• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.546-550
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• 2014

Relative reactivity of various carbonyl and acid derivatives in MPV-type (Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley) reduction with an DIBAL(F) model has been studied via DFT and MP2 methods. Free energies of initial adduct formation (-Gadd) of DIBAL(F) model and carbonyls are in the order of amide < ester < aldehyde < ketone < acid chloride; in the alan-amide adduct, the developed positive charge at carbonyl carbon is expected to be stabilized by amide resonance, but in the acid chloride adduct it is destabilized by inductive effect of chloride. However the TS barrier energies (${\Delta}G_{TS}$) for the MPV-type hydride reduction of the carbonyl adducts are in the order of aldehyde < ketone < acid chloride << ester < amide; presumably decreasing order of electrophilicity of carbonyl carbon at adducts, which is well correlated with experimental data. It is noted that the relative reactivity of carbonyl derivatives in MPV-type reduction with DIBAL(X) is not governed by the alan-adduct formation energies, but follows the order of electrophilicity of carbonyl carbon of transition states.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.2335-2339
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• 2013

Relative reactivity of various Al-substituted dialkylalans ($AlR_2(X)$) in reduction of acetone has been studied with density functional theory and MP2 method. Formation of the alan dimers and the alan-acetone adduct, and the transition state for the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley (MPV) type reduction of the adduct were calculated to figure out the energy profile. Formation of dimeric alans is highly exothermic. Both the relative free energies for acetone-alan adduct formation and the TS barriers for the MPV type reduction with respect to alan dimers and acetone were calculated and they show the same trend. Based on these energetic data, relative reactivity of alans is expected to be; $AlR_2(Cl)$ > $AlR_2(OTf)$ > $AlR_2(O_2CCF_3)$ > $AlR_2(F)$ > $AlR_2(OMs)$ > $AlR_2(OAc)$ > $AlR_2(OMe)$ > $AlR_2(NMe_2)$. The energy profile is relatively well correlated with the experimental order of the reactivity of Al-substituted dialkylalans. It is noted that the substituents of alans have initial effects on the relative free energies for the carbonyl-adduct formation. Therefore, an $AlR_2(X)$ which forms a more stable carbonyl-adduct is more reactive in carbonyl reduction.