Amines Raney nickel

Catalytic hydrogenation of a nitrile is another way to make a primary amine. Raney nickel is the preferred metal catalyst for this reduction. 

P-Phenylethylamine is conveniently prepared by the hydrogenation under pressure of benzyl cyanide with Raney nickel catalyst (see Section VI,5) in the presence of either a saturated solution of dry ammonia in anhydrous methyl alcohol or of liquid ammonia the latter are added to suppress the formation of the secondary amine, di- P phenylethylamine ... 

Single-bond cleavage with molecular hydrogen is termed hydrogenolysis. Palladium is the best catalyst for this purpose, platinum is not useful. Desulfurizations are most efficiently per-formed with Raney nickel (with or without hydrogen G.R. Pettit, 1962 A or with alkali metals in liquid ammonia or amines. The scheme below summarizes some classes of compounds most susceptible to hydrogenolysis. 

The zwitterion (6) can react with protic solvents to produce a variety of products. Reaction with water yields a transient hydroperoxy alcohol (10) that can dehydrate to a carboxyUc acid or spHt out H2O2 to form a carbonyl compound (aldehyde or ketone, R2CO). In alcohoHc media, the product is an isolable hydroperoxy ether (11) that can be hydrolyzed or reduced (with (CH O) or (CH2)2S) to a carbonyl compound. Reductive amination of (11) over Raney nickel produces amides and amines (64). Reaction of the zwitterion with a carboxyUc acid to form a hydroperoxy ester (12) is commercially important because it can be oxidized to other acids, RCOOH and R COOH. Reaction of zwitterion with HCN produces a-hydroxy nitriles that can be hydrolyzed to a-hydroxy carboxyUc acids. Carboxylates are obtained with H2O2/OH (65). The zwitterion can be reduced during the course of the reaction by tetracyanoethylene to produce its epoxide (66). 

Reduction. Just as aromatic amine oxides are resistant to the foregoing decomposition reactions, they are more resistant than ahphatic amine oxides to reduction. Ahphatic amine oxides are readily reduced to tertiary amines by sulfurous acid at room temperature in contrast, few aromatic amine oxides can be reduced under these conditions. The ahphatic amine oxides can also be reduced by catalytic hydrogenation (27), with 2inc in acid, or with staimous chloride (28). For the aromatic amine oxides, catalytic hydrogenation with Raney nickel is a fairly general means of deoxygenation (29). Iron in acetic acid (30), phosphoms trichloride (31), and titanium trichloride (32) are also widely used systems for deoxygenation of aromatic amine oxides. 

EDA and other alkylene amines react readily with acrylonitrile or acrylate esters. EDA reacts with acrylonitrile to give tetrakis(2-cyanoeth5i)-ethylenediamine which is reduced over Raney nickel to give tetralds(3-anainoprop5i)-ethyl-enediainine (52). With methyl acrylate and EDA under controlled conditions, a new class of starburst dendritic macromolecules forms (53,54). 

Ethylamines. Mono-, di-, and triethylamines, produced by catalytic reaction of ethanol with ammonia (330), are a significant outlet for ethanol. The vapor-phase continuous process takes place at 1.38 MPa (13.6 atm) and 150—220°C over a nickel catalyst supported on alumina, siUca, or sihca—alumina. In this reductive amination under a hydrogen atmosphere, the ratio of the mono-, di-, and triethylamine product can be controlled by recycling the unwanted products. Other catalysts used include phosphoric acid and derivatives, copper and iron chlorides, sulfates, and oxides in the presence of acids or alkaline salts (331). Piperidine can be ethylated with ethanol in the presence of Raney nickel catalyst at 200°C and 10.3 MPa (102 atm), to give W-ethylpiperidine [766-09-6] (332). 

The thiones are readily desulfurized with Raney nickel to give the corresponding unsubstituted compounds in bicyclic systems in the 2-, 4- and 7-positions, and in tricyclic systems such as (95). The 2-methylthio derivatives may be similarly desulfurized. Thione groups in the 4-position, but not the 2-position, in pyrido-[2,3- f ]- and -[3,2- f]-pyrimidines may be replaced directly with ammonia or amines. 

Thione or alkylthio groups have also been involved in nucleophilic substitutions with hydrazine, or amines, and by desulfurization using Raney nickel or aluminum amalgam. 

