Transition epoxidation

Quinoline undergoes phase I metabolism to form an enamine oxide, a rapid transitional epoxide, which can then form DNA adducts. This epoxide is formed on the pyridine moiety of quinoline. Fluorination at position 3 completely prevents the mutagenicity of quinoline. The major metabolic enzyme is the CYP2E1 isoform with the primary end-product from this reaction being 3-hydroxyquinoline. 

Peroxy acid and alkene Transition state for oxygen transfer from the OH group of the peroxy acid to the alkene Acetic acid and epoxide ... 

With certain transition metals, eg, Ru(II)-tertiary phosphine complexes, the principal products are bis(epoxides) (82). 

This chemical bond between the metal and the hydroxyl group of ahyl alcohol has an important effect on stereoselectivity. Asymmetric epoxidation is weU-known. The most stereoselective catalyst is Ti(OR) which is one of the early transition metal compounds and has no 0x0 group (28). Epoxidation of isopropylvinylcarbinol [4798-45-2] (1-isopropylaHyl alcohol) using a combined chiral catalyst of Ti(OR)4 and L-(+)-diethyl tartrate and (CH2)3COOH as the oxidant, stops at 50% conversion, and the erythro threo ratio of the product is 97 3. The reason for the reaction stopping at 50% conversion is that only one enantiomer can react and the unreacted enantiomer is recovered in optically pure form (28). 

Physical and Chemical Properties. The (F)- and (Z)-isomers of cinnamaldehyde are both known. (F)-Cinnamaldehyde [14371-10-9] is generally produced commercially and its properties are given in Table 2. Cinnamaldehyde undergoes reactions that are typical of an a,P-unsaturated aromatic aldehyde. Slow oxidation to cinnamic acid is observed upon exposure to air. This process can be accelerated in the presence of transition-metal catalysts such as cobalt acetate (28). Under more vigorous conditions with either nitric or chromic acid, cleavage at the double bond occurs to afford benzoic acid. Epoxidation of cinnamaldehyde via a conjugate addition mechanism is observed upon treatment with a salt of /-butyl hydroperoxide (29). 

Transition metal-catalyzed epoxidations, by peracids or peroxides, are complex and diverse in their reaction mechanisms (Section 5.05.4.2.2) (77MI50300). However, most advantageous conversions are possible using metal complexes. The use of t-butyl hydroperoxide with titanium tetraisopropoxide in the presence of tartrates gave asymmetric epoxides of 90-95% optical purity (80JA5974). 

The remarkable stereospecificity of TBHP-transition metal epoxidations of allylic alcohols has been exploited by Sharpless group for the synthesis of chiral oxiranes from prochiral allylic alcohols (Scheme 76) (81JA464) and for diastereoselective oxirane synthesis from chiral allylic alcohols (Scheme 77) (81JA6237). It has been suggested that this latter reaction may enable the preparation of chiral compounds of complete enantiomeric purity cf. Scheme 78) ... 

More definitive evidence for the formation of an oxirene intermediate or transition state was presented recently by Cormier 80TL2021), in an extension of his earlier work on diazo ketones 77TL2231). This approach was based on the realization that, in principle, the oxirene (87) could be generated from the diazo ketones (88) or (89) via the oxocarbenes 90 or 91) or from the alkyne (92 Scheme 91). If the carbenes (90) (from 88) and (91) (from 89) equilibrate through the oxirene (87), and if (87) is also the initial product of epoxidation of (92), then essentially the same mixture of products (hexenones and ketene-derived products) should be formed on decomposition of the diazo ketones and on oxidation of the alkyne this was the case. 

Regioselectivity in opening of a-functionalized epoxides by treatment with trimethylamine dihydrofluoride has been observed. Thus, cw-isophorol epoxide gives exclusively 3-fluoro-l,2-diol, whereas from the trans isomer, 2-fluoro-l,3-diol is obtained as the main product together with 3-methylenecyclohexane-l,2-diol. This behavior has been discussed m terms of the influence of a-substituents on the transition state conformations [7 J] (equations 11 and 12). 

In 1990, Jacobsen and subsequently Katsuki independently communicated that chiral Mn(III)salen complexes are effective catalysts for the enantioselective epoxidation of unfunctionalized olefins. For the first time, high enantioselectivities were attainable for the epoxidation of unfunctionalized olefins using a readily available and inexpensive chiral catalyst. In addition, the reaction was one of the first transition metal-catalyzed... 

This model prediets that tri-substituted and tetra-substituted olefins would also be poor substrates. Thus it was not until 1994 that a study in the epoxidation of higher substituted olefins appeared. Indeed Jaeobsen revealed that tri-substituted olefins, and even tetra-substituted olefins ean be excellent substratesA new model was put forth that encompasses a skewed side-on approach of tri-substituted olefins to the Mn-oxo eomplex. The observation that certain tetrasubstituted olefins undergo epoxidation with good enantioseleetivity suggests that further studies are needed in order to fully understand the transition state geometry of the catalyst and substrate. 

A similar reaction patliway was found for tlie S u2 substitution of an epoxide witli a litliiuni aiprate duster [ 124]. tn contrast to tliat in tlie MeBr reaction, tlie ste-reodieniistry of tlie dectropb dic carbon center is already inverted in tlie transition state, providing tlie reason for tlie prefetLed "rrons-diaxial epoxide-opetiing" widely observed in syntlietic studies. Hie TS for tlie S 2 reaction of cydobexene oxide is shown in Eq. 10.12. 

The hydroxy oxygen of a peracid has a higher electrophilicity as compared to a carboxylic acid. A peracid 2 can react with an alkene 1 by transfer of that particular oxygen atom to yield an oxirane (an epoxide) 3 and a carboxylic acid 4. The reaction is likely to proceed via a transition state as shown in 5 (butterfly mechanism), where the electrophilic oxygen adds to the carbon-carbon n-hond and the proton simultaneously migrates to the carbonyl oxygen of the acid ... 

Evidently, the transition state for acid-catalyzed epoxide opening has an Sn2 -like geometry but also has a large amount of S]v-l-like carbocationic character- Since the positive charge in the protonated epoxide is shared by the more highly substituted carbon atom, backside attack of Br- occurs at the more highly substituted site. 

Oxidants Available for Selective Transition Metal-catalyzed Epoxidation... 

There are several available terminal oxidants for the transition metal-catalyzed epoxidation of olefins (Table 6.1). Typical oxidants compatible with most metal-based epoxidation systems are various alkyl hydroperoxides, hypochlorite, or iodo-sylbenzene. A problem associated with these oxidants is their low active oxygen content (Table 6.1), while there are further drawbacks with these oxidants from the point of view of the nature of the waste produced. Thus, from an environmental and economical perspective, molecular oxygen should be the preferred oxidant, because of its high active oxygen content and since no waste (or only water) is formed as a byproduct. One of the major limitations of the use of molecular oxygen as terminal oxidant for the formation of epoxides, however, is the poor product selectivity obtained in these processes [6]. Aerobic oxidations are often difficult to control and can sometimes result in combustion or in substrate overoxidation. In... 

Epoxidations of Olefins Catalyzed by Early Transition Metals... 

---