Solvents enolization

It does not matter whether it is the cis- or the trans-isomer of the allyl alcohol that is more easily accessible. According to Figure 14.51, by selecting the appropriate solvent, enolate formation can be directed to convert both the cis- and the tranr-allyl alcohols into rearranged products that contain either a syn- or an anti-arrangement of the vicinal alkyl groups. 

A thermodynamic enolate is favored by equilibrating conditions. This is often achieved using a strong base in a protic solvent. A strong base yields both enolates, but in a protic solvent, enolates can also be protonated to re-form the carbonyl starting material. At equilibrium, the lower energy intermediate always wins out, so that the more stable, more substituted enolate is present in higher concentration. Thus, the thermodynamic enolate is favored by ... 

Entry Ester Conditions Solvent Enolate Geometry8 d.r. (ant ii syn) Yield (%)... 

Michael reactions. The ester group exerts profound influences on the steric course of the reaction. Thus diastereocontrol is possible by changing solvent, enolate counterion, and activating group at the a-carbon of the acceptor. The phenylthio group increases reactivity, but electron-withdrawing substituents at this position tend to erode the diastereoselectivity. Temperature effects are also dramatic. 

The fourth item in the table, phenol (hydroxybenzene), is alkylated on oxygen, forming an ether, methoxybenzene (anisol), with the powerful alkylating agent trimethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate [(CH30)3 BFt]. Other alkoxonium tetrafluo-roborates are also commercially available and can be used to the same end with phenols, enols, and alcohols, forming aryl ethers, enol ethers, and dialkyl ethers, respectively. In contrast to dialkyl, diaryl, and aralkyl ethers, which are quite inert and are often used as solvents, enol ethers are capable of acid-catalyzed hydrolysis to produce ketones (or their equivalent enol) and the alcohol from which the enol ether is formed (Scheme 8.47). 

Separations based upon differences in the chemical properties of the components. Thus a mixture of toluene and anihne may be separated by extraction with dilute hydrochloric acid the aniline passes into the aqueous layer in the form of the salt, anihne hydrochloride, and may be recovered by neutralisation. Similarly, a mixture of phenol and toluene may be separated by treatment with dilute sodium hydroxide. The above examples are, of comse, simple apphcations of the fact that the various components fah into different solubihty groups (compare Section XI,5). Another example is the separation of a mixture of di-n-butyl ether and chlorobenzene concentrated sulphuric acid dissolves only the w-butyl other and it may be recovered from solution by dilution with water. With some classes of compounds, e.g., unsaturated compounds, concentrated sulphuric acid leads to polymerisation, sulphona-tion, etc., so that the original component cannot be recovered unchanged this solvent, therefore, possesses hmited apphcation. Phenols may be separated from acids (for example, o-cresol from benzoic acid) by a dilute solution of sodium bicarbonate the weakly acidic phenols (and also enols) are not converted into salts by this reagent and may be removed by ether extraction or by other means the acids pass into solution as the sodium salts and may be recovered after acidification. Aldehydes, e.g., benzaldehyde, may be separated from liquid hydrocarbons and other neutral, water-insoluble hquid compounds by shaking with a solution of sodium bisulphite the aldehyde forms a sohd bisulphite compound, which may be filtered off and decomposed with dilute acid or with sodium bicarbonate solution in order to recover the aldehyde. 

The former exhibits absorption tjrpical of an isolated keto group, whereas the latter shows a high intensity -band associated with the conjugated system HO—C=C—C=0. The proportions of the two forms under various conditions are readily determined from the ultraviolet spectra. The ultraviolet spectra in various solvents are shown in Fig. A, 7, 2. Since the absorption of the keto form is negligible, the percentage of enol present is 100(em/e ), where e is the observed extinction at 245 mp. and that of the pure enol. It was shown that in alcoholic solution is 1900 and the percentage of enol is 12. Thus e is ca. 16000, and use of this value permits the approximate evaluation of the enol content in different solvents. The results are collected in Table XII. 

