Anionic synthesis

The removal of functional groups from the a-carbon of carbonyl compounds is an important transformation in organic synthesis. Anionic tellurium reagents offer additional useful methods to attain this. 

Gromov, S.P., Ushakov, E.N., Fedorova, O.A, Buevich, AV., Alfimov, M.V. (1996) Crown-containing styryl dyes. 18. Synthesis, anion- capped complexes and ion-selective stereospecific [2+2]-autophotocycloaddition of photochromic 18-crown-6 ether, Russ. Chem. Bull, 45, 654-661. 

Liu, Z.P., Ma, R.Z., Osada, M., lyi, N., Ebina, Y., Takada, K., and Sasaki, T. 2006. Synthesis, anion exchange, and delamination of Co-Al layered double hydroxide Assembly of the exfoliated nanosheet/polyanion composite films and magneto-optical studies. Journal of the American Chemical Society 128. 4872-4880. 

It can be seen from Table 6 that anionic, cationic, and nonionic surfactants have all been exploited in formulating microemulsions for materials synthesis. Anionic and nonionic surfactants appear to be the most popular types of surfactants, with Aerosol OT (AOT) and the polyoxyethylated alkylphenyl ether surfactants (e.g., NP-5) leading. Part of the attraction of AOT and the NP surfactants is related to the fact that they permit microemulsion formulation without the need for cosurfactants. Also, a large body of information is already available on the phase behavior and structure of AOT microemulsions [121], and this makes it convenient to work with this anionic surfactant. A unique advantage of the nonionic surfactants is the fact that their use does not involve the introduction of (potentially undesirable) counterions. The ability to alter the size of the hydrophilic (oxyethylene) groups and/or the hydrophobic (alkyl) groups provides additional flexibility in surfactant selection. 

The monosubstituted malonic ester still possesses an activated hydrogen atom in its CH group it can be converted into a sodio derivative (the anion is likewise mesomeric) and this caused to react with an alkyl halide to give a C-disubstituted malonic ester. The procedure may accordingly be employed for the synthesis of dialkyImalonic and dialkylacetic acids ... 

Synthesis The vinyl anion synthon can either be the vinyl Grignard reagent or the acetylide arrion, in which case the synthesis becomes ... 

The vinyl anion synthon is best represented by an acetylide ion (frame 33). Synthesis ... 

Only isomer A will be formed as the alternative cannot give a stable enolate anion (see frame 101). This is nearly the synthesis used by Raphael (Tetrahedron. 1962, 55 Proc. 

One of the most versatile methods for the synthesis of derivatives with the acetylene or cumulene system consists In deprotonatlon of the starting acetylene or cumulene and subsequent reaction of the anionic or organometal1ic intermediate with an electrophilic reagent. 

There exist a number of d -synthons, which are stabilized by the delocalization of the electron pair into orbitals of hetero atoms, although the nucleophilic centre remains at the carbon atom. From nitroalkanes anions may be formed in aqueous solutions (e.g. CHjNOj pK, = 10.2). Nitromethane and -ethane anions are particularly useful in synthesis. The cyanide anion is also a classical d -synthon (HCN pK = 9.1). 

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). 

An interesting case are the a,/i-unsaturated ketones, which form carbanions, in which the negative charge is delocalized in a 5-centre-6-electron system. Alkylation, however, only occurs at the central, most nucleophilic position. This regioselectivity has been utilized by Woodward (R.B. Woodward, 1957 B.F. Mundy, 1972) in the synthesis of 4-dialkylated steroids. This reaction has been carried out at high temperature in a protic solvent. Therefore it yields the product, which is formed from the most stable anion (thermodynamic control). In conjugated enones a proton adjacent to the carbonyl group, however, is removed much faster than a y-proton. If the same alkylation, therefore, is carried out in an aprotic solvent, which does not catalyze tautomerizations, and if the temperature is kept low, the steroid is mono- or dimethylated at C-2 in comparable yield (L. Nedelec, 1974). 

