Alkali metals alkyl halides

Treatment of alkali metal alkyl or aryltellurolates (Sections) with alkyl halides, aryl halides, alkenes, or alkynes have been nsed to prepare unsymmetrical tellurides, as exemplified by the reaction of sodium phenyl teUurolate or paramethylphenyl tellnrolate with PhC CHCOPh. ... 

There are many examples of the use of Grignard reagents or alkyllithium or aryllithium and other alkali-metal alkyls or aryls to alkylate, and also reduce, metal halides ... 

Because the [R2AI] cation can be stabilized by neutral Lewis bases, we assume that this is also true of ionogenic Lewis base alkali metal alkyls R-M. Thus, 1 2 complexes of alkali metal halides with aluminum trialkyls, especially fluorides, may dissociate (3a) into M and [R3AI-F-AIR3] , as shown by the moleeular structure in the crystalline state. Yet there is another possibility, shown in Scheme 3b, i. e., dissociation into aluminum-containing cations and anions. 

Coffman, D. D., Marvel, C. S. Reaction between alkali metal alkyls and quaternary phosophonium halides. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1929, 51, 3496-3501. 

Lanthanide alkyl compounds are important alkyl transfer reagents and initiate a variety of catalytic reactions. The transformation of lanthanide alkoxide bonds to lanthanide alkyl bonds seems to be an attractive alternative to the alkylation of lanthanide halides with alkali metal alkyl compounds. For example, the ary-loxide route affords homoleptic lanthanide alkyls in good yield [Eq. (22)] [135]. 

Beaction between Alkali Metal Alkyls and Phosphonium Halides, — Sodium triphenylmethyi reacts in ether solution with methyltnphenyl-phosphonium iodide giving the basic carbonate of inethyldiphenylphos-phine oxide,... 

Analogously, zinc reagents react with halides of various elements. They are particularly useful for the alkylation of halides of transition metals such as NbCls and TaCls that are too easily reducible by alkali metal alkyl reagents. Up to three halides can be substituted by alkyl groups R using ZnRj in these transition-metal halides. 

Pyrroles do not react with alkyl halides in a simple fashion polyalkylated products are obtained from reaction with methyl iodide at elevated temperatures and also from the more reactive allyl and benzyl halides under milder conditions in the presence of weak bases. Alkylation of pyrrole Grignard reagents gives mainly 2-alkylated pyrroles whereas N-alkylated pyrroles are obtained by alkylation of pyrrole alkali-metal salts in ionizing solvents. 

Alcohols undergo many reactions and can be converted into many other functional groups. They can be dehydrated to give alkenes by treatment with POCI3 and can be transformed into alkyl halides by treatment with PBr3 or SOCU- Furthermore, alcohols are weakly acidic (p/C, — 16-18) and react with strong bases and with alkali metals to form alkoxide anions, which are used frequently in organic synthesis. 

Diesters of phosphorous acid are in general neutral because the phosphorous acid exists mostly in the phosphonate form with one hydrogen directly attached to the phosphorus. But with alkali metals the H can be changed against the alkali and reactive intermediates formed. Such alkali metal derivatives of dialkyl phosphites react with alkyl halides to give dialkyl alkanephosphonates, according to Eqs. (45) and (46). 

In the alkyl chain hydroxy groups or side chains may be present. The reaction is somewhat different when acyl halides are used. Hydroxymethanediphosphonic acid is prepared by reacting phosgene with an alkali metal, dialkyl phosphite. The reaction is rapid and exothermic. The temperature is controlled between 10 and 20°C. After hydrolysis with HC1, hydroxymethanediphosphonic acid is recovered [91,92]. 

Germyl, Stannyl, and Plumbyl Anions The preparative methods for the synthesis of the germyl, stannyl, and plumbyl anions are essentially the same as those mentioned above for the silyl anions. The most widely used methods are (1) reduction of halides R3EX (R = alkyl, aryl E = Ge, Sn, Pb X = Cl, Br) with alkali metals and (2) reductive cleavage of the E-E bond of R3E-ER3 (R = alkyl, aryl E = Ge, Sn, Pb) with alkali metals or organolithium reagents. Due to the favorable polarization of the (E = Ge, Sn, Pb) bond, the direct metalation... 

Alternatively, esterification of carboxylic acid can be carried out in aqueous media by reacting carboxylic acid salts with alkyl halides through nucleophilic substitutions (Eq. 9.10).20 The reaction rate of alkyl halides with alkali metal salts of carboxylic acids to give esters increases with the increasing concentration of catalyst, halide, and solvent polarity and is reduced by water. Various thymyl ethers and esters can be synthesized by the reactions of thymol with alkyl halides and acid chlorides, respectively, in aqueous medium under microwave irradiation (Eq. 9.11).21 Such an esterification reaction of poly(methacrylic acid) can be performed readily with alkyl halides using DBU in aqueous solutions, although the rate of the reaction decreases with increasing water content.22... 

In all cases, dithio-phosphorus acids can be liberated from their alkali-metal salts by reacting them with acids such as HC1. Thio-ester derivatives of the dithio-phosphorus acids can be synthesised via reaction of the acids themselves with an alcohol or phenol (Equation 26) or from reaction of their alkali-metal salt with an alkyl halide (Equation 27). 

Dithiophosphato metal complexes are usually prepared by metathesis of metal halides with alkali metal or ammonium salts. A convenient method uses the redox reaction of his th iophosphory 1 )d is ulfanes (RO)2(S)PSSP(S)(OR)2, with metal species in low oxidation states resulting in the insertion of the metal into the sulfur-sulfur bond.24 Recently it was used for the synthesis of long alkyl chain, liquid platinum(II) dithiophosphates25 and for the synthesis of Ru (CO)2[S2P(OPr%]2 from Ru3(CO)i2 with (Pr 0)2(S)PSSP(S)(0Pr,)2.26... 

A similar type of catalyst including a supported noble metal for regeneration was described extensively in a series of patents assigned to UOP (209-214). The catalysts were prepared by the sublimation of metal halides, especially aluminum chloride and boron trifluoride, onto an alumina carrier modified with alkali or rare earth-alkali metal ions. The noble metal was preferably deposited in an eggshell concentration profile. An earlier patent assigned to Texaco (215) describes the use of chlorinated alumina in the isobutane alkylation with higher alkenes, especially hexenes. TMPs were supposed to form via self-alkylation. Fluorinated alumina and silica samples were also tested in isobutane alkylation,... 

The synthesis of aliphatic nitro compounds from the reaction of alkyl halides with alkali metal nitrites was discovered by Kornblum and co-workers and is known as the modified Victor Meyer reaction or the Kornblum modification. The choice of solvent in these reactions is crucial when sodium nitrite is used as the nitrite soiuce. Both alkyl halide and nitrite anion must be in solution to react, and the higher the concentration of nitrite anion, the faster the reaction. For this reason, both DMF and DMSO are widely used as solvents, with both able to dissolve appreciable amounts of sodium nitrite. Although sodium nitrite is more soluble in DMSO than DMF the former can react with some halide substrates.Urea is occasionally added to DMF solutions of sodium nitrite to increase the solubility of this salt and hence increase reaction rates. Other alkali metal nitrites can be used in these reactions, like lithium nitrite,which is more soluble in DMF than sodium nitrite but is also less widely available. 

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