Alkylation, sodium hydroxide

Mix together 1 0 g. of pure p-naphthol and the theoretical quantity of 50 per cent, potassium hydroxide solution, add 0-5 g. of the halide, followed by sufficient rectified spirit to produce a clear solution. For alkyl chlorides, the addition of a little potassium iodide is recommended. Heat the mixture under reflux for 15 minutes, and dissolve any potassium halide by the addition of a few drops of water. The p-naphthyl ether usually crystallises out on cooling if it does not, dilute the solution with 10 per cent, sodium hydroxide solution untU precipitation occurs. Dissolve the p-naphthyl ether in the minimum volume of hot alcohol and add the calculated quantity of picric acid dissolved in hot alcohol. The picrate separates out on cooling. Recrystallise it from rectified spirit. 

A better method involves the interaction of an alkyl bromide and thiourea to form an alkyl tso-thiourea, followed by hydrolysis of the latter with sodium hydroxide solution, for example ... 

Pure dialkylanilines may be prepared by refluxing the monoalkylaniline (1 mol) with an alkyl bromide (2 mols) for 20-30 hours the solid product is treated with excess of sodium hydroxide solution, the organic layer separated, dried and distilled. The excess of alkyl bromide paases over first, followed by the dialkylaniline. Di-n-propylaniline, b.p. 242-243°, and di-n-butylaniline b.p. 269-270°, are thus readily prepared. 

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 ... 

Methyl p-toluenesulphonate. This, and other alkyl esters, may be prepared in a somewhat similar manner to the n-butyl ester with good results. Use 500 g. (632 ml.) of methyl alcohol contained in a 1 litre three-necked or bolt-head flask. Add 500 g. of powdered pure p-toluene-sulphonyl chloride with mechanical stirring. Add from a separatory funnel 420 g. of 25 per cent, sodium hydroxide solution drop by drop maintain the temperature of the mixture at 23-27°. When all the alkali has been introduced, test the mixture with litmus if it is not alkaline, add more alkali until the mixture is neutral. Allow to stand for several hours the lower layer is the eater and the upper one consists of alcohol. Separate the ester, wash it with water, then with 4 per cent, sodium carbonate solution and finally with water. Dry over a little anhydrous magnesium sulphate, and distil under reduced pressure. Collect the methyl p-toluenesulphonate at 161°/10 mm. this solidifies on cooling and melts at 28°. The yield is 440 g. 

The salts of monoalkyl sulphates are frequently encountered as commercial detergents (for example, dreft, gardinol and pentrone ) they are usually sodium salts, the alkyl components contain 12 or more carbon atoms, and give colloidal solutions. They are hydrol3 sed by boiling with dilute sodium hydroxide solution ... 

It IS not necessary to prepare and isolate the sodium alkanethiolate m a separate opera tion Because thiols are more acidic than water they are quantitatively converted to their alkanethiolate anions by sodium hydroxide Thus all that is normally done is to add a thiol to sodium hydroxide m a suitable solvent (water or an alcohol) followed by the alkyl halide... 

Mercuration. Mercury(II) salts react with alkyl-, alkenyl-, and arylboranes to yield organomercurials, which are usehil synthetic intermediates (263). For example, dialkyhnercury and alkyhnercury acetates can be prepared from primary trialkylboranes by treatment with mercury(II) chloride in the presence of sodium hydroxide or with mercury(II) acetate in tetrahydrofuran (3,264). Mercuration of 3 -alkylboranes is sluggish and requires prolonged heating. Alkenyl groups are transferred from boron to mercury with retention of configuration (243,265). 

A A Diethylamino)phenol. This derivative (16) forms rhombic bipyramidal crystals. Industrial synthesis is analogous to the previously described synthesis of 3-(/V,/V-dimethy1amino)pheno1 from resorciaol and diethylamiae, by reaction of 3-(Ai,A/-diethylamiQo)benzenesulfonic acid with sodium hydroxide, or by alkylation of 3-amiaophenol hydrochloride with ethanol. 

