108 and subsequent treatment with catechol borane and tetrabutylammonium acetate gave pentacyclic... 

Syntheses of the 1,2- and the 3,4-dihydrodiols of MBA via Methods II and IV have been described (74). The 1,2- and 3,4-diol dibenzoates of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-MBA prepared from MBA via the Li/-NH reduction route were readily separable by crystallization. Introduction of the olefinic bond into the 1,2-position of the 3,4-diol dibenzoate by the usual bromination-dehydrobromination procedure was complicated by the greater facility of bromination by NBS on the methyl group than the 1-position. This problem was solved (Figure 14) by allowing bromination to proceed to the dibromo stage, followed by selective reduction of the bromomethyl group with NaBH in diglyme. The monobromo derivative underwent dehydrobromination... 

One or both carbonyls in /3-diketones can be reduced, as well as the carbonyl function in acyl cyanides (210). Similar treatment of a,/3-unsat-urated ketones and aldehydes can lead to the saturated carbonyl products via selective reduction of the olefinic bond (207, 208, 210) see Eq. (51) in Section III,A,4. Some terpenes (a- and /3-ionone, pulegone) were reduced in this way (208). Platinum(II) phosphine complexes have been used for the hydrosilylation of saturated ketones and could be used for the reduction (211). 

Pd OH)j(TPPMS)2] propargyl alcohol 1,3-pentad iene Selective reduction of alkynes and dienes to olefins [45]... 

Olefin inversion (c/. 7, 338). Trifluoroacetyl chloride reacts with 1,2-dialkyl epoxides in DMF stereospeciflcally by trans opening to give u/c-chlorohydrin trifluoroacetates. These products are reduced stcrcospccifically by Nal to alkenes with. ryn-elimination to give inverted alkenes. Reductions with zinc arc less selective. Inversion of olefins is also possible by addition of NCS in CFjCOOH (actual reagent is trifluoroacetyl hypochlorite) followed by reduction with Nal. 

Furthermore the bicyclic starting material could also be constructed by a Robinson annulation on a cyclopentanedione. In this case the final functionality must be achieved by selective reductions of the olefin and ketone functions at appropriate stages in the synthesis. 

Various polymer-supported hydrides have been applied successfully to reductions of both carbonyl and olefin groups. Rajasree and Devaky13 describe a cross-linked polystyrene-supported ethylenediamine borane reagent for the selective reduction of aldehydes in the presence of ketones (entry 9). This borane reagent is easily prepared and can be recycled after completion of the reaction. This is a practical alternative to standard borane reagents such as diborane, borane-amine, or borane-sulfide complexes. 

A /3-hydroxysilane, like the one shown in Figure 4.38 (top, left), can be prepared stereo-selectively (e.g., via the Cram-selective reduction of an a-silylated ketone according to the reactions in Figure 8.9 or via the Cram-selective addition of organometallic compounds to a-silylated aldehydes similar to what is shown in Table 8.3). These compounds undergo a stereoselective anft -elimination in the presence of add and a stereoselective syn-elimination in the presence of a base (Figure 4.38). Both reactions are referred to as Peterson olefination. The stereochemical flexibility of the Peterson elimination is unmatched by any other HetVHet2 elimination discussed in this section. 

The selective reduction of the 8-hydroxy- 3-keto ester 4 with Me4NBH(OAc)3 afforded the corresponding l,3-anft -diol in 87% yield and 14 1 diastereoselectiv-ity. The 1,3-anti -diol was protected as the acetonide 5, followed by a Pd-catalyzed coupling reaction with the vinyl iodide 6 to provide the diene 7 in 69% yield. Reduction of the ester, Swem oxidation, and finally, Wittig olefination afforded the (Z)-vinyl iodide 8. 

The best reagents for reduction of olefinic aldehydes to olefinic alcohols are lithium aluminum hydride and sodium borohydride. Crotyl alcohol, CHjCH = CHCHjOH, and cinnamyl alcohol, CjH,CH =CHCHjOH, have been prepared in excellent yields. Cinnamyl alcohol is further reduced at higher temperatures to hydrocinnamyl alcohol. Citral, (CHj)jC =CHCHjCHjC(CH3)=CHCHO, may be selectively reduced to the ctOTesponding dienol by catalytic hydrogenation over platinum catalyst. A new method for the preparation of enediol esters of the type... 

The catalyst [CoH(CN)5] is soluble in water. It is selective for the reduction of olefinic double bonds in a,y9-unsaturated systems. Reduction of NO2 groups only occurs at elevated pressures. Hydrogenolysis of C-Hal bonds is observed [20]. Progress as far as water-soluble hydrogenation catalysts is concerned has also been made with Wilkinson-type catalysts by using phosphine ligands with sulfonic acid substituents [44]. 

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