Unsaturated, conjugate addition

FIGURE 18 7 Nucleophilic addition to a p unsaturated aldehydes and ketones may take place either in a 1 2 or 1 4 manner Direct addition (1 2) occurs faster than conjugate addition (1 4) but gives a less stable product The product of 1 4 addition retains the carbon-oxygen double bond which is in general stronger than a carbon-carbon double bond... 

A synthetically useful reaction known as the Michael reaction, or Michael addition, involves nucleophilic addition of carbanions to a p unsaturated ketones The most common types of carbanions used are enolate 10ns derived from p diketones These enolates are weak bases (Section 18 6) and react with a p unsaturated ketones by conjugate addition... 

CONJUGATE ADDITION OF ORGANOCOPPER REAGENTS TO a,p-UNSATURATED CARBONYL COMPOUNDS... 

The preparation and some synthetic applications of lithium dialkylcuprates were described earlier (Section 14 11) The most prominent feature of these reagents is then-capacity to undergo conjugate addition to a p unsaturated aldehydes and ketones... 

Outline two ways in which 4 methyl 2 octanone can be pre pared by conjugate addition of an organocuprate to an a p unsaturated ketone... 

P carbon atom of an a 3 unsatu rated carbonyl compound is elec trophilic nucleophiles especially weakly basic ones yield the prod ucts of conjugate addition to a 3 unsaturated aldehydes and ketones... 

Stabilized anions exhibit a pronounced tendency to undergo conjugate addition to a p unsaturated carbonyl compounds This reaction called the Michael reaction has been described for anions derived from p diketones m Section 18 13 The enolates of ethyl acetoacetate and diethyl malonate also undergo Michael addition to the p carbon atom of a p unsaturated aldehydes ketones and esters For example... 

Ammonia and amines undergo conjugate addition to a 3 unsaturated carbonyl compounds (Section 18 12) On the basis of this information predict the pnncipal organic product of each of the following reactions... 

Acrolein (H2C=CHCH=0) undergoes conjugate addition with sodium azide in aqueous solution to give N3CH2CH2CH=0 Propanal is not an a 3 unsaturated carbonyl compound and cannot undergo conjugate addition... 

Conjugate acid (Section 1 13) The species formed from a Brpnsted base after it has accepted a proton Conjugate addition (Sections 1010 and 1812) Addition reaction in which the reagent adds to the termini of the con jugated system with migration of the double bond synony mous with 1 4 addition The most common examples include conjugate addition to 1 3 dienes and to a 3 unsaturated car bonyl compounds... 

The methodology used in the preparation of RU 486 (84) and other ll -steroids is shown. Conjugate addition of a cuprate reagent to the a,P-unsaturated epoxide (85) provides the liP-substituted steroid (86) stereospecificaHy (131). Subsequent steps lead to the synthesis of RU 486 (84). 

Methacryhc acid and its ester derivatives are Ctfjy -unsaturated carbonyl compounds and exhibit the reactivity typical of this class of compounds, ie, Michael and Michael-type conjugate addition reactions and a variety of cycloaddition and related reactions. Although less reactive than the corresponding acrylates as the result of the electron-donating effect and the steric hindrance of the a-methyl group, methacrylates readily undergo a wide variety of reactions and are valuable intermediates in many synthetic procedures. 

Conjugate addition to a P-halogen substituted methaciylate results in an addition—elimination reaction which regenerates the tZ,/ -unsaturated moiety (19-21). 

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). 

Many a,/ -unsaturated keto steroids undergo conjugate addition and thereby provide a unique route to aziridines. Treatment of 3j5-hydroxypregna-5, 16-diene-20-one acetate (48) with methoxyl-or ethoxylamine in ethanol under... 

The use of thiocyanic acid for thiirane synthesis is usually compatible with many functional groups found in natural steroids. The method has found application in androstanes, pregnanes, cholestanes, cholanates and cardeno-lides. However, the presence of a,j5-unsaturated carbonyl groups may decrease the yield of the thiocyanatohydrin due to conjugate addition of thiocyanic acid. Indeed, the 1,4-addition of thiocyanic acid has been carried... 

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