Active methylene compounds with alkyl halides

Calix[n]arenes 1-3 were used as inverse PT catalysts in the alkylation of active methylene compounds with alkyl halides in aqueous NaOH solutions,and in aldol-type eondensation and Michael addition reactions. In the aikylation of phenylacetone with octyl bromide, the IPTC procedure enhanced the alkylation versus hydrolysis and C versus O alkylation selectivities with respect to those observed xmder classical PTC reactions in the presence of tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) or hexadecyltributylammonium bromide (HTPB). Moreover, the aqueous catalyst solution was easily separated from the organic phase eontaining the products, and no organic solvent was required. In the case of the aldol-type condensation of benzaldehyde with indene or acetophenone in aqueous NaOH (Fig. 9), IPTC reaetions eatalyzed by I were compared with those conducted in aqueous micelles in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) as the sufactant. Although selectivities and yields were similar, the IPTC proeedure avoided the formation of emulsions, thus faciUtating product separation and catalyst recovery. In the light of the results obtained, water-soluble calix[ ]arenes 1-3 were proposed... 

The fate of the onium carbanion Q+R incorporated into the organic phase depends on the electrophilic reaction partner. The most studied area in the asymmetric phase-transfer catalysis is that of asymmetric alkylation of active methylene or methine compounds with alkyl halides, in an irreversible manner. The reaction mechanism illustrated above is exemplified by the asymmetric alkylation of glycine Schiff base (Scheme 1.5) [8]. 

The alkylation is generally effected by bringing together a solution or suspension of the sodio derivative of the compound to be alkylated and the alkylating agent, usually an alkyl halide, at any suitable temperature, and it is rarely necessary to isolate the sodio derivative in substance. The sodio derivatives are obtained by reaction of the active methylene compound with sodium, sodamine or sodium hydride in an inert solvent, e.g., ether alcoholic solutions of the sodio compounds are obtained by treating the methylene components with the calculated amount of sodium alkoxide solution. 

Alkyl- and arylmercury(II) halides are used for the ketone formation[402]. When active methylene compounds. such as /f-keto esters or malonates are used instead of alcohols, acylated / -keto esters and malonates 546 are produced, For this reaction, dppf is a good ligand[403]. The intramolecular version of the reaction proceeds by trapping the acylpalladium intermediate with eno-late to give five- and six-membered rings smoothly. Formation of 547 by intramolecular trapping with malonate is an example[404]. 

The imide nitrogen atom was also most reactive to a variety of electrophilic species (hydrogen halides, pseudohalogens, and alkyl halides) in the parent Rimidophosphazenes, R(C—NH)-N=PPh3. With t-butyl hypochlorite the /V-chloro-derivatives, R(C=NCl)-N=PPh3, were obtained. R/ -Vinyl-phenylphosphazenes have been prepared by condensation of aldehydes with active methylene compounds ... 

Among common carbon-carbon bond formation reactions involving carbanionic species, the nucleophilic substitution of alkyl halides with active methylene compounds in the presence of a base, e. g., malonic and acetoacetic ester syntheses, is one of the most well documented important methods in organic synthesis. Ketone enolates and protected ones such as vinyl silyl ethers are also versatile nucleophiles for the reaction with various electrophiles including alkyl halides. On the other hand, for the reaction of aryl halides with such nucleophiles to proceed, photostimulation or addition of transition metal catalysts or promoters is usually required, unless the halides are activated by strong electron-withdrawing substituents [7]. Of the metal species, palladium has proved to be especially useful, while copper may also be used in some reactions [81. Thus, aryl halides can react with a variety of substrates having acidic C-H bonds under palladium catalysis. 

Among common carbon-carbon bond formation reactions involving carbanionic species, the nucleophilic substitution of alkyl halides with active methylene compounds in the presence of a base, e.g., malonic and acetoacetic ester... 

A difficulty sometimes encountered in the alkylation of active methylene compounds is the formation of unwanted dialkylated products. During the alkylation of the sodium salt of diethylmalonate, the monoalkyl derivative formed initially is in equilibrium with its anion. In ethanol solution, dialkylation does not take place to any appreciable extent because ethanol is sufficiently acidic to reduce the concentration of the anion of the alkyl derivative, but not that of the more acidic diethylmalonate itself, to a very low value. However, replacement of ethanol by an inert solvent favours dialkylation. Dialkylation also becomes a more serious problem with the more acidic cyanoacetic esters and in alkylations with very reactive electrophiles such as allyl or benzyl halides or sulfonates. 

Some phosphonium ylids may be prepared by simply heating a phosphonium salt (6.391), or by heating a vinyl phosphonium salt with a metal alkyl (6.411). Dihalophosphoranes react with active methylene compounds under conditions in which hydrogen halide may be removed (6.412). Another reaction is that of carbene transfer (6.413) or the action of sodamide on a phosphonium salt at 0°C. 

Conventional methylation reactions use methyl halides or methyl sulfate. These compounds are toxic and cause severe environmental damage. Also, the methylation of active methylene compounds often involves uncontrollable multiple alkylations. A method to methylate selectively using dimethylcarbonate has been developed by reacting arylacetonitriles with dimethylcarbonate at 18-22°C in the presence of potassium carbonate (see Fig. 9.33). The product is 2-arylpropionitriles with high selectivity (>99%). This process does not produce inorganic salts. This reaction can be carried out in continuous-flow and batch modes of operation. 

