ALLS: Properties & Preparation General formula: -, where is alkyl or substitued alkyl. Ar-: phenol - different properties. Nomenclature 1. ommon names: Name of alkyl group, followed by word alcohol. 2. arbinol system: Alcohol is considered a derivative of 3. Name groups replacing methyl hydrogens, add the suffix carbinol. 3. IUPA: (a) Parent structure - longest chain containing - group: name by replacing -e of alkane by -ol (b) Position of - is indicated by a number, usually the lowest one possible (- takes precedence over double and triple bonds if any are present, ie, number from the end that gives the - a lower number). (c) Substituents on parent chain indicated by name and position number. (d) More than one - group: -diol, -triol, etc. eg 6 5-2 -l-()- 3 3-chloro-4-phenyl-2-butanol
Physical Properties Up to ~6 carbons: soluble in water owing to hydrogen bonding and dipole-dipole interactions with water. The larger the alkyl group, the more alkane-like the alcohol. Alcohols can hydrogen bond. Small alkyl groups do not disrupt -bonding in water much; large groups do. wing to -bonding and dipole-dipole interactions, the bps of alcohols are high compared to alkanes of same MW. I: Free - stretch (sharp) [not usually seen in neat liquid alcohol samples] at ~3640 cm -1 ; -bonded - stretch (broad) ~ 3350 cm -1 2
Preparation 1) ydroboration-oxidation [eview Sect. 7.5, pgs. 231-34 in McMurry.] 6 + 2 2 2 (B 3 ) 2 B 6 + B() 3-3 anti-markovnikov, syn addition of and w/o rearrangements, eg (B 3 ) 2 3 3 2 3 2 B 3 isopropylborane 3 3 2 3 3 2 B 2 3 3 3 diisopropylborane 2 3 In each addition boron becomes attached to the less substituted carbon of the alkene. 3 3 3 2 3 2 B 2 3 3 triisopropylborane 3 2 2-3 2 ( 3 ) 2 + B() 3 anti-markovnikov boric acid 3
If alkyl boranes are heated, they will isomerize to terminal alkylboranes via an elimination-readdition mechanism: 3 3 (B 3 ) 2 3 2 3 B 2 2 2 3 B 2 2, - 2 2 2 3 A terminal alcohol from an internal olefin. This can be a useful synthetic trick. 2) ydration or xymercuration-demercuration [eview Sect. 7.4, pgs. 228-31 in McMurry.] ydration of an alkene with water and a strong acid catalyst, or reaction of an alkene with g(ac) 2 in 2 /TF followed by NaB 4, leads to Markovnikov addition. In the case of mercuration the addition shows anti stereochemistry. 4
3) eduction of Ketones --- Ketones can be reduced to secondary alcohols with lithium aluminum hydride or sodium borohydride. NaB 4 / 2 followed by 3 + or LiAl 4 /ether followed by 3 + eg 3 1)NaB 4 / 2 2) 3 + 3 5
Limitations Sodium borohydride may reduce the - bond in conjugated ketones. Lithium aluminum hydride is a powerful reducing agent and will reduce carboxylic acids, esters, nitriles, amides and nitro groups; it will replace alkyl halogens with hydrogen (hydrogenolysis). It is destroyed by even weakly acidic water and alcohols. It may reduce the - bond in conjugated ketones. It reacts violently with water and, in general, is nasty stuff. 4) eduction of Aldehydes Aldehydes can be reduced to primary alcohols with sodium borohydride or lithium aluminum hydride. This reaction is analogous to (3). NaB 4 / 2 followed by 3 + or LiAl 4 /ether followed by 3 + eg 1) NaB 4 / 2 2) 3 + 6
5) eduction of arboxylic Acids and Esters Esters can be reduced to primary alcohols, ---' > - 2 - + --', by sodium metal in ethanol (the Bouveault-Blanc reduction). Both esters and carboxylic acids can be reduced to primary alcohols by lithium aluminum hydride. via (simplified): 1) LiAl 4 2) 3 + + Li + - Al 4 Al 3 - + Li + 2 + Al Al 3 - + Li Li hydride transfer + Li - + Al 3 Li Al Li Al 3 - + Li + Li 2 Al 3 aldehyde (not isolated) 7
Li + Al Li hydride transfer + Al Li + 2 + Li + - Note the unusual hydride (: ) transfers in the above mechanism. This is different from the common proton ( + ) transfers we see in Bronsted-Lowry acid-base reactions. 8
6) Grignard Synthesis (Smaller > Larger) Formation of Grignard reagent -X or Ar-X + Mg anhydrous 2 5 2 5 or -Mg-X or Ar-Mg-X X = I, Br, l Grignards react with aldehydes, ketones, and esters to give alcohols MgX or ArMgX + formaldehyde 2 3 + 1o alcohol ' + aldehyde ' + '' ketone ' + '' ester ' 2 3 + 2o alcohol ' 2 3 + '' ' 2 3 + 3o alcohol 3o alcohol 9
Pseudomechanism Mg X 2 Mg X Mg X + Mg()X magnesium salt of an alcohol Synthesize 2-phenyl-2-butanol using a Grignard synthesis The figure below shows three possible routes by which this synthesis can be accomplished. In practice, the route chosen would likely depend on the starting materials that may be at hand in the laboratory (all of these compounds could be purchased). 10
3 2 3 3 + 3 2 MgBr 3 2 3 + MgBr Mg anhydrous ether Mg anhydrous ether 3 2 Br Br 3 2 + 3 MgBr not commonly available 11
3 MgBr could be made from 3 Br and Mg, but methyl bromide is not convenient to handle. It boils at 4 o, so it is a gas at room temperature. [Large quantities of methyl chloride are used as a soil and grain fumigant. Its use is quite controversial since it is somewhat toxic and an ozone depleting chemical. See, for example: http://www.epa.gov/docs/ozone/mbr/mbrqa.html] 12