IChO 1981 · Theory problem 3

Structure of a natural compound X from its reactions

Compound X has been isolated from a neutral product. Different reagents have been used to establish the structure of X. The following results were obtained:

Figure 1

3.1 What conclusions can be drawn on the composition and the structure of X on the basis of the data obtained from each of the above interactions. The conclusions should be formulated in the most concise and clear way. Fill in the table without describing how you reached your conclusions.

I. ........................................
II. ........................................
III. ........................................
IV. ........................................
V. ........................................

3.2 Write the formula of substance X on the basis of the data about the composition and structure obtained in point 1.

3.3 Write the formulae of substances A, B, C, D, and E and the formula for heptane acid.

3.4 To what natural substances could this structure correspond? Write the name of the substance and draw the structural formula which best describes its structure properties.

3.5 Give three properties of this compound that do not correspond to the structure found in point 2.

Official English text of the problem.

Answers

  • 3.1
Interaction Conclusion
I Empirical formula: \(\ce{CH2O}\).
II X contains a reactive carbonyl group.
III X has one aldehyde group; its molar mass is \(180\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}\), giving \(\ce{C6H12O6}\).
IV X has an unbranched six-carbon skeleton, with the carbonyl group at an end.
V X has five acetylatable hydroxyl groups.
  • 3.2 The open-chain structure is an aldohexose, 2,3,4,5,6-pentahydroxyhexanal: \[ \boxed{\ce{CHO-(CHOH)4-CH2OH}},\qquad \boxed{\ce{C6H12O6}}. \] SMILES: O=CC(O)C(O)C(O)C(O)CO. The configuration is not determined by the experiments.

  • 3.3 The products are as follows. Neutral parent acids are shown for B and D; their carboxylates occur under alkaline conditions. Stereochemistry unspecified by the data is deliberately omitted.

Product Name and molecular formula SMILES
A Aldohexose phenylhydrazone, \(\ce{C12H18N2O5}\) OCC(O)C(O)C(O)C(O)C=NNc1ccccc1
B 2,3,4,5,6-Pentahydroxyhexanoic acid, an aldonic acid, \(\ce{C6H12O7}\) O=C(O)C(O)C(O)C(O)C(O)CO
C Aldohexose cyanohydrin, 2,3,4,5,6,7-hexahydroxyheptanenitrile, \(\ce{C7H13NO6}\) N#CC(O)C(O)C(O)C(O)C(O)CO
D 2,3,4,5,6,7-Hexahydroxyheptanoic acid, \(\ce{C7H14O8}\) O=C(O)C(O)C(O)C(O)C(O)C(O)CO
E Penta-\(O\)-acetyl derivative, \(\ce{C16H22O11}\); shown here as 1,2,3,4,6-penta-\(O\)-acetyl-D-glucopyranose, with its anomer unspecified CC(=O)OC[C@H]1OC(OC(C)=O)[C@H](OC(C)=O)[C@@H](OC(C)=O)[C@@H]1OC(C)=O
“Heptane acid” Heptanoic acid, \(\ce{CH3(CH2)5COOH}\), \(\ce{C7H14O2}\) CCCCCCC(=O)O

The provisional open-chain drawing of E is discussed in the solution.

  • 3.4 Natural compounds consistent with the open-chain connectivity include:
Compound Open-chain stereochemical SMILES
D-Glucose O=C[C@H](O)[C@@H](O)[C@H](O)[C@H](O)CO
D-Mannose O=C[C@@H](O)[C@@H](O)[C@H](O)[C@H](O)CO
D-Galactose O=C[C@H](O)[C@@H](O)[C@@H](O)[C@H](O)CO

Taking D-glucose as the representative, its predominant structures are the cyclic hemiacetals:

  • α-D-Glucopyranose: OC[C@H]1O[C@H](O)[C@H](O)[C@@H](O)[C@@H]1O
  • β-D-Glucopyranose: OC[C@H]1O[C@@H](O)[C@H](O)[C@@H](O)[C@@H]1O

In a conventional Haworth drawing, the hydroxyl groups at C2, C3 and C4 point down, up and down, respectively; the C5 hydroxymethyl group points up. The anomeric C1 hydroxyl points down in α and up in β.

  • 3.5 Three properties unexplained by the open-chain formula alone are: 1. The existence of distinct α and β anomers. 2. Mutarotation in aqueous solution. 3. The failure of glucose pentaacetate to form an oxime with hydroxylamine, NO, showing that it has no free aldehyde group.

Solution

3.1 — Conclusions from the individual reactions

Use the conventional values \(V_m=22.4\ \mathrm{L\,mol^{-1}}\) at normal conditions and atomic masses \(12,\ 1,\ 16\) for carbon, hydrogen and oxygen.

