Anion displacement reactions

Without catalysis, the biphasic mixture can be stirred and heated together for two weeks and the only observable reaction will be hydrolysis of the cyanide group. Addition of a catalytic amount of a quaternary onium salt or a crown ether, however, will lead to the quantitative conversion to the nitrile within two hours. 

Displacement by cyanide works particularly well, but there are many other examples of anion exchange reactions which are enhanced by phase transfer catalysis. Most monovalent anions can be transferred, including alkoxides, phenoxides, thiocyanates, nitrates, nitrites, superoxides and all of the halides, but divalent anions are usually too hydrophilic to be transferred into the organic phase. 

Typically, the organic substrate in these reactions is an alkyl halide. Primary alkyl halides will generally give 100% substitution products, but tertiary and cyclohexyl halides usually undergo 100% elimination, with secondary halides producing a mixture of the two. Studies of the chloride and bromide displacements of (7 )-2-octyl methanesulfonate have shown that phase transfer displacements proceed with almost complete inversion of stereochemistry at the carbon centre, indicating an Sn2 mechanistic pathway [17]. 

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Alkyl esters of trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, commonly called triflates, have been prepared from the silver salt and an alkyl iodide, or by reaction of the anhydride with an alcohol (18,20,21). Triflates of the 1,1-dihydroperfluoroalkanols, CF2S020CH2R can be prepared by the reaction of perfluoromethanesulfonyl fluoride with the dihydroalcohol in the presence of triethylamine (22,23). Triflates are important intermediates in synthetic chemistry. They are among the best leaving groups known, so they are commonly employed in anionic displacement reactions. 

The choice of the catalyst is an important factor in PTC. Very hydrophilic onium salts such as tetramethylammonium chloride are not particularly active phase transfer agents for nonpolar solvents, as they do not effectively partition themselves into the organic phase. Table 5.2 shows relative reaction rates for anion displacement reactions for a number of common phase transfer agents. From the table it is clear that the activities of phase transfer catalysts are reaction dependent. It is important to pick the best catalyst for the job in hand. The use of onium salts containing both long and very short alkyl chains, such as hexade-cyltrimethylammonium bromide, will promote stable emulsions in some reaction systems, and thus these are poor catalysts. 

Table 5.2 Relative reaction rates for various phase transfer catalysts in anion displacement reactions...

A study of the anion displacement reactions of n-octyl methanesulfonate reveals striking differences in the reactivity of various anions under phase transfer and homogeneous conditions [43], In the phase transfer catalysed reactions the reactivities of the anions were found to decrease in the order ... 

Table 8. Phthalimide Anion Displacement Reactions with 2-(2-Bromoacyl)-2-ethyl-1,3-dithiane 1-Oxide Substrates...

Intramolecular displacement of aliphatic amines having a suitable leaving group also affords cyclic amines. In order to avoid further alkylation, the amino function is protected by appropriate groups. The tosyl group has frequently been utilized to this end, where cyclization proceeds through an anionic displacement reaction. 

The choice of catalyst itself is an important factor in phase transfer catalysis. Very hydrophilic onium salts such as tetramethylammonium chloride are not particularly active phase transfer agents, as they do not partition themselves into the organic phase effectively. Table 5.3 shows relative reaction rates for anion displacement reactions for a number of common... 

Aliquat 336, a quaternary ammonium salt, has been used as a phase transfer catalyst for a solid-liquid interface. A comparison of its catalytic ability with that of 18-crown-6-ether and tetramethylethylenediamine shows that the quaternary ammonium salt is equivalent and sometimes superior in catalysing anion displacement reactions of acetate, fluoride and adeninyl anions. ... 

Solvent for Displacement Reactions. As the most polar of the common aprotic solvents, DMSO is a favored solvent for displacement reactions because of its high dielectric constant and because anions are less solvated in it (87). Rates for these reactions are sometimes a thousand times faster in DMSO than in alcohols. Suitable nucleophiles include acetyUde ion, alkoxide ion, hydroxide ion, azide ion, carbanions, carboxylate ions, cyanide ion, hahde ions, mercaptide ions, phenoxide ions, nitrite ions, and thiocyanate ions (31). Rates of displacement by amides or amines are also greater in DMSO than in alcohol or aqueous solutions. Dimethyl sulfoxide is used as the reaction solvent in the manufacture of high performance, polyaryl ether polymers by reaction of bis(4,4 -chlorophenyl) sulfone with the disodium salts of dihydroxyphenols, eg, bisphenol A or 4,4 -sulfonylbisphenol (88). These and related reactions are made more economical by efficient recycling of DMSO (89). Nucleophilic displacement of activated aromatic nitro groups with aryloxy anion in DMSO is a versatile and useful reaction for the synthesis of aromatic ethers and polyethers (90). 

Certain base adducts of borane, such as triethylamine borane [1722-26-5] (C2H )2N BH, dimethyl sulfide borane [13292-87-OJ, (CH2)2S BH, and tetrahydrofuran borane [14044-65-6] C HgO BH, are more easily and safely handled than B2H and are commercially available. These compounds find wide use as reducing agents and in hydroboration reactions (57). A wide variety of borane reducing agents and hydroborating agents is available from Aldrich Chemical Co., Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Base displacement reactions can be used to convert one adduct to another. The relative stabiUties of BH adducts as a function of Group 15 and 16 donor atoms are P > N and S > O. This order has sparked controversy because the trend opposes the normal order estabUshed by BF. In the case of anionic nucleophiles, base displacement leads to ionic hydroborate adducts (eqs. 20,21). 

