Amination with Alkyl Nitrites

The use of dry aryldiazonium salts of naphthalene-1-sulfonic [70], naphthalene-1,5-disulfonic [70], ZnCl2 complex [70], hexafluorophosphoric or tetrafluoroboric acid [61] in non-aqueous medium under as mild as possible reaction conditions is substantial to reach higher yields of biaryls. An alternative method for non-aqueous GBH reaction is the aprotic diazotation of aromatic amines with alkyl nitrites such as butyl or pentyl nitrite with subsequent arylation of aromatic compound, as demonstrated by Cadogan [71,72]. This method is realized by simple heating the mixture of aromatic amine, alkyl nitrite and liquid arene at an elevated temperature. When a mixture of 3-aminopyridine (46), benzene and pentyl nitrite is heated at reflux, 3-phenylpyridine (47) is obtained with a 55% yield [71], Scheme 16. 

Doyle et al. (1977 c) and Oae et al. (1980) reported modified Meerwein arylations with significant improvements in the yield by the use of aryl amines and alkyl nitrites in place of arenediazonium salts. However, good yields are only achieved if alkenes activated by electron-withdrawing groups are present. 

HF—Amine Complexes Complexes of fluorhydric acid (HF) with pyridine or alkyl amines (Et3N, Et2NH) are often utilized as reagents in nucleophilic fluorination reactions such as the opening of oxiranes," the bromofluorination of double bonds in the presence of NBS, or the diazotation/fluorination of amines with sodium nitrite (the Balz-Schiemann-like reaction) (Figure 2.1). ... 

Trialkylboranes transfer an alkyl group to ethyl acrylate or methacrylate in a Michael sense under electrolytic conditions to give saturated esters in 51—94% yields.Simple Grignard reagents can be converted directly into esters in 70—80% yield by sequential treatment with pentacarbonyliron and an alcohol saturated with iodine the presumed intermediates are acyltetracarbonylfer-rates. An aprotic deamination of primary amines with isoamyl nitrite in the presence of a carboxylic acid also leads directly to esters. 

Other compounds with nitrogen-nitrogen bonds have been used instead of diazonium salts. Among these are N-nitroso amides [ArN(NO)COR], triazenes, and azo compounds. Still another method involves treatment of an aromatic primary amine directly with an alkyl nitrite in an aromatic substrate as solvent. ... 

Primary, secondary, and tertiary aliphatic amines have been cleaved to give aldehydes, ketones, or carboxylic acids with aqueous bromine and with neutral permanganate. The other product of this reaction is the amine with one less alkyl group. In a different type of procedure, primary alkyl primary amines can be converted to ge/n-dihalides, RCH2NH2 —> RCHX2 (X =Br or Cl), by treatment with an alkyl nitrite and the anhydrous copper(I) halide. 

Electrophilic substitution of the ring hydrogen atom in 1,3,4-oxadiazoles is uncommon. In contrast, several reactions of electrophiles with C-linked substituents of 1,3,4-oxadiazole have been reported. 2,5-Diaryl-l,3,4-oxadiazoles are bromi-nated and nitrated on aryl substituents. Oxidation of 2,5-ditolyl-l,3,4-oxadiazole afforded the corresponding dialdehydes or dicarboxylic acids. 2-Methyl-5-phenyl-l,3,4-oxadiazole treated with butyllithium and then with isoamyl nitrite yielded the oxime of 5-phenyl-l,3,4-oxadiazol-2-carbaldehyde. 2-Chloromethyl-5-phenyl-l,3,4-oxadiazole under the action of sulfur and methyl iodide followed by amines affords the respective thioamides. 2-Chloromethyl-5-methyl-l,3,4-oxadia-zole and triethyl phosphite gave a product, which underwent a Wittig reation with aromatic aldehydes to form alkenes. Alkyl l,3,4-oxadiazole-2-carboxylates undergo typical reactions with ammonia, amines, and hydrazines to afford amides or hydrazides. It has been shown that 5-amino-l,3,4-oxadiazole-2-carboxylic acids and their esters decarboxylate. 

As indicated above, tertiary aromatic amines are directly C-nitrosated. The usual reagents are sodium nitrite and dilute hydrochloric acid, sodium nitrite and glacial acetic acid containing concentrated hydrochloric acid, and nitrite esters with hydrochloric acid [21a, 27]. While tertiary amines with such complex alkyl groups as found in A,A-di(3,5,5-trimethylhexyl)aniline are readily nitrosated [25], of the four A-butyl-A-methylaniline isomers, JV-r-butyl-A-methylaniline does not undergo the reaction, and even the nitroso compounds which did form were only unstable oils [27]. 

