Steric hinderance

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 ketone is added to a large excess of a strong base at low temperature, usually LDA in THF at -78 °C. The more acidic and less sterically hindered proton is removed in a kineti-cally controlled reaction. The equilibrium with a thermodynamically more stable enolate (generally the one which is more stabilized by substituents) is only reached very slowly (H.O. House, 1977), and the kinetic enolates may be trapped and isolated as silyl enol ethers (J.K. Rasmussen, 1977 H.O. House, 1969). If, on the other hand, a weak acid is added to the solution, e.g. an excess of the non-ionized ketone or a non-nucleophilic alcohol such as cert-butanol, then the tautomeric enolate is preferentially formed (stabilized mostly by hyperconjugation effects). The rate of approach to equilibrium is particularly slow with lithium as the counterion and much faster with potassium or sodium. 

The Peterson reaction has two more advantages over the Wittig reaction 1. it is sometimes less vulnerable to sterical hindrance, and 2. groups, which are susceptible to nucleophilic substitution, are not attacked by silylated carbanions. The introduction of a methylene group into a sterically hindered ketone (R.K. Boeckman, Jr., 1973) and the syntheses of olefins with sulfur, selenium, silicon, or tin substituents (D. Seebach, 1973 B.T. Grdbel, 1974, 1977) illustrate useful applications. The reaction is, however, more limited and time consuming than the Wittig reaction, since metallated silicon derivatives are difficult to synthesize and their reactions are rarely stereoselective (T.H. Chan, 1974 ... 

An example of an intermolecular aldol type condensation, which works only under acidic catalysis is the Knoevenagel condensation of a sterically hindered aldehyde group in a formyl-porphyrin with a malonic ester (J.-H. Fuhrhop, 1976). Self-condensations of the components do not occur, because the ester groups of malonic esters are not electrophilic enough, and because the porphyrin-carboxaldehyde cannot form enolates. 

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). 

First the protected oligopeptide is coupled with polymer-bound nitrophenol by DCC. N"-Deblocking leads then to simultaneous cycliiation and detachment of the product from the polymer (M. Fridkin, 1965). Recent work indicates that high dilution in liquid-phase cycli-zation is only necessary, if the cyclization reaction is sterically hindered. Working at low temperatures and moderate dilution with moderately activated acid derivatives is the method of choice for the formation of macrocyclic lactams (R.F. Nutt, 1980). 

Attention should be paid to the fact that the ratio of Pd and phosphine ligand in active catalysts is crucial for determining the reaction paths. It is believed that dba is displaced completely with phosphines when Pd2(dba)3 is mixed with phosphines in solution. However the displacement is not eom-plcte[16]. Also, it should be considered that dba itself is a monodentate alkene ligand, and it may inhibit the coordination of a sterically hindered olefinic bond in substrates. In such a case, no reaction takes place, and it is recommended to prepare Pd(0) catalysts by the reaction of Pd(OAc)2 with a definite amount of phosphinesflO]. In this way a coordinatively unsaturated Pd(0) catalyst can be generated. Preparation of Pd3(tbaa)3 tbaa == tribenzylidene-acetylacetone) was reported[17], but the complex actually obtained was Pd(dba)2[l8],... 

Poor yields are obtained in the coupling of rirt/iri-substituted arylboronic acids[506). Ba(OH) as a base gives good results for the coupling of these sterically hindered compounds[5l3], but unsatisfactory results are observed... 

The reduction of acyl halides with hydrogen to form aldehydes using Pd catalyst is well known as the Rosenmund reduction[756]. Some acyl chlorides give decarbonyiation products rather than aldehydes under Rosenmund conditions. The diene 890 was obtained by decarbonyiation in an attempted Rosenmund reduction of acetyloleanolic acid chloride (889)[757], Rosenmund reduction of sterically hindered acyl chlorides such as diphenyl- and tnpheny-lacetyl chloride (891) gives the decarbonylated products 892[758],... 

Tertiary alkyl halides are so sterically hindered to nucleophilic attack that the pres ence of any anionic Lewis base favors elimination Usually substitution predominates over elimination m tertiary alkyl halides only when anionic Lewis bases are absent In the solvolysis of the tertiary bromide 2 bromo 2 methylbutane for example the ratio of substitution to elimination is 64 36 m pure ethanol but falls to 1 99 m the presence of 2 M sodium ethoxide... 

The major influence of the methyl group is electronic The most important factor IS relative carbocation stability To a small extent the methyl group sterically hinders the ortho positions making attack slightly more likely at the para carbon than at a single ortho carbon However para substitution is at a statistical disadvantage because there are two equivalent ortho positions but only one para position... 

The ortho position between the two methyl groups is less reactive because it is more sterically hindered... 

The alternative synthetic route using the sodium salt of benzyl alcohol and an isopropyl halide would be much less effective because of increased competition from elimination as the alkyl halide becomes more sterically hindered... 

Unsymmetrical epoxides are attacked at the less substituted less sterically hindered carbon of the nng... 

Approach of borohydnde to the top face of the carbonyl group is sterically hindered by one of the methyl groups The bottom face of the carbonyl group is less congested and the major product is formed by hydride transfer from this direction... 

The sp hybridized carbon of an acyl chloride is less sterically hindered than the sp hybridized carbon of an alkyl chloride making an acyl chloride more open toward nude ophilic attack Also unlike the 8 2 transition state or a carbocation intermediate m an Stvfl reaction the tetrahedral intermediate m nucleophilic acyl substitution has a stable arrangement of bonds and can be formed via a lower energy transition state... 

Lithium diisopropylamide is a strong enough base to abstract a proton from the a carbon atom of an ester but because it is so sterically hindered it does not add readily to the carbonyl group To illustrate... 

