A-alkyl transfer

In fact, the C-H bond activation by the zirconium or tantalum hydride on 2,2-dimethylbutane can occur in three different positions (Scheme 3.5) from which only isobutane and isopentane can be obtained via a P-alkyl transfer process the formation of neopentane from these various metal-alkyl structures necessarily requires a one-carbon-atom transfer process like an a-alkyl transfer or carbene deinsertion. This one-carbon-atom process does not preclude the formation of isopentane but neopentane is largely preferred in the case of tantalum hydride. 

The catalytic properties of this silica-supported tantalum hydrides are noteworthy. First, H/D exchange in D2/CH4 mixture is fast (0.2 mol/mol/s at 150 °C), which shows that these systems readily cleave and reform the C-H bonds of alkanes (Scheme 36(a)). Second, it also converts alkanes into its lower homologs and ultimately methane in the presence of H2 (hydrogeno lysis) at relatively low temperatures (150 °C). " The key step of carbon-carbon bond cleavage probably corresponds to an a-alkyl transfer on a Ta(m) intermediate followed by successive hydrogenolysis steps (Schemes 36(b) and 37). In the case of cycloalkanes, hydrogenolysis yields smaller cycloalkanes, but deactivation is very fast. This phenomenon has been associated with the rapid formation of cyclopentane and, thereby, with the formation of cyclopentadienyl derivatives videsupra Scheme 35), which are inactive for the hydrogenolysis of alkanes. 

The hydrogenolysis of propane (1 atm) led to only a mixture of methane and ethane (1 1) at 150 °C, without any observed alkane metathesis catalytic activity (no formation of compounds of >04). The lack of alkane hydrogenolysis activity with ethane confirmed that, under these reaction conditions, Zr-polyalkyls will not undergo an a-alkyl transfer. Nonetheless, under supercritical conditions... 

As expected, initial studies on alkane hydrogenolysis found that these tantalum hydride species display a different alkane product distribution than the Zr-H species. Moreover, this catalyst was able to hydrogenolyse ethane into methane, suggesting a novel elementary step for this group-V transition metal an a-alkyl transfer occurs in competition with the observed fi-alkyl transfer for ZrH /SiOj [31]. These observations led to the discovery of silica-supported tantalum hydride [TaH /Si02] as an efficient catalyst for alkane metathesis [32]. To conduct this... 

The reaction corresponds to a proton transfer and not to a net formation of ions, and thus the AS is of minor importance in the whole series, especially for the two t-Bu derivatives. This last effect is believed to be due to a structure-promoting effect of the bulky alkyl groups in the disordered region outside the primary hydration sphere of the thiazolium ion (322). 

A AlI lation. 1-Substitution is favored when the indole ring is deprotonated and the reaction medium promotes the nucleophilicity of the resulting indole anion. Conditions which typically result in A/-alkylation are generation of the sodium salt by sodium amide in Hquid ammonia, use of sodium hydride or a similar strong base in /V, /V- dim ethyl form am i de or dimethyl sulfoxide, or the use of phase-transfer conditions. 

Polymerization occurs at active sites formed by interaction of the metal alkyl with metal chloride on the surface of the metal chloride crystals. Monomer is chemisorbed at the site, thus accounting for its orientation when added to the chain, and propagation occurs by insertion of the chemisorbed monomer into the metal—chain bond at the active site. The chain thus grows out from the surface (31). Hydrogen is used as a chain-transfer agent. Chain transfer with the metal alkyl also occurs. 

Although the alkylation of paraffins can be carried out thermally (3), catalytic alkylation is the basis of all processes in commercial use. Early studies of catalytic alkylation led to the formulation of a proposed mechanism based on a chain of ionic reactions (4—6). The reaction steps include the formation of a light tertiary cation, the addition of the cation to an olefin to form a heavier cation, and the production of a heavier paraffin (alkylate) by a hydride transfer from a light isoparaffin. This last step generates another light tertiary cation to continue the chain. 

Alkylation of protected glycine derivatives is one method of a-amino acid synthesis (75). Asymmetric synthesis of a D-cx-amino acid from a protected glycine derivative by using a phase-transfer catalyst derived from the cinchona alkaloids (8) has been reported (76). 

Pyrrohdinone can be alkylated by reaction with an alkyl haUde or sulfate and an alkaline acid acceptor (63,64). This reaction can be advantageously carried out with a phase-transfer catalyst (65). Alkylation can also be accompHshed with alcohols and either copper chromite or heterogenous acid catalysts... 

The terminal R groups can be aromatic or aliphatic. Typically, they are derivatives of monohydric phenoHc compounds including phenol and alkylated phenols, eg, /-butylphenol. In iaterfacial polymerization, bisphenol A and a monofunctional terminator are dissolved in aqueous caustic. Methylene chloride containing a phase-transfer catalyst is added. The two-phase system is stirred and phosgene is added. The bisphenol A salt reacts with the phosgene at the interface of the two solutions and the polymer "grows" into the methylene chloride. The sodium chloride by-product enters the aqueous phase. Chain length is controlled by the amount of monohydric terminator. The methylene chloride—polymer solution is separated from the aqueous brine-laden by-products. The facile separation of a pure polymer solution is the key to the interfacial process. The methylene chloride solvent is removed, and the polymer is isolated in the form of pellets, powder, or slurries. 

A chain mechanism is proposed for this reaction. The first step is oxidation of a carboxylate ion coordinated to Pb(IV), with formation of alkyl radical, carbon dioxide, and Pb(III). The alkyl radical then abstracts halogen from a Pb(IV) complex, generating a Pb(IIl) species that decomposes to Pb(II) and an alkyl radical. This alkyl radical can continue the chain process. The step involving abstraction of halide from a complex with a change in metal-ion oxidation state is a ligand-transfer type reaction. 

Even more important is the stereoregular catalytic polymerization of ethene and other alkenes to give high-density polyethene ( polythene ) and other plastics. A typical Ziegler-Natta catalyst can be made by mixing TiCU and Al2Eti in heptane partial reduction to Ti " and alkyl transfer occur, and a brown suspension forms which rapidly absorbs and polymerizes ethene even at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. Typical industrial conditions are 50- 150°C and 10 atm. Polyethene... 

Much more complicated is the course of the reaction if the oxazirane is derived instead of from benzaldehyde from an aliphatic ketone. Here the possibility of an H-transfer does not occur. Further complications are found if the A -alkyl group can be attacked by the radicals. 

The transfer of chirality from sulfur to carbon as well as the high stereoselectivity were explained by a preference of rearrangement through transition state 11a over lib due to steric interference between the p-tolyl and a-alkyl group. 

Dichloro monomers can also be polymerized with bisphenols in the presence of fluorides as promoting agents.78 The fluoride ions promote the displacement of the chloride sites to form more reactive fluoride sites, which react with phenolate anion to form high-molecular-weight polymers. Adding 5-10 mol % phase transfer catalysts such as A-alkyl-4-(dialkylamino)pyridium chlorides significantly increased the nucleophilicity and solubility of phenoxide anion and thus shortened the reaction time to one fifth of the uncatalyzed reaction to achieve the same molecular weight.79... 

---