Tosylates alcohols

Tosylation. Alcohols and amines are tosylated by TsCl. However, the role played by indium metal in the protocol is questionable. 

The leaving groups in the bimolecular elimination mechanism (E2) are essentially the same as those in substitution reactions (that is, halides and tosylate). Alcohols do not usually react by the E2 mechanism, but quaternary ammonium salts, such as RN(CH3)3X and sulfonium salts, such as RS(CH3)2X- do. 

In addition to the numerous examples of the McMurry couplings described above, the following examples illustrate the power of the transformation in the synthesis of a broad range of natural products and non-natural molecules. Of particular note in the following examples is the impressive functional group tolerance of the McMurry conditions. In general, alcohols, tosyl alcohols, alkyl ethers, silyl ethers, alkyl silanes, vinyl silanes, amines, sulfides, and alkenes are inert to McMurry conditions. Acteals, halides, alkynes, nitriles, and carboxylic acids are semi-compatible. 

The sulfoxide (137, Scheme 2.22) is readily available following a short sequence of reactions that initiates with conversion of (/ )-phenylglycine methyl ester HCl into N-Tosyl alcohol 135. Cyclization with thionyl chloride 136 gives sulfoxide 137 (99% ee) ... 

A mixture of 0.30 mol of the acetylenic tosylate (prepared according to the general method described in VlII-3, Exp. 3 from the corresponding acetylenic alcohol, which was prepared from HC=CHgBr and CgHi3CH=0 in THF, as described in Ref. l)and 100 ml of dry acetone was added to a solution of 0.40 mol of anhydrous... 

In the flask were placed 0.20 mol of the acetylenic alcohol, 0.24 mol of tosyl chloride and 350 ml of diethyl ether. The mixture was stirred at room temperature, until the solid had passed into solution and then cooled at -5 to -10 c in a bath of dry-ice and acetone. Machine-powdered KOH (130 g) was added with vigorous stirring, initially in relatively small portions [oa. 5 g), at intervals of 2 min. The reaction was strongly exothermic at first, and efficient cooling was necessary in order to maintain the temperature of the reaction mixture between -5 and O C... 

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). 

An advantage that sulfonate esters have over alkyl halides is that their prepara tion from alcohols does not involve any of the bonds to carbon The alcohol oxygen becomes the oxygen that connects the alkyl group to the sulfonyl group Thus the configuration of a sulfonate ester is exactly the same as that of the alcohol from which It was prepared If we wish to study the stereochemistry of nucleophilic substitution m an optically active substrate for example we know that a tosylate ester will have the same configuration and the same optical purity as the alcohol from which it was prepared... 

Section 8 14 Nucleophilic substitution can occur with leaving groups other than halide Alkyl p toluenesulfonates (tosylates) which are prepared from alcohols by reaction with p toulenesulfonyl chloride are often used... 

Tosylates of pentaerythritol and the higher homologues can be converted to their corresponding tetra-, hexa-, or octaazides by direct reaction of sodium azide (36), and azidobenzoates of trimethyl olpropane and dipentaerythritol are prepared by reaction of azidobenzoyl chloride and the alcohols in pyridine medium (37). 

N-Alkylations, especially of oxo-di- and tetra-hydro derivatives, e.g. (28)->(29), have been carried out readily using a variety of reagents such as (usual) alkyl halide/alkali, alkyl sulfate/alkali, alkyl halide, tosylate or sulfate/NaH, trialkyloxonium fluoroborate and other Meerwein-type reagents, alcohols/DCCI, diazoalkanes, alkyl carbonates, oxalates or malon-ates, oxosulfonium ylides, DMF dimethyl acetal, and triethyl orthoformate/AcjO. Also used have been alkyl halide/lithium diisopropylamide and in one case benzyl chloride on the thallium derivative. In neutral conditions 8-alkylation is observed and preparation of some 8-nucleosides has also been reported (78JOC828, 77JOC997, 72JOC3975, 72JOC3980). 

Solvolysis of tosylate (303) yields, in addition to aziridinyl alcohol (304), ring expanded products (305) and (306) (68TL6179). These products and the observed rates of solvolysis were explained in terms of bicyclic intermediate (301). 

