Guerbet reaction of primary alcohols leading to beta-alkylated dimer alcohols catalyzed by iridium complexes

[IrCl(cod)]2 and [Cp*IrCl2]2 complexes catalyzed efficiently the Guerbet reaction of primary alcohols to beta-alkylated dimer alcohols in good yields. For instance, the reaction of 1-butanol in the presence of [Cp*IrCl2]2 (1 mol %), t-BuOK (40 mol %), and 1,7-octadiene (10 mol %) produced 2-ethyl-1-hexanol in 93% yield. Various primary alcohols undergo the Guerbet reaction under the influence of Ir complexes to give the corresponding dimer alcohols in good yields. This method provides an alternative direct route to beta-alkylated primary alcohols which are prepared by aldol condensation of aldehydes followed by hydrogenation.     

Oppenauer oxidation of secondary alcohols with 1,1,1-trifluoroacetone as hydride acceptor

1,1,1-Trifluoroacetone (2a) reacts as a hydride-acceptor in the Oppenauer oxidation of secondary alcohols (1) in the presence of diethylethoxyaluminum. The oxidant allows for selective oxidation of secondary alcohols in the presence of primary alcohols.     

Efficient transesterification/acylation reactions mediated by N-heterocyclic carbene catalysts

Imidazol-2-ylidenes, a family of N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHC), are efficient catalysts in the transesterification involving numerous esters and alcohols. Low catalyst loadings of aryl- or alkyl-substituted NHC catalysts mediate the acylation of alcohols with enol acetates in short reaction times at room temperature. Commercially available and more difficult to cleave methyl esters react with primary alcohols in the presence of alkyl-substituted NHC to efficiently form the corresponding esters. While primary alcohols are selectively acylated over secondary alcohols with use of enol esters as acylating agents, methyl and ethyl esters can be employed as protective agents for secondary alcohols in the presence of the more active alkyl-substituted NHC catalysts. The NHC-catalyzed transesterification protocol was simplified by generating the imidazol-2-ylidene catalysts in situ.     

Esterification and Chemoselective Synthesis of R-Tetrahydrothiazo-2- thione-4-carboxylic Esters Catalyzed by TiCl4

A series of esters of R-tetrahydrothiazo-2-thione-4-carboxylic acid[R-TTCA] was synthesized by direct esterification of R-TTCA with alcohols(CH3OH,C2H5OH,n-C3H7OH,i-C3H7OH,n-C4H9OH,sec-C4H9OH)in the presence of TiCl4 as the catalyst at room temperature without using any other solvent or dehydrant in high yields,91.6%-99.1% for primary alcohols and 55%- 80% for secondary alcohols.The catalyst has a strong chemoselective activity for the esterification of primary alcohols with R-TTCA in the presence of secondary alcohols.Owing to high yield,high chemoselectivity,and mild conditions used,this is an efficient method for the esterification of primary alcohols with R-TTCA.     

Az—a colourful azulene-derived protecting group

Azulen-1-yl-dicarbonyl (Az) is a novel, coloured, protecting group used to mask primary and secondary alcohols. In particular, the use of Az in the construction of carbohydrates, where a number of orthogonal protecting groups are typically required, is of merit. Introduction and removal of the Az-group is performed easily and in near quantitative yields in the presence of other commonly used protecting groups, and the Az-group is compatible with glycosylation reactions using trichloroacetimidate donors. The deep-red colour of the Az-group greatly facilitates the purification of carbohydrate building blocks and the monitoring of coupling reactions. Of particular note is that the Az-group can be selectively introduced on diol systems and removed in the presence of esters, such as acetates.     

New synthesis of chiral 1,3-oxazinan-2-ones from carbohydrate derivatives

Chiral 1,3-oxazinan-2-ones are useful intermediates in synthesizing pharmaceutical compounds and amino alcohols. In this paper, we report a new synthetic method to chiral 6-hydroxymethyl 1,3-oxazinan-2-ones and their analogues from carbohydrate derivatives. The synthesis was accomplished by the reaction of optically pure 3-hydroxy-gamma-butyrolactone with a primary amine to give an amide, which was reduced and carbonylated to give the desired compound class.     

