701
CHAPTER 18
ENOLS AND ENOLATES
I
n the preceding chapter you learned that nucleophilic addition to the carbonyl group
is one of the fundamental reaction types of organic chemistry. In addition to its own
reactivity, a carbonyl group can affect the chemical properties of aldehydes and ketones
in other ways. Aldehydes and ketones are in equilibrium with their enol isomers.
In this chapter you’ll see a number of processes in which the enol, rather than the alde-
hyde or a ketone, is the reactive species.
There is also an important group of reactions in which the carbonyl group acts as
a powerful electron-withdrawing substituent, increasing the acidity of protons on the
adjacent carbons.
This proton is far more acidic than a
hydrogen in an alkane.
R
2
CCRH11032
H
O
Aldehyde or
ketone
R
2
CHCRH11032
O
Enol
R
2
CCRH11032
OH
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As an electron-withdrawing group on a carbon–carbon double bond, a carbonyl
group renders the double bond susceptible to nucleophilic attack:
The presence of a carbonyl group in a molecule makes possible a number of chem-
ical reactions that are of great synthetic and mechanistic importance. This chapter is com-
plementary to the preceding one; the two chapters taken together demonstrate the extra-
ordinary range of chemical reactions available to aldehydes and ketones.
18.1 THE H9251-CARBON ATOM AND ITS HYDROGENS
It is convenient to use the Greek letters H9251, H9252, H9253, and so forth, to locate the carbons in a
molecule in relation to the carbonyl group. The carbon atom adjacent to the carbonyl is
the H9251-carbon atom, the next one down the chain is the H9252 carbon, and so on. Butanal, for
example, has an H9251 carbon, a H9252 carbon, and a H9253 carbon.
Hydrogens take the same Greek letter as the carbon atom to which they are
attached. A hydrogen connected to the H9251-carbon atom is an H9251 hydrogen. Butanal has two
H9251 protons, two H9252 protons, and three H9253 protons. No Greek letter is assigned to the hydro-
gen attached directly to the carbonyl group of an aldehyde.
PROBLEM 18.1 How many H9251 hydrogens are there in each of the following?
(a) 3,3-Dimethyl-2-butanone (c) Benzyl methyl ketone
(b) 2,2-Dimethylpropanal (d) Cyclohexanone
SAMPLE SOLUTION (a) This ketone has two different H9251 carbons, but only one
of them has hydrogen substituents. There are three equivalent H9251 hydrogens. The
other nine hydrogens are attached to H9252-carbon atoms.
Other than nucleophilic addition to the carbonyl group, the most important reac-
tions of aldehydes and ketones involve substitution of an H9251 hydrogen. A particularly well
studied example is halogenation of aldehydes and ketones.
3,3-Dimethyl-2-butanone
CH
3
±C±C±CH
3
H9251H9251
H9252
H9252
CH
3
H9252
CH
3
O
XW
W
Carbonyl group is reference point;
no Greek letter assigned to it.
O
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH
H9253H9252H9251
Normally, carbon–carbon double bonds are
attacked by electrophiles; a carbon–carbon
double bond that is conjugated to a carbonyl
group is attacked by nucleophiles.
O
R
2
C CHCRH11032
702 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
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18.2 H9251 HALOGENATION OF ALDEHYDES AND KETONES
Aldehydes and ketones react with halogens by substitution of one of the H9251 hydrogens:
The reaction is regiospecific for substitution of an H9251 hydrogen. None of the hydrogens
farther removed from the carbonyl group are affected.
Nor is the hydrogen directly attached to the carbonyl group in aldehydes affected. Only
the H9251 hydrogen is replaced.
PROBLEM 18.2 Chlorination of 2-butanone yields two isomeric products, each
having the molecular formula C
4
H
7
ClO. Identify these two compounds.
H9251 Halogenation of aldehydes and ketones can be carried out in a variety of sol-
vents (water and chloroform are shown in the examples, but acetic acid and diethyl ether
are also often used). The reaction is catalyzed by acids. Since one of the reaction prod-
ucts, the hydrogen halide, is an acid and therefore a catalyst for the reaction, the process
is said to be autocatalytic. Free radicals are not involved, and the reactions occur at
room temperature in the absence of initiators. Mechanistically, acid-catalyzed haloge-
nation of aldehydes and ketones is much different from free-radical halogenation of
alkanes. Although both processes lead to the replacement of a hydrogen by a halogen,
they do so by completely different pathways.
18.3 MECHANISM OF H9251 HALOGENATION OF ALDEHYDES
AND KETONES
In one of the earliest mechanistic investigations in organic chemistry, Arthur Lapworth
discovered in 1904 that the rates of chlorination and bromination of acetone were the
same. Later he found that iodination of acetone proceeded at the same rate as chlorination
O
Cyclohexanone
H11001 Cl
2
Chlorine
H
2
O
O
Cl
2-Chlorocyclohexanone
(61–66%)
H11001
Hydrogen
chloride
HCl
Aldehyde
or ketone
R
2
CCRH11032
H
O
R
2
CCRH11032
X
O
H9251-Halo aldehyde
or ketone
Halogen
X
2
Hydrogen
halide
HXH11001H11001
H
H11001
18.3 Mechanism of H9251 Halogenation of Aldehydes and Ketones 703
HBr
Hydrogen
bromide
CH
O
H
Cyclohexanecarbaldehyde
H11001 Br
2
Bromine
CH
O
Br
1-Bromocyclohexanecarbaldehyde (80%)
CHCl
3
H11001
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and bromination. Moreover, the rates of all three halogenation reactions, although first-
order in acetone, are independent of the halogen concentration. Thus, the halogen does
not participate in the reaction until after the rate-determining step. These kinetic obser-
vations, coupled with the fact that substitution occurs exclusively at the H9251-carbon atom,
led Lapworth to propose that the rate-determining step is the conversion of acetone to a
more reactive form, its enol isomer:
Once formed, this enol reacts rapidly with the halogen to form an H9251-halo ketone:
PROBLEM 18.3 Write the structures of the enol forms of 2-butanone that react
with chlorine to give 1-chloro-2-butanone and 3-chloro-2-butanone.
Both parts of the Lapworth mechanism, enol formation and enol halogenation, are
new to us. Let’s examine them in reverse order. We can understand enol halogenation
by analogy to halogen addition to alkenes. An enol is a very reactive kind of alkene. Its
carbon–carbon double bond bears an electron-releasing hydroxyl group, which activates
it toward attack by electrophiles.
The hydroxyl group stabilizes the carbocation by delocalization of one of the
unshared electron pairs of oxygen:
Participation by the oxygen lone pairs is responsible for the rapid attack on the
carbon–carbon double bond of an enol by bromine. We can represent this participation
explicitly:
Less stable resonance
form; 6 electrons on
positively charged
carbon.
CH
3
CH
2
Br
H11001
C
O
More stable resonance
form; all atoms (except
hydrogen) have octets
of electrons.
CH
3
CH
2
BrC
H11001
O HH
H11001H11001Br
H11002
Bromide
ion
CH
3
CH
2
Br
H11001
C
OH
Stabilized carbocation
very
fast
Br Br
Bromine
CH
3
CCH
2
OH
Propen-2-ol
(enol form
of acetone)
H9251-Halo derivative
of acetone
CH
3
CCH
2
X
O
Halogen
X
2
Hydrogen
halide
HXH11001H11001
Propen-2-ol (enol
form of acetone)
CH
3
CCH
2
OH
fast
Acetone
CH
3
CCH
3
O
Propen-2-ol (enol
form of acetone)
CH
3
CCH
2
OH
slow
704 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
The graphic that opened
this chapter is an electrostatic
potential map of the enol of
acetone.
Lapworth was far ahead of
his time in understanding
how organic reactions occur.
For an account of Lapworth’s
contributions to mechanistic
organic chemistry, see the
November 1972 issue of the
Journal of Chemical Educa-
tion, pp. 750–752.
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Writing the bromine addition step in this way emphasizes the increased nucleophilicity
of the enol double bond and identifies the source of that increased nucleophilicity as the
enolic oxygen.
PROBLEM 18.4 Represent the reaction of chlorine with each of the enol forms
of 2-butanone (see Problem 18.3) according to the curved arrow formalism just
described.
The cationic intermediate is simply the protonated form (conjugate acid) of the
H9251-halo ketone. Deprotonation of the cationic intermediate gives the products.
Having now seen how an enol, once formed, reacts with a halogen, let us consider
the process of enolization itself.
18.4 ENOLIZATION AND ENOL CONTENT
Enols are related to an aldehyde or a ketone by a proton-transfer equilibrium known as
keto–enol tautomerism. (Tautomerism refers to an interconversion between two struc-
tures that differ by the placement of an atom or a group.)
The mechanism of enolization involves two separate proton-transfer steps rather
than a one-step process in which a proton jumps from carbon to oxygen. It is relatively
slow in neutral media. The rate of enolization is catalyzed by acids as shown by the
mechanism in Figure 18.1. In aqueous acid, a hydronium ion transfers a proton to the
carbonyl oxygen in step 1, and a water molecule acts as a Br?nsted base to remove a
proton from the H9251-carbon atom in step 2. The second step is slower than the first. The
first step involves proton transfer between oxygens, and the second is a proton transfer
from carbon to oxygen.
You have had earlier experience with enols in their role as intermediates in the
hydration of alkynes (Section 9.12). The mechanism of enolization of aldehydes and
ketones is precisely the reverse of the mechanism by which an enol is converted to a
carbonyl compound.
The amount of enol present at equilibrium, the enol content, is quite small for sim-
ple aldehydes and ketones. The equilibrium constants for enolization, as shown by the
following examples, are much less than 1.