Olefin synthesis starts usually from carbonyl compounds and carbanions with relatively electropositive, redox-active substituents mostly containing phosphorus, sulfur, or silicon. The carbanions add to the carbonyl group and the oxy anion attacks the oxidizable atom Y in-tramolecularly. The oxide Y—O" is then eliminated and a new C—C bond is formed. Such reactions take place because the formation of a Y—0 bond is thermodynamically favored and because Y is able to expand its coordination sphere and to raise its oxidation number. 

Carboxyl and nitrile groups are usually introduced in synthesis with commercial carboxylic acid derivatives, nitriles, or cyanide anion. Carbanions can be carboxylated with carbon dioxide (H.F. Ebel, 1970) or dialkyl carbonate (J. Schmidlin, 1957). 

The most general methods for the syntheses of 1,2-difunctional molecules are based on the oxidation of carbon-carbon multiple bonds (p. 117) and the opening of oxiranes by hetero atoms (p. 123fl.). There exist, however, also a few useful reactions in which an a - and a d -synthon or two r -synthons are combined. The classical polar reaction is the addition of cyanide anion to carbonyl groups, which leads to a-hydroxynitriles (cyanohydrins). It is used, for example, in Strecker s synthesis of amino acids and in the homologization of monosaccharides. The ff-hydroxy group of a nitrile can be easily substituted by various nucleophiles, the nitrile can be solvolyzed or reduced. Therefore a large variety of terminal difunctional molecules with one additional carbon atom can be made. Equally versatile are a-methylsulfinyl ketones (H.G. Hauthal, 1971 T. Durst, 1979 O. DeLucchi, 1991), which are available from acid chlorides or esters and the dimsyl anion. Carbanions of these compounds can also be used for the synthesis of 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds (p. 65f.). 

Finally (d + aV dditions of 1-alkenyl and 1-alkynyl anions to carbonyl groups should be mentioned. Examples are the addition of vinylmagnesium bromide to ketones e.g. in the first step of Torgov s steroid synthesis (I.N. Nazarov, 1957), and the famous alkynylation of... 

Methylsulfinyl enolates are more recently developed d -reagents. They are readily prepared from carboxylic esters and dimsyl anion. Methanesulfenic acid can be eliminated thermally after the condensation has taken place. An example is found in Bartlett s Brefeldin synthesis (P.A. Bartlett. 1978). 

The synthesis of spiro compounds from ketones and methoxyethynyl propenyl ketone exemplifies some regioselectivities of the Michael addition. The electrophilic triple bond is attacked first, next comes the 1-propenyl group. The conjugated keto group is usually least reactive. The ethynyl starting material has been obtained from the addition of the methoxyethynyl anion to the carbonyl group of crotonaldehyde (G. Stork, 1962 B, 1964A). 

Another synthesis of a bridged hydrocarbon takes advantage of high elearon release from the /wra-position of phenolate anions, which may be used to transform the phenol moiety into a substituted cross-conjugated cyciohexadienone system (S. Masamune, 1961, 1964). 

The 1,6-difunctional hydroxyketone given below contains an octyl chain at the keto group and two chiral centers at C-2 and C-3 (G. Magnusson, 1977). In the first step of the antithesis of this molecule it is best to disconnect the octyl chain and to transform the chiral residue into a cyclic synthon simultaneously. Since we know that ketones can be produced from add derivatives by alkylation (see p. 45ff,), an obvious precursor would be a seven-membered lactone ring, which is opened in synthesis by octyl anion at low temperature. The lactone in turn can be transformed into cis-2,3-dimethyicyclohexanone, which is available by FGI from (2,3-cis)-2,3-dimethylcyclohexanol. The latter can be separated from the commercial ds-trans mixture, e.g. by distillation or chromatography. 

The benzylidene derivative above is used, if both hydroxyl groups on C-2 and C-3 are needed in synthesis. This r/vzns-2,3-diol can be converted to the sterically more hindered a-cpoxide by tosylation of both hydroxy groups and subsequent treatment with base (N.R. Williams, 1970 J.G. Buchanan, 1976). An oxide anion is formed and displaces the sulfonyloxy group by a rearside attack. The oxirane may then be re-opened with nucleophiles, e.g. methyl lithium, and the less hindered carbon atom will react selectively. In the following sequence starting with an a-glucoside only the 2-methyl-2-deoxyaltrose is obtained (S. Hanessian, 1977). 

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