Stevens rearrangement

Last updated

The Stevens rearrangement in organic chemistry is an organic reaction converting quaternary ammonium salts and sulfonium salts to the corresponding amines or sulfides in presence of a strong base in a 1,2-rearrangement. [1]

Contents

Stevens rearrangement overview Stevens rearrangement overview.svg
Stevens rearrangement overview

The reactants can be obtained by alkylation of the corresponding amines and sulfides. The substituent R next the amine methylene bridge is an electron-withdrawing group.

The original 1928 publication by Thomas S. Stevens [2] concerned the reaction of 1-phenyl-2-(N,N-dimethylamino)ethanone with benzyl bromide to the ammonium salt followed by the rearrangement reaction with sodium hydroxide in water to the rearranged amine.

Stevens rearrangement 1928 Stevens1928rearrangement.png
Stevens rearrangement 1928

A 1932 publication [3] described the corresponding sulfur reaction.

Reaction mechanism

The reaction mechanism of the Stevens rearrangement is one of the most controversial reaction mechanisms in organic chemistry. [4] Key in the reaction mechanism [5] [6] for the Stevens rearrangement (explained for the nitrogen reaction) is the formation of an ylide after deprotonation of the ammonium salt by a strong base. Deprotonation is aided by electron-withdrawing properties of substituent R. Several reaction modes exist for the actual rearrangement reaction.

A concerted reaction requires an antarafacial reaction mode but since the migrating group displays retention of configuration this mechanism is unlikely.

In an alternative reaction mechanism the N–C bond of the leaving group is homolytically cleaved to form a di-radical pair (3a). In order to explain the observed retention of configuration, the presence of a solvent cage is invoked. Another possibility is the formation of a cation-anion pair (3b), also in a solvent cage.

Stevens rearrangement reaction mechanism Stevens mechanism.png
Stevens rearrangement reaction mechanism

Scope

Competing reactions are the Sommelet-Hauser rearrangement and the Hofmann elimination.

In one application a double-Stevens rearrangement expands a cyclophane ring. [7] The ylide is prepared in situ by reaction of the diazo compound ethyl diazomalonate with a sulfide catalyzed by dirhodium tetraacetate in refluxing xylene.

Stevens rearrangement applied.png

Enzymatic reaction

Recently, γ-butyrobetaine hydroxylase, [8] [9] an enzyme that is involved in the human carnitine biosynthesis pathway, was found to catalyze a C-C bond formation reaction in a fashion analogous to a Stevens type rearrangement. [8] [10] The substrate for the reaction is meldonium. [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

In chemistry, amines are compounds and functional groups that contain a basic nitrogen atom with a lone pair. Amines are formally derivatives of ammonia, wherein one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced by a substituent such as an alkyl or aryl group. Important amines include amino acids, biogenic amines, trimethylamine, and aniline; see Category:Amines for a list of amines. Inorganic derivatives of ammonia are also called amines, such as monochloramine.

An ylide or ylid is a neutral dipolar molecule containing a formally negatively charged atom (usually a carbanion) directly attached to a heteroatom with a formal positive charge (usually nitrogen, phosphorus or sulfur), and in which both atoms have full octets of electrons. The result can be viewed as a structure in which two adjacent atoms are connected by both a covalent and an ionic bond; normally written X+–Y. Ylides are thus 1,2-dipolar compounds, and a subclass of zwitterions. They appear in organic chemistry as reagents or reactive intermediates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quaternary ammonium cation</span> Positively-charged molecules of the form N(–R)4

In chemistry, quaternary ammonium cations, also known as quats, are positively charged polyatomic ions of the structure NR+4, R being an alkyl group or an aryl group. Unlike the ammonium ion and the primary, secondary, or tertiary ammonium cations, the quaternary ammonium cations are permanently charged, independent of the pH of their solution. Quaternary ammonium salts or quaternary ammonium compounds are salts of quaternary ammonium cations. Polyquats are a variety of engineered polymer forms which provide multiple quat molecules within a larger molecule.

In chemistry, the phosphonium cation describes polyatomic cations with the chemical formula PR+
4
. These cations have tetrahedral structures. The salts are generally colorless or take the color of the anions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claisen rearrangement</span> Chemical reaction

The Claisen rearrangement is a powerful carbon–carbon bond-forming chemical reaction discovered by Rainer Ludwig Claisen. The heating of an allyl vinyl ether will initiate a [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement to give a γ,δ-unsaturated carbonyl, driven by exergonically favored carbonyl CO bond formation.

