Alkyl group synthetic applications

In the synthesis of molecules without functional groups the application of the usual polar synthetic reactions may be cumbersome, since the final elimination of hetero atoms can be difficult. Two solutions for this problem have been given in the previous sections, namely alkylation with nucleophilic carbanions and alkenylation with ylides. Another direct approach is to combine radical synthons in a non-polar reaction. Carbon radicals are. however, inherently short-lived and tend to undergo complex secondary reactions. Escheirmoser s principle (p. 34f) again provides a way out. If one connects both carbon atoms via a metal atom which (i) forms and stabilizes the carbon radicals and (ii) can be easily eliminated, the intermolecular reaction is made intramolecular, and good yields may be obtained. 

Treatment of the borates with iodine leads to boron- C2 migration of an alkyl group[9]. This reaction has not been widely applied synthetically but it might be more applicable for introduction of branched alkyl groups than direct alkylation of an indol-2-yllithium intermediate. 

The first of the few low-temperature methods for the formation of an o-QM was a method developed by Rokita.5 It is principally used for reversible DNA alkylation. However, it has recently begun to find its way into some synthetic applications. It utilizes a silylated phenol, which proves vastly more manageable as an o-QM precursor than the corresponding o-hydroxyl benzyl halide (Fig. 4.6). In this kinetically controlled process, expulsion of a benzylic leaving group is triggered at low temperature by treatment with a fluoride ion, which causes a (3-elimination. 

One of the first synthetic applications of organoboranes in radical chemistry is the conjugate addition to enones (Scheme 23, Eq. 23a) and enals reported by Brown [58-61]. Addition to -substituted enones and enals are not spontaneous and initiation with the oxygen [62], diacetyl peroxide [63], or under irradiation [63] is necessary (Eq. 23b). A serious drawback of this strategy is that only one of the three alkyl groups is efficiently transferred, so the method is restricted to trialkylboranes derived from the hydroboration of easily available and cheap alkenes. To overcome this limitation B-alkylboracyclanes have been used but this approach was not successful for the generation of tertiary alkyl radicals [64,65]. 

The carbonyl undergoes a variety of complex formation reactions, involving partial or total replacement of CO groups with other donors. Many reactions have synthetic applications. Such donors include pyridine (py), diglyme, toluene, aniline, cycloheptatriene, alkyl disulfide and metal cyctopentadiene. A few examples are given below ... 

In the case of the naphthalimide fluorescent brightening agents (98) the most important commercial derivatives are the 4-alkoxy and 4-acylamino (e.g. R is methoxy). Substituent R is usually an alkyl group or an aminoalkyl group capable of quaternization. Thus the most interesting of the series is 4-methoxy-Af-methylnaphthalimide, which is an excellent product suitable for application to a variety of synthetic fibres. 

In view of the synthetic applications, among carbanions stabilized by only one divalent sulfur atom, allylic thiocarbanions proved to be particularly valuable, as shown with Biellmann coupling of allylic groups, applied to an elegant synthesis of squalene from farnesyl bromide [301]. In this synthesis, the retention of the allylic double bond position and stereochemistry in both the metallation-alkylation and the desulfurization steps are noteworthy. However, the results are not always as clear-cut, and... 

The synthetic application of vicarious nucleophilic substitution, whereby hydrogen of an electrophilic arene is replaced by an a-functionalized alkyl substituent, has been reviewed 177 the sequence usually involves attack on a nitroalkene by a carbanion containing a leaving group X at the carbanionic centre, /i-elimination of HX from the er-adduct, and rearomatization on subsequent protonation. 

Another example was reported by Ugi and co-workers in a study concerning the synthetic applications of convertible (jS-isocyanoethyl)alkyl carbonates [7a]. A solid-phase extension of the same procedure has been reported by the Kennedy group [20] at Array BioPharma who employed the resin-bound carbonate convertible isocyanide. 

This microwave-accelerated double alkylation reaction was applicable to a variety of aniline derivatives and dihalides, furnishing N-aryl azacycloalkanes in good to excellent yields [89]. The reaction was applicable to alkyl chlorides, bromides and iodides and was extended to include hydrazines [90]. This improved synthetic methodology provided a simple and straightforward one-pot approach to the synthesis of a variety of heterocycles such as substituted azetidines, pyrrolidines, piperidines, azepanes, N-substituted-2,3-dihydro-Iff-isoindoles, 4,5-dihydro-pyrazoles, pyrazolidines, and 1,2-dihydro-phthalazines [91]. The mild reaction conditions tolerated a variety of functional groups such as hydroxyls, carbonyls, and esters. 

In 2001, Jain and co-workers (104) used Anderson and Kochi s discovery to introduce substitution on a histidine ring. Although yields are moderate and the scope is limited, this selective introduction of an alkyl group to a heterocyclic system has potential to be optimized for synthetic applications. Later, Jain et al. (105) used this method to build various quinoline derivatives that may have anti-Tuberculosis activity. In 2001, Frost and co-workers (106) used a silver-mediated... 

Protection of hydroxyl groups. Alcohols and phenols react with 1 and tri-ethylamine to form tetrahydro-2-furanyl (THF) ethers (85-98% yield). The reaction of acids with 1 results in THF esters. These derivatives are stable to base and nucleophilic reagents they are readily removed by acid-catalyzed hydrolysis or methanolysis. One synthetic application is conversion of the ethers into alkyl bromides by reaction with triphenyphosphine dibromide (1,1247-1248), a reaction that is faster than that with the free alcohols. 

In an important report, Janowicz and Bergman have described the photochemical incorporation of an alkyl group from an alkane into an iridium complex. The process does not appear to involve alkyl radicals, but is thought to occur via two successive concerted steps. This report may point the way to new catalytic processes for the functionalization of alkanes. The photoaddition of alkyl halides to alkenes catalysed by Cu complexes represents a novel process for formation of C-C bonds, and may have useful synthetic applications (Mitani et ai). The possibility of analogous intramolecular reactions comes readily to mind. 

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