Dehydrogenation chemistry has long been established as a fundamental aspect of organic synthesis, commonly encountered in carbonyl compounds. Transition metal catalysis revolutionized it, with strategies like transfer-dehydrogenation, single electron transfer and C–H activation. These approaches, extended to multiple dehydrogenations, can lead to aromatization. Dehydrogenative transformations of aliphatic carboxylic acids pose challenges, yet engineered ligands and metal catalysis can initiate dehydrogenation via C–H activation, though outcomes vary based on substrate structures. Herein, we have developed a catalytic system enabling cyclohexane carboxylic acids to undergo multifold C–H activation to furnish olefinated arenes, bypassing lactone formation. This showcases unique reactivity in aliphatic carboxylic acids, involving tandem dehydrogenation-olefination-decarboxylation-aromatization sequences, validated by control experiments and key intermediate isolation. For cyclopentane carboxylic acids, reluctant to aromatization, the catalytic system facilitates controlled dehydrogenation, providing difunctionalized cyclopentenes through tandem dehydrogenation-olefination-decarboxylation-allylic acyloxylation sequences. This transformation expands carboxylic acids into diverse molecular entities with wide applications, underscoring its importance.
Direct Oxidation of Primary Alcohols to Carboxylic Acids
Abstract Oxidation of primary alcohols to carboxylic acids is a fundamental transformation in organic chemistry, yet despite its simplicity, extensive use, and relationship to pH, it remains a subject of active research for synthetic organic chemists. Since 2013, a great number of new methods have emerged that utilize transition-metal compounds as catalysts for acceptorless dehydrogenation of alcohols to carboxylates. The interest in this reaction is explained by its atom economy, which is in accord with the principles of sustainability and green chemistry. Therefore, the methods for the direct synthesis of carboxylic acids from alcohols is ripe for a modern survey, which we provide in this review. 1 Introduction 2 Thermodynamics of Primary Alcohol Oxidation 3 Oxometalate Oxidation 4 Transfer Dehydrogenation 5 Acceptorless Dehydrogenation 6 Electrochemical Methods 7 Outlook
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 1856395
- PAR ID:
- 10229633
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Synthesis
- Volume:
- 53
- Issue:
- 06
- ISSN:
- 0039-7881
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1023 to 1034
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
Abstract -
ABSTRACT Although alcohols are toxic to many microorganisms, they are good carbon and energy sources for some bacteria, including many pseudomonads. However, most studies that have examined chemosensory responses to alcohols have reported that alcohols are sensed as repellents, which is consistent with their toxic properties. In this study, we examined the chemotaxis of Pseudomonas putida strain F1 to n -alcohols with chain lengths of 1 to 12 carbons. P. putida F1 was attracted to all n -alcohols that served as growth substrates (C 2 to C 12 ) for the strain, and the responses were induced when cells were grown in the presence of alcohols. By assaying mutant strains lacking single or multiple methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins, the receptor mediating the response to C 2 to C 12 alcohols was identified as McfP, the ortholog of the P. putida strain KT2440 receptor for C 2 and C 3 carboxylic acids. Besides being a requirement for the response to n -alcohols, McfP was required for the response of P. putida F1 to pyruvate, l -lactate, acetate, and propionate, which are detected by the KT2440 receptor, and the medium- and long-chain carboxylic acids hexanoic acid and dodecanoic acid. β-Galactosidase assays of P. putida F1 carrying an mcfP-lacZ transcriptional fusion showed that the mcfP gene is not induced in response to alcohols. Together, our results are consistent with the idea that the carboxylic acids generated from the oxidation of alcohols are the actual attractants sensed by McfP in P. putida F1, rather than the alcohols themselves. IMPORTANCE Alcohols, released as fermentation products and produced as intermediates in the catabolism of many organic compounds, including hydrocarbons and fatty acids, are common components of the microbial food web in soil and sediments. Although they serve as good carbon and energy sources for many soil bacteria, alcohols have primarily been reported to be repellents rather than attractants for motile bacteria. Little is known about how alcohols are sensed by microbes in the environment. We report here that catabolizable n -alcohols with linear chains of up to 12 carbons serve as attractants for the soil bacterium Pseudomonas putida , and rather than being detected directly, alcohols appear to be catabolized to acetate, which is then sensed by a specific cell-surface chemoreceptor protein.more » « less
-
Our laboratory has reported that (CX3Phebox)Ir(H)(OAc) (X = H, F) catalysts are highly active for the acceptorless dehydrogenation of n-alkanes1, particularly in the presence of Lewis acids. In this work we report the synthesis of isoelectronic (Pybox)Os(H)(OAc) and (Pybox)Ru(H)(OAc), and investigation of these complexes for alkane dehydrogenation. DFT calculations predict (Pybox)Ru(H)(OAc) to catalyze acceptorless alkane dehydrogenation with a barrier lower than that for (CH3Phebox)Ir(H)(OAc), while the barrier calculated for (Pybox)Os(H)(OAc) is even lower. The rate-limiting step chem. for the catalytic cycle is calculated to be a net M-H/C-H σ-bond metathesis reaction, although expulsion of H2 from the reaction mixture was found to be rate-determining under typical conditions for acceptorless n-alkane dehydrogenation catalyzed by (CF3Phebox)Ir(H)(OAc). H/D exchange experiments were used to probe the kinetics of C-H activation yielding the order of activity: (Pybox)Os(H)(OAc) > (Pybox)Ru(H)(OAc) > (CF3Phebox)Ir(H)(OAc). Exptl. investigation of catalysis by (Pybox)Ru(H)(OAc) and (Pybox)Os(H)(OAc) is still in progress but the Ru complex, unfortunately, does not appear to be stable at the high temperatures required for acceptorless alkane dehydrogenation. We have also reported that (CH3Phebox)Ir(C2H4)2 catalyzes selective dehydrogenative coupling of ethylene to butadiene via an iridacyclopentane complex.2 In this work we used the precursor (Pybox)OsH4 to investigate the same catalytic reaction and appears to result in and analogous dehydrogenative coupling of ethylene to form butadiene via an osmacyclopentane.more » « less
-
Optical chirality sensing of unprotected amino acids, hydroxy acids, amino alcohols, amines and carboxylic acids based on a practical mix-and-measure protocol with readily available copper, iron, palladium, manganese, cerium or rhodium salts is demonstrated. The generation of strong cotton effects allows quantitative ee analysis of small sample amounts with high speed. In contrast to previously reported assays the use of chromophoric reporter ligands and the control of metal coordination kinetics and redox chemistry are not necessary which greatly simplifies the sensing procedure with the benefit of reduced waste production and cost.more » « less
-
null (Ed.)Sulfonamides feature prominently in organic synthesis, materials science and medicinal chemistry, where they play important roles as bioisosteric replacements of carboxylic acids and other carbonyls. Yet, a general synthetic platform for the direct conversion of carboxylic acids to a range of functionalized sulfonamides has remained elusive. Herein, we present a visible light-induced, dual catalytic platform that for the first time allows for a one-step access to sulfonamides and sulfonyl azides directly from carboxylic acids. The broad scope of the direct decarboxylative amidosulfonation (DDAS) platform is enabled by the efficient direct conversion of carboxylic acids to sulfinic acids that is catalyzed by acridine photocatalysts and interfaced with copper-catalyzed sulfur–nitrogen bond-forming cross-couplings with both electrophilic and nucleophilic reagents.more » « less