Aldehydes benzylic halides

A fundamental problem in the alkylation of enamines, which is inherent in the bidentate system, is the competition between the desired carbon alkylation and attack at the nitrogen. With unactivated alkyl halides (3,267), this becomes especially serious with the enamines derived fromcycloheptan-one, cyclooctanone, cyclononanone, and enamines derived from aldehydes. Increasing amounts of carbon alkylation are found with the more reactive allyl and benzyl halides (268-273). However, with allyl halides one also observes increasing amounts of dialkylation of enamines. 

Nucleophilic substitution of the halogen atom of halogenomethylisoxazoles proceeds readily this reaction does not differ essentially from that of benzyl halides. One should note the successful hydrolysis of 4-chloromethyl- and 4-(chlorobenzyl)-isoxazoles by freshly precipitated lead oxide, a reagent seldom used in organic chemistry. Other halides, ethers, and esters of the isoxazole series have been obtained from 3- and 4-halogenomethylisoxazoles, and 3-chloro-methylisoxazole has been reported in the Arbuzov rearrangement. Panizzi has used dichloromethylisoxazole derivatives to synthesize isoxazole-3- and isoxazole-5-aldehydes/ ... 

Another reagent that convert benzylic halides to aldehydes is pyridine followed by /7-nitrosodimethylaniline and then water, called the Krohnke reaction. Primary halides and tosylates have been oxidized to aldehydes by trimethylamine N-oxide, and by pyridine N-oxide with microwave irradiation. ... 

The development of the Grignard-type addition to carbonyl compounds mediated by transition metals would be of interest as the compatibility with a variety of functionality would be expected under the reaction conditions employed. One example has been reported on the addition of allyl halides to aldehydes in the presence of cobalt or nickel metal however, yields were low (up to 22%). Benzylic nickel halides prepared in situ by the oxidative addition of benzyl halides to metallic nickel were found to add to benzil and give the corresponding 3-hydroxyketones in high yields(46). The reaction appears to be quite general and will tolerate a wide range of functionality. 

In a similar type of reaction, polymer-supported hydridoiron tetracarbonyl anion reacts with simple non-benzylic aliphatic bromides and iodides to produce aldehydes (Table 8.15), presumably through the intermediate formation of RCOFeH(CO)3, which undergoes reductive extrusion of the aldehydes [3], In contrast, benzylic halides and a-halocarbonyl compounds are reductively dehalogenated by the HFe(CO)4 anion (see Chapter 11). 

Chromium(II) sulfate is a versatile reagent for the mild reduction of a variety of bonds. Thus aqueous dimethylformamide solutions of this reagent at room temperature couple benzylic halides, reduce aliphatic monohalides to alkanes, convert vicinal dihalides to olefins, convert geminal halides to carben-oids, reduce acetylenes to /raw5-olefins, and reduce a,j3-unsatu-rated esters, acids, and nitriles to the corresponding saturated derivatives. These conditions also reduce aldehydes to alcohols. The reduction of diethyl fumarate described in this preparation illustrates the mildness of the reaction conditions for the reduction of acetylenes and o ,j8-unsaturated esters, acids, and nitriles. 

Tertiary benzylic nitriles are useful synthetic intermediates, and have been used for the preparation of amidines, lactones, primary amines, pyridines, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, and esters. The general synthetic pathway to this class of compounds relies on the displacement of an activated benzylic alcohol or benzylic halide with a cyanide source followed by double alkylation under basic conditions. For instance, 2-(2-methoxyphenyl)-2-methylpropionitrile has been prepared by methylation of (2-methoxyphenyl)acetonitrile using sodium amide and iodomethane. In the course of the preparation of a drug candidate, the submitters discovered that the nucleophilic aromatic substitution of aryl fluorides with the anion of a secondary nitrile is an effective method for the preparation of these compounds. The reaction was studied using isobutyronitrile and 2-fluoroanisole. The submitters first showed that KHMDS was the superior base for the process when carried out in either THF or toluene (Table I). For example, they found that the preparation of 2-(2-methoxyphenyl)-2-methylpropionitrile could be accomplished h... 

