Alkyl halides, as alkylating agents

Besides the glycinate ester derivatives described above, other types of enolate-forming compounds have proved to be useful substrates for enantioselective alkylation reactions in the presence of cinchona alkaloids as chiral PTC catalysts. The Corey group reported the alkylation of enolizable carboxylic acid esters of type 57 in the presence of 25 as organocatalyst [69]. The alkylations furnished the desired a-substituted carboxylate 58 in yields of up to 83% and enantioselectivity up to 98% ee (Scheme 3.23). It should be added that high enantioselectivity in the range 94-98% ee was obtained with a broad variety of alkyl halides as alkylation agents. The product 58c is a versatile intermediate in the synthesis of an optically active tetra-hydropyran. 

A modification of the alkyl iodide reaction consists in the use of alcohols and iodwe instead of alkyl halides as alkylating agents 3- t7,48,49) apreliminaiy... 

A new general synthesis of primary and secondary amines utilizes phase-transfer-catalysed alkylation of diphenylphosphinic amide, which is readily available (Scheme 3), The alkylation step is limited to primary alkyl halides as alkylating agents, but the diphenylphosphinoyl protecting group is superior to the diethoxyphosphonyl group reported previously/... 

Alkenes are also sources of carbonium ions for alkylations. Protic acids— especially sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, and hydrogen fluoride—and Lewis acids, such as BF3 and AIQ3, are used as catalysts. " Insofar as comparisons have been made, such factors as position selectivity and tendency toward isomerism of the alkyl group to more stable structures are similar to those described with alkyl halides as alkylating agents. ... 

A wide class of aiyl-based quaternary surfactants derives from heterocycles such as pyridine and quinoline. The Aralkyl pyridinium halides are easily synthesized from alkyl halides, and the paraquat family, based upon the 4, 4 -bipyridine species, provides many interesting surface active species widely studied in electron donor-acceptor processes. Cationic surfactants are not particularly useful as cleansing agents, but they play a widespread role as charge control (antistatic) agents in detergency and in many coating and thin film related products. 

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 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,... 

The initial step is the coordination of the alkyl halide 2 to the Lewis acid to give a complex 4. The polar complex 4 can react as electrophilic agent. In cases where the group R can form a stable carbenium ion, e.g. a tert-buiyX cation, this may then act as the electrophile instead. The extent of polarization or even cleavage of the R-X bond depends on the structure of R as well as the Lewis acid used. The addition of carbenium ion species to the aromatic reactant, e.g. benzene 1, leads to formation of a cr-complex, e.g. the cyclohexadienyl cation 6, from which the aromatic system is reconstituted by loss of a proton ... 

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." ... 

The simplest method of nitrile preparation is the Sj 2 reaction of CN with a primary or secondary alkyl halide, as discussed in Section 20.5. Another method for preparing nitriles is by dehydration of a primary amide, RCONH2. Thionyl chloride is often used for the reaction, although other dehydrating agents such as POCI3 also work. 

The tin hydrides find important applications as reducing agents. Many of their reactions (particularly the reduction of alkyl halides and the hydrostannation of simple alkenes and alkynes) arc known to proceed through RaSn- intermediates, and this aspect of their chemistry is referred to in Section II,G. 

Apart from the alkyl halide-Lewis acid combination, two other sources of carbo-cations are often used in Friedel-Crafts reactions. Alcohols can serve as carbocation precursors in strong acids such as sulfuric or phosphoric acid. Alkylation can also be effected by alcohols in combination with BF3 or A1C13.37 Alkenes can serve as alkylating agents when a protic acid, especially H2S04, H3P04, and HF, or a Lewis acid, such as BF3 and A1C13, is used as a catalyst.38... 

Monoanions derived from nitroalkanes are more prone to alkylate on oxygen rather than on carbon in reactions with alkyl halides, as discussed in Section 5.1. Methods to circumvent O-alkylation of nitro compounds are presented in Sections 5.1 and 5.4, in which alkylation of the a.a-dianions of primary nitro compounds and radial reactions are described. Palladium-catalyzed alkylation of nitro compounds offers another useful method for C-alkylation of nitro compounds. Tsuj i and Trost have developed the carbon-carbon bond forming reactions using 7t-allyl Pd complexes. Various nucleophiles such as the anions derived from diethyl malonate or ethyl acetoacetate are employed for this transformation, as shown in Scheme 5.7. This process is now one of the most important tools for synthesis of complex compounds.6811-1 Nitro compounds can participate in palladium-catalyzed alkylation, both as alkylating agents (see Section 7.1.2) and nucleophiles. This section summarizes the C-alkylation of nitro compounds using transition metals. 

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