Temperature amide reduction

Under some circumstances, it is possible to effect removal of amide groups by selective hydride reduction. Trichloroacetamides are readily cleaved by sodium borohydride in alcohols. Another reductive method that can be applied to ben-zamides, and probably to other simple amides, involves treatment with diisobutylaluminum hydride. At low temperatures, this reduction stops at the carbinolamine stage. Hydrolysis then yields the amine. 

This hydrosilylation method can also be applied to the reduction of esters. The silyl acetal products can be hydrolyzed, resulting in net reduction of esters to aldehydes. For example, ethylbenzoate can be fully reduced in the presence of 0.1 mol % [Ir(coe)2Cl]2 and 1.5 equiv of diethylsUane at room temperature for 1 h to give benzaldehyde after hydrolysis (eq 3). The functional group compatibility is analogous to that of the amide reduction. 

Reduction of tertiary amides to tertiary amines can also be carried out under either thermal or photochemical conditions using 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane (TMDS) as the reducing agent and pentacarbonyliron or dodecacarbonyltriiron as catalyst. The corresponding photo-assisted reaction promotes the reduction at room temperature. The reduction of aromatic nitro compounds to amines using carbon monoxide and water... 

Reduction of Carboxylic Acids to Alcohols. In addition to the nonsupported catalysts mentioned for the hydrogenation of amides to amines, mthenium and rhenium on alumina can be used to reduce carboxyHc acids to alcohols. The conditions for this reduction are somewhat more severe than for most other hydrogenation reactions and require higher temperatures, >150° C, and pressures, >5 MPa (725 psi) (55). Various solvents can be used including water. 

All that remains before the final destination is reached is the introduction of the C-l3 oxygen and attachment of the side chain. A simple oxidation of compound 4 with pyridinium chlorochro-mate (PCC) provides the desired A-ring enone in 75 % yield via a regioselective allylic oxidation. Sodium borohydride reduction of the latter compound then leads to the desired 13a-hydroxy compound 2 (83% yield). Sequential treatment of 2 with sodium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide and /(-lactam 3 according to the Ojima-Holton method36 provides taxol bis(triethylsilyl ether) (86 % yield, based on 89% conversion) from which taxol (1) can be liberated, in 80 % yield, by exposure to HF pyridine in THF at room temperature. Thus the total synthesis of (-)-taxol (1) was accomplished. 

This lactamization process can be promoted by enzymes such as pancreatic porcine lipase. Reduction of co-azido carboxylic acids leads to macrocyclic lactams. Although treatment of carboxylic acids with amines does not directly give amides, the reaction can be made to proceed in good yield at room temperature or... 

Compared with aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids and their derivatives are less reactive toward reduction. Nevertheless, it is still possible to reduce various acid derivatives in aqueous conditions. Aromatic carboxylic acids, esters, amides, nitriles, and chlorides (and ketones and nitro compounds) were rapidly reduced by the Sml2-H20 system to the corresponding products at room temperature in good yields... 

The methylimidazolide reacts more slowly with an alcohol (cf. c-QHnOH) but not with respect to an amine (cf. C-QH11NH2) in comparison with the unsubstituted imi-dazolide. Introduction of an additional alkyl group into the imidazole ring further retards the transphosphorylation. Thus, the 2-ethyl-4-methylimidazolide did not react with cyclohexanol within 70 h at room temperature, while with cyclohexylamine an amide was produced, albeit with a reduction in yield.[190] Hence, a certain degree of selectivity towards amines was achieved with the 2-ethyl-4-methylimidazolide. Selectivity toward amines and alcohols was also observed with the 2-ethyl- or isopropyl-4-nitroimidazolide. 

Reductive Amidation of Aldehydes. The reductive amidation of aldehydes using an organosilane as the reducing agent has been realized. Benzaldehyde reacts over a 74-hour period with triethylsilane and acetonitrile in 75% aqueous sulfuric acid at room temperature to produce an 80% isolated yield of N-benzylacetamide (Eq. 169).313 Octanal fails to react under the same conditions.313 Reductive amidation of aldehydes also occurs with the reagent combination Et3SiH/TFA/primary amide (Eq. 170).326... 

At the outset of our studies of the reactivity of I and II, it was necessary to investigate claims that tertiary henzamides were inappropriate substrates for the Birch reduction. It had been reported that reduction of A,A-dimethylbenzamide with sodium in NH3 in the presence of tert-butyl alcohol gave benzaldehyde and a benzaldehyde-ammonia adduct. We formd that the competition between reduction of the amide group and the aromatic ring was strongly dependent on reaction variables, such as the alkali metal (type and quantity), the availability of a proton source more acidic than NH3, and reaction temperature. Reduction with potassium in NH3-THF solution at —78 °C in the presence of 1 equiv. of tert-butyl alcohol gave the cyclohexa-1,4-diene 2 in 92% isolated yield (Scheme 3). At the other extreme, reduction with lithium in NH3-THF at —33 °C in the absence of tert-butyl alcohol gave benzaldehyde and benzyl alcohol as major reaction products. ... 

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