Dicarbonyl Compounds (Chapter 23) Flashcards
Ester + Ester ⟶ β-Ketoester
Claisen Condensation
Irreversible (Cannot Undergo Retro-Claisen Condensation)
Ester’ + Ester’’ ⟶ β-Ketoester
Ester-Ester Mixed Claisen Condensation
Irreversible
Ketone + Ester ⟶ β-Diketone
Ketone-Ester Mixed Claisen Condensation
Irreversible
Reagents: Claisen Condensation
Starting Material = Ester (w/ two α-Hydrogens)
- NaOCH2CH3, HOCH2CH3
- H2O, H2SO4
The ester reagent must possess two α-Hydrogens. (Ester reagents with zero/one α-Hydrogen will not undergo Claisen Condensation.)
Why must one ester possess two α-Hydrogens and the other ester possess no α-Hydrogens?
Ester-Ester Mixed Claisen Condensation
- One ester must possess no α-Hydrogens to ensure it is not deprotonated for form an ester enolate.
- One ester must possess two α-Hydrogens to ensure it is deprotonated to form an ester enolate.
Only one ester should become the ester enolate.
The ester possessing no α-Hydrogens should be in large excess to ensure it is preferentially attacked by the ester enolate (in favor of self-Claisen Condenation).
Why must the ester possessing no α-Hydrogens be in large excess?
Ester-Ester Mixed Claisen Condensation
The β-ketoester product will be the major product only if the non-α-Hydrogen ester is in large excess.
Without large excess of the non-α-Hydrogen ester, the self-Claisen Condensation produce may become the major product.
Reagents: Ester-Ester Mixed Claisen Condensation
Starting Materials = Two Unique Esters
- NaOCH2CH3
- H2O, H2SO4
- One ester must possess two α-Hydrogens, while the other ester must possess no α-Hydrogens.
- The ester possessing no α-Hydrogens must be in large excess (to ensure that it is attacked by the ester enolate nucleophile).
Mechanism: Ketone-Ester Mixed Claisen Condensation
- The hydride reagent deprotonates the α-Hydrogen of the ketone (to form an enolate).
- The enolate nucleophile attacks the carbonyl Carbon of the ester (to form a tetrahedral intermediate).
- Rearrangement of the oxide’s π-electrons forms a ketone and eliminates an alkoxide.
- The intercarbonyl** α-Hydrogen is deprotonated** (to form the β-diketone enolate).
- Acid workup protonates the intercarbonyl α-Carbon to yield the β-Diketone product.
Why is the ketone α-Hydrogen deprotonated before the ester α-Hydrogen?
Ketone-Ester Mixed Claisen Condensation
The ketone α-Hydrogen is more acidic (than the ester α-Hydrogen) due to the ester’s electron-donating ether Oxygen.
The ester’s ether Oxygen destabilizes the ester enolate (i.e. the conjugate base) due its electron-donating character.
Mechanism: Ester-Ester Mixed Claisen Condensation
- The alkoxide reagent/catalyst deprotonates the α-Hydrogen of one ester (to form an ester enolate).
- The ester enolate nucleophile attacks the carbonyl Carbon of the other ester (to form a tetrahedral intermediate).
- Rearrangement of the oxide’s π-electrons forms a ketone and eliminates an alkoxide.
- The intercarbonyl α-Hydrogen is deprotonated (to form the β-ketoester enolate).
- Acid workup protonates the intercarbonyl α-Carbon to yield the β-Ketoester product.
Reagents: Ketone-Ester Mixed Claisen Condensation
Starting Materials = Ketone + Ester
- NaH
- H2O, H2SO4
Mechanism: Claisen Condensation
- Deprotonation of Ester α-Hydrogen to Yield Ester Enolate
- Nucleophilic Addition of Ester Enolate to Another Ester Carbonyl
- π-Electron Rearrangement to Eliminate Alkoxide Group
- Deprotonation of Intercarbonyl α-Hydrogen to Form β-Ketoester Enolate
- Acid Workup to protonate Intercarbonyl α-Carbon.
