Alkylation, acetylide

Because of its generality, acetylide alkylation is an excellent method for preparing substituted alkynes from simpler precursors. A terminal alkyne can be prepared by alkylation of acet dene itself, and an internal alkyne can be prepared by further alkylation of a terminal alkyne. 

McLafferty, Fred Warren, 732 McLafferty rearrangement. 416, 732 Mechanism (reaction), 139 acetal formation, 717-718 acetylide alkylation, 272 acid chloride formal ion with SOCl2, 795... 

Formation of Alkynes, Alkenes, and Ketones from Boranes and Acetylides Alkyl-de-lithio-substitution... 

Acetylide alkylations are limited to primary alkyl bromides and iodides. 

Products (b) and (c) can be synthesized by only one route because only primary halides can be used for acetylide alkylations. 

In 1959, Osbond and cowoikers synthesized arachidonic acid (8) based on iterative use of propargyl alcohol [41]. This synthetic protocol is considered as a general route to synthesize methylene-interrupted PUFAs (Scheme 3.9) [42]. Copper promoted acetylide alkylation of propargyl alcohol (36) with propargylic bromide 35 afforded diyne 37 after bromination of the resulting alcohol. Two more sequences of copper promoted alkylation gave tetrayne 40, which was reduced with Lindlar s catalyst to give arachidonic acid (8). 

The proton of terminal acetylenes is acidic (pKa= 25), thus they can be deprotonated to give acetylide anions which can undergo substitution reactions with alkyl halides, carbonyls, epoxides, etc. to give other acetylenes. 

Cumulenic anions, C=C=C and C=C=C=C, without strongly electron-withdrawing substituents are much stronger bases than acetylides, "CsC- and are therefore also stronger nucleophiles. In view of the poor stability of the cumulenic anions at normal temperatures this is a fortunate circumstance the usual functionalization reactions such as alkylation, trimethylsilylation and carboxylation in most cases proceed at a sufficient rate at low temperatures, provided that the... 

Alkynyl anions are more stable = 22) than the more saturated alkyl or alkenyl anions (p/Tj = 40-45). They may be obtained directly from terminal acetylenes by treatment with strong base, e.g. sodium amide (pA, of NH 35). Frequently magnesium acetylides are made in proton-metal exchange reactions with more reactive Grignard reagents. Copper and mercury acetylides are formed directly from the corresponding metal acetates and acetylenes under neutral conditions (G.E. Coates, 1977 R.P. Houghton, 1979). 

The only common synthons for alkynes are acetylide anions, which react as good nucleophiles with alkyl bromides (D.E. Ames, 1968) or carbonyl compounds (p. 52, 62f.). 

Next an alkyl halide (the alkylating agent) is added to the solution of sodium acetylide Acetylide ion acts as a nucleophile displacing halide from carbon and forming a new carbon-carbon bond Substitution occurs by an 8 2 mechanism... 

The major limitation to this reaction is that synthetically acceptable yields are obtained only with methyl halides and primary alkyl halides Acetylide anions are very basic much more basic than hydroxide for example and react with secondary and ter tiary alkyl halides by elimination... 

The properties of organometallic compounds are much different from those of the other classes we have studied to this point Most important many organometallic com pounds are powerful sources of nucleophilic carbon something that makes them espe cially valuable to the synthetic organic chemist For example the preparation of alkynes by the reaction of sodium acetylide with alkyl halides (Section 9 6) depends on the presence of a negatively charged nucleophilic carbon m acetylide ion... 

These compounds are sources of the nucleophilic anion RC=C and their reaction with primary alkyl halides provides an effective synthesis of alkynes (Section 9 6) The nucleophilicity of acetylide anions is also evident m their reactions with aldehydes and ketones which are entirely analogous to those of Grignard and organolithium reagents... 

Both CH3CH2CH2C=CH and CH3CH2C=CCH3 can be prepared by alkylation of acety lene The alkyne (CH3)2CHC=CH cannot be prepared by alkylation of acetylene because the required alkyl halide (CH3)2CHBr is secondary and will react with the strongly basic acetylide ion by elimination... 

Organometallics, such as dialkyl zinc or cadmium-alkyl or aryl lithium Alkali acetylides Diels-Alder Arndt-Eistert... 

In cases where steric hindrance at the 17-ketone is increased by alkyl groups other than methyl at C-13, lithium acetylide in aniline or dimethylacetamide is more satisfactory than conventional methods. ... 

Condensatron between lithium acetylides and dibromodifluoromethane [124] or dichlorofluoromethane [125] leads to fluorohaloacetylenes (equation 107) Sodium alkyl malonates are also alkylated by dihalogenodifluoromethanes [124] (equation 108) These reactions involve difluorocarbene as intermediate (for the mechanism of the Cp2Br2 condensation, see equation 15)... 

It looks as though all that is needed is to prepare the acetylenic anion, then alkylate it with methyl iodide (Section 9.6). There is a complication, however. The carbonyl group in the starting alkyne will neither tolerate the strongly basic conditions required for anion fonnation nor survive in a solution containing carbanions. Acetylide ions add to carbonyl... 

The comparatively high acidity of terminal acetylenes allows the alkylation (without isolation of an intermediate acetylide) of even the less active ethynyl... 

Reactions in liquid ammonia (cf. Chapter 3, Section III) require a certain amount of care, since the solvent is low boiling (—33 ) and its fumes are noxious. Nevertheless, with reasonable caution, the preparation of an ammonia solution of sodium acetylide can be carried out as described. The reagent so prepared can then be directly used for displacements on alkyl halides or for additions to suitable carbonyl compounds. Examples of both reactions are given. 

Figure 8.5 A comparison of alkyl, vinylic, and acetylide anions. The acetylide anion, with sp hybridization, has more s character and is more stable. Electrostatic potential maps show that placing the negative charge closer to the carbon nucleus makes carbon appear less negative (red).

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