Alkyl nitrites can also be used in anhydrous media and, for example, 4-hydroxyben-zenediazonium tetrafluoroborate is isolated in 89% yield after diazotization with isopcntyl nitrite, hydrogen fluoride and boron trifluoride in ethanol/diethyl ether.96 Diazotization can also be performed in dichloromethane or ethers (diethyl ether, tetrahydrofuran, 1,2-dimethoxyethane) with terl-butyl nitrite and boron trifluoride-diethyl ether complex which generates nitrosyl fluoride in situ.229 Excess boron trifluoride is used to trap water and tert-butyl alcohol, so that the reaction can be considered as being performed under complete anhydrous conditions. Yields are higher in dichloromethane, but 1,2-dimethoxyethane is preferred for less soluble amines. This procedure has been successfully applied to the synthesis of mono-and difluorobenzo[c]phcnanthrenes.230... 

It has been found possible (K. A. Hofmann and Zedtwitz [5]) to obtain the esters of perchloric acid by treating alcohols with nitrosyl perchlorate, N0C104-H20. Nitrosyl perchlorate is a stable, crystalline substance that reacts explosively on contact with aromatic amines. In the presence of alcohol the perchlorate and alkyl nitrite are produced. 

Acetals result from oxidative coupling of alcohols with electron-poor terminal olefins followed by a second, redox-neutral addition of alcohol [11-13]. Acrylonitrile (41) is converted to 3,3-dimethoxypropionitrile (42), an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of thiamin (vitamin Bl), by use of an alkyl nitrite oxidant [57]. A stereoselective acetalization was performed with methacrylates 43 to yield 44 with variable de [58]. Rare examples of intermolecular acetalization with nonactivated olefins are observed with chelating allyl and homoallyl amines and thioethers (45, give acetals 46) [46]. As opposed to intermolecular acetalizations, the intramolecular variety do not require activated olefins, but a suitable spatial relationship of hydroxy groups and the alkene[13]. Thus, Wacker oxidation of enediol 47 gave bicyclic acetal 48 as a precursor of a fluorinated analogue of the pheromone fron-talin[59]. 

When primary amines are treated with nitrous acid (HONO), or more usually with a nitrite salt or an alkyl nitrite in acid solution, an unstable diazonium salt is formed. You met diazonium salts in Chapter 22 undergoing coupling reactions to give azo compounds, but they can do other things as well. First, a reminder of the mechanism of formation of these diazonium salts. The very first stage is the formation of the reactive species NO+. 

Until recently most of the mechanistic studies on nitrosation have been concerned with N-nitrosation reactions of amines, including the diazotisation reactions of primary amines. Now, work has been extended to include both O- and S-nitrosation, so that comparisons can be made. Mechanistic studies have also been extended in recent years to include reactions of nitrogen oxides, nitrosamines, alkyl nitrites, thionitrites and transition metal nitrosyl complexes. Many of these reactions have been used preparatively for a long time, but little has been known about their detailed reaction mechanisms. 

Many diazonium salts are unstable and must be handled with care, preferably in solution rather than in the dry state. Procedures have been perfected for making stabilized diazonium salts, which can be isolated and dried. If a solid non-stabilized diazonium salt is desired, an alcoholic solution of the amine salt is treated with an alkyl nitrite, and the product is crystallized or precipitated with ether. Glacial acetic acid and dioxane may also be employed as solvents. ... 

Aliphatic and aromatic amines react with nitrous acid to form N-nitroso derivatives. For example, dimethylamine hydrochloride on treatment with sodium nitrite and hydrochloric acid is converted to nitrosodimethyl amine in 90% yield. In like manner, N-nitrosomethylaniline is synthesized from N-methylaniline in 93% yield. The ready formation of these derivatives and the easy reconversion to the amine by reduction affords an advantageous procedure for separating secondary amines from primary and tertiary amines, as shown in the synthesis of N-ethyl-m-toluidine and other N-alkyl derivatives by the alkylation of w-toluidine. ... 

The thiazolyl radicals are, in comparison to the phenyl radical, electrophilic as shown by isomer ratios obtained in reaction with different aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds. Sources of thiazolyl radicals are few the corresponding peroxide and 2-thiazolylhydrazine (202, 209, 210) (see Table III-34) are convenient reagents, and it is the reaction of an alkyl nitrite (isoamyl) on the corresponding (2-, 4-, or 5-) amine that is most commonly used to produce thiazolyl radicals (203-206). The yields of substituted thiazole are around 40%. These results are summarized in Tables III-35 and ni-36. 

A general method of replacement of the primary aromatic amino group by hydrogen is reduction of aromatic diazonium salts, prepared by diazotization, typically by treatment of the primary amine or its salts with sodium or potassium nitrite in strongly acidic aqueous media. Conversion to the diazonium salts may also be accomplished in nonaqueous media using acetic acid, or using alkyl nitrites (equation 86). Most diazonium salts decompose at temperatures above 0-5 C. Only certain salts such as naphthalene-1,5-sulfonates,tetrafluoroborates ° ° and hexafluorophosphates ° ° are stable at room temperature. 

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