Solid enolization

Solid enols such as dimedone (255) are able to substitute one of the hydroxyl groups of ninhydrin (254) upon milling and give a quantitative yield of the... 

Starting from the commercially available sodium salt of diethyl oxalacetatc (4) partial alkaline saponilieation results in carbethoxypyruvic acid (5). Because of the activation by tile cr-substituent one ester group is more reactive than the other thus cleavage of only one ester group is achieved selectively. After acidic work-up an equilibrium mixture of the solid enolic form 17 (ca. 10 %) and the liquid ketonic form 5 is gained. 

Sodium hydroxide extract. This will contain the acids and phenols (or enols) present. Acidify (litmus) with dilute sulphuric acid, d excess of solid NaHCOj. Extract with ether. 

Ck)ol the alkaline solution resulting from the distillation of the volatile neutral compounds, make it acid to litmus with dilute sulphuric acid, and add an excess of solid sodium bicarbonate. Extract this bicarbonate solution with two 20 ml. portions of ether remove the ether from the combined ether extracts and identify the residual phenol (or enol). Then acidify the bicarbonate solution cautiously with dilute sulphiu-ic acid if an acidic compound separates, remove it by two extractions with 20 ml. portions of ether if the acidified solution remains clear, distil and collect any water-soluble, volatile acid in the distillate. Characterise the acid as under 2. 

Hydrogen bonding to a carbonyl group causes a shift to lower frequency of 40 to 60 cm k Acids, amides, enolized /3-keto carbonyl systems, and o-hydroxyphenol and o-aminophenyl carbonyl compounds show this effect. All carbonyl compounds tend to give slightly lower values for the carbonyl stretching frequency in the solid state compared with the value for dilute solutions. 

Only the potentially 2,4-dihydroxy derivatives of furan and thiophene are known and these exist in the solid state and in polar solvents as the monoenols (82) (71T3839). However, in non-polar solvents the furan derivatives exist predominantly in the dioxo form (83). The 2,5-dioxo structure (84) is well established for X=0, NR, S and Se (71BSF3547) and there is no evidence for intervention of any enolic species. The formal tautomer (85) of succinimide has been prepared and is reasonably stable (62CI(L)1576). 

The keto-enol tautomerism of 1,2-benzisoxazoles has been examined and the existence of either form can be postulated on the basis of reactivity. IR analysis on the solid indicates the exclusive existence of the enol form, while in CHCI3 solution both appear to be present (71DIS(B)4483). 

On digestion of this solid mass with 1 1. of ice and water, the sodium salt of the enol dissolves in the water, and the unreacted ester is removed by extracting the aqueous layer with two 200-ml. portions of ether (Note 5). The foimyl derivative settles out as an oil upon acidification of the aqueous layer with dilute sulfuric acid. The oil is extracted with three 200-ml. portions of ether, and the ethereal extract is washed several times with water and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. The ether is distilled, and, to remove traces of ethyl formate, the oil is heated on a steam bath under a pressure of 20-30 mm. for 1 hour. The remaining yellow formyl derivative weighs 27-29 g. (Note 6). 

The general reaction procedure and apparatus used are exactly as described in Procedure 2. Ammonia (465 ml) is distilled into a 2-liter reaction flask and to this is added 165mlofisopropylalcoholandasolutionof30g(0.195 mole) of 17/ -estradiol 3-methyl ether (mp 118.5-120°) in 180 ml of tetrahydrofuran. The steroid is only partially soluble in the mixture. A 5 g portion of sodium (26 g, 1.13 g-atoms total) is added to the stirred mixture and the solid dissolves in the light blue solution within several min. As additional metal is added, the mixture becomes dark blue and a solid (matted needles) separates. Stirring is inefficient for a few minutes until the mass of crystals breaks down. All of the sodium is consumed after 1 hr and 120 ml of methanol is then added to the mixture with care. The product is isolated as in Procedure 4h 2. After being air-dried, the solid weighs 32.5 g (ca. 100% for a monohydrate). A sample of the material is dried for analysis and analyzed as described in Procedure 2 enol ether, 91% unreduced aromatics, 0.3%. The crude product may be crystallized from acetone-water or preferably from hexane. 

The crude ketal from the Birch reduction is dissolved in a mixture of 700 ml ethyl acetate, 1260 ml absolute ethanol and 31.5 ml water. To this solution is added 198 ml of 0.01 Mp-toluenesulfonic acid in absolute ethanol. (Methanol cannot be substituted for the ethanol nor can denatured ethanol containing methanol be used. In the presence of methanol, the diethyl ketal forms the mixed methyl ethyl ketal at C-17 and this mixed ketal hydrolyzes at a much slower rate than does the diethyl ketal.) The mixture is stirred at room temperature under nitrogen for 10 min and 56 ml of 10% potassium bicarbonate solution is added to neutralize the toluenesulfonic acid. The organic solvents are removed in a rotary vacuum evaporator and water is added as the organic solvents distill. When all of the organic solvents have been distilled, the granular precipitate of 1,4-dihydroestrone 3- methyl ether is collected on a filter and washed well with cold water. The solid is sucked dry and is dissolved in 800 ml of methyl ethyl ketone. To this solution is added 1600 ml of 1 1 methanol-water mixture and the resulting mixture is cooled in an ice bath for 1 hr. The solid is collected, rinsed with cold methanol-water (1 1), air-dried, and finally dried in a vacuum oven at 60° yield, 71.5 g (81 % based on estrone methyl ether actually carried into the Birch reduction as the ketal) mp 139-141°, reported mp 141-141.5°. The material has an enol ether assay of 99%, a residual aromatics content of 0.6% and a 19-norandrost-5(10)-ene-3,17-dione content of 0.5% (from hydrolysis of the 3-enol ether). It contains less than 0.1 % of 17-ol and only a trace of ketal formed by addition of ethanol to the 3-enol ether. 