The formation of the above anions ("enolate type) depend on equilibria between the carbon compounds, the base, and the solvent. To ensure a substantial concentration of the anionic synthons in solution the pA" of both the conjugated acid of the base and of the solvent must be higher than the pAT -value of the carbon compound. Alkali hydroxides in water (p/T, 16), alkoxides in the corresponding alcohols (pAT, 20), sodium amide in liquid ammonia (pATj 35), dimsyl sodium in dimethyl sulfoxide (pAT, = 35), sodium hydride, lithium amides, or lithium alkyls in ether or hydrocarbon solvents (pAT, > 40) are common combinations used in synthesis. Sometimes the bases (e.g. methoxides, amides, lithium alkyls) react as nucleophiles, in other words they do not abstract a proton, but their anion undergoes addition and substitution reactions with the carbon compound. If such is the case, sterically hindered bases are employed. A few examples are given below (H.O. House, 1972 I. Kuwajima, 1976). 

The 7, i5-unsaturated alcohol 99 is cyclized to 2-vinyl-5-phenyltetrahydro-furan (100) by exo cyclization in aqueous alcohol[124]. On the other hand, the dihydropyran 101 is formed by endo cyclization from a 7, (5-unsaturated alcohol substituted by two methyl groups at the i5-position. The direction of elimination of /3-hydrogen to give either enol ethers or allylic ethers can be controlled by using DMSO as a solvent and utilized in the synthesis of the tetronomycin precursor 102[125], The oxidation of the optically active 3-alkene-l,2-diol 103 affords the 2,5-dihydrofuran 104 in high ee. It should be noted that /3-OH is eliminated rather than /3-H at the end of the reac-tion[126]. 

Carboxylic acids are produced in water. Selection of solvents is crucial and the carbonylation of the enol triflate 480 can be carried out in aqueous DMF, and that of the aryl triflate 481 in aqueous DMSO using dppf as a ligand[328,334]. The carbonylation of the enol triflate 482 to form the a, 0. unsaturated acid 483 using dppf as a ligand in aqueous DMF has been applied in the total synthesis of multifunctionalized glycinueclepin[335]. 

Another preparative method for the enone 554 is the reaction of the enol acetate 553 with allyl methyl carbonate using a bimetallic catalyst of Pd and Tin methoxide[354,358]. The enone formation is competitive with the allylation reaction (see Section 2.4.1). MeCN as a solvent and a low Pd to ligand ratio favor enone formation. Two regioisomeric steroidal dienones, 558 and 559, are prepared regioselectively from the respective dienol acetates 556 and 557 formed from the steroidal a, /3-unsaturated ketone 555. Enone formation from both silyl enol ethers and enol acetates proceeds via 7r-allylpalladium enolates as common intermediates. 

Polar solvents shift the keto enol equilibrium toward the enol form (174b). Thus the NMR spectrum in DMSO of 2-phenyl-A-2-thiazoline-4-one is composed of three main signals +10.7 ppm (enolic proton). 7.7 ppm (aromatic protons), and 6.2 ppm (olefinic proton) associated with the enol form and a small signal associated with less than 10% of the keto form. In acetone, equal amounts of keto and enol forms were found (104). In general, a-methylene protons of keto forms appear at approximately 3.5 to 4.3 ppm as an AB spectra or a singlet (386, 419). A coupling constant, Jab - 15.5 Hz, has been reported for 2-[(S-carboxymethyl)thioimidyl]-A-2-thiazoline-4-one 175 (Scheme 92) (419). This high J b value could be of some help in the discussion on the structure of 178 (p. 423). 

FIGURE 9 6 Conversion of an enol to a ketone takes place by way of two solvent mediated proton transfers A proton is transferred to carbon in the first step then removed from oxygen in the second... 

Only the a hydrogens are replaced by deuterium m this reaction The key intermediate IS the enolate ion formed by proton abstraction from the a carbon atom of cyclopen tanone Transfer of deuterium from the solvent D2O to the enolate gives cyclopentanone containing a deuterium atom m place of one of the hydrogens at the a carbon... 

Now use the negatively charged a carbon of the enolate to form a new carbon-carbon bond to the carbonyl group Proton transfer from the solvent completes the process... 

Direct alkylation of esters can be carried out by forming the enolate with LDA fol lowed by addition of an alkyl halide Tetrahydrofuran (THF) is the solvent most often used m these reactions... 

Cyclic 1,2-diketones demonstrate enolic tautomerism, with solvent polarity affecting tautomeric equilibrium ... 

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