Reactions of Enolates and Enolate Equivalents.— Highly crowded ketones are prepared by the Lewis acid-catalysed t-alkylation of trimethylsilyl enol ethers. Stereoselection is observed in alkylations with tertiary halides which are known to solvolyse stereoselectively owing to anchimeric assistance or other factors. The alkylation can be carried out in an intramolecular fashion, but compounds having silyl enol ether and tertiary halide functions are difficult to prepare. However, Lewis acid-mediated cyclization of trisubstituted olefinic active methylene compounds provides an alternative method for the intramolecular... 

Active methylene compounds are known to undergo condensation with alkyl halides to give excellent yields of dialkylated products under phase transfer conditions.1 5 we have extended the phase transfer catalyzed alkylation to polycondensation of active methylene compounds such as -butyl cyanoacetate and phenylacetonitrile with activated dichlorides, and successfully synthesized carbon-carbon chain polymers with high molecular weights. Other types of carbon-carbon chain polymers of rather low inherent viscosities were already prepared by the solution polycondensation of malononitrile with bischloromethyl aromatic compounds in dimethyl sulfoxide using sodium hydridel5 or triethylaminel as a base. 

Triflates of aluminum, gallium and boron, which are readily available by the reaction of the corresponding chlorides with triflic acid, are effective Fnedel-Crafis catalysis for alkylation and acylation of aromatic compounds [119, 120] Thus alkylation of toluene with various alkyl halides m the presence of these catalysts proceeds rapidly at room temperature 111 methylene chloride or ni-tromethane Favorable properties of the triflates in comparison with the correspond mg fluorides or chlorides are considerably decreased volatility and higher catalytic activity [120]... 

Attention has been directed to the development of selective procedures for electrophilic alkylation of 5-alkylte-trazole derivatives with an active methylene group in the a-position at C-5. Alkylation of Schiff base 340 was effected by treating an equimolar mixture of compound 340 and an alkyl halide in THF with 1 equiv of NaHMDS (—78 °C to room temperature). The highly versatile nature of this procedure allowed a facile synthesis of monoalkylated products 341 with alkyl, allyl, and benzyl halides in good yields (Equation 61) <1998TL3367>. 

Phase-transfer catalysis. A Polish group reported that the Wittig-Horner reaction with a-phosphoryl sulfoxides, sulfones, and sulfides could be conducted in a two-phase system (aqueous NaOH-methylene chloride) with benzyltriethyl-ammonium chloride as catalyst. Later work showed that a catalyst was not necessary because these sulfur compounds themselves can function as catalysts for phase-transfer reactions. Thus (1) is an effective catalyst for alkylation of ketones by alkyl halides in the presence of 50% aqueous NaOH. Related, but somewhat less active, catalysts are sulfones such as (2), a-disulfoxides (3), and bisphosphonates (4). 

Organozinc compounds, XZnCRR (RR = H, alkyl, X halogen), are widely used for the synthesis of cyclopropanes as Simmon-Smith reagents [12,36,37,79- 93]. Simmon-Smith reagents are prepared by two processes as shown in eqs. (5.32) and (5.53). The first one is the reaction of diazomethane with zinc halides. The second is the reaction of methylene iodide with an activated zinc. Zinc containing 10% of... 

Reactions.— The nucleophilic reactivity of the thiocarbonyl sulphur atom in thioureas has been further exemplified in a series of papers reporting on S-alkylation reactions of open-chain " as well as cyclic thioureas using alkyl halides. Ried and his co-workers have reported that (4-quinazolyl)thioureas (315) react smoothly with methylene iodide in the presence of triethylamine to yield the 1,3-thiazetidines (316). The ready formation of (316) was attributed to the special effect of the intramolecular hydrogen bonding in (315), as common thioureas usually did not enter into this reaction in a well-defined and profitable way. 5,5-Diphenyl-2-thio-hydantoin reacted with symmetrical ao>-dibromo-alkanes to yield the cyclization products (317). The action of excess of methyl iodide on N -substituted N-(o-aminophenyl)thioureas afforded the benzimidazoles (318), alternatively obtainable by treatment of the same thioureas with mercuric chloride." " In a similar manner, l-amino-6,7-dimethoxy-3,4-di-hydroisoquinolines were formed by the action of mercuric chloride on the thioureas (319)" or their S-methyl derivatives (320). " A recent paper by Klayman and his co-workers deals with the reactivity of S-methiodide derivatives of thioureas that are activated by electron-withdrawing groups towards hydroxylic compounds. "... 

As with malonate, the two strong electron-withdrawing functional groups of cyanoacetate significantly enhance the acidity of the methylene group. Accordingly, it can be readily deprotonated and the anion reacts with abroad spectrum of electrophiles, such as alkyl and activated aryl halides, carbonyl compounds, a,/3-unsaturated carbonyl or carboxyl derivatives, and nitrous acid. 

---