This group is prepared by the reaction of the anion of 9-hydroxyanthracene and the tosylate of an alcohol. Since the formation of this group requires an S 2 displacement on the alcohol to be protected, it is best suited for primaiy alcohols. It is cleaved by a novel singlet oxygen reaction followed by reduction of the endo-peroxide with hydrogen and Raney nickel. 

Ph2CHO)3PO, CF3COOH, CH2CI2, reflux, 1-5 h, 70-87% yield. Free alcohols are converted to the corresponding Dpm ethers. This reaction has also been used for the selective protection of amino acids as their tosylate salts (CCI4, 15 min-3 h, 63-91% yield). ... 

This sulfonyl urea, prepared from an amino acid and p-tosyl isocyanate in 20-80% yield, is cleaved by alcohols (95% aq. EtOH, n-PrOH, or -BuOH, 100°, 1 h, 95% yield). It is stable to dilute base, to acids (HBr/AcOH or cold CF3CO2H), and to hydrazine. ... 

Replacement of a primary or secondary hydroxyl function with deuterium is usually carried out by first converting the alcohol into a mesylate or tosylate ester, which can then be displaced by treatment with lithium aluminum deuteride. The... 

Other examples of the successful displacement of tosylates are the preparation of 31 -, 16a-,16j - and27- labeled steroids. This displacement reaction fails, however, with certain C-18 and C-19 alcohol derivatives which give mainly O—S instead of C—O bond cleavage. Unsatisfactory results were also obtained with sterically hindered tosylate esters at C-11, C-12 and C-20, which give considerable amounts of olefinic products in addition to O—S bond cleavage. ... 

The use of mesyl chloride for the dehydration of C-11 alcohols has already been mentioned, and mesylates can certainly be intermediates at least in the a-series. The preference for a coplanar trans arrangement is demonstrated by the well-known elimination reactions of tosylates of epimeric 20-alcohols (ref. 185, p. 616), although this does not restrict the usefulness of the reaction, and in some cases (sulfonates of 1 la-alcohols, for example) cw-elimination occurs (ref. 216, p. 293 ref. 224, 225, 226). 

A -Oleflns in the 5a-series are frequently formed by elimination from the tosylates of 3j5-alcohols. Contamination with A -compound is common, and puriflcation via a derivative (e.g. dibromide) may be necessary (see page 343). A 2-methyl substituent increases the selectivity ... 

It has been claimed that the elimination of tosylates of 3a-alcohols in 5jS-series gives 3-oleflns with high selectivity. However, the homogeneity of these products is questionable, in view of recent findings concerning the ehmination of 3-chloro compounds (see below) and Fieser s results with the elimination of methyl lithocholate tosylate (ref. 232, cf. ref. 233). Neutral alumina may also be used to effect elimination of tosylates of 3j5-alcohols if the alumina is pretreated with potassium hydroxide the inverted alcohol is the predominant product. 

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) has been used to effect the elimination of sulfonates at elevated temperatures (see, for example, ref. 237). Benzene-sulfonates are recommended. The elimination of a variety of sulfonates proceeds readily in this medium in the presence of potassium /-butoxide. A -Compounds have been formed at 100°, but heating is not necessary. The effects of temperature change, orientation of the hydroxy group and changes in the sulfonate employed have been examined. The principal side reaction appears to be formation of the original alcohol (uninverted), particularly with equatorial mesylates at low temperatures it is minimized with axial tosylates. 

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)... 

Trifluoromethyl-l-phenylethyl tosylate has been used to differentiate as shown in Table 1, the solvolytic power of three fluorinated solvents and to compare these with formic and acetic acids The three fluorinated solvents are trifluoroacetic acid, trifluoroethanol, and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropyl alcohol [55]... 

The elimination of water from a fluorinated compound generally follows a reaction path similar to that of its nonfluorinated counterpart, although the presence of the highly electronegative fluorine atoms may have unexpected effects Various monofluoro alcohols can be dehydrated via their tosyl esters at 75 C by using potassium rert-butoxide [80] (equation 50)... 

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