Alkylation agents

CHaSO OfCHjUOSOjCHa. A cytotoxic alkylating agent used clinically to treat leukaemia. 

FS(0)20CH3. Colourless liquid, b.p. 94°C. Functions as a powerful methylating agent, even for amides and nitriles which are not attacked by conventional alkylating agents like dialkyl sulphates. 

ON A alkylating agents, intercalating agents, wrong substrates (Trofan horses, e.g, S-fluorouracil)... 

The above is a general procedure for preparing trialkyl orthophosphates. Similar yields are obtained for trimethyl phosphate, b.p. 62°/5 mm. triethyl phosphate, b.p. 75-5°/5 mm. tri-n-propyl phosphate, b.p. 107-5°/5 mm. tri-Mo-propyl phosphate, b.p. 83-5°/5 mm. tri-wo-butyl phosphate, b.p. 117°/5-5 mm. and tri- -amyl phosphate, b.p. 167-5°/5 mm. The alkyl phosphates are excellent alkylating agents for primary aromatic amines (see Section IV,41) they can also be ua for alkylating phenols (compare Sections IV,104-105). Trimethyl phosphate also finds application as a methylating agent for aliphatie alcohols (compare Section 111,58). 

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. 

The formation of isopropylbenzene when n-propyl chloride is employed as the alkylating agent is readily accounted for by the isomerisation of the alkyl carbonium (or alkylium) ion ... 

Esters of /i-toluenesulphonic acid, which are of great value as alkylating agents, may be prepared by interaction of p-toluenesulphonyl chloride and the alcdiol in the presence of sodium hydroxide solution or of pyridine, for example ... 

Studying alkylations, we developed a series of selective ionic alkylating agents. Although Meerwein s trialkyloxonium and dialkoxycar-benium salts are widely used as transfer alkylating agents, they lack selectivity and generally are incapable of C-alkylation. 

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). 

Alkylation with other alkylating agents such as ethyl iodide (43. 180, 181j, chloracetic acid and its esters (182). and dialkylaminoalkylhalides (40.43) occurs also on the ring nitrogen. 

With the more acidic 2-acetamido-4-R-thiazoles. using the weaker base NaOH as condensation agent, a mixture of ring (45) and exocyclic N-alkylation (46) may be observed (Scheme 33) (121). Reaction of 2-acetamido-4-methylthiazole in alcoholic sodium ethoxide solution with a variety of alkylating agents has been reported (40-44). 

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). 

The most useful synthetic method involves the reaction of A-4-thiazoline-2-thione with the appropriate alkylating agent (see Section I.l.C). An example is given Scheme 54. 

Quaternarj salts are obtained by alkylation of selenazole bases, the heterocyclic nitrogen atom playing the role of nucleophile with regard to the electrophilic carbon of the alkylating, agent. 

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 use of epoxides as alkylating agents for diethyl malonate provides a useful route to y lactones Wnte equations illustrating such a sequence for styrene oxide as the starting epoxide Is the lactone formed by this reaction 3 phenylbutanohde or is it 4 phenylbutanohde ... 

Even the tertiary amine competes with ammonia for the alkylating agent The product is a quaternary ammonium salt... 

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... 

Geranyl pyrophosphate is an allylic pyrophosphate and like dimethylallyl pyrophosphate can act as an alkylating agent toward a molecule of isopentenyl pyrophosphate A 15 carbon carbocation is formed which on deprotonation gives/ar nesyl pyrophosphate... 

The hydroxyl groups can be alkylated with the usual alkylating agents. To obtain aryl ethers a reverse treatment is used, such as treatment of butynediol toluenesulfonate or dibromobutyne with a phenol (44). Alkylene oxides give ether alcohols (46). 

Mannich polyacrylamides can react with alkylating agents such as methyl chloride [74-87-3], CH Cl, methyl bromide [74-83-9], CH Br, and dimethyl... 

Tertiary, benzyl, and aHyhc nitro compounds can also be used as Friedel-Crafts alkylating agents eg, reaction of (CH2)3CN02 (2-nitro-2-methyl propane [594-70-7]) with anisole in the presence of SnCl gives 4-/-butylanisole [5396-38-3] (7). SoHd acids, such as perfluorodecanesulfonic acid [335-77-3], and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid [1763-23-1] have been used as catalysts for regio-selective alkylations (8). 

However, strong protic acid catalysts are needed when 7T- or CJ-donor alkylating agents are used to produce carbocationic or highly polarized donor-acceptor-complexes as the reactive alkylating iatermediates ... 

Haloall lation. Haloalkyl groups can be introduced directiy by processes similar to Friedel-Crafts alkylation into aromatic and, to some extent, ahphatic compounds. Because halo alkylations involve bi- or polyfunctional alkylating agents, they must be performed under conditions that promote the initial halo alkylation but not, to any substantial degree, subsequent further alkylations with the initially formed haloalkylated products. 

The most frequentiy used halo alkylating agents are aldehydes and hydrogen haUdes, haloalkyl ethers, haloalkyl sulfides, acetals and hydrogen haUdes, di- and polyhaloalkanes, haloalkenes, haloalcohols, haloalkyl sulfates, haloalkyl -tosylates, and miscellaneous further haloalkyl esters. Haloalkylations include halomethylation, haloethylation, and miscellaneous higher haloalkylations. Under specific conditions, bis- and polyhaloalkylation can also be achieved. 

Selective monohalo alkylations were achieved when chlorobromoalkanes such as l-chloro-S-bromo-S-methjIbutane were used as halo alkylating agents (47). The bromine is replaced preferentially ... 

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