Unsubstituted 2,3-dihydroxythiophene 86 (71T3839) prefers the mono-keto-mono-enol form 87 both for solid and liquid state and for EtOH and CDCI3 solution (76AHCS1, p. 237). As has been pointed out previously (76AHCS1, p. 238), many 2,4-dihydroxythiophenes 88 were shown to exist as thiotetronic acids 89 (13CB2103 71T3839). 

Indoxyl 122 (prepared from the corresponding 0,A-diacetate) exists in the solid state as keto tautomer (as confirmed by IR spectrum) (65CC381). Analysis of its solution in [DgjDMSO showed the presence only of the keto form 122 which, over a period of 24 h, converts to the enol 123 (R = H) (>90%). 

The 0,N-dideuterated enol was formed by hydrolysis of the O-trimethylsilyl ether 123 (R = TMS) (in 80% [D6]DMSO/20% D2O with 5. lO " M DCl). N-Methylindoxyl (formed by hydrolysis of its acetate) exists in the solid state as a mixture of the enol and the keto tautomers (34% enol/66% keto). The NMR spectrum of freshly prepared solution in DMSO demonstrated signals of both enol and keto forms. However, at equilibrium (reached in 18 h at RT) the ratio of enol to ketone depends strongly on the polarity of the solvent used thus, in [Dg]DMSO the tautomeric mixture contains 92% enol, while in CDCI3 the keto form predominates (97%). A solution with 100% enol could be generated by hydrolysis of its O-trimethylsilyl ether [conditions 80% [Dfi]DMSO/20% D2O with 5 10" M DCl at 32°C (86TL3275 87PAC1577 88TL250)]. 

The synthesis of key intermediate 6 begins with the asymmetric synthesis of the lactol subunit, intermediate 8 (see Scheme 3). Alkylation of the sodium enolate derived from carboximide 21 with allyl iodide furnishes intermediate 26 as a crystalline solid in 82 % yield and in >99 % diastereomeric purity after recrystallization. Guided by transition state allylic strain conformational control elements5d (see Scheme 4), the action of sodium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide on 21 affords chelated (Z)-enolate 25. Chelation of the type illustrated in 25 prevents rotation about the nitrogen-carbon bond and renders... 

Thenoyltrifluoroacetone(TTA), C4H3S,CO,CH2,COCF3. This is a crystalline solid, m.p. 43 °C it is, of course, a /1-diketone, and the trifluoromethyl group increases the acidity of the enol form so that extractions at low pH values are feasible. The reactivity of TTA is similar to that of acetylacetone it is generally used as a 0.1-0.5 M solution in benzene or toluene. The difference in extraction behaviour of hafnium and zirconium, and also among lanthanides and actinides, is especially noteworthy. 

H NMR spectroscopy frequently has been used in kinetic studies, for example, in the isomerization of 2,4,6-triphenyl-4//-thiopyran 56 (R= Ph) to its 2//-isomer 60 (R = H, 81JHC1517). l25Te NMR spectra were also measured for 4//-teluropyran 77 and related compounds (88MI1). Oxo-enol tautomerism of 4-hydroxy-2//-thiopyrans llOa-c in the solid state as well as in CDC13 solution was successfully studied by l3C NMR [86JCS(P2) 1887]. 

To measure the amount of the enol-sulfate of coelenterazine in a tissue, the methanol homogenate prepared in Section C5.1 is centrifuged, and 10 pi of the supernatant is heated with 0.1 ml of 0.5 M HC1 at 95° C for one minute under argon gas, in order to hydrolyze the enol-sulfate group. The material is quickly cooled in ice water, neutralized with a small amount of solid NaHCO , and then the amount... 

Frequently, when the enol content is high, both forms can be isolated. The pure keto form of acetoacetic ester melts at — 39°C, while the enol is a liquid even at — 78°C. Each can be kept at room temperature for days if catalysts such as acids or bases are rigorously excluded.Even the simplest enol, vinyl alcohol (CH2= CHOH), has been prepared in the gas phase at room temperature, where it has a half-life of 30min. " The enol Me2C=CCHOH is indefinitely stable in the solid state at —78°C and has a half-life of 24h in the liquid state at 25°C. When both forms cannot be isolated, the extent of enolization is often measured by NMR. 

For a review, see Bekker, R.A. Knunyants, I.L. Sov. Sci. Rev. Sect. B, 1984, 5, 145. For an example of particularly stable enol and keto forms, which could be kept in the solid state for more than a year without significant interconversion, see Schulenberg, J.W. J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1968, 90, 7008. 

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