Figure 1 illustrates the complexity of the Cr(III) ion in aqueous solutions. The relative strength of anion displacement of H2O for a select group of species follows the order perchlorate < nitrate < chloride < sulfate < formate < acetate < glycolate < tartrate < citrate < oxalate (12). It is also possible for any anion of this series to displace the anion before it, ie, citrate can displace a coordinated tartrate or sulfate anion. These displacement reactions are kineticaHy slow, however, and several intermediate and combination species are possible before equiUbrium is obtained. 

Schemes 110-113 outline the most common general methods for accomplishing the synthesis of thiiranes by formation of a C—S bond (75RCR138,66CRV297, 64HC(19-1)576). The methods in Schemes 111-113 are variations of Scheme 110 they differ in the details of the generation of the thiolate anion which effects the ring closure by a displacement reaction. The methods of converting oxiranes to thiiranes, to be discussed separately (Section 5.06.4.3), involve a displacement like thafof Scheme 110 as the final step.

Phase transfer catalysts were used for nucleophilic displacement reactions of activated leaving groups by hydroxyfurazanyl anions. For example, tetrachloro-pyrazine was found to react with hydroxyfurazans in benzene/Na2C03/tetraalkyl-ammonium salts giving products of mono- or disubstitution (Scheme 173) (94MI1). The course of the reaction depends on the ratio of the reactants and the nature of the ammonium salt. 

Kinetic studies have been carried out on the displacement reactions of various chloroazanaphthalenes with ethoxide ions and piperi-dine. - 2-Chloroquinoxaline is even more reactive than 2-chloro-quinazoline, thus demonstrating the powerfully electrophilic nature of the -carbon atoms in the quinoxaline nucleus. The ease of displacement of a-chlorine in the quinoxaline series is of preparative value thus, 2-alkoxy-, 2-amino-, - 2-raethylamino-, 2-dimethyl-amino-,2-benzylamino-, 2-mercapto-quinoxalines are all readily prepared from 2-chloroquinoxaline. The anions derived from substituted acetonitriles have also been used to displace chloride ion from 2-chloroquinoxaline, ... 

Because of resonance stabilization of the anion, a tet-nazolyl moiety is often employed successfully as a bioisosteric replacement for a carboxy group. An example in this subclass is provided by azosemide (27). Benzonitrile analogue is prepared by phosphorus oxychloride dehydration of the corresponding benzamide. Next, a nucleophilic aromatic displacement reaction of the fluorine atom leads to The synthesis concludes with the 1,3-dipolar addition of azide to the nitrile liinction to produce the diuretic azosemi de (27). ... 

A quantitative study of the nucleophilic displacement reaction of benzoyl chloride with cyanide ion in [BMIM][PFg] was investigated by Eckert and co-workers [52]. The separation of the product, 1-phenylacetonitrile, from the ionic liquid was achieved by distillation or by extraction with supercritical CO2. The 1-phenylacetonitrile was then treated with KOH in [BMIM][PF6] to generate an anion, which reacted with 1,4-dibromobutane to give 1-cyano-l-phenylcyclopentane (Scheme 5.1-23). This was in turn extracted from the ionic liquid with supercritical CO2. These... 

It is usual to choose a container metal for fused salts sufficiently noble for the displacement reaction (2.16) to be negligible, and the most important aspects of corrosion are, as in aqueous solutions, those which involve reducible impurities, although in a salt melt there is also the additional possibility of a reducible anion (see above). All such factors can be described as controlling the oxidising power of the melt, which can be defined in terms of a redox potential just as in aqueous solutions The redox potential is expressed by relationships of the form... 

Ladenheim and Morawetz [23] also showed that the reactivity of the carboxylate units in partially ionized poly(methacrylic acid) (PMA) toward BrCH2COO in the bromine displacement reaction was greatly diminished, while the reaction proceeded at an appreciable rate with uncharged p-bromoacetamide [23]. This inhibition of the reaction of the polyanion with a small anionic reagent can be attributed to the electrostatic repulsion between the polymer and the reagent. 

An extensive study (6) of Sn displacement reactions of allyl halides using silyl anions/anionoids has provided the following regioselective alternatives ... 

The importance of displacement reactions on carbonyl compounds in chemistry and biochemistry has resulted in numerous mechanistic studies. In solution, there is general acceptance of the following mechanism for addition of anionic nucleophiles which features a tetrahedral intermediate, 1, and is designated (1). However, recent experimental (2 10) and theoretical (11-17)... 

Extractive alkylation is used to derivatize acids, phenols, alcohols or amides in aqueous solution [435,441,448,502]. The pH of the aqueous phase is adjusted to ensure complete ionization of the acidic substance which is then extracted as an ion pair with a tetraalkylammonium hydroxide into a suitable immiscible organic solvent. In the poorly solvating organic medium, the substrate anion possesses high reactivity and the nucleophilic displacement reaction with an alkyl halide occurs under favorable conditions. 

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