Keto form
RCH
2
CRH11032
O
Enol form
RCH CRH11032
OH
tautomerism
H11001
Cationic intermediate
Br
H11002
O
H11001
CH
3
CH
2
BrC
H
CH
3
CCH
2
Br
O
Bromoacetone
H Br
Hydrogen bromide
H11001 Br
H11002
CH
3
CH
2
BrC
Br Br
CH
3
CCH
2
OH
H11001
OH
18.4 Enolization and Enol Content 705
The keto and enol forms are
constitutional isomers. Using
older terminology they are
referred to as tautomers of
each other.
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In these and numerous other simple cases, the keto form is more stable than the enol by
some 45–60 kJ/mol (11–14 kcal/mol). The chief reason for this difference is that a car-
bon–oxygen double bond is stronger than a carbon–carbon double bond.
With unsymmetrical ketones, enolization may occur in either of two directions:
The ketone is by far the most abundant species present at equilibrium. Both enols are
also present, but in very small concentrations.
2-Butanone
(keto form)
CH
3
CCH
2
CH
3
O
2-Buten-2-ol
(enol form)
CH
3
CCHCH
3
OH
1-Buten-2-ol
(enol form)
CH
2
CCH
2
CH
3
OH
Acetaldehyde
(keto form)
CH
3
CH
O
Vinyl alcohol
(enol form)
CH
2
CHOH K H11015 3 H11003 10
H110027
Acetone
(keto form)
CH
3
CCH
3
O
Propen-2-ol
(enol form)
CH
2
CCH
3
OH
K H11015 6 H11003 10
H110029
706 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
Overall reaction:
Step 1: A proton is transferred from the acid catalyst to the carbonyl oxygen.
RCH
2
CRH11032
Aldehyde or ketone
Aldehyde
or ketone
Enol
fast
O
X
RCH
2
CRH11032 H11001 ORCH
2
CRH11032 H11001 H
±
O
H
3
O
H11001
RCH
?
CRH11032
OH
W
Enol
RCH
?
CRH11032 H11001 H
±
O
O
±
H
W
H11001
H11001
Hydronium
ion
Conjugate acid of
carbonyl compound
Water
Step 2: A water molecule acts as a Br?nsted base to remove a proton from the
H9251 carbon atom of the protonated aldehyde or ketone.
Hydronium
ion
H11001
O
±
H
X
O
X
H
H
±
±
H
H
±
±
H
H
±
±
RCH
±
CRH11032 H11001 O
Conjugate acid of
carbonyl compound
Water
H11001
O
±
H
X
H
H
±
±
BNA
BNA
slow
BNA
W
H
FIGURE 18.1 Mechanism of
acid-catalyzed enolization of
an aldehyde or ketone in
aqueous solution.
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PROBLEM 18.5 Write structural formulas corresponding to
(a) The enol form of 2,4-dimethyl-3-pentanone
(b) The enol form of acetophenone
(c) The two enol forms of 2-methylcyclohexanone
SAMPLE SOLUTION (a) Remember that enolization involves the H9251-carbon atom.
The ketone 2,4-dimethyl-3-pentanone gives a single enol, since the two H9251 carbons
are equivalent.
It is important to recognize that an enol is a real substance, capable of indepen-
dent existence. An enol is not a resonance form of a carbonyl compound; the two are
constitutional isomers of each other.
18.5 STABILIZED ENOLS
Certain structural features can make the keto–enol equilibrium more favorable by stabi-
lizing the enol form. Enolization of 2,4-cyclohexadienone is one such example:
The enol is phenol, and the stabilization gained by forming an aromatic ring is more
than enough to overcome the normal preference for the keto form.
A 1,3 arrangement of two carbonyl groups (compounds called H9252-diketones) leads
to a situation in which the keto and enol forms are of comparable stability.
The two most important structural features that stabilize the enol of a H9252-dicarbonyl com-
pound are (1) conjugation of its double bond with the remaining carbonyl group and (2)
the presence of a strong intramolecular hydrogen bond between the enolic hydroxyl
group and the carbonyl oxygen (Figure 18.2).
In H9252-diketones it is the methylene group flanked by the two carbonyls that is
involved in enolization. The alternative enol
4-Hydroxy-4-penten-2-one
CH
2
CCH
2
CCH
3
OH O
2,4-Pentanedione (20%)
(keto form)
CH
3
CCH
2
CCH
3
O O
4-Hydroxy-3-penten-2-one (80%)
(enol form)
CH
3
CCHCCH
3
OH O
K H11005 4
K is too large to measure.
O
2,4-Cyclohexadienone
(keto form, not
aromatic)
OH
Phenol
(enol form, aromatic)
2,4-Dimethyl-3-pentanone
(keto form)
(CH
3
)
2
CHCCH(CH
3
)
2
O
2,4-Dimethyl-2-penten-3-ol
(enol form)
(CH
3
)
2
C CCH(CH
3
)
2
OH
18.5 Stabilized Enols 707
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does not have its carbon–carbon double bond conjugated with the carbonyl group, is not
as stable, and is present in negligible amounts at equilibrium.
PROBLEM 18.6 Write structural formulas corresponding to
(a) The two most stable enol forms of
(b) The two most stable enol forms of 1-phenyl-1,3-butanedione
SAMPLE SOLUTION (a) Enolization of this 1,3-dicarbonyl compound can involve
either of the two carbonyl groups:
Both enols have their carbon–carbon double bonds conjugated to a carbonyl
group and can form an intramolecular hydrogen bond. They are of comparable
stability.
18.6 BASE-CATALYZED ENOLIZATION: ENOLATE ANIONS
The proton-transfer equilibrium that interconverts a carbonyl compound and its enol can
be catalyzed by bases as well as by acids. Figure 18.3 illustrates the roles of hydroxide
ion and water in a base-catalyzed enolization. As in acid-catalyzed enolization, protons
are transferred sequentially rather than in a single step. First (step 1), the base abstracts
CH
O
H
O
CH
3
C
C
H
CH
O
H
O
CH
3
C
C
H
CH
3
CCH
2
CH
O O
CH
3
CCH
2
CH
O
X
O
X
708 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
(a)
C
CH
3
C
O
H
C
O
CH
3
H
O
---
H separation in
intramolecular hydrogen
bond is 166 pm
124 pm
103 pm
133 pm
134 pm 141 pm
(b)
FIGURE 18.2 (a) A
molecular model and (b) bond
distances in the enol form of
2,4-pentanedione.
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a proton from the H9251-carbon atom to yield an anion. This anion is a resonance-stabilized
species. Its negative charge is shared by the H9251-carbon atom and the carbonyl oxygen.
Protonation of this anion can occur either at the H9251 carbon or at oxygen. Protonation of
the H9251 carbon simply returns the anion to the starting aldehyde or ketone. Protonation of
oxygen, as shown in step 2 of Figure 18.3, produces the enol.
The key intermediate in this process, the conjugate base of the carbonyl compound,
is referred to as an enolate ion, since it is the conjugate base of an enol. The term “eno-
late” is more descriptive of the electron distribution in this intermediate in that oxygen
bears a greater share of the negative charge than does the H9251-carbon atom.
The slow step in base-catalyzed enolization is formation of the enolate ion. The
second step, proton transfer from water to the enolate oxygen, is very fast, as are almost
all proton transfers from one oxygen atom to another.
CRH11032RCH
O
H11002
RCH CRH11032
O
H11002
Electron delocalization
in conjugate base of ketone
18.6 Base-Catalyzed Enolization: Enolate Anions 709
H11002
Overall reaction:
Step 1: A proton is abstracted by hydroxide ion from the H9251 carbon atom of the
carbonyl compound.
RCH
2
CRH11032
Aldehyde or ketone
Aldehyde
or ketone
Enol
slow
O
X
RCH
±
CRH11032 H11001 ORCH
±
CRH11032 H11001 O
HO
H11002
RCH
?
CRH11032
OH
W
Enol
RCH
?
CRH11032 H11001 O
O
±
H
W
H11002
H11002
H11002
Hydroxide
ion
Conjugate base of
carbonyl compound
Water
Step 2: A water molecule acts as a Br?nsted acid to transfer a proton to the oxygen
of the enolate ion.
Hydroxide
ion
O
X
O
X
H
±
H
H
±
±
H
±
RCH
?
CRH11032 H11001 O
Conjugate base of
carbonyl compound
Water
O
W
H
H
±
±
BNA
BNA
fast
BNA
W
H
FIGURE 18.3 Mechanism of
the base-catalyzed enoliza-
tion of an aldehyde or
ketone in aqueous solution.
Examine the enolate of ace-
tone on Learning By Model-
ing. How is the negative
charge distributed between
oxygen and the H9251 carbon?
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Our experience to this point has been that C±H bonds are not very acidic. Com-
pared with most hydrocarbons, however, aldehydes and ketones have relatively acidic
protons on their H9251-carbon atoms. Equilibrium constants for enolate formation from sim-
ple aldehydes and ketones are in the 10
H1100216
to 10
H1100220
range (pK
a
H11005 16–20).
Delocalization of the negative charge onto the electronegative oxygen is responsi-
ble for the enhanced acidity of aldehydes and ketones. With K
a
’s in the 10
H1100216
to 10
H1100220
range, aldehydes and ketones are about as acidic as water and alcohols. Thus, hydrox-
ide ion and alkoxide ions are sufficiently strong bases to produce solutions containing
significant concentrations of enolate ions at equilibrium.
H9252-Diketones, such as 2,4-pentanedione, are even more acidic:
In the presence of bases such as hydroxide, methoxide, and ethoxide, these H9252-diketones
are converted completely to their enolate ions. Notice that it is the methylene group
flanked by the two carbonyl groups that is deprotonated. Both carbonyl groups partici-
pate in stabilizing the enolate by delocalizing its negative charge.
PROBLEM 18.7 Write the structure of the enolate ion derived from each of the
following H9252-dicarbonyl compounds. Give the three most stable resonance forms
of each enolate.
(a) 2-Methyl-1,3-cyclopentanedione
(b) 1-Phenyl-1,3-butanedione
(c)
SAMPLE SOLUTION (a) First identify the proton that is removed by the base. It
is on the carbon between the two carbonyl groups.
