Reductive alkylation, amines

Reductive alkylation of ammonia should give primary amines, reductive alkylation of primary amines secondary amines, and reductive alkylation of secondary amines tertiary amines. In reality, secondary and even tertiary amines are almost always present to varying extents since the primary amines formed in the reaction of the carbonyl compounds with ammonia react with the carbonyl compounds to give secondary amines, and the secondary amines similarly afford tertiary amines according to Scheme 128. In addition, secondary amines may be formed, especially at higher temperatures, by additional reactions shown in Scheme 129. Depending on the ratios of the carbonyl compounds to ammonia or amines, different classes of amines predominate. 

Method 3. Reductive alkylation reaction of an amine or ammonia and hydrogen with an aldehyde or ketone over a hydrogenation catalyst. 

Dicyclohexylarnine may be selectively generated by reductive alkylation of cyclohexylamine by cyclohexanone (15). Stated batch reaction conditions are specifically 0.05—2.0% Pd or Pt catalyst, which is reusable, pressures of 400—700 kPa (55—100 psi), and temperatures of 75—100°C to give complete reduction in 4 h. Continuous vapor-phase amination selective to dicyclohexylarnine is claimed for cyclohexanone (16) or mixed cyclohexanone plus cyclohexanol (17) feeds. Conditions are 5—15 s contact time of <1 1 ammonia ketone, - 3 1 hydrogen ketone at 260°C over nickel on kieselguhr. With mixed feed the preferred conditions over a mixed copper chromite plus nickel catalyst are 18-s contact time at 250 °C with ammonia alkyl = 0.6 1 and hydrogen alkyl = 1 1. 

Reductive alkylations and aminations requite pressure-rated reaction vessels and hiUy contained and blanketed support equipment. Nitrile hydrogenations are similar in thein requirements. Arylamine hydrogenations have historically required very high pressure vessel materials of constmction. A nominal breakpoint of 8 MPa (- 1200 psi) requites yet heavier wall constmction and correspondingly more expensive hydrogen pressurization. Heat transfer must be adequate, for the heat of reaction in arylamine ring reduction is - 50 kJ/mol (12 kcal/mol) (59). Solvents employed to maintain catalyst activity and improve heat-transfer efficiency reduce effective hydrogen partial pressures and requite fractionation from product and recycle to prove cost-effective. 

The Leuckart reaction uses formic acid as reducing agent. Reductive alkylation using formaldehyde, hydrogen, and catalyst, usually nickel, is used commercially to prepare methylated amines. These tertiary amines are used to prepare quaternary ammonium salts. 

Primary and secondary amines are usually converted to tertiary amines using formaldehyde and hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst (eqs. 5 and 6). This process, known as reductive alkylation (222), is attractive commercially. The desired amines are produced in high yields and without significant by-product formation. Quatemization by reaction of an appropriate alkylating reagent then follows. 

The N,]S -dialkyl-/)-PDAs are manufactured by reductively alkylating -PDA with ketones. Alternatively, these compounds can be prepared from the ketone and -lutroaruline with catalytic hydrogenation. The /V-alkyl-/V-aryl- -PDAs are made by reductively alkylating -nitro-, -nitroso-, or /)-aminodipheny1 amine with ketones. The AijAT-dialkyl- PDAs are made by condensing various anilines with hydroquinone in the presence of an acid catalyst (see Amines-aromatic,phenylenediamines). 

The previous sections have dealt with stable C=N-I- functionality in aromatic rings as simple salts. Another class of iminium salt reactions can be found where the iminium salt is only an intermediate. The purpose of this section is to point out these reactions even though they do not show any striking differences in their reactivity from stable iminium salts. Such intermediates arise from a-chloroamines (133-135), isomerization of oxazolidines (136), reduction of a-aminoketones by the Clemmensen method (137-139), reductive alkylation by the Leuckart-Wallach (140-141) or Clarke-Eschweiler reaction (142), mercuric acetate oxidation of amines (46,93), and in reactions such as ketene with enamines (143). 

The dimethoxybenzyl group was used for backbone protection of the pseudopeptides of the form Xaai/r(CH2N)Gly (Xaa = amino acid). It is introduced by reductive alkylation with the aldehyde and NaCNBH3. Acidolysis with TFMSA in TFA/thioanisole is used to remove it from the amine, but the efficiency is dependent upon the peptide sequence. ... 

Amino acids were protected by reductive alkylation with salicylaldehyde (NaBH4, KOH, aq. EtOH). The amine is released by treatment with CF3SO3H (TFA, EDT, PhSMe, 2 h, >75% yield). ... 

