Acid-promoted Electrophilic Substitution

The remarkable ability of the amino group to promote electrophilic substitution is illustrated by the nitration of 3,5-dinitroaniline (30) to 2,3,4,5,6-pentanitroaniline (31) in 52 % yield when treated with anhydrous mixed acid. The pre-existing nitro groups are advantageous by making the aromatic ring less prone to oxidation. 

The synthesis of polyhalide salts, R4NX , used in electrophilic substitution reactions, are described in Chapter 2 and H-bonded complexed salts with the free acid, R4NHX2, which are used for example in acid-catalysed cleavage reactions and in electrophilic addition reactions with alkenes, are often produced in situ [33], although the fluorides are obtained by modification of method I.I.I.B. [19, 34], The in situ formation of such salts can inhibit normal nucleophilic reactions [35, 36]. Quaternary ammonium chlorometallates have been synthesized from quaternary ammonium chlorides and transition metal chlorides, such as IrClj and PtCl4, and are highly efficient catalysts for phase-transfer reactions and for metal complex promoted reactions [37]. 

Further versatility of this approach has been realized with contrasting Lewis acid promoted additions of silyl ketene acetals, (191) to (194), to ethyl propynoate (Scheme 42). In fact, the tandem 1,4-conjugate addition-electrophile trapping protocol is feasible when titanium(IV) tetrachloride is employed. In situ functionalization of the intermediate titanate enoate (259), with select electrophiles, affords a-substituted enoates (260) to (262). On the other hand, the zinc iodide and zirconium(IV) tetrachloride protocols afford directly -y-alkoxycarbonyl-a-trimethylsilylenoates (263) and [2 + 2] adducts (264), respectively.100... 

The reactivity of the five-membered heterocycles pyrrole, furan, thiophen and imidazole (Fig. 8-10) is characterised by interactions with electrophilic reagents. The precise nature of these reactions depends upon the particular ring system. Thiophens undergo facile electrophilic substitution, whereas the other compounds exhibit a range of polymerisation and other Lewis acid-initiated reactions upon treatment with electrophiles. We saw a number of examples of Lewis acid-promoted reactions of furans and pyrroles in Chapter 6. Although reactions of complexes of five-membered heterocyclic ligands have not been widely investigated, a few examples will illustrate the synthetic potential. 

Electrophilic substitutions of alkenyl-, aryl-, and alkynylsilanes with heteroatom-stabilized cationic carbon species generated by the action of a Lewis or Brpnsted acid (acyl cation, oxocarbenium ion, etc.) provide powerful methods for carbon-carbon bond formation. Particularly, intramolecular reactions of alkenylsilanes with oxocarbenium and iminium ions are very valuable for stereoselective construction of cyclic ether and amine units.21-23 For example, the BFj OEt -promoted reaction of (E)- and (Z)-alkenylsilanes bearing an acetal moiety in the alkenyl ligand gives 2,6-disubstituted dihydropyrans in a stereospecific manner (Scheme l).23 Arylsilanes also can be utilized for a similar cyclization.24... 

Solid acid catalysts are, in principle, applicable to a plethora of acid-promoted processes in organic synthesis [27-29]. These include various electrophilic aromatic substitutions, e.g. nitrations, and Friedel-Crafts alkylations and acylations, and numerous rearrangement reactions such as the Beckmann and Fries rearrangements. 

The 7] -osmium complexes of a-unsubstituted thiophenes undergo Lewis acid-promoted addition with acetals at C-2 to give the thiophenium complexes in good yields <19990M2988>. These can be deprotonated to give the 2-substituted thiophene complexes. The electrophile attacks the substrate on the rivn-face (Scheme 83). 

Thiazoles are deactivated towards electrophilic substitution, and thus direct reaction with hydride re-ductants to give thiazolines should be facilitated. There are indeed some examples of this type of reaction, but it is more common to reduce N-alkylated thiazolium salts (209). These compounds are converted first by reaction with sodium borohydride into 4-thiazolines (210), which in protic solvents become protonated and undergo further reduction to yield thiazolidines (211). Similarly the isoquinoli-nium salt (213), formed by the acid-promoted cyclization of the isoquinoline (212), is converted into the tetrahydroisoquinoline (214) (presumably via an intermediate 1,2-dihydroisoquinoline) by reaction with sodium borohydride. ... 

Intramolecular electrophilic substitution of a pyrrole by a nitrile under acidic conditions generates a dihydropyrrolizine after hydrolysis of the iminium ion intermediate. This type of cyclization has received considerable attention. Braunholtz et al. demonstrated that improved yields (70%) in the cyclization step were effected with a melt of the chlorides of aluminum, potassium, and sodium, but the conditions were extremely critical. Meinwald and Meinwald used this method for their preparation of the dihydropyrrolizinone (50). This confirmed the structure of the major component of the hairpencil secretion of the male tropical butterfly Lycorea ceres ceres. None of the isomeric 2-methyl compound was formed during this synthesis [Eq. (17)]. It is suggested that the 3-methyl group of pyrrole activates the adjacent 2-position sufficiently to promote regiospecific intramolecular electrophilic substitution. 

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