The least sterically hindered p hydrogen is removed by the base m Hofmann elim matron reactions Methyl groups are deprotonated m preference to methylene groups and methylene groups are deprotonated m preference to methmes The regioselectivity of Hofmann elimination is opposite to that predicted by the Zaitsev rule (Section 5 10) Elimination reactions of alkyltrimethylammonmm hydroxides are said to obey the Hofmann rule, they yield the less substituted alkene... 

After formation of the acylimine (12), methanol adds to the less sterically hindered a-face of the molecule with high selectivity to provide (13). A further direct incorporation of a 6a-methoxy group (41) and subsequendy a 6a-formamido group into penicillin has been achieved using ttiduoromethanesulfonamides of type (14) (42). 

These show marked similarities to their acyclic counterparts, e.g. tetrahydrofuran closely resembles diethyl ether. The minor differences which arise between these two types of compounds are due to the less sterically hindered nature of the heteroatoms in the cyclic compounds. The basicities of tetrahydropyrrole (pHTa 10.4), tetrahydrofuran (-2.1) and... 

A study of the effect of substitution patterns in oxadiazoles and isoxazoles and their effect on the UV spectra in the lO -lO M concentration range was performed. Hypso-chromic effects and deviations from Beer s law were observed and were believed to be associated with antiparallel, sandwich-type self-association via dipole-dipole interactions. Beer s law is followed when the molecular dipole moments are small or when self-association is sterically hindered. 

Primary and secondary aliphatic and aromatic amines react readily with thiiranes to give 2-mercaptoethylamine derivatives (Scheme 76) (76RCR25, 66CRV297). The reaction fails or gives poor yields with amines which are sterically hindered e.g. N,iV-dicyclohexylamine) or whose nitrogen atom is weakly basic e.g. N,A/ -diphenylamine). Aromatic amines are less reactive and higher reaction temperatures are usually required for them. The reaction mechanism is Sn2 and substituted thiiranes are attacked preferentially at the least hindered... 

Halide ions may attack 5-substituted thiiranium ions at three sites the sulfur atom (Section 5.06.3.4.5), a ring carbon atom or an 5-alkyl carbon atom. In the highly sterically hindered salt (46) attack occurs only on sulfur (Scheme 62) or the S-methyl group (Scheme 89). The demethylation of (46) by bromide and chloride ion is the only example of attack on the carbon atom of the sulfur substituent in any thiiranium salt (78CC630). Iodide and fluoride ion (the latter in the presence of a crown ether) prefer to attack the sulfur atom of (46). cis-l-Methyl-2,3-di-t-butylthiiranium fluorosulfonate, despite being somewhat hindered, nevertheless is attacked at a ring carbon atom by chloride and bromide ions. The trans isomer could not be prepared its behavior to nucleophiles is therefore unknown (74JA3146). 

Treatment of cyclic carbonates of 1,2-diols with thiocyanate ion at temperatures of 100 °C or higher yields thiiranes (Scheme 145) (66CRV297, 75RCR138). Thiourea cannot replace thiocyanate satisfactorily, and yields decrease as the carbonate becomes more sterically hindered. The reaction mechanism is similar to the reaction of oxiranes with thiocyanate (Scheme 139). As Scheme 145 shows, chiral thiiranes can be derived from chiral 1,2-diols (77T999, 75MI50600). 

The reason for the slow hydrolysis compared to that of structurally similar compounds like nitrones or 0,lV-acetals might be the following (b-67MI50800) in the protonated species (77) assistance of the lone pair of electrons at nitrogen is sterically hindered due to the large angle of its orbital to the plane of the ring. 

Both the equilibria and the enhancement of the coefficients can be improved by additives, of which sodium arsenite is the major one in use, but sodium hypochlorite and small amounts of amines also are effective. Sterically hindered amines as promoters are claimed by Say et al. (Chem. Eng. Prog., 80(10), 72-77 [1984]) to result in 50 percent more capacity than ordinary amine promoters of carbonate solutions. 

Borate esters are hydrolyzed with aqueous acid or base. More sterically hindered borates such as pinanediol derivatives are quite stable to hydrolysis. Borates are stable to anhydrous acid and base, HBr/BzOOBz, NaH, and Wittig reactions. ... 

AcCl, NaOH, dioxane, Bu4N HSO, 25°, 30 min, 90% yield. Phase-transfer catalysis with tetra-n-butylammionium hydrogen sulfate effects acylation of sterically hindered phenols and selective acylation of a phenol in the presence of an aliphatic secondary alcohol. 

The preparation of esters can be classified into two main categories (1) carboxy-late activation with a good leaving group and (2) nucleophilic displacement of a caiboxylate on an alkyl halide or sulfonate. The latter approach is generally not suitable for the preparation of esters if the halide or tosylate is sterically hindered, but there has been some success with simple secondaiy halides and tosylates (ROTs, DMF, K2CO3, 69-93% yield). ... 

The idea of kinetic versus thermodynamic control can be illustrated by discussing briefly the case of formation of enolate anions from unsymmetrical ketones. This is a very important matter for synthesis and will be discussed more fully in Chapter 1 of Part B. Most ketones, highly symmetric ones being the exception, can give rise to more than one enolate. Many studies have shown tiiat the ratio among the possible enolates that are formed depends on the reaction conditions. This can be illustrated for the case of 3-methyl-2-butanone. If the base chosen is a strong, sterically hindered one and the solvent is aptotic, the major enolate formed is 3. If a protic solvent is used or if a weaker base (one comparable in basicity to the ketone enolate) is used, the dominant enolate is 2. Enolate 3 is the kinetic enolate whereas 2 is the thermodynamically favored enolate. 

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