Ethers, aryl

This section includes both alkyl aryl ethers 187 and diaryl ethers 188. In both cases, the oxygen atom causes an overall donation of electrons (-I-M, —I effect) 

188 Ar = an aryl radical, Ar = the same or different aryl group 

Huntress and Carten studied the action of chlorosulfonic acid on 42 aromatic ethers in order to determine the utility of the reagent for the characterization of aromatic ethers, 36 of the ethers were converted into their monosulfonyl chlorides and these were subsequently reacted with anmionium hydroxide to give the corresponding sulfonamides which were well-defined crystalline solids with sharp melting points suitable for identification of the original aryl ether. Six of the ethers examined failed to yield satisfactory monosulfonyl chlorides namely o-and / -methoxybiphenyl, diphenyl ether and the 4,4 -dibromo derivative as well as methyl and ethyl benzyl ethers. 

In alkyl phenyl ethers, the preferred orientation of sulfonation is para with respect to the electron donating alkoxy group, but if this position is blocked by a substituent then sulfonation may occur ortho to the alkoxy group.  

Anisole (methyl phenyl ether or methoxybenzene (187 Ar = Ph, R = Me)) reacts with chlorosulfonic acid (two equivalents) in chloroform at 0 °C to give 4-methoxybenzenesulfonyl chloride the latter was also obtained by treatment of 187 with a mixture of chlorosulfonic acid and sulfuric acid at 10 The chlorosulfonation of o- 189 and p- 190 substituted anisoles by chlorosulfonic acid was also achieved in high yields. The o-isomers 189 generally only required mild conditions e.g. a few minutes at 0 C) the ease of chlorosulfonation is probably due to the lack of steric hindrance in the reactive 4-position. 

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Oxonium salt formation. Shake up 0 5 ml. of ether with 1 ml. of cone. HCl and note that a clear solution is obtained owing to the formation of a water-soluble oxonium salt. Note that aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons do not behave in this way. In general diaryl ethers and alkyl aryl ethers are also insoluble in cone. HCl. 

Ethers. 3,5-Dinitrobenzoates (p. 396), Picrates (with aryl ethers) (p. 397). 

Sulphonamides of aryl ethers. Aromatic ethers react smoothly in chloroform solution with chlorosulphonic acid at 0° to give suljihonyl chlorides, for example ... 

A catalytic enantio- and diastereoselective dihydroxylation procedure without the assistance of a directing functional group (like the allylic alcohol group in the Sharpless epox-idation) has also been developed by K.B. Sharpless (E.N. Jacobsen, 1988 H.-L. Kwong, 1990 B.M. Kim, 1990 H. Waldmann, 1992). It uses osmium tetroxide as a catalytic oxidant (as little as 20 ppm to date) and two readily available cinchona alkaloid diastereomeis, namely the 4-chlorobenzoate esters or bulky aryl ethers of dihydroquinine and dihydroquinidine (cf. p. 290% as stereosteering reagents (structures of the Os complexes see R.M. Pearlstein, 1990). The transformation lacks the high asymmetric inductions of the Sharpless epoxidation, but it is broadly applicable and insensitive to air and water. Further improvements are to be expected. 

Allylic acetates are widely used. The oxidative addition of allylic acetates to Pd(0) is reversible, and their reaction must be carried out in the presence of bases. An important improvement in 7r-allylpalladium chemistry has been achieved by the introduction of allylic carbonates. Carbonates are highly reactive. More importantly, their reactions can be carried out under neutral con-ditions[13,14]. Also reactions of allylic carbamates[14], allyl aryl ethers[6,15], and vinyl epoxides[16,17] proceed under neutral conditions without addition of bases. 

Allyl aryl ethers are used for allylation under basic conditionsfh], but they can be cleaved under neutral conditions. Formation of the five-membered ring compound 284 based on the cyclization of 283 has been applied to the syntheses of methyl jasmonate (285)[15], and sarkomycin[169]. The trisannulation reagent 286 for steroid synthesis undergoes Pd-catalyzed cyclization and aldol condensation to afford CD rings 287 of steroids with a functionalized 18-methyl group 170]. The 3-vinylcyclopentanonecarboxylate 289, formed from 288, is useful for the synthesis of 18-hydroxyestrone (290)[I7I]. 

The same products can be also obtained from 267 and benzaldehyde. This behavior indicates the presence of an active methylene group and supports the thiazolone structure (267a). Alkyl or aryl ethers of 267 are prepared by two different procedures (Scheme 139). 

Alkylethers (269), R2 = alkyl, are obtained by the action of phosphorus pentasulfide on alkyl esters of a-acylamino acids (64, 334, 711) by means of the GabriePs synthesis (Section II.4), while aryl ethers (269), = aryl,... 

The analogous band m alkyl aryl ethers (ROAr) appears at 1200-1275 cm (Section 24 15)... 

Aryl ethers are best prepared by the Williamson method (Section 16 6) Alkylation of the hydroxyl oxygen of a phenol takes place readily when a phenoxide anion reacts with an alkyl halide... 

The reaction between an alkoxide ion and an aryl halide can be used to prepare alkyl aryl ethers only when the aryl halide is one that reacts rapidly by the addition-elim mation mechanism of nucleophilic aromatic substitution (Section 23 6)... 