I. Combustion analysis

The amounts of carbon dioxide, O=C=O, and water, O, are

\[ n(\ce{CO2}) =\frac{1.4784\ \mathrm{L}}{22.4\ \mathrm{L\,mol^{-1}}} =0.0660\ \mathrm{mol}, \]

\[ n(\ce{H2O}) =\frac{1.188\ \mathrm{g}}{18.0\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}} =0.0660\ \mathrm{mol}. \]

Consequently,

\[ n(\ce{C})=0.0660\ \mathrm{mol}, \qquad n(\ce{H})=2(0.0660)=0.132\ \mathrm{mol}. \]

Their masses are

\[ m_{\ce C}=0.792\ \mathrm{g}, \qquad m_{\ce H}=0.132\ \mathrm{g}. \]

Taking the remaining mass as oxygen,

\[ m_{\ce O}=1.980-0.792-0.132=1.056\ \mathrm{g}, \]

\[ n(\ce O)=\frac{1.056}{16.0}=0.0660\ \mathrm{mol}. \]

Thus

\[ n_{\ce C}:n_{\ce H}:n_{\ce O}=1:2:1, \]

giving the empirical formula \(\boxed{\ce{CH2O}}\). The mass percentages are \(40.0\%\) carbon, \(6.67\%\) hydrogen and \(53.3\%\) oxygen.

II. Phenylhydrazone formation

Phenylhydrazine, NNc1ccccc1, condenses with an aldehyde or ketone carbonyl group, replacing its oxygen by a phenylhydrazone group with elimination of water.

Therefore this experiment establishes a reactive carbonyl group, but by itself does not distinguish an aldehyde from a ketone.

III. Oxidation by sodium hypoiodite

The reagent is sodium hypoiodite, [Na+].[O-]I, \(\ce{NaIO}\). In the intended aldehyde oxidation, one mole of hypoiodite oxidizes one mole of aldehyde groups to carboxyl groups.

\[ n(\ce{NaIO}) =(0.05\ \mathrm{mol\,L^{-1}}) (21.0\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{L}) =1.05\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol}. \]

For one aldehyde group per molecule,

\[ M_X =\frac{0.189\ \mathrm{g}}{1.05\times10^{-3}\ \mathrm{mol}} =180\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}. \]

Since the empirical-formula mass is \(30\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}\),

\[ \frac{180}{30}=6, \qquad \boxed{X:\ \ce{C6H12O6}}. \]

The unbranched chain-extension result in IV independently supports the terminal aldehyde assignment.

IV. Cyanide addition, hydrolysis and reduction

Cyanide addition introduces one additional carbon atom at the original carbonyl carbon. Hydrolysis converts the nitrile carbon into a carboxyl carbon. Subsequent reduction removes the alcoholic oxygen atoms without changing the carbon skeleton.

The final product is unbranched seven-carbon heptanoic acid. Hence X has an unbranched six-carbon skeleton, and its carbonyl group is terminal. An internal ketone would give a branched carboxylic-acid skeleton after this sequence.

V. Acetylation

Each hydroxyl hydrogen replaced by an acetyl group increases the molar mass by

\[ \Delta M_{\text{per OH}}=43-1=42\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}. \]

The stated increase is \(116.67\%\), so

\[ M_E=2.1667M_X\approx390\ \mathrm{g\,mol^{-1}}. \]

Therefore the number of acetylated hydroxyl groups is

\[ N_{\ce{OH}} =\frac{390-180}{42} =\boxed{5}. \]

The reagent, acetic anhydride, CC(=O)OC(C)=O, therefore converts X into a pentaacetate.

3.2 — Structure of X

The combined evidence gives:

  • Six carbons in an unbranched chain.
  • One terminal aldehyde group.
  • Five hydroxyl groups.
  • Molecular formula \(\ce{C6H12O6}\).

The corresponding ordinary polyhydroxyaldehyde structure is

\[ \boxed{\ce{CHO-CH(OH)-CH(OH)-CH(OH)-CH(OH)-CH2OH}}. \]

This is the open-chain connectivity of an aldohexose. Its four stereogenic centres are not assigned by the experiments.

The balanced combustion equation, using dioxygen, O=O, is

\[ \ce{C6H12O6 + 6O2 -> 6CO2 + 6H2O}. \]

3.3 — Products and balanced equations

A: phenylhydrazone

Condensation occurs at the aldehyde group:

\[ \ce{C6H12O6 + C6H5NHNH2 -> C12H18N2O5 + H2O}. \]

The product has the connectivity

\[ \ce{C6H5-NH-N=CH-(CHOH)4-CH2OH}. \]

The problem explicitly identifies a phenylhydrazone; no further reaction with excess phenylhydrazine is required.

B: aldonic acid or aldonate

Only the aldehyde group is oxidized:

\[ \ce{CHO-(CHOH)4-CH2OH ->[oxidation] COOH-(CHOH)4-CH2OH}. \]

The balanced equation written with the neutral acid product is

\[ \ce{C6H12O6 + NaIO -> C6H12O7 + NaI}, \]

where sodium iodide is [Na+].[I-].

If the solution is maintained alkaline, the product is the aldonate ion, O=C([O-])C(O)C(O)C(O)C(O)CO, and the balanced ionic equation is

\[ \ce{C6H12O6 + IO- + OH- -> C6H11O7- + I- + H2O}. \]

Here hypoiodite, hydroxide and iodide have SMILES [O-]I, [OH-] and [I-], respectively.

