Alkylation, enolate ions nucleophilic substitution

Enolate ions, which are usually strong nucleophiles, are more important in preparative applications than are the enols. In additions to carbonyl groups, the carbon end, rather than the oxygen end, attacks but in SA,2 substitutions on alkyl halides, significant amounts of O-alkylation occur. The more acidic compounds, such as those with the j3-dicarbonyl structure, yield enolates with the greater tendency toward O-alkylation. Protic solvents and small cations favor C-alkylation, because the harder oxygen base of the enolate coordinates more strongly than does the carbon with these hard Lewis acids.147... 

Enolate ions can be alkylated with alkyl halides through the S 2 nucleophilic substitution of an alkyl halide ... 

The enolate ions of esters or ketones can also be alkylated with alkyl halides to create larger carbon skeletons [Following fig.(b)]. The most successful nucleophilic substitutions are with primary alkyl halides. With secondary and tertiary alkyl halides, the elimination reaction may compete, particularly when the nucleophile is a strong base. The substitution of tertiary alkyl halides is best done in a protic solvent with weakly basic nucleophiles. However, yields may be poor. 

We have seen many reactions where nucleophiles attack unhindered alkyl halides and tosylates by the SN2 mechanism. An enolate ion can serve as the nucleophile, becoming alkylated in the process. Because the enolate has two nucleophilic sites (the oxygen and the a carbon), it can react at either of these sites. The reaction usually takes place primarily at the a carbon, forming a new C—C bond. In effect, this is a type of a substitution, with an alkyl group substituting for an a hydrogen. 

Diethyl propanedioate, commonly called diethyl malonate or malonic ester, is more acidic than monocarbonyl compounds pK =13) because its a hydrogens are flanked by two carbonyl groups. Thus, malonic ester is easih converted into its enolate ion by reaction with sodium ethoxide in ethanol. The enolate ion, in turn, is a good nucleophile that reacts rapidh with an alkyl halide to give an a-substituted malonic ester. Note in the following examples that the abbreviation "Et" is used for an ethyl group, CH2CH3. 

The synthesis of barbiturates is relatively simple and relies on reactions that are now familiar enolate alkylations and nucleophilic acyl substitutions. Starting with diethyl malonate, or malonic ester, alkylation of the corresponding enolate ion with simple alkyl halides provides a wealth of different disubstituted malonic esters. Reaction with urea, (H2N)2C=0, then gives the product barbiturates by a twofold nucleophilic acyl substitution reaction of the ester groups with the -NH2 groups of urea (Figure 22.7). Amobarbi-tal (Amytal), pentobarbital (Nembutal), and secobarbital (Seconal) are typical examples. 

Leaving group effects on the ratio of C- to O-alkylation can be correlated by reference to the hard-soft-acid-base (HSAB) rationale. Of the two nucleophilic sites in an enolate ion, oxygen is harder than carbon. Nucleophilic substitution reactions of the Sn2 type proceed best when the nucleophile and leaving group are either both hard or both soft. Consequently, ethyl iodide, with the very soft leaving... 

In some respects, the alkylation of enolate anions resembles nucleophilic substitution. We recall that many nucleophiles displace leaving groups from primary alkyl halides by an Sj 2 mechanism (Section 9.3). A similar reaction occurs with secondary alkyl halides, but competing elimination reactions also occur. Primary alkyl halides react with carbanions, such as the alkynide ion, by an Sj 2 mechanism. (Secondary alkyl halides react not only in displacement reactions but also in elimination reactions because the alkynide ion is a strong base.)... 

There are some important differences between the 5 2 substitutions at Si and at C. Aikyi halides are soft electrophiles but silyl halides are hard eiectrophiies. Aikyi haiides react oniy very siowly with fluoride ion but silyl halides react more rapidiy with fluoride than with any other nucleophile. The best nucleophiles for saturated carbon are neutral or based on elements down the periodic table (S, Se, I) or both. The best nucleophiles for silicon are charged and based on highly electronegative atoms (chiefly F, Cl, and O). A familiar example is the reaction of enolates at carbon with alkyl halides but at oxygen with silyl chlorides (Chapter 20). 

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