Heteroarenes alkylation

Method B (with sonication) Sonication of the Reissert compound (4.6 mmol), haloalkane (6.6 mmol), and TEBA-C1 (34 mg, 0.15 mmol) in CH,C1, (2.5 ml) and aqueous NaOH (50%, 1.8 ml) is conducted for 20 min. Work-up at this stage, as described in 6.2.30.A, yields the alkylated Reissert compound. Addition of EtOH (6 ml) and sonication for a further 30 min with subsequent work-up by addition of the mixture to 11,0 (20 ml) and extraction with CH,C1, (3 x 10 ml) produces the C-alkylated heteroarene, which is isolated as the hydrochloride salt (70-90%) by saturation of the dried organic extracts with HC1 gas. 

It often is assumed that this type of toluene-cycloheptatriene rearrangement applies to other polysubstituted alkylbenzenes, alkylarenes and even alkyl heteroarenes. Indeed, this rearrangement explains the abundant loss of a whole substituent from an arene molecular ion in spite of the normally strong bond to a C(sp ) atom of the arene, which has to be cleaved to detach the substituent. Rearrangement into a substituted cycloheptatriene radical... 

Benzylic C-H bonds undergo oxidative esterification with TBHP in the presence of tetrabutylammonium iodide as catalyst and carboxylic acids in good to excellent yields. A free radical process has been proposed. Asymmetric epoxidation of electron-poor terminal alkenes bearing different carbonyl groups has been achieved with a cinchona thiourea/TBHP system. The corresponding epoxides, containing a quaternary stereocentre, were isolated in yields up to 98% and enantioselectivity up to 99%. A direct oxidative CDC of indole with A-aryltetrahydroisoquinolines in the 0 presence of a gold catalyst and TBHP resulted in the formation of a variety of alkylated heteroarenes (Scheme 24). ... 

Alkyl groups attached to aromatic rings are oxidized more readily than the ring in alkaline media. Complete oxidation to benzoic acids usually occurs with nonspecific oxidants such as KMnO, but activated tertiary carbon atoms can be oxidized to the corresponding alcohols (R. Stewart, 1965 D. Arndt, 1975). With mercury(ll) acetate, allyiic and benzylic oxidations are aJso possible. It is most widely used in the mild dehydrogenation of tertiary amines to give, enamines or heteroarenes (M. Shamma, 1970 H. Arzoumanian. 1971 A. Friedrich, 1975). 

Autoxidation of secondary acetonitriles under phase-transfer catalytic conditions [2] avoids the use of hazardous and/or expensive materials required for the classical conversion of the nitriles into ketones. In the course of C-alkylation of secondary acetonitriles (see Chapter 6), it had been noted that oxidative cleavage of the nitrile group frequently occurred (Scheme 10.7) [3]. In both cases, oxidation of the anionic intermediate presumably proceeds via the peroxy derivative with the extrusion of the cyanate ion [2], Advantage of the direct oxidation reaction has been made in the synthesis of aryl ketones [3], particularly of benzoylheteroarenes. The cyanomethylheteroarenes, obtained by a photochemically induced reaction of halo-heteroarenes with phenylacetonitrile, are oxidized by air under the basic conditions. Oxidative coupling of bromoacetonitriles under basic catalytic conditions has been also observed (see Chapter 6). 

The catalyst, although applied in 1.5 equiv., also worked well with heteroarenes in the alkylation reactions. A simple and most plausible mode for the enantioselectivity of the Friedel-Crafts reaction has been shown in Scheme 33. It is evident from the model that the arene would approach from the front (Si) face, as the back (Re) face is blocked by the phenyl group present on the silicon. 

Beside the Friedel-Crafts-type alkylation of arenes, the direct functionalization of 2,4-pentanediones is of great interest in Lewis acid catalysis. Although Pd-catalyzed Tsuji-Trost type allylations of 1,3-diketones are known, direct benzylation procedures catalyzed by Lewis acids are less explored [40-43]. Based on the previously described Friedel-Crafts alkylation of arenes and heteroarenes, the Rueping group developed a Bi(OTf)3-catalyzed benzylation of 2,4-pentanediones. Alcohols such as benzyl, allyl or cinnamyl alcohols were used as the electrophilic component to yield important 2-alkylated 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds. Initially, different Bi(III) salts were screened. In contrast... 

This overview impressively demonstrates that Bi(III) salts are not only versatile Lewis acid catalysts for the activation of cr-donors, including benzyl and propargyl alcohols, but also efficient catalysts for the activation of Ji-donors such as styrenes or alkynes. In recent years, various environmentally benign bismuth-catalyzed methods have been developed for the alkylation of arenes, heteroarenes,... 

Whereas additions of carbon radicals to alkene moieties are the best characterized homolytic additions, carbon radicals are known to add to a wide range of unsaturated systems. These include polyenes, alkynes, arenes, heteroarenes, carbon monoxide,isonitriles, °° ° nitriles, ° imines and derivatives, ° ° aldehydes,nitrones, and thiones. ° Many of these reactions, such as addition of an alkyl radical to a carbonyl group, ° are thermodynamically unfavorable and readily reversible, and they form the basis of composite group-transfer reactions discussed below. 

