Alcohols to alkyl halides

The major portion of the present chapter concerns the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides by reaction with hydrogen halides... 

Other Methods for Converting Alcohols to Alkyl Halides... 

OTHER METHODS FOR CONVERTING ALCOHOLS TO ALKYL HALIDES... 

Alkyl halides are such useful starting materials for preparing other functional group types that chemists have developed several different methods for converting alcohols to alkyl halides Two methods based on the inorganic reagents thionyl chloride and phosphorus tnbromide bear special mention... 

Thionyl chloride and phosphorus tribromide are specialized reagents used to bring about particular functional group transformations For this reason we won t present the mechanisms by which they convert alcohols to alkyl halides but instead will limit our selves to those mechanisms that have broad applicability and enhance our knowledge of fundamental principles In those instances you will find that a mechanistic understand mg IS of great help m organizing the reaction types of organic chemistry... 

Selectivity is not an issue m the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides Except for certain limitations to be discussed m Section 8 15 the location of the halogen sub stituent m the product corresponds to that of the hydroxyl group m the starting alcohol... 

This concludes discussion of our second functional group transformation mvolv mg alcohols the first was the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides (Chapter 4) and the second the conversion of alcohols to alkenes In the remaining sections of the chap ter the conversion of alkyl halides to alkenes by dehydrohalogenation is described... 

Reaction with phosphorus trihalides (Section 4 13) Phosphorus trichloride and phosphorus tribromide convert alcohols to alkyl halides... 

PCI5 chlorinates alcohols to alkyl halides and carboxylic acids to the corresponding RCOCl. When heated with NH4CI the phosphonitrilic chlorides are obtained (p. 536). These and other reactions are summarized in the diagram. 

Note that in the S l reaction, which is often carried out under acidic conditions, neutral water can act as a leaving group. This occurs, for example, when an alkyl halide is prepared from a tertiary alcohol by reaction with HBr or HC1 (Section 10.6). The alcohol is first protonated and then spontaneously loses H2O to generate a carbocation, which reacts with halide ion to give the alkyl halide (Figure 11.13). Knowing that an SN1 reaction is involved in the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides explains why the reaction works well only for tertiary alcohols. Tertiary alcohols react fastest because they give the most stable carbocation intermediates. 

In conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides (substitution), very often, the reaction is accompanied by the formation of some alkenes (elimination). 

The concept of performing microwave synthesis in room temperature ionic liquids (RTIL) as reaction media has been applied to several different organic transformations (Scheme 4.18), such as 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions [54], catalytic transfer hydrogenations [55], ring-closing metathesis [56], the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides [57, 58], and several others [59-61],... 

The method described is general for converting alcohols to alkyl halides and is stereospecific.6... 

Halogenations with dihalotriphenylphosphoranes have been reviewed briefly by Fieser and Fieser.4 Dibromotriphenylphos-phorane appears to have been studied somewhat more than the dichloro compound, but both reagents effectively convert alcohols to alkyl halides, carboxylic acids and esters to acid halides, etc. The reaction of 1,2-epoxycyclohexane with dibromotriphenylphos-phorane under conditions similar to those described here gives a mixture of cis- and trans-1,2-dibromocyclohexanes. A reagent prepared from triphenylphosphine and carbon tetrachloride has been used for similar transformations.5... 

Alkyl sulfates, tosylates, and other esters of sulfuric and sulfonic acids can be converted to alkyl halides with any of the four halide ions.979 Neopentyl tosylate reacts with Cl, Br, or I without rearrangement in HMPA.980 Similarly, allylic tosylates can be converted to chlorides without allylic rearrangement by reaction with LiCl in the same solvent.981 Inorganic esters are intermediates in the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides with SOCl2, PC15, PC13, etc. (0-67), but are seldom isolated. 

Other halides that are useful in converting alcohols to alkyl halides are PC15, PC13, PBr3, and Pl3, which are acid halides of phosphorus oxyacids. As with thionyl chloride, a weak base often is used to facilitate the reaction. The base acts to neutralize the acid formed, and also to generate bromide ion for SN reactions ... 

Alcohols and phenols are also weak bases. They can be protonated on the oxygen by strong acids. This reaction is the first step in the acid-catalyzed dehydration of alcohols to alkenes and in the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides by reaction with hydrogen halides. Alkyl halides can also be prepared from alcohols to alkyl halides by reaction with hydrogen halides. Alkyl halides can also be prepared from alcohols by reaction with thionyl chloride or phosphorus halides. 

Zinc halides are used in a modified Mitsunobu983 procedure based on diethyl azodicar-boxylate and triphenylphosphine, for the conversion of sensitive alcohols to alkyl halides (equation 154)984. 

Tosylation of an alcohol, followed by displacement of the tosylate by a halide ion, converts an alcohol to an alkyl halide. This is not the most common method for converting alcohols to alkyl halides, however, because simple, one-step reactions are available. A common method is to treat the alcohol with a hydrohalic acid, either HBr, HC1, or HI. 

Several phosphorus halides are useful for converting alcohols to alkyl halides. Phosphorus tribromide, phosphorus trichloride, and phosphorus pentachloride work... 

Remember that halogen acids are used for converting tertiary alcohols to alkyl halides. 

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