Coe et al. reported an efficient modification for the preparation of /-substituted indole analogs for biology screening in good yield. The intermediate P-nitrostyrene 44, prepared from the condensation of 43 with DMFDMA, underwent methanolysis and reduction to provide the aniline acetal intermediate 45. Alkylation of amine 45 was carried out employing standard conditions of reductive alkylation to provide A-alkyl analogs represented by 46. The indole 47 was generated by formation of the oxonium ion (from 46) under acidic conditions, followed by cyclization, accompanied by loss of methanol. 

Incorporation of extensive branching in the side chain similarly does not decrease pharmacologic activity. Reductive alkylation of aminoalcohol, 42, with isobutyraldehyde affords the amine, 43. Acylation of the amine with benzoyl chloride probably goes initially to the amide (44). The acid catalysis used in the reaction leads to an N to 0 acyl migration to afford iso-bucaine (45). ... 

In an analogous sequence, reductive alkylation of aminoalcohol, 46, with cyclohexanone affords the secondary amine (47). Acylation with benzoyl chloride affords hexylcaine (48) in a reaction that may again involve acyl migration. 

Aminonitrile formation on 125 with potassium cyanide and piperidine hydrochloride affords the derivative, 135. Hydrolysis as above gives the corresponding amide (136). Debenzylation is accomplished by catalytic reduction. Alkylation of the secondary amine with the side chain (96) used in the preparation of diphenoxylate affords pirintramide (138) This compound, interest-... 

A phenyl ethanol amine in which the nitrogen is alkylated by a long chain alphatic group departs in activity from the prototypes. This agent, suloctidil (43) is described as a peripheral vasodilator endowed with platelet antiaggregatory activity. As with the more classical compounds, preparation proceeds through bromination of the substituted propiophen-one ( ) and displacement of halogen with octyl amine. Reduction, in this case by means of sodium borohydride affords suloctidil (43). ... 

Prenyl amine (66) was long used in the treatment of angina pectoris, in which condition it was believed to act by inhibiting the uptake and storage of catecholamines in heart tissue. Droprenilamine (69), an analogue in which the phenyl ring is reduced, acts as a coronary vasodilator. One of several syntheses involves simple reductive alkylation of 1,1-diphenyl-propylamine (67) with cyclohexyl acetone (68)... 

Plaiinum was more efficient lhan rhodium in ihese experimenis. These catalysts give excellent yields of tertiary amines in reductive alkylation of aliphatic secondary amines with ketones ( 6). 

Alkylation lo yield a leriiary amine may occur easily if the formation involves cyclization (ii). Catalysts may have a marked influence. In reductive alkylation of ammonia wilh cyclohexanones, more primary amine was formed over Ru and Rh and more secondary amine over Pd and Pt. Reduction of the ketone to an alcohol is an important side reaction over ruthenium. 

Some workers allow the amine and carbonyl compound to stand together some time before hydrogenation (i,59), but this procedure is not always necessary nor even desirable (ii). The delay technique is illustrated by reductive alkylation of ethyl-4-aminocyclohexane carboxylate (4) with benzaldehyde to S, a route that permitted an important improvement in the production of isoquinuclidine (8) (59). 

Reductive alkylations have been carried out successfully with compounds that are not carbonyls or amines, but which are transformed during the hydrogenation to suitable functions. Azides, azo, hydrazo, nitro and nitroso compounds, oximes, pyridines, and hydroxylamines serve as amines phenols, acetals, ketals, or hydrazones serve as carbonyls 6,7,8,9,12,17,24,41,42,58). Alkylations using masked functions have been successful at times when use of unmasked functions have failed (2). In a synthesis leading to methoxatin, a key... 

Cyclohexanones may serve as precursors to aromatic amines in a reductive alkylation, the source of hydrogen being aromatization of the cyclohexanone (66). In a variation, an aromatic nitro compound acts as both an amine precursor and a hydrogen acceptor (64). 

Reductive alkylation with chiral substrates may afford new chiral centers. The reaction has been of interest for the preparation of optically active amino acids where the chirality of the amine function is induced in the prochiral carbonyl moiety 34,35). The degree of induced asymmetry is influenced by substrate, solvent, and temperature 26,27,28,29,48,51,65). Asymmetry also has been obtained by reduction of prochiral imines, using a chiral catalyst 44). Prediction of the major configurational isomer arising from a reductive alkylation can be made usually by the assumption that amine formation comes via an imine, not the hydroxyamino addition compound, and that the catalyst approaches the least hindered side (57). 

Reductive alkylation has also been carried out on nitro, nitroso, azo, and other compounds that are reduced in situ to primary or secondary amines. 

For a review of the preparation of tertiary amines by reductive alkylation, see Spialter, L. ... 

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