Vanadium complexes alcohols

Another interesting asymmetric epoxidation technique using metal catalysis involves the vanadium complexes of A-hydroxy-[2.2]paracyclophane-4-carboxylic amides (e.g., 19), which serve as catalysts for the epoxidation of allylic alcohols with f-butyl hydroperoxide as... 

Several anionic metal carbonyl hydrides stoichiometrically convert acyl chlorides to aldehydes. The anionic vanadium complex [Cp(CO)3VH] reacts quickly with acyl chlorides, converting them to aldehydes [44]. Although no further reduction of the aldehyde to alcohol was observed, the aldehydes reacted further under the reaction conditions in some cases, so a general procedure for isolation of the aldehydes was not developed. 

The development of transition metal mediated asymmetric epoxidation started from the dioxomolybdcnum-/V-cthylcphcdrinc complex,4 progressed to a peroxomolybdenum complex,5 then vanadium complexes substituted with various hydroxamic acid ligands,6 and the most successful procedure may now prove to be the tetroisopropoxyltitanium-tartrate-mediated asymmetric epoxidation of allylic alcohols. 

Reports have appeared claiming that triperoxo vanadates behave as nucleophilic oxidants. In particular, triperoxo vanadium complexes, A[V(02)3]3H20 (A=Na or K), are proposed as efficient oxidants of a,-unsaturated ketones to the corresponding epoxide, benzonitrile to benzamide and benzil to benzoic acid, reactions which are usually carried out with alkaline hydrogen peroxide. Subsequent studies concerning the oxidation of cyclobutanone to 4-hydroxybutanoic acid, carried out with the above-cited triperoxo vanadium compound, in alcohol/water mixtures, clearly indicated that such a complex does not act as nucleophilic oxidant, but only as a source of HOO anion. 

Alkoxo monoperoxo vanadium complexes are also efficient radical oxidants of the alcoholic function again with a radical chain mechanism whose details are indicated in Scheme 16 in the case of 2-propanol. Similar radical peroxo species have been indi- ... 

To probe hydroperoxide reactivity in these systems we studied the reaction of tert-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of [C5H5V(CO)4]. In contrast to the rhodium(I) and molybdenum complexes, [C5H5V-(CO)4] catalyzed the rapid decomposition of tert-butyl hydroperoxide to oxygen and tert-butyl alcohol in both toluene and TME (Table II). When reaction was done by adding the hydroperoxide rapidly to the vanadium complex in TME, no epoxide (I) was produced. However, when the TME solution of [C5H5V(CO)4] was treated with a small amount (2-3 times the molar quantity of vanadium complex) of tert-butyl hydroperoxide at room temperature, a species was formed in situ which could catalyze the epoxidation of TME. Subsequent addition of tert-butyl hydroperoxide gave I in 13% yield (Table II). This vanadium complex also could catalyze the epoxidation of the allylic alcohol (II) to give tert-butyl alcohol and IV (Reaction 14). Reaction 14 was nearly quantitative, and the reaction rate was considerably faster than with TME. 

Cyclohexene oxidation in the presence of the vanadium complex, [C5H5V(CO)4], gave a product distribution which differed greatly from that observed with either the iron or the molybdenum complex. The major product, l,2-epoxy-3-hydroxycyclohexane, IX, was not formed with the iron or molybdenum complexes. The epoxy alcohol, IX, represented... 

CO)J. Furthermore, when V was contacted with the vanadium complex in the presence of the more reactive allylic alcohol, II, the predominant product was IV (Reaction 18). Results are summarized in Table VII. 

As with TME oxidation, the vanadium (IV) complex, [(CsH oVClo], did not readily initiate cyclohexene oxidation. This complex, however, is an efficient catalyst for allylic alcohol epoxidation. The ability of the vanadium complex to initiate oxidation seems to be a function of its... 

There are also several situations where the metal can act as both a homolytic and heterolytic catalyst. For example, vanadium complexes catalyze the epoxidation of allylic alcohols by alkyl hydroperoxides stereoselectively,57 and they involve vanadium(V) alkyl peroxides as reactive intermediates. However, vanadium(V)-alkyl peroxide complexes such as (dipic)VO(OOR)L, having no available coordination site for the complexation of alkenes to occur, react homolyti-cally.46 On the other hand, Group VIII dioxygen complexes generally oxidize alkenes homolytically under forced conditions, while some rhodium-dioxygen complexes oxidize terminal alkenes to methyl ketones at room temperature. 

A vanadium complex with C2-symmetric bishydroxamic acids catalyses the epox-idation of allylic alcohols with ees up to 97% and excellent yields. The catalysts have been used for kinetic resolution of secondary allylic alcohols with high ee. The structure of a possible intermediate has been suggested.38... 

If the OH group is not blocked at all but left free, and the epoxidation reagent is the vanadium complex VO(acac)2 combined with f-BuOOH, the syn epoxide is formed instead. The vanadyl group chelates reagent and alcohol and delivers the reactive oxygen atom to the same face of the alkene. 

Epoxidation of allylic alcohols with peracids or hydroperoxide such as f-BuOaH in the presence of a transition metal catalyst is a useful procedure for the synthesis of epoxides, particularly stereoselective synthesis [587-590]. As the transition metal catalyst, molybdenum and vanadium complexes are well studied and, accordingly, are the most popular [587-590], (Achiral) titanium compounds are also known to effect this transformation, and result in stereoselectivity different from that of the aforementioned Mo- and V-derived catalysts. The stereochemistry of epoxidation by these methods has been compared for representative examples, including simple [591] and more complex trcMs-disubstituted, rrans-trisubstituted, and cis-trisubstituted allyl alcohols (Eqs (253) [592], (254) [592-594], and (255) [593]). In particular the epoxidation of trisubstituted allyl alcohols shown in Eqs (254) and (255) highlights the complementary use of the titanium-based method and other methods. More results from titanium-catalyzed diastereoselective epoxidation are summarized in Table 25. 

Epoxidations. Grafting tantalum onto silica to form a useful catalyst for the Sharpless asymmetric epoxidation of allyl alcohols is contrary to the ineffective titanium species on a similar support. Vanadium-complexed chiral hydroxamic... 

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