Sulfenamides, R2NSR, prepared from an amine and a sulfenyl halide, " are readily cleaved by acid hydrolysis and have been used in syntheses of peptides, penicillins, and nucleosides. They are also cleaved by nucleophiles, and by Raney nickel desulfurization. ... 

Nickel compounds Hydrogenations (e.g. Raney nickel) Conversion of synthesis gas to methane Reduction of organo nitro compounds to amines Carcinogenic (nickel subsulphide). Skin sensitization... 

The use of primary amines instead of ammonia affords l,2-dialkyl-/l -pyrrolines or l,2-dialkyl-/l -piperideines. Amino ketones with a primary amino group are intermediates in the reduction of y-nitropropylalkyl ketones (14,15) or S-nitrobutylalkyl ketones (16-18) by catalytic hydrogenation over Raney nickel or with zinc and hydrochloric acid (Scheme 1). 

Two different sets of experimental conditions have been used. Buu-Hoi et al. and Hansen have employed the method introduced by Papa et using Raney nickel alloy directly for the desulfurization in an alkaline medium. Under these conditions most functional groups are removed and this method is most convenient for the preparation of aliphatic acids. The other method uses Raney nickel catalysts of different reactivity in various solvents such as aqueous ammonia, alcohol, ether, or acetone. The solvent and activity of the catalyst can have an appreciable influence on yields and types of compounds formed, but have not yet been investigated in detail. In acetic anhydride, for instance, desulfurization of thiophenes does not occur and these reaction conditions have been employed for reductive acetylation of nitrothiophenes. Even under the mildest conditions, all double bonds are hydrogenated and all halogens removed. Nitro and oxime groups are reduced to amines. 

ANILINES, BENZYL AMINES, AND ANALOGUES An orally active local anesthetic agent that can be used as an (intiarrhythmic agent is meobenti ne (57). Its patented synthesis starts with -hydroxyphenyl nitrile and proceeds by dimethyl sulfate etherification and Raney nickel reduction to Alkylation of -methyl-dimethylthiourea with completes l.he synthesis of meobenti ne (57). ... 

The synthesis starts by condensation of readily available optically active (R)-(+)-alpha-methylbenzylamine with 4-phenyl-2-butanone to form an imine which is itself reduced by hy-drogenolysis (Raney nickel) to give a 9 1 mixture of the (R,R)-amine and the (R,S)-amine (4). 

Nickel in the presence of ammonia is often used for reduction of nitriles to primary amines. The reaction is done at elevated temperatures and pressures ( 100 C, 1000 psig) unless massive amounts of nickel are used. Cobalt is used similarly but mainly under even more vigorous conditions. Nitriles containing a benzylamine can be reduced over Raney nickel to an amine without hydrogenolysis of the benzyl group (7). A solution of butoxycarbonyl)-3-aminopropyl]-N-<3-cyanopropyl)benzylamine (13.6 g) in 100 ml of ethanol containing 4 g. NaOH was reduced over 3.0 g Raney nickel at 40 psig for 28 h. The yield of A/ -benzyl-Air -(f-butoxycarbonyl)s >ermidine was 95% (7). 

A solution of 151 grams of 1-(3, 4 -dimethoxyphenyl)-2-propanone oxime in 200 cc of absolute ethanol is treated with 5 grams of Raney nickel catalyst and ammonia in an autoclave at about 25 atm of pressure and at 75 -100°C. The reduction is complete in about one-half hour and the reaction mixture is filtered and fractionated under reduced pressure to recover the a-methylhomoveratrylamine formed by the reduction. a-Methylhomoveratryl-amine thus prepared boiled at 163°-165°C at 18 mm pressure. 

Complete reduction of the azepine ring to hexahydroazepine has been effected with hydrogen and palladium,40 or platinum,135 239 catalysts. For example, ethyl 1 f/-azepine-l-carboxylate is reduced quantitatively at room temperature to ethyl hexahydroazepine-l-carboxylate (92% bp 118 —120 3C).134 136 TV-Phenyl-S/Z-azepin -amine (1), however, with platinum(IV) oxide and hydrogen in methanol yields the hexahydroazepine 2 in which the amidine unit is preserved in the final product.34 The same result is obtained using 5% palladium/barium carbonate, or 2 % palladium/Raney nickel, as catalyst. 

Under more forcing conditions (Raney nickel, MeOH, H2 pressure, 150°C, 6h). 3H-azepin-2-amine undergoes reductive deamination to hexahydroazepine (86 %).240... 

---