Thermal alkylation, modification

Polymorphism. Many crystalline polyolefins, particularly polymers of a-olefins with linear alkyl groups, can exist in several polymorphic modifications. The type of polymorph depends on crystallisa tion conditions. Isotactic PB can exist in five crystal forms form I (twinned hexagonal), form II (tetragonal), form III (orthorhombic), form P (untwinned hexagonal), and form IP (37—39). The crystal stmctures and thermal parameters of the first three forms are given in Table 3. Form II is formed when a PB resin crystallises from the melt. Over time, it is spontaneously transformed into the thermodynamically stable form I at room temperature, the transition takes about one week to complete. Forms P, IP, and III of PB are rare they can be formed when the polymer crystallises from solution at low temperature or under pressure (38). Syndiotactic PB exists in two crystalline forms, I and II (35). Form I comes into shape during crystallisation from the melt (very slow process) and form II is produced by stretching form-1 crystalline specimens (35). 

As indicated above, the traditional base-catalysed hydrolysis of 0,5-dialkyl thio-carbonates for the synthesis of thiols is generally unsatisfactory, as oxidation leads to the formation of disulphides. Under phase-transfer conditions, the procedure produces thioethers to the virtual exclusion of the thiols, as a result of the slow release of the thiolate anions in the presence of the electrophilic ester. However, a simple modification of the reaction conditions provides an efficient one-pot reaction [50] from haloalkanes (Table 4.15) via the intermediate formation of the thermally labile (9-/ert-butyl-5-alkyl dithiocarbonates (Scheme 4.8). 

Horner-Wittig modification Alternatively, phosphine oxide reacts with aldehydes in the presence of a base (sodium amide, sodium hydride or potassium t-butoxide) to give an alkene. The phosphine oxide can be prepared by the thermal decomposition of alkyl-triphenylphosphonium hydroxide. Deprotonation of phosphine oxide with a base followed by addition to aldehyde yields salt of (3-hydroxy phosphineoxide, which undergoes further syn-elimination of the anion Ph2P02. The lithium salt of (3-hydroxy phosphineoxide can be isolated, but Na and K salt of (3-hydroxy phosphine oxide undergoes in situ elimination to give alkene (Scheme 4.26). 

Thermal decomposition of methyl xanthates is similar to the pyrolysis of acetates for the formation of the double bond. Olefins are obtained from primary, secondary, and tertiary alcohols without extensive isomerization or structural rearrangement. The other products of the pyrolysis of the methyl xanthates are methyl mercaptan and carbon oxy-sulfide. The xanthates prepared from primary alcohols are more difficult to decompose than those prepared from secondary and tertiary alcohols. Over-all yields of 22-51% have been obtained for a number of tertiary alkyl derivatives of ethylene. Originally the xanthates were made by successive treatment of the alcohol with sodium or potassium, carbon disulfide, and methyl iodide. In a modification of this procedure sodium... 

This procedure for the acetylation of methyl alkyl ketones to form j8-diketones is a modification of an earlier procedure, which used boron trifluoride gas as the catalyst. 3-w-Butyl-2,4-pentanedione has also been prepared by the acetylation of 2-heptanone catalyzed with boron trifluoride gas, by the thermal rearrangement of the enol acetate of 2-heptanone, and by the alkylation of the potassium enolate of 2,4-pentanedione with w-butyl bromide. ... 

The last, but certainly not the least, is the Barton modification to the Hunsdiecker reaction.24-26 It involves decomposition of thiohydroxamate esters in halogen donor solvents such as CCU, BrCCh, CHI3, or CH2I2 promoted by a source of radical initiation, which could be radical initiator (e.g., 18—>20),24 thermal (e.g., 21—>22),25 or photolytic26 conditions. The Barton modification is highly compatible with most functional groups. For example, under photolytic conditions, acid 23 was converted to acid chloride 24, which, without isolation, was treated with the sodium salt of Z/-hydroxypyridine-2-thione (19) with bromotrichloromethane as solvent to give alkyl bromide 25 in 90% yield.26... 

Olah et al. reported the triflic acid-catalyzed isobutene-iso-butylene alkylation, modified with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) or water. They found that the best alkylation conditions were at an acid strength of about//q = —10.7, giving a calculated research octane number (RON) of 89.1 (TfOH/TFA) and91.3 (TfOH/HaO). Triflic acid-modified zeohtes can be used for the gas phase synthesis of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), and the mechanism of activity enhancement by triflic acid modification appears to be related to the formation of extra-lattice Al rather than the direct presence of triflic acid. A thermally stable solid catalyst prepared from amorphous silica gel and triflic acid has also been reported. The obtained material was found to be an active catalyst in the alkylation of isobutylene with n-butenes to yield high-octane gasoline components. A similar study has been carried out with triflic acid-functionalized mesoporous Zr-TMS catalysts. Triflic acid-catalyzed carbonylation, direct coupling reactions, and formylation of toluene have also been reported. Tritlic acid also promotes transalkylation and adaman-tylation of arenes in ionic liquids. Triflic acid-mediated reactions of methylenecyclopropanes with nitriles have also been investigated to provide [3 + 2] cycloaddition products as well as Ritter products. Tritlic acid also catalyzes cyclization of unsaturated alcohols to cyclic ethers. ... 

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