Alkylating agents, alkyl halides

Other catalysts which may be used in the Friedel - Crafts alkylation reaction include ferric chloride, antimony pentachloride, zirconium tetrachloride, boron trifluoride, zinc chloride and hydrogen fluoride but these are generally not so effective in academic laboratories. The alkylating agents include alkyl halides, alcohols and olefines. 

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). 

The reactivity of sulfathiazoles has been reviewed (65). Methylation in alkaline solution with dimethyl sulfate gives only the ring methylated derivative (85). Mixtures of products are obtained with diazomethane as alkylating agent (see p. 37). Other alkyl halides in aqueous alkali lead also to ring-alkylated products (85. 251, 650. 669-671). 

Next an alkyl halide (the alkylating agent) is added to the solution of sodium acetylide Acetylide ion acts as a nucleophile displacing halide from carbon and forming a new carbon-carbon bond Substitution occurs by an 8 2 mechanism... 

Alkyl halides by themselves are insufficiently electrophilic to react with benzene Aluminum chloride serves as a Lewis acid catalyst to enhance the electrophihcity of the alkylating agent With tertiary and secondary alkyl halides the addition of aluminum chlonde leads to the formation of carbocations which then attack the aromatic ring... 

We see that a secondary alkyl halide is needed as the alkylating agent The anion of diethyl malonate is a weaker base than ethoxide ion and reacts with secondary alkyl halides by substitution rather than elimination Thus the synthesis of 3 methylpentanoic acid begins with the alkylation of the anion of diethyl mal onate by 2 bromobutane... 

The alkyl halide must be one that reacts readily by an 8 2 mechanism Thus methyl and primary alkyl halides are the most effective alkylating agents Elimination competes with substitution when secondary alkyl halides are used and is the only reac tion observed with tertiary alkyl halides... 

The methylation of N-methyl derivatives of maleic hydrazide gives in general O-alkylated products. The opposite results are obtained with benzyl halides as alkylating agents. In this case the O-benzyl derivative (71) is formed, which is then further benzylated to the lV,0-dibenzyl derivative (72). When ethyl chloroacetate is used, the direction of alkylation is dependent on pH. At pH above 8, O-alkylation occurs at pH below 8, N-alkylation takes place exclusively in neutral and acidic solutions only IV-alkylated products are formed. 

Various alkylating agents are used for the preparation of pyridazinyl alkyl sulfides. Methyl and ethyl iodides, dimethyl and diethyl sulfate, a-halo acids and esters, /3-halo acids and their derivatives, a-halo ketones, benzyl halides and substituted benzyl halides and other alkyl and heteroarylmethyl halides are most commonly used for this purpose. Another method is the addition of pyridazinethiones and pyridazinethiols to unsaturated compounds, such as 2,3(4//)-dihydropyran or 2,3(4//)-dihydrothiopyran, and to compounds with activated double bonds, such as acrylonitrile, acrylates and quinones. 

The mesomeric anion (157 Scheme 10) reacts readily with electrophilic reagents such as alkyl or acyl halides at N-2, C-4 and the exocyclic oxygen atom. The percentages of the different products formed are controlled by the HSAB principle. The acylium ion (hard) attacks preferentially at oxygen (hard), whilst the softer alkylating agents attack the nitrogen atom. 

The behavior of such activated halides as alkylating agents under Friedel-Crafts conditions expands the scope of the synthesis. Aluminum chloride enhances the electrophilic character of the a,/S-unsaturated carbonyl system and permits the nucleophilic attachment of the aromatic addendum (Y ) to the carbon bearing the positive charge, with displacement of halogen [Eq. (5)]. Thus,... 

As alkylating agents may for example be used alkyl halides, dialkyl sulfates, alkyl sulfonates and epoxides. Aryl halides and vinylic halides do not react. 

As alkylating agent an alkyl halide, alkyl tosylate or dialkyl sulfate is used in most cases the latter type of reagent is often used in the preparation of methyl and ethyl ethers by employing dimethyl sulfate and diethyl sulfate respectively. Dimethyl sulfate is an excellent methylating agent, but is acutely toxic as well as carcinogenic." ... 

Alkylation reactions are subject to the same constraints that affect all Sn2 reactions (Section 11.3). Thus, the leaving group X in the alkylating agent R—X can be chloride, bromide, iodide, or tosylate. The alkyl group R should be primary or methyl, and preferably should be allylic or benzylic. Secondary halides react poorly, and tertiary halides don t react at all because a competing E2 elimination of HX occurs instead. Vinylic and aryl halides are also unreactive because backside approach is sterically prevented. 

Notes, (a) The alkylating agent must be reactive, i.e. a methyl, ethyl, ally] or benzyl halide. 

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