Organosulfur compounds are organic compounds that contain sulfur. They are often associated with foul odors, but many of the sweetest compounds known are organosulfur derivatives, e.g., saccharin. Nature abounds with organosulfur compounds—sulfur is vasile 6ial for life. Of the 20 common amino acids, two are organosulfur compounds, and the antibiotics penicillin and sulfa drugs both contain sulfur. While sulfur-containing antibiotics save many lives, sulfur mustard is a deadly chemical warfare agent. Fossil fuels, coal, petroleum, and natural gas, which are derived from ancient organisms, necessarily contain organosulfur compounds, the removal of which is a major focus of oil refineries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gassman indole synthesis</span>

The Gassman indole synthesis is a series of chemical reactions used to synthesize substituted indoles by addition of an aniline and a ketone bearing a thioether substituent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iminium</span> Polyatomic ion of the form >C=N< and charge +1

In organic chemistry, an iminium cation is a polyatomic ion with the general structure [R1R2C=NR3R4]+. They are common in synthetic chemistry and biology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnson–Corey–Chaykovsky reaction</span> Chemical reaction in organic chemistry

The Johnson–Corey–Chaykovsky reaction is a chemical reaction used in organic chemistry for the synthesis of epoxides, aziridines, and cyclopropanes. It was discovered in 1961 by A. William Johnson and developed significantly by E. J. Corey and Michael Chaykovsky. The reaction involves addition of a sulfur ylide to a ketone, aldehyde, imine, or enone to produce the corresponding 3-membered ring. The reaction is diastereoselective favoring trans substitution in the product regardless of the initial stereochemistry. The synthesis of epoxides via this method serves as an important retrosynthetic alternative to the traditional epoxidation reactions of olefins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azomethine ylide</span>

Azomethine ylides are nitrogen-based 1,3-dipoles, consisting of an iminium ion next to a carbanion. They are used in 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions to form five-membered heterocycles, including pyrrolidines and pyrrolines. These reactions are highly stereo- and regioselective, and have the potential to form four new contiguous stereocenters. Azomethine ylides thus have high utility in total synthesis, and formation of chiral ligands and pharmaceuticals. Azomethine ylides can be generated from many sources, including aziridines, imines, and iminiums. They are often generated in situ, and immediately reacted with dipolarophiles.

The Kornblum–DeLaMare rearrangement is a rearrangement reaction in organic chemistry in which a primary or secondary organic peroxide is converted to the corresponding ketone and alcohol under acid or base catalysis. The reaction is relevant as a tool in organic synthesis and is a key step in the biosynthesis of prostaglandins.

The Willgerodt rearrangement or Willgerodt reaction is an organic reaction converting an aryl alkyl ketone, alkyne, or alkene to the corresponding amide by reaction with ammonium polysulfide, named after Conrad Willgerodt. The formation of the corresponding carboxylic acid is a side reaction. When the alkyl group is an aliphatic chain, multiple reactions take place with the amide group always ending up at the terminal end.

In organic chemistry, the Ei mechanism, also known as a thermal syn elimination or a pericyclic syn elimination, is a special type of elimination reaction in which two vicinal (adjacent) substituents on an alkane framework leave simultaneously via a cyclic transition state to form an alkene in a syn elimination. This type of elimination is unique because it is thermally activated and does not require additional reagents, unlike regular eliminations, which require an acid or base, or would in many cases involve charged intermediates. This reaction mechanism is often found in pyrolysis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gamma-butyrobetaine dioxygenase</span>

Gamma-butyrobetaine dioxygenase is an enzyme that in humans is encoded by the BBOX1 gene. Gamma-butyrobetaine dioxygenase catalyses the formation of L-carnitine from gamma-butyrobetaine, the last step in the L-carnitine biosynthesis pathway. Carnitine is essential for the transport of activated fatty acids across the mitochondrial membrane during mitochondrial beta oxidation. In humans, gamma-butyrobetaine dioxygenase can be found in kidney (high), liver (moderate), and brain. BBOX1 has recently been identified as a potential cancer gene on the basis of a large-scale microarray data analysis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sommelet–Hauser rearrangement</span>

The Sommelet–Hauser rearrangement (named after M. Sommelet and Charles R. Hauser) is a rearrangement reaction of certain benzyl quaternary ammonium salts. The reagent is sodium amide or another alkali metal amide and the reaction product a N,N-dialkylbenzylamine with a new alkyl group in the aromatic ortho position. For example, benzyltrimethylammonium iodide, [(C6H5CH2)N(CH3)3]I, rearranges in the presence of sodium amide to yield the o-methyl derivative of N,N-dimethylbenzylamine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birch reduction</span> Organic reaction used to convert arenes to cyclohexadienes