CH
O
O
H
3
C
C
C
H
C
CH
3
O O
H11002
H
3
C
C
H11002
C
H
C
CH
3
O O
H
3
C
C
O
C
H
C
CH
3
H11002
O
CHCCH
3
O
CH
3
C
O
H11002
H
H11001
K
a
H11005 10
H110029
(pK
a
H11005 9)
H11001CH
3
CCH
2
CCH
3
OO
CH(CH
3
)
2
C
O
H11002
H
H11001
K
a
H11005 3 H11003 10
H1100216
(pK
a
H11005 15.5)
H11001(CH
3
)
2
CHCH
O
2-Methylpropanal
CH
2
C
6
H
5
C
O
H11002
H
H11001
K
a
H11005 1.6 H11003 10
H1100216
(pK
a
H11005 15.8)
H11001C
6
H
5
CCH
3
O
Acetophenone
710 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
Learning By Modeling
contains molecular models of
the enolates of acetone and 2,4-
pentanedione. Compare the two
with respect to the distribution
of negative charge.
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The three most stable resonance forms of this anion are
Enolate ions of H9252-dicarbonyl compounds are useful intermediates in organic syn-
thesis. We shall see some examples of how they are employed in this way later in the
chapter.
18.7 THE HALOFORM REACTION
Rapid halogenation of the H9251-carbon atom takes place when an enolate ion is generated
in the presence of chlorine, bromine, or iodine.
As in the acid-catalyzed halogenation of aldehydes and ketones, the reaction rate is inde-
pendent of the concentration of the halogen; chlorination, bromination, and iodination
all occur at the same rate. Formation of the enolate is rate-determining, and, once formed,
the enolate ion reacts rapidly with the halogen.
Unlike its acid-catalyzed counterpart, H9251 halogenation in base cannot normally be
limited to monohalogenation. Methyl ketones, for example, undergo a novel polyhalo-
genation and cleavage on treatment with a halogen in aqueous base.
This is called the haloform reaction because the trihalomethane produced is chloroform,
bromoform, or iodoform, depending, of course, on the halogen used.
The mechanism of the haloform reaction begins with H9251 halogenation via the eno-
late. The electron-attracting effect of an H9251 halogen increases the acidity of the protons
on the carbon to which it is bonded, making each subsequent halogenation at that car-
bon faster than the preceding one.
Methyl
ketone
RCCH
3
O
Carboxylate
ion
RCO
H11002
O
Halogen
3X
2
Trihalomethane
CHX
3
Water
3H
2
O
Halide
ion
3X
H11002
Hydroxide
ion
4HO
H11002
H11001H11001 H11001 H11001H11001
Aldehyde
or ketone
R
2
CHCRH11032
O
H9251-Halo aldehyde
or ketone
R
2
CCRH11032
O
X
Enolate
R
2
C CRH11032
O
H11002
HO
H11002
, slow
X
2
, fast
OO
H11002
O
CH
3
H11002
H11002
O
CH
3
O
CH
3
O
H OH
O
O
CH
3
H11002
H11001OH
H11002
O
CH
3
H
O
18.7 The Haloform Reaction 711
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The trihalomethyl ketone so formed then undergoes nucleophilic addition of
hydroxide ion to its carbonyl group, triggering its dissociation.
The three electron-withdrawing halogen substituents stabilize the negative charge of the
trihalomethide ion (
H11002
:CX
3
), permitting it to act as a leaving group in the carbon–carbon
bond cleavage step.
The haloform reaction is sometimes used for the preparation of carboxylic acids
from methyl ketones.
The methyl ketone shown in the example can enolize in only one direction and typifies
the kind of reactant that can be converted to a carboxylic acid in synthetically accept-
able yield by the haloform reaction. When C-3 of a methyl ketone bears enolizable hydro-
gens, as in , the first halogenation step is not very regioselective and the
isolated yield of CH
3
CH
2
CO
2
H is only about 50%.
The haloform reaction, using iodine, was once used as an analytical test in which
the formation of a yellow precipitate of iodoform was taken as evidence that a substance
was a methyl ketone. This application has been superseded by spectroscopic methods of
structure determination. Interest in the haloform reaction has returned with the realiza-
tion that chloroform and bromoform occur naturally and are biosynthesized by an anal-
ogous process. (See the boxed essay “The Haloform Reaction and the Biosynthesis of
Trihalomethanes.”)
CH
3
CH
2
CCH
3
O
X
3,3-Dimethyl-2-butanone
(CH
3
)
3
CCCH
3
O
2,2-Dimethylpropanoic
acid (71–74%)
(CH
3
)
3
CCOH
O
Tribromomethane
(bromoform)
CHBr
3
H11001
1. Br
2
, NaOH, H
2
O
2. H
H11001
O
RCCX
3
Trihalomethyl
ketone
HO
H11002
O
RC
H11002
CX
3
OH
H11001
O
RC OH
HO
H11002
H11002
O
RC O
Carboxylate
ion
H
2
O
CX
3
H11002
Trihalomethane
HCX
3
(RCCX
3
)
O
X
RCCH
3
O
RCCH
2
X
O
RCCHX
2
O
RCCX
3
O
(slowest
halogenation
step)
X
2
, HO
H11002
X
2
, HO
H11002
X
2
, HO
H11002
(fastest
halogenation
step)
712 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
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18.8 SOME CHEMICAL AND STEREOCHEMICAL CONSEQUENCES
OF ENOLIZATION
A number of novel reactions involving the H9251-carbon atom of aldehydes and ketones
involve enol and enolate anion intermediates.
Substitution of deuterium for hydrogen at the H9251-carbon atom of an aldehyde or a
ketone is a convenient way to introduce an isotopic label into a molecule and is readily
carried out by treating the carbonyl compound with deuterium oxide (D
2
O) and base.
18.8 Some Chemical and Stereochemical Consequences of Enolization 713
THE HALOFORM REACTION AND THE BIOSYNTHESIS OF TRIHALOMETHANES
U
ntil scientists started looking specifically for
them, it was widely believed that naturally oc-
curring organohalogen compounds were rare.
We now know that more than 2000 such compounds
occur naturally, with the oceans being a particularly
rich source.
*
Over 50 organohalogen compounds,
including CHBr
3
, CHBrClI, BrCH
2
CH
2
I, CH
2
I
2
,
Br
2
CHCH?O, I
2
CHCO
2
H, and (Cl
3
C)
2
C?O, have been
found in a single species of Hawaiian red seaweed, for
example. It is not surprising that organisms living in the
oceans have adapted to their halide-rich environment
by incorporating chlorine, bromine, and iodine into
their metabolic processes. Chloromethane (CH
3
Cl), bro-
momethane (CH
3
Br), and iodomethane (CH
3
l) are all
produced by marine algae and kelp, but land-based
plants and fungi also contribute their share to the
more than 5 million tons of the methyl halides formed
each year by living systems. The ice plant, which grows
in arid regions throughout the world and is cultivated
as a ground cover along coastal highways in California,
biosynthesizes CH
3
Cl by a process in which nucleophilic
attack by chloride ion (Cl
H11002
) on the methyl group of S-
adenosylmethionine is the key step (Section 16.17).
Interestingly, the trihalomethanes chloroform
(CHCl
3
), bromoform (CHBr
3
), and iodoform (CHl
3
) are
biosynthesized by an entirely different process, one
that is equivalent to the haloform reaction (Section
18.7) and begins with the formation of an H9251-halo ke-
tone. Unlike the biosynthesis of methyl halides,
which requires attack by a halide nucleophile (X
H11002
), H9251
halogenation of a ketone requires attack by an elec-
trophilic form of the halogen. For chlorination, the
electrophilic form of the halogen is generated by
oxidation of Cl
H11002
in the presence of the enzyme
chloroperoxidase. Thus, the overall equation for the
enzyme-catalyzed chlorination of a methyl ketone
may be written as
Further chlorination of the chloromethyl ketone
gives the corresponding trichloromethyl ketone,
which then undergoes hydrolysis to form chloroform.
Purification of drinking water, by adding Cl
2
to
kill bacteria, is a source of electrophilic chlorine and
contributes a nonenzymatic pathway for H9251 chlorina-
tion and subsequent chloroform formation. Al-
though some of the odor associated with tap water
may be due to chloroform, more of it probably results
from chlorination of algae-produced organic com-
pounds.
Chloromethyl
ketone
ClCH
2
CR
O
X
chloro-
peroxidase
Cl
H11002
, O
2
chloro-
peroxidase
Cl
H11002
, O
2
Carboxylate
RCO
2
H11002
Chloroform
Cl
3
CH H11001
Dichloromethyl
ketone
Cl
2
CHCR
O
X
Trichloromethyl
ketone
Cl
3
CCR
O
X
H
2
O
HO
H11002
Chloromethyl
ketone
ClCH
2
CR
O
X
Hydroxide
HO
H11002
H11001
Methyl
ketone
CH
3
CR
O
X
Chloride
Cl
H11002
H11001H11001
Oxygen
O
2
1
2
chloroperoxidase
*
The November 1994 edition of the Journal of Chemical Education contains as its cover story the article “Natural Organohalogens. Many
More Than You Think!”
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Only the H9251 hydrogens are replaced by deuterium in this reaction. The key intermediate
is the enolate ion formed by proton abstraction from the H9251-carbon atom of cyclopen-
tanone. Transfer of deuterium from the solvent D
2
O to the enolate gives cyclopentanone
containing a deuterium atom in place of one of the hydrogens at the H9251 carbon.
Formation of the enolate
Deuterium transfer to the enolate
In excess D
2
O the process continues until all four H9251 protons are eventually replaced by
deuterium.
PROBLEM 18.8 After the compound shown was heated in D
2
O containing K
2
CO
3
at 70°C the only signals that could be found in its
1
H NMR spectrum were at H9254
3.9 ppm (6H) and H9254 6.7–6.9 ppm (3H). What happened?
