Aluminum amalgam nitro compounds

Another method involves treatment with Lawesson s reagent (see 16-10). When epoxides are substrates, the products are 3-hydroxy thiols. Tertiary nitro compounds give thiols (RNO2 RSH) when treated with sulfur and sodium sulfide, followed by amalgamated aluminum. 

Let us now consider the conversion of nitro compounds into mercaptanes. Nitro compounds were treated with a mixture of sodium sulfide with sulfur and after that, they were reduced with aluminum amalgam (Kornblum and Widmer 1978) (Scheme 5.8). 

Aluminum. Reductions with aluminum are not commonly found, however, I have included the preparation of the amalgam. Aluminum can be used to reduce aromatic nitro compounds (Org, Syn., 52, 77(1972). 

Reductions with aluminum are carried out almost exclusively with aluminum amalgam. This is prepared by immersing strips of a thin aluminum foil in a 2% aqueous solution of mercuric chloride for 15-60 seconds, decanting the solution, rinsing the strips with absolute ethanol, then with ether, and cutting them with scissors into pieces of approximately 1 cm [141,142]. In aqueous and non-polar solvents aluminum amalgam reduces cumulative double bonds [143], ketones to pinacols [144], halogen compounds [145], nitro compounds [146, 147], azo compounds [148], azides [149], oximes [150] and quinones [151], and cleaves sulfones [141, 152, 153] and phenylhydrazones [154] (Procedure 30, p. 212). 

Aliphatic nitro compounds with the nitro group on a tertiary carbon were reduced to amines with aluminum amalgam [146 or iron [559]. 2-Nitro-2-methylpropane afforded ferf-butylamine in 65-75% yield [146. Even some secondary nitroalkanes were hydrogenated to amines. fra s-l,4-Dinitrocy-clohexane was converted to frans-l,4-diaminocyclohexane with retention of configuration. This may be considered as an evidence that the intermediate nitroso compound is reduced directly and not after tautomerization to the isonitroso compound [560] (see Scheme 54). 

Aluminum amalgam reduces aUphatic 53 aromatic nitro compounds to hydroxylamines in consistently good yields (equation 51) and this can be the method of choice for large-scale reductions. 

The electrophilic substitution of the 3-aryl compounds (265, R = Ar, R = H) exemplified by the formation of 5-bromo- (265, R = Ar, R = Br) and 5-nitro derivatives (265, R = Ar, R = NOj) has been put forward as evidence against the meso-ionic formulation 265. lliis approach is unacceptable since ground state charge distribution cannot be deduced from reaction products. The aluminum-amalgam reduction of meso-ionic l,2,3-thiadiazol-4-ones (265) yields either N-mercaptoacetyl-A-arylhydrazines or Ar-acyl-A-arylbydrazines. Triethyl-oxonium tetrafluoroborate and meso-ionic l,2,3-thiadiazol-4-ones (265) yield 1,2,3-thiadiazolium tetrafluoroborates (267). The effect of solvent on the ultraviolet spectra of meso-ionic l,2,3-thiadiazol-4-ones (265) has been reported. ... 

The indolyl nitro compound (98) was converted to the corresponding nitrile oxide, which cyclized to afford an inseparable mixture of isoxazolidines (99) and (100 Scheme 2S).46 These were acetylated and the THP group replaced by a mesyl group at which point the desired 3-isomer could be separated. Elimination via a selenide intermediate provided the alkenylisoxazoline (101), which was converted to an isoxazolinium salt and reduced with LAH to give an N-methylisoxazolidine. Reductive cleavage with aluminum amalgam provided (+)-paliclavine. 

While aromatic nitro compounds are reduced to anilines by a variety of methods,comparatively few reagents reduce aliphatic nitro compounds to the corresponding amines. Traditionally, nitro aliphatic materials have been reduced using high pressure hydrogenation, 2.>43 lithium aluminum hydrideor aluminum amalgam. ... 

Under suitable conditions it is possible to isolate the A-substituted hydroxylamines that are formed as intermediates in the reduction of nitro compounds. For this purpose it is essential in the reduction of aromatic nitro compounds to work with neutral or nearly neutral solutions suitable reducing agents are hydrogen and platinum oxide catalysts in glacial acetic acid,82,83 zinc dust in ammonium chloride solution,84 aluminum amalgam,85 and ammonium sulfide.86 Aliphatic nitro compounds may be reduced as their alkali salts (nitronates) by diborane in tetrahydrofuran, then giving A-alkylhydroxyl-amines 87 for instance, A-cyclohexylhydroxylamine is thus obtained from nitrocyclohexane in 53% yield. However, aliphatic nitro compounds are converted into A-alkylhydroxylamines more simply by catalytic hydrogenation in the presence of palladium-barium sulfate unlike aromatic nitro compounds, aliphatic nitro compounds require an acid medium for reduction to hydroxylamines an oxalic acid medium has proved the most suitable. 

Reduction of nitro compounds. In the amalgamated form aluminum reduces the nitro group to either the hydroxylamine stage or directly to the amine. Ultrasound l used to facilitate the latter reduction. 

Aluminum amalgam (Al/Hg) is also a useful reagent that is most commonly employed for hydrogenolysis of sulfur compounds.533 Reduction of sulfoxides is an important application,534 as is reduction of sulfones. Aluminum amalgam reduces the a-phenylsulfonyl moiety in 554 to give lactone 555 in 68% yield.535 Aluminum amalgam has also been used for reduction of nitro compounds to the amine,536 and reduction of azides to the amine.532... 

Aluminum amalgam Hydroxylamines from nitro compounds... 

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