V-Methyl-2-methyl-3-(benzotriazol-l-yl)propanamide (631), on treatment with two equivalents of butyllithium, forms a dianion that reacts with alkyl and benzyl halides, aldehydes, and ketones to give monosubstituted products (632) (Scheme 124). With ethyl / -toluate, however, a lactam (634) is formed. The alkylated derivatives (632) eliminate benzotriazole upon treatment with NaOEt to afford trisubstituted a,)8-unsaturated amides (633) <93JHC1261>. 

Compounds, eg, phenacyl halides, benzyl halides, alkyl iodides, or alkyl esters of sulfonic acids, react with DMSO at 100—120°C to give aldehydes (qv) and ketones (qv) in 50—85% yields (eq. 8) (41) ... 

Another way to oxidize primary alkyl halides to aldehydes is by the use of hexamethylenetetramine followed by water. However, this reaction, called the Sommelet reaction. is limited to benzylic halides. The reaction is seldom useful when the R in RCH2CI is alkyl. The first part of the reaction is conversion to the amine ArCH2NH2 (0-44), which can be isolated. Reaction of the amine with excess hexamethylenetetramine gives the aldehyde. It is this last step that is the actual Sommelet reaction, though the entire process can be conducted without isolation of intermediates. Once the amine is formed, it is converted to an imine (ArCH2N=CH2) with formaldehyde liberated from the reagent. The key step then follows transfer of hydrogen from another mole of the arylamine to the imine ... 

Reduction of RCOCI to RCHO. Sodium borohydride and this cadmium salt reduce acyl chlorides to aldehydes, but only in solvents such as DMF, DMA, and HMPT. DMF is essential, but the amount of DMF in the salt is sufficient. For the most part, yields are 50-90%. Aryl, alkyl, and benzylic halides do not react. Other functional groups (nitrile, nitro, ester, C=C) are also inert. 

The Hass or Hass-Bender Reaction will specifically convert a benzylic halide to an aldehyde ... 

Illustrative examples of cleavage reactions of /V-arylbenzylaminc derivatives are listed in Table 3.25. Aromatic amines can be immobilized as /V-bcnzylanilincs by reductive amination of resin-bound aldehydes or by nucleophilic substitution of resin-bound benzyl halides (Chapter 10). The attachment of the amino group of 5-aminoin-doles to 2-chlorotrityl chloride resin has been reported [486]. Anilines have also been linked to resin-bound dihydropyran as aminals [487]. 

Substrates suitable for oxidative conversion into carbonyl compounds are alkenes, primary or secondary alcohols, and benzyl halides. Polystyrene-bound alkenes have been converted into aldehydes (with the loss of one carbon atom) by ozonolysis followed by reductive cleavage of the intermediate ozonide (Entry 1, Table 12.3). 

Reduction of halides.1 The reagent prepared from NaBH3CN and SnCl2 in a 2 1 ratio does not reduce primary or secondary alkyl halides or aryl halides in ether at 25°, but does reduce tertiary, allyl, and benzyl halides. It is thus comparable to NaBH3CN-ZnCl2 (12, 446). Aldehydes, ketones, and acid chlorides are reduced to alcohols, but esters and amides are inert. 

Alkylation of aldehydes.1 Sml2 (stoichiometric amount) effects alkylation of aliphatic aldehydes with allylic and benzylic halides. The reaction is not applicable to aromatic aldehydes, which are rapidly converted topinacols in the presenceol SmI2. Examples ... 

The successful extension of this asymmetric reaction to the use of allyl halides (instead of benzyl halides) was also reported by the Metzner group [208]. The desired vinyl oxiranes were formed in a one-pot reaction starting from an allyl halide and an aromatic aldehyde in the presence of a sulfide, e.g. 215, and sodium hydroxide as base. A 9 1 mixture of tert-butanol and water was used as solvent. 

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