In the piepaiation of ioveisol (12) (41), the key intermediate (23) is prepared from the diacid (20) by the action of thionyl chloride followed by 3-amino-l,2-propanediol. The alcohol groups of (23) are protected as the acetates (25), which is then N-acylated with acetoxyacetyl chloride and deprotected in aqueous methanol with sodium hydroxide to yield (26). N-alkylation of (26) produces ioversol (12). 

Etherification. The reaction of alkyl haUdes with sugar polyols in the presence of aqueous alkaline reagents generally results in partial etherification. Thus, a tetraaHyl ether is formed on reaction of D-mannitol with aHyl bromide in the presence of 20% sodium hydroxide at 75°C (124). Treatment of this partial ether with metallic sodium to form an alcoholate, followed by reaction with additional aHyl bromide, leads to hexaaHyl D-mannitol (125). Complete methylation of D-mannitol occurs, however, by the action of dimethyl sulfate and sodium hydroxide (126). A mixture of tetra- and pentabutyloxymethyl ethers of D-mannitol results from the action of butyl chloromethyl ether (127). Completely substituted trimethylsilyl derivatives of polyols, distillable in vacuo, are prepared by interaction with trim ethyl chi oro s il an e in the presence of pyridine (128). Hexavinylmannitol is obtained from D-mannitol and acetylene at 25.31 MPa (250 atm) and 160°C (129). 

Class (2) reactions are performed in the presence of dilute to concentrated aqueous sodium hydroxide, powdered potassium hydroxide, or, at elevated temperatures, soHd potassium carbonate, depending on the acidity of the substrate. Alkylations are possible in the presence of concentrated NaOH and a PT catalyst for substrates with conventional pX values up to - 23. This includes many C—H acidic compounds such as fiuorene, phenylacetylene, simple ketones, phenylacetonittile. Furthermore, alkylations of N—H, O—H, S—H, and P—H bonds, and ambident anions are weU known. Other basic phase-transfer reactions are hydrolyses, saponifications, isomerizations, H/D exchange, Michael-type additions, aldol, Darzens, and similar... 

Almost 40 years later the Lummus Co. patented an integrated process involving the addition of chlorine along with the sodium chloride and sodium hydroxide from the cathode side of an electrolytic cell to a tertiary alcohol such as tertiary butanol to produce the tertiary alkyl hypochlorite. The hypochlorite phase separates, and the aqueous brine solution is returned to the electrolytic cells. The alkyl hypochlorite reacts with an olefin in the presence of water to produce a chlorohydrin and the tertiary alcohol, which is returned to the chlorinator. With propylene, a selectivity to the chlorohydrin of better than 96% is reported (52). A series of other patents covering this technology appeared during the 1980s (53—56). 

Ketones can be reduced by the Wolff-Kishner method to the corresponding alkyl compounds, or by sodium in ethanol to the corresponding alcohols. An alkali-catalyzed deacylation of 3-acetyl-6-methoxypyridazine 1-oxide occurs quantitatively on treatment with dilute sodium hydroxide. 

Pyrazoles, isoxazoles and isothiazoles with a hydroxyl group in the 3-position (491 Z = NR, O, S) could isomerize to 3-azolinones (492). However, these compounds behave as true hydroxy derivatives and show phenolic properties. They give an intense violet color with iron(III) chloride and form a salt (493) with sodium hydroxide which can be O-alkylated by alkyl halides (to give 494 R = alkyl) and acylated by acid chlorides (to give 494 R = acyl). 

Alkyl(or 3-aryl)-5-methylisoxazoles (306) were prepared by the regiospecific reaction of phosphonium salts (304) with hydroxylamine, followed by the treatment of the resulting isoxazole-containing phosphonium salts (305) with aqueous sodium hydroxide (80CB2852). 

Hydrolysis of alkyl perfluoroalkylacetylenic esters with aqueous sodium hydroxide gives (Z)-P-alkoxy-P-perfluoroalkylacrylic acids [3] (equation 4)... 

The required xanthates 1 can be prepared from alcohols 5 by reaction with carbon disulfide in the presence of sodium hydroxide and subsequent alkylation of the intermediate sodium xanthate 6. Often methyl iodide is used as the alkylating agent ... 