The final β-Ketoester product is stable under weakly acidic conditions (i.e. cannot under retro-Claisen Condensation).
Driving Force: Claisen Condensation
Final Deprotonation to Yield β-Ketoester Enolate
Why is the final deprotonated step of Claisen Condensation highly favorable?
The intercarbonyl α-Hydrogens are significanly more acidic than the hydroxyl Hydrogens (of the basic catalyst’s conjugate acid), so α-Hydrogen deprotonation (to form the hydroxyl group on the catalytic base) readily occurs.
Why are ester reagents with zero α-Hydrogens unable to undergo Claisen Condensation?
The ester enolate (formed via or α-Hydrogen deprotonation) cannot be synthesized when no α-Hydrogen is present.
Why are ester reagents with one α-Hydrogen unable to undergo Claisen Condensation?
A second α-Hydrogen is required for the final/second deprotonation step that “drives” the Claisen Condensation reaction toward the β-Ketoester enolate product.
WIthout a second α-Hydrogen, the formed β-Ketoester cannot be deprotonated within the basic Claisen Condensation conditions. (The non-deprotonated β-Ketoester is highly unstable under basic conditions, so the overall condensation reaction is thermodynamically unfavorable.)
β-Ketoester ⟶ Ester + Ester
Retro-Claisen Condensation
Reversible
Retro-Claisen Condensation must occur under basic conditions.
β-Diketone ⟶ Ester + Ketone
Retro-Claisen Condensation
Reversible
Reagents: Retro-Claisen Condensation
Starting Material = β-Dicarbonyl (w/o α-Hydrogens)
NaOCH2CH3
- The reagent β-dicarbonyl can be either a β-Ketoester OR a β-Diketone.
- No α-Hydrogens can be present on the reagent β-dicarbonyl to ensure alkoxide addition to a carbonyl Carbon. (f the reagent β-dicarbonyl possesses α-Hydrogens, the alkoxide will facilitate deprotonation to form a β-Dicarbonyl enolate.)
Why is the self-Aldol Condensation of ketones thermodynamically unfavorable?
- The carbonyl Carbons of ketones are relatively stable (which decreases their susceptibility to nucleophilic attack by an enolate).
- The carbonyl Carbons of ketones experience steric hindrance (which inhibits attack by the nucleophilic enolate).
Self-Aldol Condensation of ketones does not occur.
Diester ⟶ Cyclic β-Ketoester
Intramolecular Claisen Condensation
Dieckmann Condensation
The Intramolecular Claisen Condensation reaction is effective for forming five-membered/six-membered rings.
Why are Ketoesters unable to undergo Intramolecular Claisen Condensation?
The ketone’s alkyl substituent cannot serve as a leaving group (following intramolecular attack of the ester enolate’s α-Carbon).
Since the ketone’s alkyl substituent cannot leave, the reformation of the ketone group (C=O) cannot occur.
Mechanism: Intramolecular Claisen Condensation
Dieckmann Condensation
- The alkoxide reagent/catalyst deprotonates the α-Hydrogen of one ester (to form an ester enolate).
- The ester enolate attacks the carbonyl Carbon of the other ester (to form a five-membered/six-membered ring).
- Rearrangement of the oxide’s π-electrons forms a ketone and eliminates an alkoxide.
- The intercarbonyl α-Hydrogen is deprotonated (to form the cyclic β-ketoester enolate).
- Acid workup protonates the intercarbonyl α-Carbon to yield the cyclic β-Ketoester product.
Reagents: Intramolecular Claisen Condensation
Dieckmann Condensation
- NaOCH2CH3
- H2O, H2SO4
β-Dicarbonyl ⟶ Alkyl-Substitued β-Dicarbonyl
β-Dicarbonyl = β-Ketoester OR β-Diketone OR β-Diester
β-Dicarbonyl Monoalkylation
β-Dicarbonyl ⟶ Dialkyl-Substitued β-Ketoester
β-Dicarbonyl = β-Ketoester OR β-Diketone OR β-Diester
β-Dicarbonyl Dialkylation