Reissert compounds (l-acyl-l,2-dihydro-2-quinolinecarbonitriles) have been prepared on cross-linked polystyrene and C-alkylated in the presence of strong bases (Entry 8, Table 15.25). Treatment of polystyrene-bound C-alkylated Reissert compounds with KOH leads to the release of isoquinolines into solution (Entry 9, Table 15.25). The reaction of support-bound quinoline- and isoquinoline /Y-oxides with acy-lating agents followed by treatment with electron-rich heteroarenes and enamines has been used to prepare alkylated and arylated derivatives of these heterocycles (Entry 10, Table 15.25 see also Table 15.26). 

The alkylation reaction is limited to nitro-substituted arenes and heteroarenes and is highly chemoselec-tive nucleophilic displacement of activated halogens, including fluorine, was not observed. The regio-selectivity is determined by the bulkiness of the silicon reagent. With unhindered silyl derivatives a strong preference for ortho addition was observed, as in the example of equation (6). With bulkier reagents attack took place exclusively at the para position (Scheme 1). The success of this reaction, which could not be reproduced with alkali enolates, was attributed at least in part to the essentially nonbasic reaction conditions under which side processes due to base-induced reactions of nitroarenes can be effectively eliminated.12... 

One of the most common examples of an electrophilic aromatic substitution is Friedel-Crafts alkylation [40], These days, many important industrial processes are based on this type of Friedel-Crafts-chemistry [41]. The manufacture of high-octane gasoline, ethylbenzene, synthetic rubber, plastics and detergent alkylates are examples. Moreover, the Friedel-Crafts alkylation is among the most fundamental and convenient processes for C—C bond formation on arenes, especially for the synthesis of fine chemicals and agrochemicals containing functionalized arenes and heteroarenes. 

Arenes and heteroarenes which are particularly easy to metalate are tricarbo-nyl( 76-arene)chromium complexes [380, 381], ferrocenes [13, 382, 383], thiophenes [157, 158, 181, 370, 384], furans [370, 385], and most azoles [386-389]. Meta-lated oxazoles, indoles, or furans can, however, be unstable and undergo ring-opening reactions [179, 181, 388]. Pyridines and other six-membered, nitrogen-containing heterocycles can also be lithiated [59, 370, 390-398] or magnesiated [399], but because nucleophilic organometallic compounds readily add to electron-deficient heteroarenes, dimerization can occur, and alkylations of such metalated heteroarenes often require careful optimization of the reaction conditions [368, 400, 401] (Schemes 5.42 and 5.69). 

The close proximity of functional groups in 1,2-disubstituted benzenes can sometimes bring about an unexpected reactivity. Attempts to N-alkylate ortho-nitroani-lines under strongly basic reaction conditions, for instance, lead to the formation of N-alkoxybenzimidazoles (Scheme 6.10). The main force driving this reaction is the formation of an imidazole ring, a heteroarene with high resonance energy and thermal stability. 

In particular, the alkylation and acylation of protonated heteroarenes under oxidative conditions, commonly known as Minisci reaction, has attracted increasing interest in recent decades because of its synthetic involvement in biochemistry and pharmacology [3]. Beyond the fact that this reaction can be applied to all heteroaromatic bases and almost all carbonyl and alkyl radicals (without electron-withdrawing groups directly bonded to the radical center), the main characteristics of this process are high chemoselectivity and regioselectivity, the substitution usually occurring only in a and y positions. 

Carboxylic acids are the most general, versatile and useful source of carbon-centered radicals successfully used for selective alkylation and acylation of protonated heteroarenes. Alkyl, acyl, carbamoyl, and alkoxycarbonyl radicals have been obtained by oxidative decarboxylation of the corresponding acids with peroxydisulfate as an oxidant and Ag(I) as catalyst. 

Only one example of an attachment of heteroarenes by addition/elimination strategy has been devised [77, 111]. Although arenes are more or less resistant toward addition, heteroaromatic systems such as isoquinolines 118 are prone to addition of nucleophiles. Subsequent reaction with addition of electrophiles furnishes the so-called Reissert compounds 120. These are stable compounds which can, for example, be alkylated. In solid-phase synthesis the electrophile chosen was a polymer-based acid chloride. Detachment can be achieved by simple addition of hydroxide ions (Scheme 6.1.30). 

It is generally admitted that skeletal transformations of hydrocarbons are catalyzed by protonic sites only. Indeed good correlations were obtained between the concentration of Bronsted acid sites and the rate of various reactions, e g. cumene dealkylation, xylene isomerization, toluene and ethylbenzene disproportionation and n-hexane cracking10 12 On the other hand, it was never demonstrated that isolated Lewis acid sites could be active for these reactions. However, it is well known that Lewis acid sites located in the vicinity of protonic sites can increase the strength (hence the activity) of these latter sites, this effect being comparable to the one observed in the formation of superacid solutions. Protonic sites are also active for non skeletal transformations of hydrocarbons e g. cis trans and double bond shift isomerization of alkenes and for many transformations of functional compounds e.g. rearrangement of functionalized saturated systems, of arenes, electrophilic substitution of arenes and heteroarenes (alkylation, acylation, nitration, etc ), hydration and dehydration etc. However, many of these transformations are more complex with simultaneously reactions on the acid and on the base sites of the solid... 

Radical precursors with a five-membered heteroarene for ring D of the important anticancer and antiviral alkaloids (Camptothecin, Mappicine, Nothapodytine B, and Nothapodytine A), l-(2-halo-3-phenylprop-2-en-l-yl]-l//-pyrrole-2-carbonitriles 163, ( )/(Z) mixture, were synthesized in high yields (87-96%) by alkylation of l//-pyrrole-2-carbonitrile with the cinnamyl bromides 162 using KOH in DME (Equation 30) <2002J(P1)58>. 

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