Alkenes preparation from alkyl halides

Ethers are prepared from alkyl halides by the treatment of metal alkoxide. This is known as Williamson ether synthesis (see Sections 4.3.6 and 5.5.2). Williamson ether synthesis is an important laboratory method for the preparation of both symmetrical and unsymmetrical ethers. Symmetrical ethers are prepared by dehydration of two molecules of primary alcohols and H2SO4 (see Sections 4.3.7 and 5.5.3). Ethers are also obtained from alkenes either by acid-catalysed addition of alcohols or alkoxymercuration-reduction (see Section 5.3.1). 

Recall from Chapters 8 and 9 that alkenes can be prepared from alkyl halides and alcohols via elimination reactions. For example, dehydrohalogenation of alkyl halides with strong base yields alkenes via an E2 mechanism (Sections 8.4 and 8.5). 

Several thiols occur naturally for example, skunk secretion contains 3-methyll-butanethiol and cut onions evolve 1-propanethiol, and the thiol group of the natural amino acid cysteine plays a vital role in the biochemistry of proteins and enzymes (see Introduction, p. 2). Primary and secondary thiols may be prepared from alkyl halides (RX) by reaction with excess sodium thiolate (SN2 nucleophilic substitution by HST) or via the Grignard reagent and reaction with sulfur. Tertiary thiols can be obtained in good yields by addition of hydrogen sulfide to a suitable alkene. Thiols can also be prepared by reduction of sulfonyl chlorides (Scheme l).la,2a... 

Sulfides, or thioethers, are sulfur analogues of ethers, and like ethers they can be either symmetrical (R2S) or unsymmetrical (RSR1, where R and R are different). Sulfides can be prepared from alkyl halides by a Williamson-type synthesis with sodium hydrogen sulfide, sodium thiolate or sodium sulfide from alkyl or aryl halides via the Grignard reagent (11) from alkenes by radical-catalysed addition of thiols or by reduction of sulfoxides (Scheme 9).2b... 

This chapter will discuss carbanion-like reactions that utilize enolate anions. The acid-base reactions used to form enolate anions will be discussed. Formation of enolate anions from aldehyde, ketones, and esters will lead to substitution reactions, acyl addition reactions, and acyl substitution reactions. Several classical named reactions that arise from these three fundamental reactions of enolate anions are presented. In addition, phosphonium salts wiU be prepared from alkyl halides and converted to ylids, which react with aldehydes or ketones to form alkenes. These ylids are treated as phosphorus-stabilized car-banions in terms of their reactivity. 

Just as alkenes can be prepared from alkyl halides, alkynes can be prepared from alkyl dihalides ... 

Alkyl nitriles are also prepared from alkyl halides with sodium cyanide impregnated on alumina and with cyanide ion in the presence of polystyrene-bound n-propyltributylphosphonium bromide, and by hydrocyanation of alkenes and alkynes. ... 

We now have a new problem Where does the necessary alkene come from Alkenes are prepared from alcohols by acid catalyzed dehydration (Section 5 9) or from alkyl halides by dehydrohalogenation (Section 5 14) Because our designated starting material is tert butyl alcohol we can combine its dehydration with bromohydrm formation to give the correct sequence of steps... 

Alkynes can be prepared by the elimination of HX from alkyl halides in much the same manner as alkenes (Section 7.1). Treatment of a 1,2-dihaloaJkane (a vicinal dihalide) with excess strong base such as KOH or NaNH2 results in a twofold elimination of HX and formation of an alkyne. As with the elimination of HX to form an alkene, we ll defer a discussion of the mechanism until Chapter 11. 

Preparation of Cyclopropanes from Alkyl Halides. Alkenes, and Lithium 2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidide... 

Atom transfer radical additions and cyclisations have been used successfully in organic chemistry for the preparation of 1 1 adducts from alkyl halides, RX, and alkenes, CH2=CHY (Scheme 9.2) Under such conditions, the required catalytic amount of transition metal, Mt (e.g. CuCl, FeBr2, RuC12 in the presence of corresponding ligand) is used to provide a low stationary concentration of radicals, R (and of oxidised transition metal Mtw+1X, e.g. CuCl2), which subsequently react with an alkene by abstraction of a halogen atom from the oxidised form of the catalyst to produce the final product, R-CH2-CHY-X. 

Tertiary carbocations may be conveniently prepared in such media from alkyl halides, alcohols, and alkenes. Secondary cations can be observed at low temperatures, but they rearrange readily to more stable tertiary ions. For such cases, special techniques of mixing the reactants, e.g. cocondensation on a cold surface ( molecular beam technique ), have been developed43. Attempts to prepare primary ions in the same manner have not been successful. Methyl and ethyl fluorides exchange halogen but do not generate observable concentrations of cations. All other simple... 

An important method for preparing alkenes involves the elimination (El or E2) of HX from alkyl halides (see Section 5.3.2). Alcohols can also be converted to alkenes by activating the OH group (e.g. by protonation or conversion to a tosylate) to make this into a better leaving group (see Section 5.2.2). 

In eontrast, dialkylhalonium salts sueh as dimethylbromonium and dimethyliodonium fluoroantimonate, whieh we prepared from excess alkyl halides with antimony pentafluoride or fluoroantimonie acid and isolated as stable salts (the less-stable chloronium salts were obtained only in solution), are very effective alkylating agents for heteroatom eompounds (Nu = R2O, R2S, R3N, R3P, ete.) and for C-alkylation (arenes, alkenes). 

Dehydrohalogenation is the loss of a hydrogen and a halogen from an alkyl halide It IS one of the most useful methods for preparing alkenes by p elimination... 

Like alcohol dehydrations El reactions of alkyl halides can be accompanied by carbocation rearrangements Eliminations by the E2 mechanism on the other hand nor mally proceed without rearrangement Consequently if one wishes to prepare an alkene from an alkyl halide conditions favorable to E2 elimination should be chosen In prac tice this simply means carrying out the reaction m the presence of a strong base... 

Before getting to the main subject of this chapter—the reactions of alkenes— let s take a brief look at how alkenes are prepared. The subject is a bit complex, though, so we ll return in Chapter 11 for a more detailed study. For the present, it s enough to realize that alkenes are readily available from simple precursors— usually alcohols in biological systems and either alcohols or alkyl halides in the laboratory. 

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