Synthesis of vinylcyclopentanes via samarium(II) mediated tandem reactions

In the presence of either visible light or HMPA, SmI₂ reacts with some carbohydrate derived ω-iodoallylic alcohols, and their acetylated derivatives, to give vinylcyclopentanediol and vinylcyclopentanetriol derivatives.     

三异丙氧钐催化下醇的选择性乙酰化反应

本文报道了三异丙氧钐(5%)催化下，以乙酸乙酯为乙酰化试剂醇的选择性乙酰化反应。此法操作简便，产率良好。     

Efficient and Highly Selective Oxidation of Primary Alcohols to Aldehydes by N-Chlorosuccinimide Mediated by Oxoammonium Salts

2,2,6,6-Tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy catalyzes efficient oxidation of primary alcohols to aldehydes by N-chlorosuccinimide, in a biphasic dichloromethane-aqueous pH 8.6 buffer system in the presence of tetrabutylammonium chloride. Aliphatic, benzylic, and allylic alcohols are readily oxidized with no overoxidation to carboxylic acids. Secondary alcohols are oxidized to ketones with a much lower efficiency. Very high chemoselectivities are observed when primary alcohols are oxidized in the presence of secondary ones. Primary-secondary diols are selectively transformed into hydroxy aldehydes, with, in some cases, no detectable formation of the isomeric keto alcohols.     

Stereospecific synthesis of 1,2-cis glycosides by vinyl-mediated IAD

[reaction: see text] Stereospecific 1,2-cis glycosylation of 2-O-vinyl thioglycosides, synthesized from the corresponding alcohols by Ir-catalyzed transvinylation with vinyl acetate, is achieved by iodine-mediated tethering of a range of primary and secondary carbohydrate acceptors, followed by intramolecular aglycon delivery (IAD). The use of such an intramolecular glycosylation strategy furnishes the desired alpha-gluco and beta-manno disaccharides in an entirely stereoselective manner.     

Oxidative dimerization of primary alcohols to esters catalyzed by iridium complexes

Primary alcohols undergo efficiently oxidative dimerization by iridium complexes under air without any solvent to form esters in fair to good yields. For instance, the reaction of 1-dodecanol in the presence of [IrCl(coe)₂]₂ (3 mol %) at 95 °C for 15 h produced dodecyl dodecanoate in 91% isolated yield. This is the first successful Ir-catalyzed oxidative dimerization of primary alcohols to esters using air as an oxidant. Various primary alcohols are converted to the corresponding esters in fair to good yields.     

Rapid and highly efficient trimethylsilylation of alcohols and phenols with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) catalyzed by reusable zirconyl triflate, [ZrO(OTf)2]

In this paper, rapid and efficient trimethylsilylation of alcohols and phenols with hexamethyldisilazane in the presence of catalytic amounts of ZrO(OTf)₂ is reported. Primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols as well as phenols were efficiently converted to their corresponding TMS ethers in short reaction times at room temperature. It is noteworthy that this method can be used for chemoselective silylation of primary alcohols in the presence of secondary and tertiary alcohols and phenols.     

Direct beta-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols catalyzed by a CpIr complex

A new catalytic system for beta-alkylation of secondary alcohols has been developed. In the presence of [CpIrCl(2)](2) (Cp = pentamethylcyclopentadienyl) catalyst and base, the reactions of various secondary alcohols with primary alcohols give beta-alkylated higher alcohols in good to excellent yields without any hydrogen acceptor or hydrogen donor. This reaction proceeds via successive hydrogen-transfer reactions and aldol condensation. [reaction: see text]     

Reaction of 3,3,4,4-tetracyanopyrrolidines with primary alcohols and amines

2,5-Substituted 3,3,4,4-tetracyanopyrrolidines react with primary alcohols in the presence of an excess of a base or with the base itself. 2-(N-Arylideneamino)-5-alkoxy-3,4-dicyanopyrroles are formed as a result of the reactions with alcohols, and 2,5-diamino-1-R-3,4-dicyanopyrroles are formed as the result of the reaction with primary aliphatic amines.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 11, pp. 1502–1507, November, 1991.     