If the H9251-carbon atom of an aldehyde or a ketone is a stereogenic center, its stereo-
chemical integrity is lost on enolization. Enolization of optically active sec-butyl phenyl
ketone leads to its racemization by way of the achiral enol form.
Each act of proton abstraction from the H9251-carbon atom converts a chiral molecule to an
achiral enol or enolate anion. Careful kinetic studies have established that the rate of loss
CH
3
O CH
2
CCH
3
CH
3
O
O
H11001H11001
H
H
H
O
H11002
Enolate of cyclopentanone
O
D
H
H
H
Cyclopentanone-2-d
1
H11002
ODOD D
H11001 H11001 HOD
H
H
H
O
H11002
Enolate of cyclopentanone
O
H
H
H
H
Cyclopentanone
H11002
OD
4D
2
O 4DOH
O
Cyclopentanone
H11001
KOD
reflux
O
D
D
D
D
Cyclopentanone-2,2,5,5-d
4
H11001
714 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
HO
H11002
, H
2
O,
or H
3
O
H11001
HO
H11002
, H
2
O,
or H
3
O
H11001
C
6
H
5
C
O
C
H
CH
2
CH
3
CH
3
(R)-sec-Butyl phenyl
ketone
CC
6
H
5
C
HO
CH
3
CH
2
CH
3
Enol form [achiral; may be
converted to either (R)- or (S)-
sec-butyl phenyl ketone]
C
6
H
5
C
O
C
H
CH
2
CH
3
CH
3
(S)-sec-Butyl phenyl ketone
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of optical activity of sec-butyl phenyl ketone is equal to its rate of hydrogen–deuterium
exchange, its rate of bromination, and its rate of iodination. In each case, the rate-
determining step is conversion of the starting ketone to the enol or enolate anion.
PROBLEM 18.9 Is the product from the H9251 chlorination of (R)-sec-butyl phenyl
ketone with Cl
2
in acetic acid chiral? Is it optically active?
18.9 THE ALDOL CONDENSATION
As noted earlier, an aldehyde is partially converted to its enolate anion by bases such as
hydroxide ion and alkoxide ions.
In a solution that contains both an aldehyde and its enolate ion, the enolate undergoes
nucleophilic addition to the carbonyl group. This addition is analogous to the addition
reactions of other nucleophilic reagents to aldehydes and ketones described in Chapter 17.
The alkoxide formed in the nucleophilic addition step then abstracts a proton from the
solvent (usually water or ethanol) to yield the product of aldol addition. This product
is known as an aldol because it contains both an aldehyde function and a hydroxyl group
(ald H11001 ol H11005 aldol).
An important feature of aldol addition is that carbon–carbon bond formation occurs
between the H9251-carbon atom of one aldehyde and the carbonyl group of another. This is
because carbanion (enolate) generation can involve proton abstraction only from the
H9251-carbon atom. The overall transformation can be represented schematically, as shown
in Figure 18.4.
H
2
O
RCH
O
H
RCH
2
CH
H11002
C
O
RCH
2
CH CHCH
R
O
H11002
O
RCH
2
CH CHCH
R
OH O
Product of aldol
addition
Aldehyde
RCH
2
CH
O
Hydroxide
HO
H11002
Water
H
2
OH11001H11001
Enolate
RCH CH
O
H11002
18.9 The Aldol Condensation 715
RCH
2
CH H11001 CH
2
CH
base
RCH
2
CH±CHCH
One of these protons
is removed by base
to form an enolate
This is the carbon–carbon
bond that is formed in
the reaction
Carbonyl group to which
enolate adds
O
X
O
X
OH
W
O
X
W
R
W
R
FIGURE 18.4 The reactive
sites in aldol addition are
the carbonyl group of one
aldehyde molecule and the
H9251-carbon atom of another.
Some of the earliest studies
of the aldol reaction were
carried out by Aleksander
Borodin. Though a physician
by training and a chemist by
profession, Borodin is re-
membered as the composer
of some of the most familiar
works in Russian music. See
pp. 326–327 in the April 1987
issue of the Journal of Chem-
ical Education for a
biographical sketch of
Borodin.
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Aldol addition occurs readily with aldehydes:
PROBLEM 18.10 Write the structure of the aldol addition product of
(a) (c)
(b)
SAMPLE SOLUTION (a) A good way to correctly identify the aldol addition prod-
uct of any aldehyde is to work through the process mechanistically. Remember
that the first step is enolate formation and that this must involve proton abstrac-
tion from the H9251 carbon.
Now use the negatively charged H9251 carbon of the enolate to form a new car-
bon–carbon bond to the carbonyl group. Proton transfer from the solvent com-
pletes the process.
H
2
O
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
CH
O
Pentanal
CHCH
H11002
O
CH
2
CH
2
CH
3
Enolate of
pentanal
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
CHCHCH
O
H11002
O
CH
2
CH
2
CH
3
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
CHCHCH
OH O
CH
2
CH
2
CH
3
3-Hydroxy-2-propylheptanal
(aldol addition product
of pentanal)
H11001
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
CH
O
Pentanal
HO
H11002
Hydroxide
H11001
Enolate of pentanal
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CHCH
H11002
O
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH CH
O
H11002
2-Methylbutanal, CH
3
CH
2
CHCH
CH
3
O
X
W
3-Methylbutanal, (CH
3
)
2
CHCH
2
CH
O
X
Pentanal, CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
CH
O
X
Acetaldehyde
2CH
3
CH
O
3-Hydroxybutanal (50%)
(acetaldol)
CH
3
CHCH
2
CH
O
OH
NaOH, H
2
O
4–5°C
Butanal
2CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH
O
2-Ethyl-3-hydroxyhexanal (75%)
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CHCHCH
O
HO CH
2
CH
3
KOH, H
2
O
6–8°C
716 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
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The H9252-hydroxy aldehyde products of aldol addition undergo dehydration on heat-
ing, to yield H9251,H9252-unsaturated aldehydes:
Conjugation of the newly formed double bond with the carbonyl group stabilizes the
H9251,H9252-unsaturated aldehyde, provides the driving force for the dehydration, and controls
its regioselectivity. Dehydration can be effected by heating the aldol with acid or base.
Normally, if the H9251,H9252-unsaturated aldehyde is the desired product, all that is done is to
carry out the base-catalyzed aldol addition reaction at elevated temperature. Under these
conditions, once the aldol addition product is formed, it rapidly loses water to form the
H9251,H9252-unsaturated aldehyde.
Reactions in which two molecules of an aldehyde combine to form an H9251,H9252-
unsaturated aldehyde and a molecule of water are called aldol condensations.
PROBLEM 18.11 Write the structure of the aldol condensation product of each
of the aldehydes in Problem 18.10. One of these aldehydes can undergo aldol
addition, but not aldol condensation. Which one? Why?
SAMPLE SOLUTION (a) Dehydration of the product of aldol addition of pen-
tanal introduces the double bond between C-2 and C-3 to give an H9251,H9252-unsaturated
aldehyde.
The point was made earlier (Section 5.9) that alcohols require acid catalysis in
order to undergo dehydration to alkenes. Thus, it may seem strange that aldol addition
products can be dehydrated in base. This is another example of the way in which the
enhanced acidity of protons at the H9251-carbon atom affects the reactions of carbonyl com-
pounds. Elimination may take place in a concerted E2 fashion or it may be stepwise and
proceed through an enolate ion.
Product of aldol condensation
of pentanal (2-propyl-2-
heptenal)
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
CH CCH
O
CH
2
CH
2
CH
3
H11002H
2
O
Product of aldol addition of
pentanal (3-hydroxy-2-
propylheptanal)
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
CHCHCH
OH O
CH
2
CH
2
CH
3
heat
H11001
H9252-Hydroxy aldehyde
RCH
2
CHCHCH
OOH
R
O
R
RCH
2
CH CCH
H9251,H9252-Unsaturated
aldehyde
H
2
O
Water
18.9 The Aldol Condensation 717
Recall from Section 15.7 that
a condensation is a reaction
in which two molecules com-
bine to give a product along
with some small (usually in-
organic) molecule such as
water.
Butanal
2CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH
O
2-Ethyl-3-hydroxyhexanal
(not isolated; dehydrates
under reaction conditions)
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CHCHCH
OOH
CH
2
CH
3
via
NaOH, H
2
O
80–100°C
O
CH
2
CH
3
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH CCH
2-Ethyl-2-hexenal (86%)
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As with other reversible nucleophilic addition reactions, the equilibria for aldol
additions are less favorable for ketones than for aldehydes. For example, only 2% of the
aldol addition product of acetone is present at equilibrium.
The situation is similar for other ketones. Special procedures for aldol addition and self-
condensation of ketones have been developed, but are rarely used.
Aldol condensations of dicarbonyl compounds—even diketones—occur intra-
molecularly when five- or six-membered rings are possible.
Aldol condensations are one of the fundamental carbon–carbon bond-forming processes
of synthetic organic chemistry. Furthermore, since the products of these aldol condensa-
tions contain functional groups capable of subsequent modification, access to a host of
useful materials is gained.
To illustrate how aldol condensation may be coupled to functional group modifi-
cation, consider the synthesis of 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol, a compound used as an insect
repellent. This 1,3-diol is prepared by reduction of the aldol addition product of butanal:
Butanal
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH
O
2-Ethyl-3-hydroxyhexanal
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CHCHCH
OOH
CH
2
CH
3
2-Ethyl-1,3-hexanediol
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CHCHCH
2
OH
OH
CH
2
CH
3
aldol
addition H
2
Ni
O
O
1,6-Cyclodecanedione
O
Bicyclo[5.3.0]dec-
1(7)-en-2-one
(96%)
O
OH
Not isolated;
dehydrates under
reaction conditions
Na
2
CO
3
, H
2
O
reflux
Acetone
2CH
3
CCH
3
O
2%
98%
4-Hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone
CH
3
CCH
2
CCH
3
OOH
CH
3
H11001
H9252-Hydroxy aldehyde
RCH
2
CHCHCH
OOH
R
HOHH11001 HO
H11002
fast
Enolate ion of
H9252-hydroxy aldehyde
OH
RCH
2
CHC CH
R
O
H11002
Enolate ion of
H9252-hydroxy aldehyde
OH
RCH
2
CH CH
O
C
R
H11002
slow
H11001
O
R
RCH
2
CH CCH
H9251,H9252-Unsaturated
aldehyde
HO
H11002
718 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
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PROBLEM 18.12 Outline a synthesis of 2-ethyl-1-hexanol from butanal.
