Alkenes to halohydrins

Table 10.4 summarizes the characteristics of halohydrin formation. Table 10.4 Summary Conversion of Alkenes to Halohydrins...

In aqueous solution chlorine and bromine react with alkenes to fonn vicinal halohydrins, compounds that have a halogen and a hydroxyl group on adjacent carbons. 

Figure 7.3 Mechanism of the oxymercuration of an alkene to yield an alcohol. The reaction involves a mercurinium ion intermediate and proceeds by a mechanism similar to that of halohydrin formation. The product of the reaction is the more highly substituted alcohol, corresponding to Markovnikov regiochemistry.

Alkenes are converted to halohydrins by the treatment of halides and water. When halohydrins are treated with a strong base (NaOH), an intramolecular cyclization occurs and epoxides are formed. For example, 1-butene can be converted to butylene oxide via butylene chlorohydrin. 

Halohydrins are useful intermediates especially in the synthesis of epoxides. The main reaction is usually accompanied by the formation of a dihalide. When the reactions are performed in the presence of acetic acid, then acetates of the hydrins can be the predominant products. With several exceptions, alkenes with a nonfluorinated C = C bond have been subjected to halohydrinations. Halogen cations usually undergo addition to the substituted carbon of the C = C bond in (fluoroalkyl)ethenes. 

Ketones from halohydrins. Palladium acetate complexed with a triarylphos-phine, particularly tri-o-tolylphosphine, converts halohydrins into ketones in the presence of K2C03. Yields are about 70-85% for substrates in which the halogen is secondary or tertiary, but less than 50% when the halogen is primary because of epoxide formation. The reaction is useful for conversion of alkenes to ketones in those instances in which halohydrins are formed regioselectively. 

The conversion of an alkene to a halohydrin can also be considered as an epoxidation because this can be achieved by a simple ring closure.184 Although no reagent is yet available to perform an asymmetric conversion of an isolated alkene to a halohydrin, the reaction can be controlled through diastereoselection. One such case is the halolactonization of y,8-unsaturated carboxylic acids, N,N-dialkylamides.185189... 

A halohydrin is an alcohol with a halogen on the adjacent carbon atom. In the presence of water, halogens add to alkenes to form halohydrins. The electrophilic halogen adds to the alkene to give a halonium ion, which is also electrophilic. Water acts as a nucleophile to open the halonium ion and form the halohydrin. 

Thiiranes are prepared by two major pathways. The first pathway is the conversion of alkenes to intermediates, such as dihaiides, halohydrins or epoxides, followed by nucleophilic attack and subsequent... 

The addition of halogens and hydroxyls across double bonds leads to halohydrins, which are useful intermediates, especially for the synthesis of epoxides. Such additions are achieved by treatment of alkenes with N-bromoacetamide [1104] or iV-brontosuccinintide [746] in aqueous media and give products of anti addition. On heating with alkalies, bromohydrins... 

One further point. We have encountered the two-step addition of unsym-metrical reagents in which the first step is attack by positive halogen formation of halohydrins (Sec. 6.14), and ionic addition of IN3 and BrN3 (Problem 7, p. 247). The orientation is what would be expected if a carbonium ion were the intermediate. Propylene chlorohydrin, for example, is CH3CHOHCH2CI IN3 adds to terminal alkenes to yield RCH(N3)CH2l. Yet the exclusively anti stereochemistry... 

Alkene oxymercuration is closely analogous to halohydrin formation. The reaction is initiated by electrophilic addition of (mercuric) ion to the alkene to give an intermediate mercurinium ion, whose structure resembles that of a bromonium ion (Figure 7.5). Nucleophilic attack of water, followed by loss of a proton, then yields a stable organomercury addition product. The final step, reaction of the organomercury compound with sodium boro-hydride, is not fully understood but appears to involve radicals. Note that... 

Preparation of Alkenes A Preview of Elimination Reactions Addition of Halogens to Alkenes 234 Halohydrin Formation 237... 

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