C: cyanohydrin

The cyanide ion, [C-]#N, attacks the carbonyl carbon; protonation gives

\[ \ce{N#C-CH(OH)-(CHOH)4-CH2OH}. \]

For aqueous potassium cyanide, [K+].[C-]#N, a balanced representation is

\[ \ce{C6H12O6 + KCN + H2O <=> C7H13NO6 + KOH}, \]

where potassium hydroxide is [K+].[OH-].

Addition creates a new stereogenic centre at the former aldehyde carbon. The data do not specify its configuration, so two epimeric cyanohydrins are possible.

D: chain-extended hydroxy acid

Alkaline nitrile hydrolysis gives the 2,3,4,5,6,7-hexahydroxyheptanoate ion, O=C([O-])C(O)C(O)C(O)C(O)C(O)CO, and ammonia, N:

\[ \ce{C7H13NO6 + H2O + OH- -> C7H13O8- + NH3}. \]

The corresponding neutral acid is

\[ \ce{HOOC-(CHOH)5-CH2OH}. \]

On treatment with hydrogen iodide, I, the carboxylate is first protonated:

\[ \ce{C7H13O8- + HI -> C7H14O8 + I-}. \]

Vigorous reduction replaces all six alcoholic hydroxyl groups by hydrogen:

\[ \boxed{\ce{C7H14O8 + 12HI -> C7H14O2 + 6I2 + 6H2O}}, \]

where iodine is II.

The product is therefore

\[ \boxed{\ce{CH3-(CH2)5-COOH}}, \]

heptanoic acid. This explains both the additional carbon and the unbranched skeleton.

E: pentaacetate

The balanced acetylation equation is

\[ \ce{C6H12O6 + 5(CH3CO)2O -> C16H22O11 + 5CH3COOH}, \]

with acetic acid, CC(=O)O, as the coproduct.

Mechanical acetylation of the provisional open-chain drawing gives the open-chain penta-\(O\)-acetyl aldohexose:

\[ \ce{CHO-[CH(OCOCH3)]4-CH2OCOCH3}, \]

SMILES: O=CC(OC(=O)C)C(OC(=O)C)C(OC(=O)C)C(OC(=O)C)COC(=O)C.

However, actual glucose normally gives a cyclic glucopyranose pentaacetate, as represented in the answer table. Both drawings have molecular formula \(\ce{C16H22O11}\); consequently, the mass increase alone cannot distinguish them.

3.4 — Natural compounds and the appropriate structural drawing

The reactions establish the aldohexose connectivity, which fits D-glucose, D-mannose, D-galactose and other aldohexoses. They do not select a particular configuration.

For representative D-glucose, the open-chain Fischer configuration has the hydroxyl groups at C2–C5 arranged right, left, right, right, with the aldehyde at the top.

Its predominant molecular structures are six-membered cyclic hemiacetals. The C5 hydroxyl oxygen adds intramolecularly to the C1 aldehyde carbon:

  • The C5 oxygen becomes the ring oxygen.
  • The former carbonyl oxygen becomes the C1 hydroxyl group.
  • C1 becomes a new stereogenic centre, producing the α and β anomers.
  • No water is eliminated during hemiacetal formation.

For the requested drawing, place the ring oxygen at the upper right of a Haworth hexagon, followed clockwise by C1, C2, C3, C4 and C5. Draw:

Position Substituent direction
C1 Hydroxyl down for α; up for β
C2 Hydroxyl down
C3 Hydroxyl up
C4 Hydroxyl down
C5 Hydroxymethyl up

The hydrogen at each position points in the opposite direction.

Both anomers predominantly adopt the \(^{4}C_{1}\) chair conformation. In β-D-glucopyranose, all hydroxyl and hydroxymethyl substituents are equatorial; in α-D-glucopyranose, the anomeric hydroxyl is axial. The SMILES specify configuration but do not themselves specify this preferred chair conformation.

3.5 — Three properties requiring the cyclic structure

  1. Two anomeric forms.
    The α and β forms have the same configurations at C2–C5 but differ at C1. The open-chain aldehyde carbon is planar and cannot supply this additional stereogenic centre. Hemiacetal formation does.

  2. Mutarotation.
    A solution prepared from either pure anomer changes its optical rotation as the anomers interconvert through the small equilibrium population of the open-chain form: \[ \underset{\alpha\text{ anomer}}{\ce{C6H12O6}} \;\ce{<=>}\; \underset{\text{open chain}}{\ce{C6H12O6}} \;\ce{<=>}\; \underset{\beta\text{ anomer}}{\ce{C6H12O6}}. \] The rotation becomes constant when equilibrium is reached.

  3. The pentaacetate does not form an oxime with hydroxylamine.
    Acetylation of five hydroxyl groups in the open-chain model would leave an aldehyde group available for oxime formation. In the actual cyclic pentaacetate, the anomeric carbon is an acetal carbon, and there is no free aldehyde group. This explains the negative reaction.

The solution was checked against the official solution. Where this solution differs from the official solution, the official solution contains an error or a misprint.