The carbon–carbon bond-forming potential of the aldol condensation has been
extended beyond the self-condensations described in this section to cases in which two
different carbonyl compounds react in what are called mixed aldol condensations.
18.10 MIXED ALDOL CONDENSATIONS
Mixed aldol condensations can be effective only if we limit the number of reaction pos-
sibilities. It would not be useful, for example, to treat a solution of acetaldehyde and
propanal with base. A mixture of four aldol addition products forms under these condi-
tions. Two of the products are those of self-addition:
Two are the products of mixed addition:
The mixed aldol condensations that are the most synthetically useful are those in
which:
1. Only one of the reactants can form an enolate; or
2. One of the reactants is more reactive toward nucleophilic addition than the other.
Formaldehyde, for example, cannot form an enolate but can react with the enolate
of an aldehyde or ketone that can.
Indeed, formaldehyde is so reactive toward nucleophilic addition that it suppresses the
self-condensation of the other component by reacting rapidly with any enolate present.
Aromatic aldehydes cannot form enolates, and a large number of mixed aldol con-
densations have been carried out in which an aromatic aldehyde reacts with an enolate.
Formaldehyde
HCH
O
H11001
3-Methylbutanal
(CH
3
)
2
CHCH
2
CH
O
2-Hydroxymethyl-3-
methylbutanal (52%)
(CH
3
)
2
CHCHCH
O
CH
2
OH
K
2
CO
3
water–ether
3-Hydroxypentanal
(from addition of enolate
of acetaldehyde to propanal)
CH
3
CH
2
CHCH
2
CH
O
OH
3-Hydroxy-2-methylbutanal
(from addition of enolate
of propanal to acetaldehyde)
CH
3
CHCHCH
OOH
CH
3
3-Hydroxybutanal
(from addition of enolate
of acetaldehyde to acetaldehyde)
CH
3
CHCH
2
CH
O
OH
3-Hydroxy-2-methylpentanal
(from addition of enolate
of propanal to propanal)
CH
3
CH
2
CHCHCH
OHO
CH
3
18.10 Mixed Aldol Condensations 719
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Recall that ketones do not readily undergo self-condensation. Thus, in the preceding
example, the enolate of acetone reacts preferentially with the aromatic aldehyde and
gives the mixed aldol condensation product in good yield. Mixed aldol condensations
using aromatic aldehydes always involve dehydration of the product of mixed addition
and yield a product in which the double bond is conjugated to both the aromatic ring
and the carbonyl group.
PROBLEM 18.13 Give the structure of the mixed aldol condensation product of
benzaldehyde with
(a)
(b)
(c) Cyclohexanone
SAMPLE SOLUTION (a) The enolate of acetophenone reacts with benzaldehyde
to yield the product of mixed addition. Dehydration of the intermediate occurs,
giving the H9251,H9252-unsaturated ketone.
As actually carried out, the mixed aldol condensation product, 1,3-diphenyl-2-
propen-1-one, has been isolated in 85% yield on treating benzaldehyde with ace-
tophenone in an aqueous ethanol solution of sodium hydroxide at 15–30°C.
18.11 EFFECTS OF CONJUGATION IN H9251,H9252-UNSATURATED ALDEHYDES
AND KETONES
Aldol condensation offers an effective route to H9251,H9252-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones.
These compounds have some interesting properties that result from conjugation of the
carbon–carbon double bond with the carbonyl group. As shown in Figure 18.5, the H9266
systems of the carbon–carbon and carbon–oxygen double bonds overlap to form an
extended H9266 system that permits increased electron delocalization.
This electron delocalization stabilizes a conjugated system. Under conditions cho-
sen to bring about their interconversion, the equilibrium between a H9252,H9253-unsaturated
ketone and an H9251,H9252-unsaturated analog favors the conjugated isomer.
H11002H
2
O
C
6
H
5
CH
O
Benzaldehyde
H11001 CH
2
CC
6
H
5
H11002
O
Enolate of
acetophenone
C
6
H
5
CHCH
2
CC
6
H
5
O
OH
1,3-Diphenyl-2-propen-1-one
O
C
6
H
5
CH CHCC
6
H
5
tert-Butyl methyl ketone, (CH
3
)
3
CCCH
3
O
X
Acetophenone, C
6
H
5
CCH
3
O
X
NaOH, H
2
O
30°C
CH
3
OCH
O
p-Methoxybenzaldehyde
H11001 CH
3
CCH
3
O
Acetone
CHCCH
3
O
CH
3
OCH
4-p-Methoxyphenyl-3-
buten-2-one (83%)
720 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
Mixed aldol condensations in
which a ketone reacts with
an aromatic aldehyde are
known as Claisen–Schmidt
condensations.
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PROBLEM 18.14 Commercial mesityl oxide, , is often contam-
inated with about 10% of an isomer having the same carbon skeleton. What is a
likely structure for this compound?
In resonance terms, electron delocalization in H9251,H9252-unsaturated carbonyl compounds
is represented by contributions from three principal resonance structures:
The carbonyl group withdraws H9266 electron density from the double bond, and both the
carbonyl carbon and the H9252 carbon are positively polarized. Their greater degree of charge
separation makes the dipole moments of H9251,H9252-unsaturated carbonyl compounds signifi-
cantly larger than those of comparable aldehydes and ketones.
The diminished H9266 electron density in the double bond makes H9251,H9252-unsaturated alde-
hydes and ketones less reactive than alkenes toward electrophilic addition. Electrophilic
reagents—bromine and peroxy acids, for example—react more slowly with the car-
bon–carbon double bond of H9251,H9252-unsaturated carbonyl compounds than with simple
alkenes.
On the other hand, the polarization of electron density in H9251,H9252-unsaturated carbonyl
compounds makes their H9252-carbon atoms rather electrophilic. Some chemical conse-
quences of this enhanced electrophilicity are described in the following section.
O
H9254H11002
HH9254H11001
Butanal
H9262 H11005 2.7 D
H
O
H9254H11002
H9254H11001
H9254H11001
trans-2-Butenal
H9262 H11005 3.7 D
C
C
C
O
H9252
H9251
Most stable structure
C
C
C
H11001
O
H11002
H9252
H9251
H11001
C
C
C
O
H11002
H9252
H9251
(CH
3
)
2
C?CHCCH
3
O
X
CHCH
2
CCH
3
O
CH
3
CH
4-Hexen-2-one (17%)
(H9252,H9253-unsaturated ketone)
CHCCH
3
O
CH
3
CH
2
CH
3-Hexen-2-one (83%)
(H9251,H9252-unsaturated ketone)
K H11005 4.8
25°C
18.11 Effects of Conjugation in H9251,H9252-Unsaturated Aldehydes and Ketones 721
FIGURE 18.5 Acrolein
(H
2
C?CHCH?O) is a pla-
nar molecule. Oxygen and
each carbon are sp
2
-
hybridized, and each con-
tributes one electron to a
conjugated H9266 electron sys-
tem analogous to that of 1,3-
butadiene.
Figure 3.17 (page 107) shows
how the composition of an
equilibrium mixture of two
components varies according
to the free-energy difference
between them. For the equi-
librium shown in the accom-
panying equation, H9004G° H11005H110024
kJ/mol (H110021 kcal/mol).
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18.12 CONJUGATE ADDITION TO H9251,H9252-UNSATURATED CARBONYL
COMPOUNDS
H9251,H9252-Unsaturated carbonyl compounds contain two electrophilic sites: the carbonyl car-
bon and the carbon atom that is H9252 to it. Nucleophiles such as organolithium and Grig-
nard reagents and lithium aluminum hydride tend to react by nucleophilic addition to the
carbonyl group, as shown in the following example:
This is called direct addition, or 1,2 addition. (The “1” and “2” do not refer to IUPAC
locants but are used in a manner analogous to that employed in Section 10.10 to distin-
guish between direct and conjugate addition to conjugated dienes.)
With certain other nucleophiles, addition takes place at the carbon–carbon double
bond rather than at the carbonyl group. Such reactions proceed via enol intermediates
and are described as conjugate addition, or 1,4-addition, reactions.
The nucleophilic portion of the reagent (Y in HY) becomes bonded to the H9252 carbon. For
reactions carried out under conditions in which the attacking species is the anion ,
an enolate ion precedes the enol.
Ordinarily, nucleophilic addition to the carbon–carbon double bond of an alkene is very
rare. It occurs with H9251,H9252-unsaturated carbonyl compounds because the carbanion that
results is an enolate, which is more stable than a simple alkyl anion.
Conjugate addition is most often observed when the nucleophile is weakly
basic. The nucleophiles in the two examples that follow are and ,
respectively. Both are much weaker bases than acetylide ion, which was the nucleophile
used in the example illustrating direct addition.
