Ammonia, reaction with halides

The acetylide ion is a strongly basic and nucleophilic species which can induce nucleophilic substitution at positive carbon centres. Acetylene is readily converted by sodium amide in liquid ammonia to sodium acetylide. In the past alkylations were predominantly carried out in liquid ammonia. The alkylation of alkylacetylenes and arylacetylenes is carried out in similar fashion to that of acetylene. Nucleophilic substitution reactions of the alkali metal acetylides are limited to primary halides which are not branched in the -position. Primary halides branched in the P-position as well as secondary and tertiary halides undergo elimination to olefins by the NaNH2. The rate of reaction with halides is in the order I > Br > Cl, but bromides are generally preferred. In the case of a,o)-chloroiodoalkanes and a,to-bromoiodoalkanes. 

The cyclized analog of meralluride is prepared by a similar synthesis. Thus, condensation of camphoric acid (42) (obtained by oxidation of camphor) with ammonia gives the bicyclic succinimide (44). Reaction with allyl isocyanate followed by ring opening and then reaction with mercuric acetate affords the mercury derivative (45) as the acetate rather than the hydroxide as above. Reaction with sodium chloride converts that acetate to the halide (46). Displacement on mercury with the disodium salt of thioglycollic acid affords the diuretic mercaptomerine (47). ... 

Methylamines can be synthesized by alkylating ammonia with methyl halides or with methyl alcohol. The reaction with methanol usually occurs at approximately 500°C and 20 atmospheres in the presence of an... 

A three-stage procedure is more versatile and gives higher yields. In this method (Method B), the 2-aminobenzophenone is treated with an a-haloacetyl halide and the resulting haloacetamide 5 converted into an aminoacetamide 6 by reaction with ammonia. Cyclization to the benzo-diazepinone 7 occurrs readily. In some cases the intermediates 5 and 6 are not isolated selected examples are given.193 94... 

The reaction with ammonia or amines, which undoubtedly proceeds by the SnAt mechanism, is catalyzed by copper and nickel salts, though these are normally used only with rather unreactive halides. This reaction, with phase-transfer catalysis, has been used to synthesize triarylamines. Copper ion catalysts (especially cuprous oxide or iodide) also permit the Gabriel synthesis (10-61) to be... 

Under the conditions of the Birch reduction, IV-Boc amides such as 60 can be reductively alkylated in high yields, presumably via a dianion intermediate which is protonated by ammonia at C-5 leaving an enolate anion at C-2 <96JOC7664>. Quenching the reaction with alkyl halides or ammonium chloride then affords the 3-pyrrolines 61. 

Reaction with chlorosulphonic acid ( chlorosulphonyl-ation ). Sulphonamides. Many aryl halides, either alone or in chloroform solution, when treated with excess of chlorosulphonic acid afford the corresponding sulphonyl chlorides in good yield (compare Section IV,106) the latter may be readily converted into the aryl sulphonamides by reaction with concentrated ammonia solution or with solid ammonium carbonate. 

The relative inertness of unactivated aromatic halides towards nucleophiles, under normal conditions, is in sharp contrast to their marked reactivity towards nucleophiles that are also very strong bases. Thus chlorobenzene is readily converted into aniline by reaction with eNH2 (NaNH2) in liquid ammonia at — 33° ... 

In order for a metathesis reaction to occur in water, some product must be removed from the reaction. Generally, this involves the formation of a precipitate, the evolution of a gas, or the formation of an unionized product. Because solubilities are different in liquid ammonia, reactions are often unlike those in water. Although silver halides are insoluble in water, they are soluble in liquid ammonia as a result of forming stable complexes with ammonia. Therefore, the reaction... 

You have read (Unit 10, Class Xll) that the carbon - halogen bond In alkyl or benzyl haUdes can be easily cleaved by a nucleophile. Hence, an allqrl or ben l haUde on reaction with an ethanollc solution of ammonia undergoes nucleophilic substitution reaction m which the halogen atom Is replaced by an amino (-NHJ group. This process of cleavage of the C-X bond by ammonia molecule Is known as ammonolysis. The reaction Is carried out In a sealed tube at 373 K. The primary amine thus obtained behaves as a nucleophile and can further react with allqrl halide to form secondary and tertiary amines, and finally quaternary ammonium salt. 

This is a synthetically useful procedure because the a-halo acids are useful starting materials for other reactions. For example, the addition of hydroxide ion leads to the replacement of the halogen with an -OH group. The reaction with ammonia replaces the halogen with -NH2. The reaction with cyanide ion, CN , converts the halide to a nitrile. Figure 12-33 illustrates this reaction. 

Water, in its reaction with the alkali- and alkaline-earth metals, resembles ammonia, but the complexes with the halides of the platinum metals are different. The water molecule has two lone pairs of electrons, but these pairs seem to be less active in complex formation. There are many cases in which from the magnetic moment it can be concluded that the hydrates are still ionic, whereas in the corresponding NH3 complex there is covalency, the NH3 molecules sharing their lone electron-pairs with the metal atom. 

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