Shifting the side chain to the 4 position (with the necessary tautomeric change) affords an agent with local anesthetic and coronary vasodilator activity. Cycllzation of compound 147 by means of phosphorus oxychloride gives the amino-l,2,4-oxodiazole (148). Alkylation of that compound with 2-chlorotriethylamine in the presence of sodium hydroxide proceeds via the tautomer,... 

The oil precipitates and is crystallized after a time. The crystals are separated and dried under vacuum. The pipecolyl-2,6-xylidide produced is alkylated by boiling for 10-20 hours with 0.6 part n-butylbromide in an n-butanol solution in the presence of 0.5 part potassium carbonate. The potassium carbonate Is filtered off and the butanol is distilled off in vacuum. The residue is dissolved In diluted hydrochloric acid and carbon treated, after which the base is precipitated with sodium hydroxide in the form of white crystals, which are filtered off and washed with water. The base obtained, which consists of N-n-butyl-plpecolyl-2,6-xylidide is sufficiently pure for the production of salts. 

Dibenz[r,e,]azcpinium salts, e.g. 3 and 6, arc also obtained by O- and 5-alkylation of 6,7-dihydro-5//-dibenz[f,e]azepin-7-ones 2 and -7-thiones 5 with trimethyloxonium tetrafluo-roborate.181 iodomethane,181 or methyl trifluoromethanesulfonate.12 Treatment of the tri-fluoromethanesulfonates 3 and 6 (X = OTf), or the tetrafluoroborate 6 (X = BF4) with 2 M sodium hydroxide in dichloromethane liberates the free bases 4 and 7, respectively.7,181... 

Diazotization of diethyl [(2-aminobenzoyl)[alkyl(or aryl)]amino]malonates 6 gives the cyclized products 7, which on treatment with sodium hydroxide in the cold undergo hydrolysis and partial decarboxylation to the acids 8. The latter afford l//-1.2,4-benzotriazepin-5(47/)-ones 9 when heated in xylene.347... 

Lewis acid induced alkylation of 4-alkoxy-3,5-dialkyl-2-oxazolidinones with allylsilanes gives the 4-allyl derivatives with complete irons stereoselectivity114,115. Cleavage of the oxazolidi-none ring with aqueous sodium hydroxide in ethanol leads to vicinal twP -aminoalkanols. 

Sulphoxides can be used as phase transfer catalysts, for example, a-phosphoryl sulphoxides (Scheme 24) have been used as phase transfer catalysts in the two-phase alkylation of phenylacetonitrile or phenylacetone with alkyl halides and aqueous sodium hydroxide. However, they are considered to be inefficient catalysts for simple displacement reactions226. 

Polk et al. reported27 that PET fibers could be hydrolyzed with 5% aqueous sodium hydroxide at 80°C in the presence of trioctylmethylammonium bromide in 60 min to obtain terephthalic acid in 93% yield. The results of catalytic depolymerization of PET without agitation are listed in Table 10.1. The results of catalytic depolymerization of PET with agitation are listed in Table 10.2. As expected, agitation shortened the time required for 100% conversion. Results (Table 10.1) for the quaternary salts with a halide counterion were promising. Phenyltrimethylammonium chloride (PTMAC) was chosen to ascertain whether steric effects would hinder catalytic activity. Bulky alkyl groups of the quaternary ammonium compounds were expected to hinder close approach of the catalyst to the somewhat hidden carbonyl groups of the fiber structure. The results indicate that steric hindrance is not a problem for PET hydrolysis under this set of conditions since the depolymerization results were substantially lower for PTMAC than for die more sterically hindered quaternary salts. 

The alkyl halide (ethyl bromide in the above equation) can react further with the primary amine produced to give a secondary amine and with that to form a tertiary amine and finally a quaternary ammonium salt. Quaternary ammonium hydroxides are very strong bases like sodium hydroxide. Tetramethylammonium hydroxide is a very important chemical used in the manufacture of semiconductors and other electronic industry products. 

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