Alkyl halides synthetic applications

With a regioselectivity opposite to that of the Zaitsev rule the Hofmann ehmma tion IS sometimes used in synthesis to prepare alkenes not accessible by dehydrohalo genation of alkyl halides This application decreased in importance once the Wittig reac tion (Section 17 12) became established as a synthetic method Similarly most of the analytical applications of Hofmann elimination have been replaced by spectroscopic methods... 

The large rate enhancements observed for bimolecular nucleophilic substitutions m polai aprotic solvents are used to advantage m synthetic applications An example can be seen m the preparation of alkyl cyanides (mtiiles) by the reaction of sodium cyanide with alkyl halides... 

Azide aiiion (N3 ) is an excellent nucleophile which has important synthetic application in converting alkyl halides... 

The synthetic applicability is rather limited, due to the various side-reactions observed, such as eliminations and rearrangement reactions. The attempted coupling of two different alkyl halides in order to obtain an unsymmetrical hydrocarbon, usually gives the desired product in only low yield. However the coupling reaction of an aryl halide with an alkyl halide upon treatment with a metal (the Wurtz-Fittig reaction) often proceeds with high yield. The coupling of two aryl halides usually does not occur under those conditions (see however below ) since the aryl halides are less reactive. 

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. 

The reduction of organic halides is of practical importance for the treatment of effluents containing toxic organic halides and also for valuable synthetic applications. Direct electroreduction of alkyl and aryl halides is a kinetically slow process that requires high overpotentials. Their electrochemical activation is best achieved by use of electrochemically generated low-valent transition metal catalysts. Electrocatalytic coupling reactions of organic halides were reviewed in 1997.202... 

Synthetic organic chemistry applications employing alkane C-H functionalizations are now well established. For example, alkanes can be oxidized to alkyl halides and alcohols by the Shilov system employing electrophilic platinum salts. Much of the Pt(ll)/Pt(rv) alkane activation chemistry discussed earlier has been based on Shilov chemistry. The mechanism has been investigated and is thought to involve the formation of a platinum(ll) alkyl complex, possibly via a (T-complex. The Pt(ll) complex is oxidized to Pt(iv) by electron transfer, and nucleophilic attack on the Pt(iv) intermediate yields the alkyl chloride or alcohol as well as regenerates the Pt(n) catalyst. This process is catalytic in Pt(ll), although a stoichiometric Pt(rv) oxidant is often required (Scheme 6).27,27l 2711... 

Atom Transfer Radical Polymerisation (ATRP) was discovered independently by Wang and Matyjaszewski, and Sawamoto s group in 1995. Since then, this field has become a hot topic in synthetic polymer chemistry, with over 1000 papers published worldwide and more than 100 patent applications filed to date. ATRP is based on Kharasch chemistry overall it involves the insertion of vinyl monomers between the R-X bond of an alkyl halide-based initiator. At any given time in the reaction, most of the polymer chains are capped with halogen atoms (Cl or Br), and are therefore dormant and do not propagate see Figure 1. 

Synthetic applications as well as mechanistic considerations were reviewed recently24. Extension of the methodology to the seven-membered ring resulted in the first asymmetric synthesis of chiral benzazepines by alkylation with primary alkyl halides (92-96% ee) in 57-82% yield25. 

This reaction illustrates a stereoselective preparation of (Z)-vinylic cuprates, 5 which are very useful synthetic Intermediates. They react with a variety of electrophiles such as carbon dioxide,5,6 epoxides,5,6 aldehydes,6 allylic halides,7 alkyl halides,7 and acetylenic halides 7 they undergo conjugate addition to a,6-unsaturated esters,5 6 ketones,6 aldehydes,6 and sulfones.8 Finally they add smoothly to activated triple bonds6 such as HCSC-OEt, HC3C-SEt, HC=C-CH(0Et)2. In most cases these cuprates transfer both alkenyl groups. The uses and applications of the carbocupration reaction have been reviewed recently.9 The configurational purity in the final product 1s at least 99.951 Z in the above transformations. 

Another useful synthetic application is partial alkylation of other halides, viz.,... 

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. 

The pyrolysis of organoarsenic compounds containing the arsenyl moiety has some limited preparative applications [arsenyl (As=0) by analogy with phosphoryl (P=0)]. The compounds are based on the arsonic acid RAs(0)(0H)2, the arsinic acid R2As(0)0H and the arsine oxide R3As=0 structures. The acids are in interesting contrast with the phosphorus series. The phosphonic and phosphinic esters are prepared from the phosphorus(III) precursors via the Arbuzov synthesis. This synthetic route fails with the arsenic analogues, and further, if an alkyl halide or a salt is added in the pyrolysis of arsonic or arsinic acid esters a retro-Arbuzov reaction takes place . ... 

Now follow several later synthetic methods, some of them of limited general application. 6-Azido-l,3-dimethylpyrimidine-2,4-dione (65), when refluxed with potassium carbonate in dimethylformamide, yielded 30% of 1,3-dimethyl-8-azapurine-2,6-dione. Inclusion of an alkyl halide in the reaction mixture gave an N-alkylated product (77% yield for methyl iodide, much less for other halides). The alkyl group was assigned to the 7 position without proof.Omission of the potassium carbonate gave the more complex molecule 66. ... 

The physical technique with the greatest potential for synthetic applications of Ritter-type reactions is electrochemistry. A selection only of examples is discussed here. Synthetic chemists unfamiliar with this technique will find the review by Eberson and Nyberg an informative and entertaining introduction to this area. Electrochemical Ritter reactions may be performed through anodic substitution of a hydrogen by the nitrile, followed by hydrolysis of the nitrilium ion intermediate, as shown in Scheme 42. The majority of reactions investigated have been anodic acetamidations using hydrocarbons, alkyl halides, esters or ketones as the substrate. In some cases, such as reaction of the adamantane derivatives (83), the yields of amide product are excellent (Scheme 43). 

The discovery of Minisci et al.,39 Asscher and Vofsi,40 and others41 of the transition metal catalyzed addition of haloalkanes to alkenes by a redox chain process (Scheme 14) has found vast synthetic applications.830,89 A recent summary has been given by van Koten et al.90 Virtually any olefin can serve as the source of reactive unsaturation, and a variety of polyhalogenated compounds such as alkyl halides,... 

In practice, these rules can best be illustrated by a chain reaction that has gained increasing synthetic application over the years and become one of the fundamental pillars of free radical chemistry.3 In this chain reaction, alkyl halides and alkenes react in the presence of tributyltin hydride to give products. 

For the successful application of this tin method, alkyl radicals must attack alkenes to form adduct radicals. Trapping of the newly formed radical leads to the formation of the products and tributyltin radicals, which react with alkyl halides to give back educt radicals. The tin method can be synthetically useful only if these reactions are faster than all other possible reactions of the radicals formed. Therefore, the radicals in the chain must meet certain selectivity and reactivity prerequisites. 

---