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19.12: Biological Reductions

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    As a general rule, nucleophilic addition reactions are characteristic only of aldehydes and ketones, not of carboxylic acid derivatives. The reason for the difference is structural. As discussed previously and shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\), the tetrahedral intermediate produced by addition of a nucleophile to a carboxylic acid derivative can eliminate a leaving group, leading to a net nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction. The tetrahedral intermediate produced by addition of a nucleophile to an aldehyde or ketone, however, has only alkyl or hydrogen substituents and thus can’t usually expel a leaving group. One exception to this rule is the Cannizzaro reaction, discovered in 1853.

    A nucleophilic addition reaction where a carboxylic acid derivative reacts with a nucleophile to form an intermediate. This further leads to carbonyl connected to R and nucleophile, and Y negative.
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Carboxylic acid derivatives have an electronegative substituent Y = –Br, –Cl, –OR, –NR2 that can be expelled as a leaving group from the tetrahedral intermediate formed by nucleophilic addition. Aldehydes and ketones have no such leaving group and thus do not usually undergo this reaction.

    The Cannizzaro reaction takes place by nucleophilic addition of OH to an aldehyde to give a tetrahedral intermediate, which expels hydride ion as a leaving group and is thereby oxidized. A second aldehyde molecule accepts the hydride ion in another nucleophilic addition step and is thereby reduced. Benzaldehyde, for instance, yields benzyl alcohol plus benzoic acid when heated with aqueous NaOH.

    Benzaldehyde carbonyl is attacked by hydroxyl group to form a tetrahedral intermediate, which reacts with benzaldehyde and then hydronium to produce benzoic acid (oxidized) and benzyl alcohol (reduced).
    Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Mechanism of biological aldehyde and ketone reductions by the coenzyme NADH. The key step is an expulsion of hydride ion from NADH and donation to the carbonyl group.
    Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\)

    When o-phthalaldehyde is treated with base, o-(hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid is formed. Show the mechanism of this reaction.

    Ortho-phthalaldehyde (1,2-diformylbenzene) reacts first with hydroxide, then with hydronium, to generate o-(hydroxymethyl)benzoic acid.
    Answer

    Intramolecular Cannizzaro reaction

    Exercise \(\PageIndex{2}\)

    What is the stereochemistry of the pyruvate reduction shown in Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\)? Does NADH lose its pro-R or pro-S hydrogen? Does addition occur to the Si face or Re face of pyruvate? (Review Section 5.11.)

    Answer

    Addition of the pro-R hydrogen of NADH takes place on the Re face of pyruvate.


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