The Birch reduction is an organic reaction that is used to convert arenes to cyclohexadienes. The reaction is named after the Australian chemist Arthur Birch and involves the organic reduction of aromatic rings in an amine solvent with an alkali metal and a proton source. Unlike catalytic hydrogenation, Birch reduction does not reduce the aromatic ring all the way to a cyclohexane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doyle–Kirmse reaction</span> Reaction in organic chemistry

The Doyle–Kirmse reaction is an organic reaction in which in the original scope an allyl sulfide reacts with trimethylsilyldiazomethane to form the homoallyl sulfide compound. The reaction was first reported by W. Kirmse in 1968 and modified by M.P. Doyle in 1981.

Charles Roy Hauser was an American chemist. Hauser was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a professor of chemistry at Duke University.

Alpha-ketoglutarate-dependent hydroxylases are a major class of non-heme iron proteins that catalyse a wide range of reactions. These reactions include hydroxylation reactions, demethylations, ring expansions, ring closures, and desaturations. Functionally, the αKG-dependent hydroxylases are comparable to cytochrome P450 enzymes. Both use O2 and reducing equivalents as cosubstrates and both generate water.

Christopher Joseph Schofield is the Head of Organic Chemistry at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of the Royal Society. Chris Schofield is a professor of organic chemistry at the University of Oxford, Department of Chemistry and a Fellow of Hertford College. Prof Schofield studied functional, structural and mechanistic understanding of enzymes that employ oxygen and 2-oxoglutarate as a co-substrate. His work has opened up new possibilities in antibiotic research, oxygen sensing, and gene regulation.

References

  1. Pine SH (2011). The Base-Promoted Rearrangements of Quaternary Ammonium Salts. Organic Reactions. Organic Reactions. pp. 403–464. doi:10.1002/0471264180.or018.04. ISBN   978-0471264187.
  2. Stevens TS, Creighton EM, Gordon AB, MacNicol M (1928). "CCCCXXIII.—Degradation of quaternary ammonium salts. Part I". J. Chem. Soc.: 3193–3197. doi:10.1039/JR9280003193.
  3. Stevens, T.S.; et al. (1932). "8. Degradation of quaternary ammonium salts. Part V. Molecular rearrangement in related sulphur compounds". J. Chem. Soc.: 69. doi:10.1039/JR9320000069.
  4. Bhakat, S (2011). "The controversial reaction mechanism of Stevens rearrangement: A review". J. Chem. Pharm. Res. 3 (1): 115–121.
  5. M B Smith, J March. March's Advanced Organic Chemistry (Wiley, 2001) ( ISBN   0-471-58589-0)
  6. Strategic Applications of Named Reactions in Organic Synthesis Laszlo Kurti, Barbara Czako Academic Press (4 March, 2005) ISBN   0-12-429785-4
  7. Macrocycle Ring Expansion by Double Stevens RearrangementKeisha K. Ellis-Holder, Brian P. Peppers, Andrei Yu. Kovalevsky, and Steven T. Diver Org. Lett.; 2006; 8(12) pp 2511 – 2514; (Letter) doi : 10.1021/ol060657a
  8. 1 2 Leung IKH, Krojer TJ, Kochan GT, Henry L, von Delft F, Claridge TDW, Oppermann U, McDonough MA, Schofield CJ (December 2010). "Structural and mechanistic studies on γ-butyrobetaine hydroxylase". Chem. Biol. 17 (12): 1316–24. doi: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2010.09.016 . PMID   21168767.
  9. Tars K, Rumnieks J, Zeltins A, Kazaks A, Kotelovica S, Leonciks A, Sharipo J, Viksna A, Kuka J, Liepinsh E, Dambrova M (August 2010). "Crystal structure of human gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase". Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 398 (4): 634–9. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2010.06.121. PMID   20599753.
  10. Henry L, Leung IKH, Claridge TDW, Schofield CJ (August 2012). "γ-Butyrobetaine hydroxylase catalyses a Stevens type rearrangement". Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 22 (15): 4975–4978. doi:10.1016/j.bmcl.2012.06.024. PMID   22765904.
  11. Simkhovich BZ, Shutenko ZV, Meirena DV, Khagi KB, Mezapuķe RJ, Molodchina TN, Kalviņs IJ, Lukevics E (January 1988). "3-(2,2,2-Trimethylhydrazinium)propionate (THP)--a novel gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase inhibitor with cardioprotective properties". Biochem. Pharmacol. 37 (2): 195–202. doi:10.1016/0006-2952(88)90717-4. PMID   3342076.