Carboxylic
Acid Derivatives and Nucleophilic Acyl Substitution
McMurry Chapter 21
Acid
Derivatives
n
Similar
chemistry - very different reactivity
Typical
Reaction
n

For acids,
acid/base reaction
n

For acid
derivative, acyl substitution
Nomenclature
- Acid Halides
n
Acid Halides
n
Drop the “ic acid” from the acid name and add “yl halide”
n

Or drop
“carboxylic acid” from the acid name and add “carbonyl halide”
Nomenclature
- Anhydrides
n
Anhydrides
n
Name the
two acids and and the word “anhydride”.
Nomenclature
- Amides
n
Name the groups that are attached to the nitrogen and place an N
before the name.
n
Use the
name of the acid, drop “ic acid” and add “amide”
Nomenclature
- Esters
n
Name the alkyl group attached to the oxygen
n
Drop the
“ic acid” from the name of the acid and add “ate”.
Nomenclature
- Nitriles
n
Use the suffix of the alkane and add “nitrile”
n
Use the acid
name, drop the “-ic acid” and add “-onitrile”
Acyl
Substitution
n
Common reaction of acid derivatives
Relative
Reactivity
n
Steric congestion
about carbonyl carbon slows the reaction.
Electronic
Effect
n
Better
leaving group more reactive.
n
A less reactive group can be made from a more reactive one.
Preparations
n
Acid
halides are key to the preparation of other acid derivatives.
Preparation
of Other Acid Derivatives
n

Start with
the acid halide
Examples
What
would happen?
n
Predict the products of the following reactions.
Were
you right?
Fischer
Esterification
n

Acid
catalyzed reaction of an acid and and alcohol.
Mechanism
of Fischer Esterification
n
Important
mechanism (learn it!)

Fischer
Esterification is an Equilibrium Reaction
n
How do you shift equilibria?
[RCOOR’][H2O]
Keq =
[RCOOH][R’OH]
n
Load up reactants
n
Remove products
Acid
Halides
n
The most reactive of the acid derivatives
n
Best
prepared from the acid and SOCl2
Major
Reactions of Acid Halides
n
Acyl substitution

Reaction
with H2O
n
Acyl Substitution

n
Acid chlorides are destroyed by water
Reaction
with Alcohols
n
Same as with water

n
Primary alcohols
react fastest; tertiary slowest.
Reaction
with Amines
n
Aminolysis - same mechanism

n
Schotten-Baumann
Reaction
Reduction
of Acid Halides
n
LiAlH4 gives the alcohol

Mechanism

Could we stop at the Aldehyde?
n
A reagent
that would reduce acid halides but not aldehydes. Less reactive than LiAlH4
n
At low temperature this reagent allows the isolation of aldehydes
Organometallics
n
Grignard reactions give tertiary alcohols

2
n
Copper reagents give ketones

Acid
Anhydrides
n
Preparation
n
From acid
halides and carboxylate salts

n
Industrial preparation of acetic anhydride

Reactions
of Acid Anhydrides
n
Very similar to
acid halides
Two
Important Reactions
n
Aspirin &
Acetaminophen
Esters
n
Frequently found in nature as fragrance and flavor
compounds.


Fats
as Esters
n
Triesters of glycerol
n-Butyl
Phthalate
n
Many plastics
are brittle. To make them more pliable n-butyl phthalate is added.
Preparation
of Esters
n
Fischer Esterification of Acids

n
From Acid
Halides
Bonus
Reaction (not in book)
n
Diazomethane
n
Very
unstable

n
Very good
method to make methyl esters
Reactions
of Esters
n
Hydrolysis - acid or base catalyzed
n
Acid
catalysis is the reverse of the Fischer Esterification

Saponification
n
Base catalyzed
hydrolysis is called “saponification”
Mechanism?
n
Acyl substitution

Ester
Reduction
n
LiAlH4 reduces esters smoothly to the primary
alcohol.

n Since acids
react violently with LAH they are often converted to esters before reduction.
Aminolysis
n
Reaction with amines

n Notice the amine
reacted, not the alcohol. Why?
Esters
and Grignard Reagents
n
We have seen this reaction
n
(review is a “good thing”)
Amides
n
Prepared from acid halides, anhydrides, and esters.

Amide
Hydrolysis
n
Relatively unreactive toward water.
n
Acid and base catalyzed

Amide
Reduction
n
LAH reduces amides to the amine
n
Very good amine preparation.
Nitrile
Chemistry
n
Oxidation state of nitriles is the same as acids.
n
Prepared by SN2 with NC-

Dehydration
of Amides
n
Priamary amides with thionyl chloride

Reaction
of Nitriles
n
Hydrolysis

n
Mechanism?
Reduction
n
Primary amine preparation

Could
we subvert the reduction?
n
Partial reduction with a less reactive reagent; DIBAL

Nitriles
and Grignard Reagents
n
Ketone preparation

Thiol
Ester
n
Very important biochemically
n
Acetyl
Coenzyme A

n
Acetylating
agent. Two carbon building block
Polyamides
and Polyesters
n
Important as fibers
n
Nylon
n
Polyester
Polyamides
n
Nylon
Preparation
n
Acid chloride method
n
Low MW, poor properties
Industrial
Preparation
n
Two step
Industrial
Preparation of Polyester
n
Trans
esterification
Polycarbonate
Polymers
n
Carbonates
n
Lexan
Spectroscopy
n
IR
n
Acid Halides 1810
cm -1
n
Acid Anhydrides 1820,
1760 cm -1
n
Acid Ester
1735 cm -1
n
Acid Amides 1690
cm -1
n
Nitriles
2250 cm-1
Aromatic systems 30 cm-1 lower.
NMR
n
Proton
n
Protons
next to the carbonyl occur about 2.2 ppm
n
Carbon
n
Acid 177
Ester 170
n
Acid
Halide 170 Anhydride 166
n
Amide 172
Nitrile 117
n
Ketone
205 Aldehyde 201