Esters solvolysis

There is obviously a relation with the classic activation of molecules by Lewis acids, but here we have confined ourselves to the activation of "soft" substrates by "soft" acids. Examples of "hard" acid activated reactions include Diels-Alder additions, nitrile solvolysis, ester solvolysis, ester formation, Oppenauer reactions etc (see Lewis acid catalysed reactions, 2.11). 

Chiral 2-oxazolidones are useful recyclable auxiliaries for carboxylic acids in highly enantioselective aldol type reactions via the boron enolates derived from N-propionyl-2-oxazolidones (D.A. Evans, 1981). Two reagents exhibiting opposite enantioselectivity ate prepared from (S)-valinol and from (lS,2R)-norephedrine by cyclization with COClj or diethyl carbonate and subsequent lithiation and acylation with propionyl chloride at — 78°C. En-olization with dibutylboryl triflate forms the (Z)-enolates (>99% Z) which react with aldehydes at low temperature. The pure (2S,3R) and (2R,3S) acids or methyl esters are isolated in a 70% yield after mild solvolysis. 

When enantiomerically pure fni/is-2-acetoxycyclohexyl tosylate is solvolyzed, tiie product is racemic /mn -diacetate. This is consistent with the proposed mechanism, since the acetoxonium intennediate is achiral and can only give rise to racemic material. Additional evidence for diis interpretation comes from the isolation of a cyclic ortho ester when the solvolysis is carried out in ethanol. In this solvent the acetoxonium ion is captured by the solvent. 

Like the un-ionized hydroxyl group, an alkoxy group is a weak nucleophile. Nevertheless, it can operate as a neighboring nucleophile. For example, solvolysis of the isomeric p-bromobenzenesulfonate esters 6 and 7 leads to identical prxKluct nuxtures, suggesting the involvement of a common intermediate. This can be explained by involvement of the cyclic oxonium icai which would result from intramolecular participation. ... 

In contrast to phosphorus esters, sulfur esters are usually cleaved at the carbon-oxygen bond with carbon-fluorine bond formation Cleavage of esteri nf methanesulfonic acid, p-toluenesidfonic acid, and especially trifluoromethane-sulfonic acid (tnflic acid) by fluoride ion is the most widely used method for the conversion of hydroxy compounds to fluoro derivatives Potassium fluoride, triethylamine trihydrofluoride, and tetrabutylammonium fluoride are common sources of the fluoride ion For the cleavage of a variety of alkyl mesylates and tosylates with potassium fluoride, polyethylene glycol 400 is a solvent of choice, the yields are limited by solvolysis of the leaving group by the solvent, but this phenomenon is controlled by bulky substituents, either in the sulfonic acid part or in the alcohol part of the ester [42] (equation 29)... 

AC is interpreted as the difference in heat capacities between the transition state and the reactants, and it may be a valuable mechanistic tool. Most reported ACp values are for reactions of neutral reactants to products, as in solvolysis reactions of neutral esters or aliphatic halides. " Because of the slight curvature seen in the Arrhenius plots, as exemplified by Fig. 6-2, the interpretation, and even the existence, of AC is a matter of debate. The subject is rather specialized, so we will not explore it deeply, but will outline methods for the estimation of ACp. 

Figure 7-2. Hammett plot for solvolysis of substituted norbomyl esters (7) and norbomenyl esters (8) in 70 30 dioxaneiwater at 25°C. ...

Correlations with o in carboxylic acid derivative reactions have been most successful for variations in the acyl portion, R in RCOX. Variation in the alkyl portion of esters, R in RCOOR, has not led to many good correlations, although use of relative rates of alkaline and acidic reactions, as in the defining relation, can generate linear correlations. The failure to achieve satisfactory correlations with cr for such substrates may be a consequence of the different steric effects of substituents in the acyl and alkyl locations. It has been shown that solvolysis rates of some acetates are related to the pA", of the leaving group, that is, of the parent alcohol. The pK of alcohols has been correlated with but this relationship... 

Cleavage of the methallyl ester is achieved in 80-95% yield by solvolysis in refluxing 90% formic acid. Cinnamyl and crotyl alcohols are similarly cleaved. ... 

Reduction of the imine with sodium borohydride leads to an intermediate amino-ester that cyclizes spontaneously to the <5-lactam function. Solvolysis of the acetyl group with methoxide followed by acylation of the hydroxyl group thus liberated with trimethoxybenzoyl chloride leads to 38. Bischler-Napieralski cyclodehydration (phosphorus oxychloride) effects closure of the remaining ring. Reduction of the imine thus formed with sodium borohydride gives 39. This, it should be noted, leads to the... 

Another deviation from the normal displacement reaction of primary tosylates occurs in nucleoside derivatives (39, 81) where cyclonucleosides and anhydronucleosides are formed by participation of a nitrogen atom (as in purine nucleosides) and oxygen atom (as in pyrimidine nucleosides ), respectively. Iodonucleosides can result from these reactions only if these cyclic compounds are prone to attack by iodide ion. Several new examples of unexpected reactions during the solvolysis of sulfonate esters in sugar derivatives have been recorded in the past few years (2, 4,5,7,15,44,62,63,94). 

C-6 with sulfuryl chloride. 181 Solvolysis of sulfonate esters,... 

It is important to note that the one-step conversion of 27 to 28 (Scheme 4) not only facilitates purification, but also allows differentiation of the two carbonyl groups. After hydrogenolysis of the iV-benzyl group (see 28—>29), solvolysis of the -lactone-ring in 29 with benzyl alcohol and a catalytic amount of acetic acid at 70 °C provides a 3 1 equilibrium mixture of acyclic ester 30 and starting lactone 29. Compound 30 can be obtained in pure form simply by washing the solid mixture with isopropanol the material in the filtrate can be resubjected to the solvolysis reaction. 

To set the stage for the crucial carbene insertion reaction, the acetic acid side chain in 32 must be homologated. To this end, treatment of 32 with 1,l -carbonyldiimidazole furnishes imidazo-lide 33, a competent acylating agent, which subsequently reacts with the conjugate base of Meldrum s acid (34) to give 35. Solvolysis of this substance with para-nitrobenzyl alcohol in acetonitrile at reflux provides /Mceto ester 36 after loss of one molecule of ace-... 

Kinetic studies also provide other evidence for the SnI mechanism. One technique used F NMR to follow the solvolysis of trifluoroacetyl esters. If this mechanism operates essentially as shown on page 393, the rate should be the same for a given substrate under a given set of conditions, regardless of the identity of the nucleophile or its concentration. In one experiment that demonstrates this, benzhy-dryl chloride (Ph2CHCl) was treated in SO2 with the nucleophiles fluoride ion, pyridine, and triethylamine at several concentrations of each nucleophile. In each case, the initial rate of the reaction was approximately the same when corrections were made for the salt effect. The same type of behavior has been shown in a number of other cases, even when the reagents are as different in their nucleophilicities (see p. 438) as H2O and OH . 

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