C
6
H
5
CH
2
S
H11002
CPN
H11002
(Y
H11002
)
C
O
C C
H11002
Y
Enolate ion formed by nucleophilic addition of
:
Y
H11002
to H9252 carbon
H11002
YC
O
C
C
H11002
Y
O
CC
C
Y
H11002
YC
O
HC
C
Isolated product
of 1,4-addition pathway
fastHY
Y
HO
CC
C
Enol formed by
1,4 addition
C
O
1
2
34
C C
H9251,H9252-Unsaturated
aldehyde or ketone
CHCH
O
CH
3
CH
2-Butenal
CMgBrHC
Ethynylmagnesium
bromide
H11001
1. THF
2. H
3
O
H11001
4-Hexen-1-yn-3-ol
(84%)
CHCHC
OH
CH
3
CH CH
722 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
Hydrogen cyanide and al-
kanethiols have K
a
values in
the 10
H110029
–10
H1100210
range (pK
a
H11005
9–10), and K
a
for acetylene is
10
H1100226
(pK
a
H11005 26).
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One explanation for these observations is presented in Figure 18.6. Nucleophilic
addition to H9251,H9252-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones may be governed either by kinetic
control or by thermodynamic control (Section 10.10). 1,2 Addition is faster than 1,4 addi-
tion and, under conditions in which the 1,2- and 1,4-addition products do not equilibrate,
is the predominant pathway. Kinetic control operates with strongly basic nucleophiles to
give the 1,2-addition product. A weakly basic nucleophile, however, goes on and off the
carbonyl carbon readily and permits the 1,2-addition product to equilibrate with the more
slowly formed, but more stable, 1,4-addition product. Thermodynamic control is
observed with weakly basic nucleophiles. The product of 1,4 addition, which retains the
carbon–oxygen double bond, is more stable than the product of 1,2 addition, which
retains the carbon–carbon double bond. In general, carbon–oxygen double bonds are
more stable than carbon–carbon double bonds because the greater electronegativity of
oxygen permits the H9266 electrons to be bound more strongly.
PROBLEM 18.15 Acrolein (CH
2
?CHCH?O) reacts with sodium azide (NaN
3
) in
aqueous acetic acid to form a compound, C
3
H
5
N
3
O in 71% yield. Propanal
(CH
3
CH
2
CH?O), when subjected to the same reaction conditions, is recovered
unchanged. Suggest a structure for the product formed from acrolein, and offer
an explanation for the difference in reactivity between acrolein and propanal.
CHCC
6
H
5
O
C
6
H
5
CH
1,3-Diphenyl-2-propen-1-one 4-Oxo-2,4-diphenylbutanenitrile
(93–96%)
C
6
H
5
CHCH
2
CC
6
H
5
O
CN
KCN
ethanol–
acetic acid
C
6
H
5
CH
2
SH
HO
H11002
, H
2
O
O
CH
3
3-Methyl-2-cyclohexenone
CH
3
SCH
2
C
6
H
5
O
3-Benzylthio-3-methylcyclohexanone
(58%)
18.12 Conjugate Addition to H9251,H9252-Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds 723
CC
C
O
H11001 H Y
fast
1,2-addition
fast
keto–enol
isomerism
CC
C
YHO
HO
Less stable product
slow
1,4-addition
CC
C
Y CC
C
O
Y H
More stable product
FIGURE 18.6 Nucleophilic
addition to H9251,H9252-unsaturated
aldehydes and ketones may
take place either in a 1,2- or
1,4 manner. Direct addition
(1,2) occurs faster than con-
jugate 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 car-
bon–carbon double bond.
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18.13 ADDITION OF CARBANIONS TO H9251,H9252-UNSATURATED KETONES:
THE MICHAEL REACTION
A synthetically useful reaction known as the Michael reaction, or Michael addition,
involves nucleophilic addition of carbanions to H9251,H9252-unsaturated ketones. The most common
types of carbanions used are enolate ions derived from H9252-diketones. These enolates are weak
bases (Section 18.6) and react with H9251,H9252-unsaturated ketones by conjugate addition.
The product of Michael addition has the necessary functionality to undergo an
intramolecular aldol condensation:
The synthesis of cyclohexenone derivatives by Michael addition followed by intramolec-
ular aldol condensation is called the Robinson annulation, after Sir Robert Robinson,
who popularized its use. By annulation we mean the building of a ring onto some start-
ing molecule. (The alternative spelling “annelation” is also often used.)
PROBLEM 18.16 Both the conjugate addition step and the intramolecular aldol
condensation step can be carried out in one synthetic operation without isolat-
ing any of the intermediates along the way. For example, consider the reaction
Write structural formulas corresponding to the intermediates formed in the con-
jugate addition step and in the aldol addition step.
18.14 CONJUGATE ADDITION OF ORGANOCOPPER REAGENTS TO
H9251,H9252-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 their
capacity to undergo conjugate addition to H9251,H9252-unsaturated aldehydes and ketones.
H11001C
6
H
5
CH
2
CCH
2
C
6
H
5
O
Dibenzyl ketone
CH
2
O
CHCCH
3
Methyl vinyl
ketone
NaOCH
3
CH
3
OH
C
6
H
5
CH
3
O
C
6
H
5
3-Methyl-2,6-diphenyl-2-
cyclohexen-1-one (55%)
KOH
methanol
CH
3
O
O
2-Methyl-1,3-
cyclohexanedione
H11001 CH
2
O
CHCCH
3
Methyl vinyl
ketone
O
CH
3
O
CH
2
CH
2
CCH
3
O
2-Methyl-2-(3H11032-oxobutyl)-
1,3-cyclohexanedione
(85%)
724 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
Arthur Michael, for whom
the reaction is named, was
an American chemist whose
career spanned the period
between the 1870s and the
1930s. He was independently
wealthy and did much of his
research in his own private
laboratory.
O
CH
3
O
CH
2
CH
2
CCH
3
O
2-Methyl-2-(3H11032-oxobutyl)-
1,3-cyclohexanedione
NaOH
heat
H11002H
2
O
CH
3
OH
O
O
Intramolecular aldol addition
product; not isolated
CH
3
O
O
H9004
4
-9-Methyloctalin-3,8-dione
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PROBLEM 18.17 Outline two ways in which 4-methyl-2-octanone can be pre-
pared by conjugate addition of an organocuprate to an H9251,H9252-unsaturated ketone.
SAMPLE SOLUTION Mentally disconnect one of the bonds to the H9252 carbon so
as to identify the group that comes from the lithium dialkylcuprate.
According to this disconnection, the butyl group is derived from lithium dibutyl-
cuprate. A suitable preparation is
Now see if you can identify the second possibility.
Like other carbon–carbon bond-forming reactions, organocuprate addition to
enones is a powerful tool in organic synthesis.
18.15 ALKYLATION OF ENOLATE ANIONS
Since enolate anions are sources of nucleophilic carbon, one potential use in organic syn-
thesis is their reaction with alkyl halides to give H9251-alkyl derivatives of aldehydes and ketones:
O
R
2
CHCRH11032
H9001ldehyde
or ketone
CRH11032
O
H11002
R
2
C
Enolate anion
base RH11033X
S
N
2
H9251-Alkyl derivative
of an aldehyde or a ketone
O
CRH11032
RH11033
R
2
C
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
CHCH
2
CCH
3
O
CH
3
4-Methyl-2-octanone
H11001
3-Penten-2-one
CH
3
CH
O
CHCCH
3
Lithium dibutylcuprate
LiCu(CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
CH
3
)
2
1. diethyl
ether
2. H
2
O
Disconnect this bond
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
O
CH
3
CHCH
2
CCH
3
4-Methyl-2-octanone
CH
3
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
H11002
H11001 CH
3
CH
O
CHCCH
3
CHCRH11032
O
R
2
C
H9251,H9252-Unsaturated
aldehyde or ketone
LiCuRH11033
2
Lithium
dialkylcuprate
H11001
Aldehyde or ketone
alkylated at the H9252 position
R
2
CCH
2
CRH11032
O
RH11033
1. diethyl ether
2. H
2
O
LiCu(CH
3
)
2
Lithium
dimethylcuprate
H11001
1. diethyl ether
2. H
2
O
O
CH
3
3-Methyl-2-
cyclohexenone
3,3-Dimethylcyclohexanone
(98%)
O
CH
3
CH
3
18.15 Alkylation of Enolate Anions 725
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Alkylation occurs by an S
N
2 mechanism in which the enolate ion acts as a nucleophile
toward the alkyl halide.
In practice, this reaction is difficult to carry out with simple aldehydes and ketones
because aldol condensation competes with alkylation. Furthermore, it is not always pos-
sible to limit the reaction to the introduction of a single alkyl group. The most success-
ful alkylation procedures use H9252-diketones as starting materials. Because they are rela-
tively acidic, H9252-diketones can be converted quantitatively to their enolate ions by weak
bases and do not self-condense. Ideally, the alkyl halide should be a methyl or primary
alkyl halide.
18.16 SUMMARY
Section 18.1 Greek letters are commonly used to identify various carbons in alde-
hydes and ketones. Using the carbonyl group as a reference, the adjacent
carbon is designated H9251, the next one H9252, and so on as one moves down
the chain. Attached groups take the same Greek letter as the carbon to
which they are connected.
Sections Because aldehydes and ketones exist in equilibrium with their corre-
18.2–18.15 sponding enol isomers, they can express a variety of different kinds of
chemical reactivity.
Reactions that proceed via enol or enolate intermediates are summarized
in Table 18.1.
PROBLEMS
18.18 (a) Write structural formulas or build molecular models for all the noncyclic aldehydes and
ketones of molecular formula C
4
H
6
O.
(b) Are any of these compounds stereoisomeric?
(c) Are any of these compounds chiral?
(d) Which of these are H9251,H9252-unsaturated aldehydes or H9251,H9252-unsaturated ketones?
(e) Which of these can be prepared by a simple (i.e., not mixed) aldol condensation?
18.19 The main flavor component of the hazelnut is (2E,5S)-5-methyl-2-hepten-4-one. Write a
structural formula or build a molecular model showing its stereochemistry.
CRH11032
OH
R
2
C
Carbonyl group is
electrophilic;
nucleophilic reagents
add to carbonyl carbon.
H9251 carbon atom of
enol is nucleophilic;
it attacks electrophilic
reagents.
