Abstract
(Chemical Equation Presented) A diverse array of oxometallic species were examined as catalysts in nucleophilic acyl substitution (NAS) reactions of methyl (or ethyl) esters with protic nucleophiles. Among them, oxotitanium acetylacetonate (TiO(acac) 2 ) and vanadyl chloride (VOCl 2 -(THF) x ) served as the most efficient and water-tolerant catalysts. Transesterifications of methyl and/or ethyl esters with functionalized (including acid- or base-sensitive) 1° and 2° alcohols can be carried out chemoselectively in refluxed toluene or xylene in a 1:1 substrate stoichiometry using 1 mol % catalyst loading. The resultant products were furnished in 85-100% yields by simple aqueous workup to remove water-soluble catalysts. The new NAS protocol is also amenable to amines and thiols in 74-91% yields, albeit with higher loading (2.5 equiv) of protic nucleophiles. Representative examples of commercial interests such as Padimate O and antioxidant additives for plastics were also examined to demonstrate their practical applications. A 1:1 adduct between TiO(acac) 2 and a given 1-octadecanol was identified as (C 18 H 37 O) 2 Ti(acac) 2 and was responsible for its subsequent NAS of methyl esters.