Umpolung

Umpolung or polarity inversion in organic chemistry is the chemical modification of a functional group with the aim of the reversal of polarity of that group. This modification allows secondary reactions of this functional group that would otherwise not be possible. The concept was introduced by D. Seebach (hence the German word umpolung for reversed polarity) and E.J. Corey. Polarity analysis during retrosynthetic analysis tells a chemist when umpolung tactics are required to synthesize a target molecule.

The vast majority of important organic molecules contain heteroatoms, which polarize carbon skeletons by virtue of their electronegativity. Therefore, in standard organic reactions, the majority of new bonds are formed between atoms of opposite polarity. This can be considered to be the "normal" mode of reactivity.

One consequence of this natural polarization of molecules is that 1,3- and 1,5- heteroatom substituted carbon skeletons are extremely easy to synthesize (Aldol reaction, Claisen condensation, Michael reaction, Claisen rearrangement, Diels-Alder reaction), whereas 1,2-, 1,4-, and 1,6- heteroatom substitution patterns are more difficult to access via "normal" reactivity. It is therefore important to understand and develop methods to induce umpolung in organic reactions.

The simplest method of obtaining 1,2-, 1,4-, and 1,6- heteroatom substitution patterns is to start with them. Biochemical and industrial processes can provide inexpensive sources of chemicals that have normally inaccessible substitution patterns. For example, amino acids, oxalic acid, succinic acid, adipic acid, tartaric acid, and glucose are abundant and provide nonroutine substitution patterns.

The canonical umpolung reagent is the cyanide ion. The cyanide ion is unusual in that a carbon triply bonded to a nitrogen would be expected to have a (+) polarity due to the higher electronegativity of the nitrogen atom. Yet, the negative charge of the cyanide ion is localized on the carbon, giving it a (-) formal charge. This chemical ambivalence results in umpolung in many reactions where cyanide is involved.

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