Pivalic acid
Chemical compound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pivalic acid is a carboxylic acid with a molecular formula of (CH3)3CCO2H. This colourless, odoriferous organic compound is solid at room temperature. Two abbreviations for pivalic acid are t-BuC(O)OH and PivOH. The pivalyl or pivaloyl group is abbreviated t-BuC(O).
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| Names | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Preferred IUPAC name
2,2-Dimethylpropanoic acid | |||
| Other names
Pivalic acid Dimethylpropanoic acid Neopentanoic acid Neovaleric acid Trimethylacetic acid | |||
| Identifiers | |||
3D model (JSmol) |
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| ChEBI | |||
| ChEMBL | |||
| ChemSpider | |||
| ECHA InfoCard | 100.000.839 | ||
PubChem CID |
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| UNII | |||
CompTox Dashboard (EPA) |
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| Properties | |||
| C5H10O2 | |||
| Molar mass | 102.133 g·mol−1 | ||
| Density | 0.905 g/cm3 | ||
| Melting point | 35 °C (95 °F; 308 K) | ||
| Boiling point | 163.7 °C (326.7 °F; 436.8 K) | ||
| Acidity (pKa) | 5.03 | ||
| Hazards | |||
| GHS labelling: | |||
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| Danger | |||
| H302, H312, H314, H315, H319, H332 | |||
| P260, P264, P264+P265, P270, P271, P280, P301+P317, P301+P330+P331, P302+P352, P302+P361+P354, P304+P340, P305+P351+P338, P305+P354+P338, P316, P317, P321, P330, P332+P317, P337+P317, P362+P364, P363, P405, P501 | |||
| Lethal dose or concentration (LD, LC): | |||
LD50 (median dose) |
2000 mg/kg (rat, oral) | ||
| Related compounds | |||
Related compounds |
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Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
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Pivalic acid is an isomer of valeric acid, the other two isomers of it are 2-methylbutanoic acid and 3-methylbutanoic acid.
Preparation
Pivalic acid is prepared on a commercial scale by hydrocarboxylation of isobutene via the Koch reaction:
- (CH3)2C=CH2 + CO + H2O → (CH3)3CCO2H
Such reactions require an acid catalyst such as hydrogen fluoride. tert-Butyl alcohol and isobutyl alcohol can also be used in place of isobutene. Globally, several million kilograms are produced annually.[1] Pivalic acid is also economically recovered as a byproduct from the production of semisynthetic penicillins like ampicillin and amoxycillin.
It was originally prepared by the oxidation of pinacolone with chromic acid.[2] This necessitates the breaking of a C-C bond, which is usual for this reagent.
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Alternative laboratory routes include the Haloform reaction of pinacolone,[3] hydrolysis of corresponding nitrile (Pivalonitrile),[4] and carbonation of the Grignard reagent formed from tert-butyl chloride:[5]
Applications
Relative to esters of most carboxylic acids, esters of pivalic acid are unusually resistant to hydrolysis. Some applications result from this thermal stability. Polymers derived from pivalate esters of vinyl alcohol are highly reflective lacquers.[citation needed]
Use in the laboratory
Pivalic acid is sometimes used as an internal chemical shift standard for NMR spectra of aqueous solutions. While DSS is more commonly used for this purpose, the minor peaks from protons on the three methylene bridges in DSS can be problematic. The 1H NMR spectrum at 25 °C and neutral pH is a singlet at 1.08 ppm.[citation needed]
Pivalic acid is employed as co-catalyst in some palladium-catalyzed C-H functionalization reactions.[6][7]
Alcohol protection
The pivaloyl (abbreviated Piv or Pv) group is a protective group for alcohols in organic synthesis. Common protection methods include treatment of the alcohol with pivaloyl chloride (PvCl) in the presence of pyridine.[8]
Alternatively, the esters can be prepared using pivaloic anhydride in the presence of Lewis acids such as scandium triflate (Sc(OTf)3).
Common deprotection methods involve hydrolysis with a base or other nucleophiles.[9][10][11][12]
