Uncatalyzed alkylation

The availability of non-racemic oxepins through tandem catalytic RCM and Zr-catalyzed kinetic resolution has additional important implications. Optically pure heterocycles that carry a heteroatom within their side chain (cf. (S)-14 in Scheme 3) can be used in stereoselective uncatalyzed alkylations. The alcohol, benzyl ether or MEM-ethers derived from (S)-14 readily undergo directed [10] and diastereoselective alkylations when treated with a variety of Grignard reagents [11]. 

Catalytic RCM plays two additional roles in enhancing the general utility of the uncatalyzed alkylation represented in Scheme 5 ... 

Scheme 6. Chiral medium-ring carbocydes can be prepared by catalytic RCM in conjunction with the directed uncatalyzed alkylation process...

The availability of oxepins that bear a side chain containing a Lewis basic oxygen atom (entry 2, Table 6.4) has further important implications in enantioselective synthesis. The derived alcohol, benzyl ether, or methoxyethoxymethyl (MEM) ethers, in which resident Lewis basic heteroatoms are less sterically hindered, readily undergo diastereoselective uncatalyzed alkylation reactions when treated with a variety of Grignard reagents [17]. The examples shown below (Scheme 6.7) demonstrate the excellent synthetic potential of these stereoselective alkylations. 

Allylic esters undergo both uncatalyzed and acid-catalyzed heterolysis. There is an important difference between the two processes uncatalyzed alkyl carbon-oxygen bond fission produces a carbonium carboxylate ion pair, while acid-catalyzed alkyl carbon-oxygen fission results in formation of an allylic carbonium ion and an uncharged carboxylic acid molecule. 

While the mechanism of the ammonium salt catalyzed alkylation is unclear, in polar solvents the enantioselectivity of the addition of dialkylzincs to aldehydes generally drops considerably, probably due to uncatalyzed product formation or complexation of the zinc reagent with the polar solvent rather than with the chiral auxiliary. 

Dichloro monomers can also be polymerized with bisphenols in the presence of fluorides as promoting agents.78 The fluoride ions promote the displacement of the chloride sites to form more reactive fluoride sites, which react with phenolate anion to form high-molecular-weight polymers. Adding 5-10 mol % phase transfer catalysts such as A-alkyl-4-(dialkylamino)pyridium chlorides significantly increased the nucleophilicity and solubility of phenoxide anion and thus shortened the reaction time to one fifth of the uncatalyzed reaction to achieve the same molecular weight.79... 

These profiles clearly show that in the gas phase the alkylations of both ammonia and water by o-QM are assisted by an additional water molecule H-bonded to o-QM (water-catalyzed mechanism), since S4 and S5 TSs are favored over their uncatalyzed counterparts (SI and S2) by 5.6 and4.0 kcal/mol [at the B3LYP/6-311 + G(d,p) level], respectively. In contrast, the reaction with hydrogen sulfide in the gas phase shows a slight preference for a direct alkylation without water assistance (by 0.8 kcal/mol). 

The bulk solvent effect on the reaction energy, described by the lower portion of Scheme 2.3, significantly modifies the relative importance of the uncatalyzed and water-assisted alkylation mechanism by o-QM in comparison to the gas phase. 

The mechanism of phosphate ester hydrolysis by hydroxide is shown in Figure 1 for a phosphodiester substrate. A SN2 mechanism with a trigonal-bipyramidal transition state is generally accepted for the uncatalyzed cleavage of phosphodiesters and phosphotriesters by nucleophilic attack at phosphorus. In uncatalyzed phosphate monoester hydrolysis, a SN1 mechanism with formation of a (POj) intermediate competes with the SN2 mechanism. For alkyl phosphates, nucleophilic attack at the carbon atom is also relevant. In contrast, all enzymatic cleavage reactions of mono-, di-, and triesters seem to follow an SN2... 

Catalytic RCM and Uncatalyzed Diastereoselective Alkylation of Unsaturated Heterocycles... 

Scheme 7. Uncatalyzed steroselective alkylation proceeds efficiently with a crotyl directing unit, which can be subsequently removed through catalytic RCM...

Finally, the most complex synthetic reaction clearly catalysed by RNA molecules generated by in vitro selection is the formation of the C-N bond of a nucleoside (Scheme 7), from 4-thiouracil and most of the natural substrate for the natural (uracil phos-phoribotransferase) reaction.1461. (Thiouracil was used because it is easily tagged by alkylation on sulfur.) The catalytic RNAs produced by 11 rounds of selection required Mg++ cations and had kcat as high as 0.13 min-1,with kcaJKM at least 107 times greater than the (undetectable) uncatalyzed reaction. Once again these systems are convincing, rather efficient enzyme mimics. 

In the uncatalyzed condensations of 2-aminopyridines, alkyl orthoformate, and dialkyl malonate at 110°C, 2-pyridylaminomethylenemalona-mates (263, R = H, Me R1 = Me, Et) were obtained in 20-25% yields. When isoamyl orthoformate was applied, a 5.2 4.8 mixture of ethyl and isoamyl N-(6-methyl-2-pyridyl)aminomethylenemalonamates (263, = Me, R1 = Et and isoamyl) was isolated in 90% yield (87SC549). 

Fig. 7.2. a) The most common mechanism of base-catalyzed ester hydrolysis, namely specific base catalysis (HCT catalysis) with tetrahedral intermediate and acyl cleavage. Not shown here are an W mechanism with alkyl cleavage observed with some tertiary alkyl esters, and an 5n2 mechanism with alkyl cleavage sometimes observed with primary alkyl esters, particularly methyl esters, b) Schematic mechanism of general base catalysis in ester hydrolysis. Intermolecular catalysis (bl) and intramolecular catalysis (b2). c) The base-catalyzed hydrolysis of esters is but a particular case of nucleophilic attack. Intermolecular (cl) and intramolecular (c2). d) Spontaneous (uncatalyzed) hydrolysis. This becomes possible when the R moiety is... 

Material accountability (the sum of recovered chloropinacolone, methyl pivaloyl acetate, and pinacolone) with the active Pd monophosphine and carbene complexes was in the range of 92-99% without accounting for impurities present in the starting chloropinacolone. A GC-MS examination of several product mixtures was undertaken to see if there were any additional, unanticipated by-products. The only additional material identified was a-methoxy pinacolone (l-methoxy-3,3-dimethyl-2-butanone). This compound was formed by methanolysis of the starting a-chloropinacolone and appears to be formed by a mixture of catalyzed and uncatalyzed processes Since this product was not anticipated, it was not quantified but represents the majority of, if not the only, remaining volatile product. No attempt was made to determine the presence of any quaternary ammonium salt formed by similar alkylation of the amine base by a-chloropinacolone. 

Although not discussed in this chapter, the Tsuji-Trost reaction159 is undoubtedly the most extensively investigated Pd-catalyzed allylation with allyl electrophiles. There have also been some uncatalyzed and Cu-catalyzed reactions of allyl electrophiles with alkyl metals and metal cyanides. On the other hand, the Pd- or Ni-catalyzed reactions of allyl electrophiles with organometals containing allyl-, benzyl-, propargyl- and other alkylmetals do not appear to have been extensively investigated. 

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