H9251 proton is
relatively acidic;
it can be removed
by strong bases.
O
CRH11032
H
R
2
C
K
2
CO
3
2,4-Pentanedione
CH
3
CCH
2
CCH
3
O O
3-Methyl-2,4-pentanedione
(75–77%)
CH
3
CH
3
CCHCCH
3
O O
Iodomethane
CH
3
IH11001
726 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
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Problems 727
TABLE 18.1 Reactions of Aldehydes and Ketones That Involve Enol or Enolate Ion Intermediates
Reaction (section) and comments
H9251 Halogenation (Sections 18.2
and 18.3) Halogens react with
aldehydes and ketones by substi-
tution; an H9251 hydrogen is replaced
by a halogen. Reaction occurs by
electrophilic attack of the halo-
gen on the carbon–carbon dou-
ble bond of the enol form of
the aldehyde or ketone. An acid
catalyst increases the rate of
enolization, which is the rate-
determining step.
Enolate ion formation (Section
18.6) An H9251 proton of an aldehyde
or a ketone is more acidic than
most other protons bound to car-
bon. Aldehydes and ketones are
weak acids, with K
a
’s in the range
10
H1100216
to 10
H1100220
(pK
a
16–20). Their
enhanced acidity is due to the
electron-withdrawing effect of
the carbonyl group and the reso-
nance stabilization of the enolate
anion.
Haloform reaction (Section 18.7)
Methyl ketones are cleaved on
reaction with excess halogen in
the presence of base. The prod-
ucts are a trihalomethane (halo-
form) and a carboxylate salt.
Enolization (Sections 18.4
through 18.6) Aldehydes and
ketones exist in equilibrium with
their enol forms. The rate at
which equilibrium is achieved is
increased by acidic or basic cata-
lysts. The enol content of simple
aldehydes and ketones is quite
small; H9252-diketones, however, are
extensively enolized.
(Continued)
General equation and typical example
Aldehyde
or ketone
R
2
CH±CRH11032
O
X
R
2
C?CRH11032
W
OH
Enol
K H11005 1 H11003 10
H110028
O
Cyclopentanone
OH
Cyclopenten-1-ol
K
Aldehyde
or ketone
R
2
CHCRH11032
O
X
X
2
Halogen
HX
Hydrogen
halide
H11001H11001R
2
CCRH11032
O
X
W
X
H9251-Halo aldehyde
or ketone
H11001 Br
2
Bromine
H11001
Hydrogen
bromide
HBr
p-Bromophenacyl
bromide (69–72%)
CCH
2
BrBr
O
X
acetic
acid
CCH
3
Br
O
X
p-Bromoacetophenone
Aldehyde
or ketone
R
2
CHCRH11032
O
X
HO
H11002
Hydroxide
ion
H
2
O
Water
H11001H11001
Enolate
anion
R
2
C?CRH11032
W
O
H11002
3-Pentanone
CH
3
CH
2
CCH
2
CH
3
O
X
HO
H11002
Hydroxide ion
H
2
O
Water
H11001H11001
Enolate anion
of 3-pentanone
CH
3
CH?CCH
2
CH
3
W
O
H11002
Methyl
ketone
RCCH
3
O
X
3X
2
Halogen
HCX
3
Trihalomethane
(haloform)
H11001H11001RCO
H11002
O
X
Carboxylate
ion
HO
H11002
4,4-Dimethyl-2-pentanone
(CH
3
)
3
CCH
2
CCH
3
O
X
Bromoform
CHBr
3
H11001(CH
3
)
3
CCH
2
CO
2
H
3,3-Dimethylbutanoic
acid (89%)
1. Br
2
, NaOH
2. H
H11001
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728 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
TABLE 18.1
Reactions of Aldehydes and Ketones That Involve Enol or Enolate Ion Intermediates
(Continued)
Reaction (section) and comments
Aldol condensation (Section 18.9)
A reaction of great synthetic val-
ue for carbon–carbon bond for-
mation. Nucleophilic addition of
an enolate ion to a carbonyl
group, followed by dehydration
of the H9252-hydroxy aldehyde, yields
an H9251,H9252-unsaturated aldehyde.
Conjugate addition to H9251,H9252-unsat-
urated carbonyl compounds (Sec-
tions 18.11 through 18.14) The H9252-
carbon atom of an H9251,H9252-unsaturat-
ed carbonyl compound is electro-
philic; nucleophiles, especially
weakly basic ones, yield the prod-
ucts of conjugate addition to H9251,H9252-
unsaturated aldehydes and
ketones.
Robinson annulation (Section
18.13) A combination of conju-
gate addition of an enolate anion
to an H9251,H9252-unsaturated ketone
with subsequent intramolecular
aldol condensation.
Claisen-Schmidt reaction (Section
18.10) A mixed aldol condensa-
tion in which an aromatic alde-
hyde reacts with an enolizable
aldehyde or ketone.
(Continued)
General equation and typical example
Aldehyde
2RCH
2
CRH11032
O
X
H
2
O
Water
H11001RCH
2
C?CCRH11032
RH11032
O
X
W
R
W
H9251,H9252-Unsaturated
aldehyde
HO
H11002
Aromatic
aldehyde
ArCH
O
X
Aldehyde
or ketone
RCH
2
CRH11032
O
X
H
2
O
Water
H11001H11001 ArCH?CCRH11032
O
X
R
W
H9251,H9252-Unsaturated
carbonyl compound
HO
H11002
Benzaldehyde
C
6
H
5
CH
O
X
3,3-Dimethyl-2-
butanone
(CH
3
)
3
CCCH
3
O
X
H11001 C
6
H
5
CH?CHCC(CH
3
)
3
O
X
4,4-Dimethyl-1-phenyl-
1-penten-3-one (88–93%)
NaOH
ethanol–
water
Octanal
CH
3
(CH
2
)
6
CH
O
X
CH
3
(CH
2
)
6
CH?C(CH
2
)
5
CH
3
HC?O
W
2-Hexyl-2-decenal (79%)
NaOCH
2
CH
3
CH
3
CH
2
OH
H9251,H9252-Unsaturated
aldehyde or ketone
R
2
C?CHCRH11032
O
X
H11001 R
2
CCH
2
CRH11032
O
X
Y
W
Product of conjugate
addition
Nucleophile
HY
4-Methyl-3-penten-2-one
(mesityl oxide)
(CH
3
)
2
C?CHCCH
3
O
X
(CH
3
)
2
CCH
2
CCH
3
O
X
NH
2
W
4-Amino-4-methyl-2-
pentanone (63–70%)
NH
3
H
2
O
H11001
CH
3
O
2-Methylcyclohexanone
CH
2
?CHCCH
3
O
X
Methyl vinyl
ketone
1. NaOCH
2
CH
3
,
CH
3
CH
2
OH
2. KOH, heat
6-Methylbicyclo[4.4.0]-
1-decen-3-one (46%)
CH
3
O
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18.20 The simplest H9251,H9252-unsaturated aldehyde acrolein is prepared by heating glycerol with an acid
catalyst. Suggest a mechanism for this reaction.
18.21 In each of the following pairs of compounds, choose the one that has the greater enol con-
tent, and write the structure of its enol form:
(a)
(b) orC
6
H
5
CC
6
H
5
O
C
6
H
5
CH
2
CCH
2
C
6
H
5
O
or(CH
3
)
3
CCH
O
(CH
3
)
2
CHCH
O
HOCH
2
CHCH
2
OH
OH
KHSO
4
heat
CH
2
CHCH
O
H11001 H
2
O
Problems 729
TABLE 18.1
Reactions of Aldehydes and Ketones That Involve Enol or Enolate Ion Intermediates
(Continued)
Reaction (section) and comments
Conjugate addition of organocop-
per compounds (Section 18.14)
The principal synthetic application
of lithium dialkylcuprate reagents
is their reaction with H9251,H9252-
unsaturated carbonyl compounds.
Alkyl-ation of the H9252 carbon
occurs.
H9251 Alkylation of aldehydes and
ketones (Section 18.15) Alkylation
of simple aldehydes and ketones
via their enolates is difficult. H9252-
Diketones can be converted quan-
titatively to their enolate anions,
which react efficiently with pri-
mary alkyl halides.
General equation and typical example
H9251,H9252-Unsaturated
aldehyde or ketone
R
2
C?CHCRH11032
O
X
H11001 R
2
C±CH
2
CRH11032
O
X
RH11033
W
H9252-Alkyl
aldehyde or ketone
Lithium
dialkylcuprate
RH11033
2
CuLi
1. diethyl
ether
2. H
2
O
H9252-Diketone
RCCH
2
CR
O
X
O
X
RCCHCR
O
X
O
X
CH
2
RH11032
W
H9251-Alkyl-H9252-diketone
RH11032CH
2
X, HO
H11002
1. LiCu(CH
3
)
2
2. H
2
O
O
CH
3
6-Methylcyclohept-
2-enone
O
CH
3
CH
3
3,6-Dimethylcycloheptanone (85%)
H11001
KOCH
2
CH
3
ethanol
CH
2
C
6
H
5
O
O
H
2-Benzyl-1,3-
cyclohexanedione
CH
2
C
6
H
5
O
O
CH
2
C
6
H
5
2,2-Dibenzyl-1,3-
cyclohexanedione (69%)
C
6
H
5
CH
2
Cl
Benzyl
chloride
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(c)
(d)
(e)
(f)
18.22 Give the structure of the expected organic product in the reaction of 3-phenylpropanal with
each of the following:
(a) Chlorine in acetic acid
(b) Sodium hydroxide in ethanol, 10°C
(c) Sodium hydroxide in ethanol, 70°C
(d) Product of part (c) with lithium aluminum hydride; then H
2
O
(e) Product of part (c) with sodium cyanide in acidic ethanol
18.23 Each of the following reactions has been reported in the chemical literature. Write the struc-
ture of the product(s) formed in each case.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
NaOH
water
O
CH
O
H11001 CH
3
CCH
3
O
KOH
ethanol
Cl CH
O
H11001
C
6
H
5
C
6
H
5
O
Br
2
diethyl ether
O
C
6
H
5
C
6
H
5
C
6
H
5
CH
2
SH
NaOH, H
2
O
C(CH
3
)
2
O
CH
3
Cl
2
CH
2
Cl
2
CCH
2
CH
3
Cl
O
O
O
or
O
O
O or O
O Oor
orC
6
H
5
CCH
2
CC
6
H
5
O O
C
6
H
5
CH
2
CCH
2
C
6
H
5
O
730 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
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(f)
(g)
(h)
18.24 Show how each of the following compounds could be prepared from 3-pentanone. In most
cases more than one synthetic transformation will be necessary.
