Aldehydes from aliphatic nitro compounds

PA. Rifle bullet impact in welded cans gave 4/4 high order detonations. Thermal stability at 135°, acid in 15—30 minutes at 82.2° heat test, 10 minutes at 82.2°. This material and its homologs from other aliphatic nitro compounds and aldehydes have been suggested as substitutes for NG... 

Aliphatic nitro compounds show a number of reactions which parallel those of carbonyl chemistry. Primary and secondary nitro compounds exhibit tautomerism paralleling keto-enol tautomerism (Scheme 3.94a). Aliphatic nitro compounds dissolve in aqueous sodium hydroxide with the formation of sodium salts. The resultant anions behave as carban-ions and will condense with aldehydes. An example involves the formation of m-nitrostyrene from nitromethane and benzaldehyde (Scheme 3.94b). 

Removal of a proton from an aliphatic nitro compound gives a carbanion (R2C —NO2) that can be alkylated at oxygen or carbon. 0-Alkylation gives nitronic esters, which are generally unstable to heat but break down to give an oxime and an aldehyde or ketone. 

A new synthesis of aldehydes with 2-methyl-2-thiazoline has the advantage of releasing the aldehydes from the thiazolidine intermediate under neutral conditions . Acetylene derivatives can be obtained from aldehydes via dibromomethylene compounds Novel reactions of alkynes with cationoid electrophiles have been published. -Diketones and 2-ketoalkoximes can be obtained by this reaction from acid chlorides and aliphatic nitro compounds respectively Addition of aldehydes to activated carbon-carbon double bonds occurs smoothly in the presence of cyanide ions as catalysts . Poly- -carbonyl compounds have been prepared by condensation of two anions, whereby the enolate salt of a y8-keto ester condenses as an electrophilic anion with strong nucleophiles such as the dianion of benzoylacetone. ... 

Notable examples of general synthetic procedures in Volume 47 include the synthesis of aromatic aldehydes (from dichloro-methyl methyl ether), aliphatic aldehydes (from alkyl halides and trimethylamine oxide and by oxidation of alcohols using dimethyl sulfoxide, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, and pyridinum trifluoro-acetate the latter method is particularly useful since the conditions are so mild), carbethoxycycloalkanones (from sodium hydride, diethyl carbonate, and the cycloalkanone), m-dialkylbenzenes (from the />-isomer by isomerization with hydrogen fluoride and boron trifluoride), and the deamination of amines (by conversion to the nitrosoamide and thermolysis to the ester). Other general methods are represented by the synthesis of 1 J-difluoroolefins (from sodium chlorodifluoroacetate, triphenyl phosphine, and an aldehyde or ketone), the nitration of aromatic rings (with ni-tronium tetrafluoroborate), the reductive methylation of aromatic nitro compounds (with formaldehyde and hydrogen), the synthesis of dialkyl ketones (from carboxylic acids and iron powder), and the preparation of 1-substituted cyclopropanols (from the condensation of a 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol derivative and ethyl-... 

As a preparative method the direct decarboxylation of olefinic acids is almost limited to the formation of styrenes and stilbenes from substituted cinnamic acids. Thermal decomposition of cinnamic acid gives styrene (41%). The yield is nearly quantitative if the reaction is carried out in quinoline at 220° in the presence of a copper catalyst. The yields of substituted styrenes where the aryl radical contains halo, methoxyl, aldehyde, cyano, and nitro groups are in the range of 30-76%. cis-Stilbene and cis-p-nitrostilbene are prepared in this way from the corresponding a-phenylcinnamic acids (65%). One aliphatic compound worthy of mention is 2-ethoxypropene, prepared by heating -ethoxycro-tonic acid at 165° (91% yield). The mechanism of acid-catalyzed decarboxylations of this type has been studied. Isomerization of the double bond from the a,/5- to the /5, y-position before decarboxylation very likely occurs in many instances. ... 

The yields of nitro alcohols from simple nitroparaffins and aliphatic aldehydes or benzaldehyde are usually above 60%. The condensations are generally carried out with aqueous ethanolic sodium hydroxide, although weaker bases are sometimes desirable to prevent polymerization of the aldehyde. Sodium bisulfite addition compounds of the aldehydes are sometimes used. Better results are obtained with sodium methoxide than with alkali hydroxides in the condensation of nitroethane with formaldehyde. Sodium alkoxides are also used to effect the condensation of nitroethane with acetone and cyclohexanone. Condensation proceeds to the nitroalkanediol stage in certain cases with both nitromethane and with formaldehyde. ... 

From the many possibilities of polarographic determination of organic compounds for the sake of brevity the following few substances may be enumerated acetaldehyde (and aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes,) acetophenone, acridine-compounds, aromatic amines, aniline, benzidines, benzal-dehyde, benzene and its homologues (after nitration) chlorphenols, nitrobenzene and nitro compounds in general, phenols (after nitration,) phthalic acid, polychlorinated biphenyls, methacrylates, naphthylamines, etc. 

Lower valent tungsten halides are a new class of deoxygenation agents, e.g. for the conversion of carbonyl or epoxy compounds into olefins . A new reagent, generated in situ from iron pentacarbonyl and a small amount of base in moist solvents, selectively and efficiently hydrogenates the ethylenic portion of a,/ -unsaturated carbonyl compounds, such as ketones or lactones, under mild conditions. Aliphatic tert. amides can be easily reduced to alcohols by alkali metals in hexa-methylphosphoramide and a protic cosolvent such as tert-butanol. Aldehydes can be obtained from acids by catalytic reduction of intermediate carboxylic alkoxyformic anhydrides . Sec. nitro compds. are converted into ketones by the joint action of a nitrite ester and NaNOg under mild, non-acidic conditions . 

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