Reactivity Of Secondary Hydroxyl Groups Research Articles

Selective acylation of cholic acid derivatives with multiple methacrylate groups

Bile acids in the family of steroid compounds can be chemically modified for biochemical and other applications. Derivatives of cholic acid with multiple methacrylate groups can be prepared by the use of methacrylic acid, methacryloyl chloride and methacryloyl anhydride as the acylating agents. The hydroxyl groups of cholic acid methyl ester and cholic acid ethylene glycol ester have been selectively acylated by changing the acylating agents and the number of substitutions have been varied by changing the amount of the acylating agents used. In the acylation reactions with methacryloyl chloride, the reactivity of secondary hydroxyl groups on the steroid skeleton of cholic acid derivatives follows the order of C3 > C12 > C7.

Reactivity of secondary hydroxyl groups in methylβ-d-xylopyranoside toward aβ-o-4-type quinone methide

Methylβ-d-xylopyranoside was allowed to react withβ-O-4-type quinone methide without a catalyst to elucidate the reactivities of secondary hydroxyl groups at the C2, C3, and C4 positions. Benzyl ether-type lignin-carbohydrate complex (LCC) compounds linked at the C2 and C4 positions were predominant, at a ratio of 2∶3. However, the reactivity of the hydroxyl group at the C3 position was quite low. These results strongly suggest that the reactivity of the C2 hydroxyl group in xylan toward quinone methide intermediate is higher than that of the C3 hydroxyl group during biosynthesis of LCCs.

Enhanced reactivity of secondary hydroxyl groups in the O-alkylation of carbohydrate-related primary-secondaryvic-glycols. Regioselective 2-O-benzylation of 1,3:2,4-di-O-ethylidene-D-glucitol

Partial O-alkylation of 1,3:2,4-di-O-ethylidene-D-glucitol (1a), 1,2-O-isopropylidene-3-O-methyl-α-D-glucofuranose (1b), andR-(+)-1-O-benzylglycerol (1c) with benzyl chloride in a KOH/DMSO system results in products of monoalkylation at the secondary (4a–c) and at the primary hydroxyl (2a–c) in ratios of over 95∶5 (a), ∼2∶1 (b), and ∼1∶1 (c), whereas (±)propane-1,2-diol (1d) gives only the product of 1-O-benzylation (2d). A qualitatively similar result is observed upon O-alkylation of diols (1a–e) with 2-methoxyethanol tosylate.