Highly efficient tetrahydropyranylation of alcohols and phenols catalyzed by a new and reusable high-valent vanadium(IV) porphyrin

In the present work, the catalytic activity of high-valent tetraphenylporphyrinatovanadium(IV) trifluoromethanesulfonate, [V^IV(TPP)(OTf)₂], in the tetrahydropyranylation of alcohols and phenols with 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran (DHP) is reported. This new electron-deficient V(IV) compound was used as a highly efficient catalyst for pyranylation of primary (aliphatic and benzylic), sterically-hindered secondary and tertiary alcohols with DHP. Tetrahydropyranylation of phenols with DHP was also performed to afford the desired THP-ethers. The chemoselectivity of this method was also investigated. The results indicated that primary alcohols are more reactive in the presence of secondary and tertiary alcohols and phenols. This catalyst was reused several times without loss of its activity.     

Investigations into the synthesis of amine-linked neodisaccharides

Six tail-to-tail amine-linked neodisaccharides were synthesised as potential glycomimetics. Primary-primary linked compounds were synthesised using Mitsunobu chemistry with glucose-6-sulfonamides as nucleophiles and primary carbohydrate alcohols as electrophiles. Primary-secondary linked compounds were synthesised by epoxide ring opening with carbohydrate 6-amines. Deprotection of all neodisaccharides was carried out using dissolving metal reduction.     

Selective Acetylation of Primary Alcohols: Acetyl and Formyl Transfer Reactions with Copper(II) Salts

The efficient esterification of primary and secondary alcohols in acetic acid was achieved in the presence of Cu(NO₃)₂.3H₂O in high yields. Selective acetylation of primary in the presence of secondary hydroxyl groups in excellent yields were performed in EtOAc. Formylation of primary and secondary alcohols was also achieved easily in ethyl formate. High retention of configuration was observed in the acetylation and formylation of (-) menthol in the presence of Cu(NO₃)₂. 3H₂O and Cu(OAc)₂.H₂O.     

Lipase-mediated selective acetylation of primary alcohols in ethyl acetate

An environmental friendly process to selectively acetylate primary alcohols was demonstrated. The esterification process consists of treatment of a primary alcohol in the presence of immobilized C. antarctica lipase (Novozyme-435) in ethyl acetate at room temperature. Primary alcohols were acetylated in the presence of secondary alcohols and phenols.     

CuCl catalyzed selective oxidation of primary alcohols to carboxylic acids with tert-butyl hydroperoxide at room temperature

Direct oxidation of primary alcohols to the corresponding carboxylic acids is performed highly efficiently at room temperature with anhydrous tert-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of a catalytic amount of easily available CuCl under ligand free conditions in acetonitrile. Benzylic alcohols are more reactive than aliphatic alcohols, and these benzylic alcohols are selectively oxidized to the corresponding acids in the presence of aliphatic alcohols such as 1-octanol and 1-decanol.     

Efficient selective oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes catalyzed by a morpholinone nitroxide

Efficient chemoselective oxidation of primary alcohols to the corresponding aldehydes is described. The transformation is promoted by a catalytic morpholinone nitroxide radical catalyst which can be easily synthesized. A broad range of substrates including aromatic and aliphatic primary alcohols are converted with excellent yields under mild conditions. The control experiments reveal that the morpholinone nitroxide can be used as a selective oxidant for primary alcohols in the presence of secondary alcohols.