Amine from alkyl halides

Synthesis of primary amines from alkyl halides with hexamelhylenetelramines. 

Although a substantial number of reactions are described in the text, they belong to a relatively modest number of mechanistic types. The preparation of alkyl halides from alcohols and HX, the cleavage of ethers, and the preparation of amines from alkyl halides and ammonia (and many other reactions) all, for example, occur by a nucleophilic substitution mechanism. The following is a brief review of the main mechanistic pathways discussed in the text. 

Synthesis from Halogen Acids.—The simplest method for the synthesis of amino acids is by the action of ammonia on the halogen acids and is exactly analogous to the formation of alkyl amines from alkyl halides. 

The Gabriel synthesis involves the formation of primary amines from alkyl halides by using potassium phthalimide, thus preventing over-alkylation. 

The preparation of tertiary amines from alkyl halides and a secondary amine, or a primary amine in which both TV-hydre en atoms are to be replaced by identical alkyl groups, can be carried out with favourable yields in many cases, as evidenced by preparations of diethyl-n-hexadecylamine (from diethylamine) and of dimethyl-n-docosylamine (from dimethylamine) . Alkyl sulphonates have similarly been used, and the reaction extended to the preparation of cyclic tertiary amines from primary amines and appropriate terminal di-sulphonates (reaction 38) . Satisfactory conditions have been reported... 

Unfortunately, these reactions don t stop cleanly after a single alkylation has occurred. Because ammonia and primary amines have similar reactivity, the initially formed monoalkylated substance often undergoes further reaction to yield a mixture of mono-, di-, and trialkylated products. A better method for preparing primary amines from alkyl halides is to use azide ion, N3, as the nucleophile rather than ammonia. The product is an alkyl azide, which is not nucleophilic, so overalkylation can t occur. Subsequent reduction of the alkyl azide with LiAlH4 then leads to the desired primary amine. 

The Gabriel synthesis prepares 1° amines from alkyl halides. Since the reaction proceeds by an Sn2 mechanism, the halide must be CH3 or 1°, and X can t be bonded to an hybridized C. 

A special problem arises in the preparation of secondary amines. These compounds are highly nucleophilic, and alkylation of an amine with alkyl halides cannot be expected to stop at any specifle stage. Secondary amides, however, can be monoalkylated and lydrolyzed or be reduced to secondary amines (p. 11 If.). In the elegant synthesis of phenyl- phrine an intermediate -hydroxy isocyanate (from a hydrazide and nitrous acid) cyclizes to pve an oxazolidinone which is monomethylated. Treatment with strong acid cleaves the cyclic irethan. 

Because nitriles can be prepared from alkyl halides by nucleophilic substitution with cyanide ion the overall process RX RC=N RCH2NH2 leads to primary amines that have one more carbon atom than the starting alkyl halide... 

Primaty amines may be prepared from alkyl halides using phthalimide. This is called the Gabriel amine synthesis. 

Notable examples of general synthetic procedures in Volume 47 include the synthesis of aromatic aldehydes (from dichloro-methyl methyl ether), aliphatic aldehydes (from alkyl halides and trimethylamine oxide and by oxidation of alcohols using dimethyl sulfoxide, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, and pyridinum trifluoro-acetate the latter method is particularly useful since the conditions are so mild), carbethoxycycloalkanones (from sodium hydride, diethyl carbonate, and the cycloalkanone), m-dialkylbenzenes (from the />-isomer by isomerization with hydrogen fluoride and boron trifluoride), and the deamination of amines (by conversion to the nitrosoamide and thermolysis to the ester). Other general methods are represented by the synthesis of 1 J-difluoroolefins (from sodium chlorodifluoroacetate, triphenyl phosphine, and an aldehyde or ketone), the nitration of aromatic rings (with ni-tronium tetrafluoroborate), the reductive methylation of aromatic nitro compounds (with formaldehyde and hydrogen), the synthesis of dialkyl ketones (from carboxylic acids and iron powder), and the preparation of 1-substituted cyclopropanols (from the condensation of a 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol derivative and ethyl-... 

Primary amines can be prepared from alkyl halides by the use of hexamethylenetetramine followed by cleavage of the resulting salt with ethanolic HCl. The method, called the Delepine reaction, is most successful for active halides such as allylic and benzylic halides and a-halo ketones, and for primary... 

In addition, there are a few examples of heterogeneous nonaqueous sonochemistry, in both liquid-liquid and liquid-solid systems. Two recent reports have utilized ultrasonic agitation in place of or along with phase transfer catalysis for the preparation of dichlorocarbene from aqueous NaOH/CHCl3 (166), and for N-alkylation of amines with alkyl halides (167). Along the same lines, several papers have appeared in which... 

Primary amines can be prepared from alkyl halides by 0-44, by 0-63, by 0-61 followed by reduction of the azide (9-53), or by the Gabriel synthesis (0-58). 

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