(a) 2-Bromo-3-pentanone (d) 3-Hexanone
(b) 1-Penten-3-one (e) 2-Methyl-1-phenyl-1-penten-3-one
(c) 1-Penten-3-ol
18.25 (a) A synthesis that begins with 3,3-dimethyl-2-butanone gives the epoxide shown. Suggest
reagents appropriate for each step in the synthesis.
(b) The yield for each step as actually carried out in the laboratory is given above each
arrow. What is the overall yield for the three-step sequence?
18.26 Using benzene, acetic anhydride, and 1-propanethiol as the source of all the carbon atoms,
along with any necessary inorganic reagents, outline a synthesis of the compound shown.
18.27 Show how you could prepare each of the following compounds from cyclopentanone, D
2
O,
and any necessary organic or inorganic reagents.
(a) (c)
(b) (d)
D
D
D
D
H
D
D D
D
D
H
D
D
D
D
D
H OH
CCH
2
SCH
2
CH
2
CH
3
O
58% 54% 68%
(CH
3
)
3
CCCH
3
O
(CH
3
)
3
CCCH
2
Br
O
(CH
3
)
3
CCHCH
2
Br
OH
(CH
3
)
3
CC
O
CH
2
H
KOH
O
O
H11001 CH
2
CHCH
2
Br
NaOH
ethanol–water
O
H11001 C
6
H
5
CH
O
1. diethyl ether
2. H
2
O
CH
3
CH
3
H
3
C
O
H11001 LiCu(CH
3
)
2
Problems 731
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18.28 (a) At present, butanal is prepared industrially by hydroformylation of propene (Section
17.4). Write a chemical equation for this industrial synthesis.
(b) Before about 1970, the principal industrial preparation of butanal was from acetalde-
hyde. Outline a practical synthesis of butanal from acetaldehyde.
18.29 Identify the reagents appropriate for each step in the following syntheses:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
18.30 Give the structure of the product derived by intramolecular aldol condensation of the keto
aldehyde shown:
18.31 Prepare each of the following compounds from the starting materials given and any neces-
sary organic or inorganic reagents:
(a)
(b)
CH
3
C
6
H
5
CH CCH
2
OH from benzyl alcohol and 1-propanol
(CH
3
)
2
CHCHCCH
2
OH from (CH
3
)
2
CHCH
2
OH
CH
3
HO
CH
3
KOH, H
2
O
C
7
H
10
OCH
3
CCH
2
CCHO
CH
3
OCH
3
(CH
3
)
2
C
O
CHCH
2
CH
2
CCH
3
(CH
O
3
)
2
CHCHCH
2
CH
2
CCH
3
OH
(CH
3
)
2
CHCCH
2
CH
2
CCH
3
O O
(CH
3
)
2
CH
O
CH(CH
3
)
2
CH
3
CH(CH
3
)
2
CH
3
CCH
2
CH
2
CHCH
2
CH
O O
O
(CH
3
)
2
CH
CCH
3
CH
O
HCCH
2
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
CH
O O
OH
OH
CH
O
Br
CH
O
CH
O
732 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
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(c)
18.32 Terreic acid is a naturally occurring antibiotic substance. Its actual structure is an enol iso-
mer of the structure shown. Write the two most stable enol forms of terreic acid, and choose which
of those two is more stable.
18.33 In each of the following, the indicated observations were made before any of the starting
material was transformed to aldol addition or condensation products:
(a) In aqueous acid, only 17% of (C
6
H
5
)
2
CHCH?O is present as the aldehyde; 2% of the
enol is present. Some other species accounts for 81% of the material. What is it?
(b) In aqueous base, 97% of (C
6
H
5
)
2
CHCH?O is present as a species different from any
of those in part (a). What is this species?
18.34 (a) For a long time attempts to prepare compound A were thwarted by its ready isomer-
ization to compound B. The isomerization is efficiently catalyzed by traces of base.
Write a reasonable mechanism for this isomerization.
(b) Another attempt to prepare compound A by hydrolysis of its diethyl acetal gave only
the 1,4-dioxane derivative C. How was compound C formed?
18.35 Consider the ketones piperitone, menthone, and isomenthone.
O
CH
3
CH(CH
3
)
2
(H11002)-Piperitone
O
CH
3
CH(CH
3
)
2
Menthone Isomenthone
O
CH
3
CH(CH
3
)
2
C
6
H
5
CHCH(OCH
2
CH
3
)
2
OH
H
2
O
H
H11001
C
6
H
5
O
O C6H5
OH
HO
Compound C
HO
H11002
H
2
O
Compound A
C
6
H
5
CHCH
OH
O
Compound B
C
6
H
5
CCH
2
OH
O
O
H
O
O
O
CH
3
CC
6
H
5
O
CH
3
from acetophenone,
4-methylbenzyl alcohol,
and 1,3-butadiene
Problems 733
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Suggest reasonable explanations for each of the following observations:
(a) Optically active piperitone (H9251
D
H1100232°) is converted to racemic piperitone on standing in
a solution of sodium ethoxide in ethanol.
(b) Menthone is converted to a mixture of menthone and isomenthone on treatment with
90% sulfuric acid.
18.36 Many nitrogen-containing compounds engage in a proton-transfer equilibrium that is anal-
ogous to keto–enol tautomerism:
HX±N?Z BA X?N±ZH
Each of the following compounds is the less stable partner of such a tautomeric pair. Write the
structure of the more stable partner for each one.
(a) CH
3
CH
2
N?O
(d)
(b) (CH
3
)
2
C?CHNHCH
3
(c) (e)
18.37 Outline reasonable mechanisms for each of the following reactions:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e) H11001
KOH
ethanol
C
6
H
5
C
6
H
5
C
6
H
5
C
6
H
5
O
C
6
H
5
CCC
6
H
5
OO
C
6
H
5
CH
2
CCH
2
C
6
H
5
O
heat
or
base
O
H
H
CH
3
CH
3
O
H
H
CH
3
CH
3
KOH
H
2
O, CH
3
OH
O
CH
3
(40%)
HCCH
2
CH
2
CHCCH
3
O O
CH
3
H11001
HO
H11002
heat
CHCH
2
CH
2
C
O
CH
3
(CH
3
)
2
C CHCH
(96%)
CHCH
2
CH
2
CCH
3
O
(CH
3
)
2
C
O
CH
3
CH
KOC(CH
3
)
3
benzene
O
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
CH
2
Br
O
(76%)
HN
OH
NH
2
CCH
3
CH
O
H11002
H11001
OH
N
NH
NH
N
734 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN Enols and Enolates
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(f)
18.38 Suggest reasonable explanations for each of the following observations:
(a) The C?O stretching frequency of H9251,H9252-unsaturated ketones (about 1675 cm
H110021
) is less
than that of typical dialkyl ketones (1710–1750 cm
H110021
).
(b) The C?O stretching frequency of cyclopropenone (1640 cm
H110021
) is lower than that of
typical H9251,H9252-unsaturated ketones (1675 cm
H110021
).
(c) The dipole moment of diphenylcyclopropenone (H9262 H11005 5.1 D) is substantially larger than
that of benzophenone (H9262 H11005 3.0 D)
(d) The H9252 carbon of an H9251,H9252-unsaturated ketone is less shielded than the corresponding car-
bon of an alkene. Typical
13
C NMR chemical shift values are
18.39 Bromination of 3-methyl-2-butanone yielded two compounds, each having the molecular
formula C
5
H
9
BrO, in a 95:5 ratio. The
1
H NMR spectrum of the major isomer A was character-
ized by a doublet at H9254 1.2 ppm (6 protons), a septet at H9254 3.0 ppm (1 proton), and a singlet at H9254
4.1 ppm (2 protons). The
1
H NMR spectrum of the minor isomer B exhibited two singlets, one at
H9254 1.9 ppm and the other at H9254 2.5 ppm. The lower field singlet had half the area of the higher field
one. Suggest reasonable structures for these two compounds.
18.40 Treatment of 2-butanone (1 mol) with Br
2
(2 mol) in aqueous HBr gave C
4
H
6
Br
2
O. The
1
H
NMR spectrum of the product was characterized by signals at H9254 1.9 ppm (doublet, 3 protons), 4.6
ppm (singlet, 2 protons), and 5.2 ppm (quartet, 1 proton). Identify this compound.
18.41 2-Phenylpropanedial [C
6
H
5
CH(CHO)
2
] exists in the solid state as an enol in which the con-
figuration of the double bond is E. In solution (CDCl
3
), an enol form again predominates but this
time the configuration is Z. Make molecular models of these two enols, and suggest an explana-
tion for the predominance of the Z enol in solution. (Hint: Think about intermolecular versus
intramolecular hydrogen bonding.)
(H9254 H11015 129 ppm)
CH
2
O
CHCR
(H9254 H11015 114 ppm)
CH
2
CHCH
2
R
H11001
NaOCH
3
CH
3
OH
O
C
6
H
5
CH
3
C
6
H
5
C
6
H
5
C
6
H
5
CH
2
CCH
2
CH
3
O
CH
2
O
C
6
H
5
CCC
6
H
5
Problems 735
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