Cleavage of alkyl aryl ethers by hydrogen halides always proceeds so that the alkyl-oxygen bond is broken and yields an alkyl halide and a phenol as the final prod nets Either hydrogen bromide or hydrogen iodide is normally used... 

The first step in the reaction of an alkyl aryl ether with a hydrogen halide is pro tonation of oxygen to form an alkylaryloxonium ion... 

Section 24 11 Phenoxide anions are nucleophilic toward alkyl halides and the prepara tion of alkyl aryl ethers is easily achieved under 8 2 conditions... 

Section 24 12 The cleavage of alkyl aryl ethers by hydrogen halides yields a phenol and an alkyl halide... 

Alkyl aryl ether Hydrogen halide A phenol Alkyl halide... 

Section 24 13 On being heated allyl aryl ethers undergo a Claisen rearrangement to form o allylphenols A cyclohexadienone formed by a concerted six tt electron reorganization is an intermediate... 

The lUPAC mles permit the use of common names for a number of familiar phenols and aryl ethers These common names are listed here along with their systematic names Write the stmcture of each compound... 

Cellulose nitrate resin Poly(aryl ether)... 

Poly(aryl ether), unfilled 30% glass-fiber reinforced Poly(butylene terephthalate) Poly(ethylene terephthalate) ... 

The hydroxyl groups can be alkylated with the usual alkylating agents. To obtain aryl ethers a reverse treatment is used, such as treatment of butynediol toluenesulfonate or dibromobutyne with a phenol (44). Alkylene oxides give ether alcohols (46). 

Decafluorobiphenyl [434-90-2] C F C F (mol wt, 334.1 mp, 68°C bp, 206°C), can be prepared by I Jllmann coupling of bromo- [344-04-7] chloro- [344-07-0] or iodopentafluorobenzene [827-15-6] with copper. This product shows good thermal stabiHty decafluorobiphenyl was recovered unchanged after 1 h below 575°C (270). Decafluorobiphenyl-based derivatives exhibit greater oxidative stabiHty than similar hydrocarbon compounds (271). Therm ally stable poly(fluorinated aryl ether) oligomers prepared from decafluorobiphenyl and bisphenols show low dielectric constant and moisture absorption which are attractive for electronic appHcations (272). 

Miscellaneous Applications. Ben2otrifluoride derivatives have been incorporated into polymers for different appHcations. 2,4-Dichloroben2otrifluoride or 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoroben2otrifluoride [651-80-9] have been condensed with bisphenol A [80-05-7] to give ben2otrifluoride aryl ether semipermeable gas membranes (336,337). 3,5-Diaminoben2otrifluoride [368-53-6] and aromatic dianhydrides form polyimide resins for high temperature composites (qv) and adhesives (qv), as well as in the electronics industry (338,339). 

Substitution Reactions on Side Chains. Because the benzyl carbon is the most reactive site on the propanoid side chain, many substitution reactions occur at this position. Typically, substitution reactions occur by attack of a nucleophilic reagent on a benzyl carbon present in the form of a carbonium ion or a methine group in a quinonemethide stmeture. In a reversal of the ether cleavage reactions described, benzyl alcohols and ethers may be transformed to alkyl or aryl ethers by acid-catalyzed etherifications or transetherifications with alcohol or phenol. The conversion of a benzyl alcohol or ether to a sulfonic acid group is among the most important side chain modification reactions because it is essential to the solubilization of lignin in the sulfite pulping process (17). 

A technique based on ozonation, in contrast, provides information on the stmcture of the lignin side chain by degrading the aromatic rings (33). Thus the side chain of the dominant stmcture ia all native lignins, the arylglycerol—P-aryl ether moiety, can be obtained ia the form of erythronic and threonic acids. Ozonation proves to be an elegant method for determination of the stereospecificity ia lignin. 

Ultraviolet radiation causes cleavage of the aryl ether linkage (23). DMPPO undergoes oxidation when exposed to ultraviolet light and oxygen by direct attack on the aromatic ring to produce a variety of ring-cleaved and quinoidal stmctures (24). 

The aromatic sulfone polymers are a group of high performance plastics, many of which have relatively closely related stmctures and similar properties (see Polymers containing sulfur, polysulfones). Chemically, all are polyethersulfones, ie, they have both aryl ether (ArOAr) and aryl sulfone (ArS02Ar) linkages in the polymer backbone. The simplest polyethersulfone (5) consists of aromatic rings linked alternately by ether and sulfone groups. 

Cyclic aryl ether ketones have been prepared from l,2-bis(4- uoroben2oyl)ben2ene and bisphenols under pseudo high dilution conditions. These materials undergo ring-opening polymeri2ation in the presence of an anionic catalyst (87). 

A large variety of newer poly(ether imide)s has been described. Included among these are perfluorinated polymers (96), poly(ester ether imide)s (97), poly(ether imide)s derived from A/,Ar-diamino-l,4,5,8-naphthalenetetracarboxyHcbisimide (98), and poly(arylene ether imide ketone)s (99). In addition, many other heterocyHc groups have been introduced into polyether systems, eg, poly(pyrazole ether)s (100) and poly(aryl ether phenylquinoxaLine)s (101) poly(aryl ether oxazole)s with trifluoromethyl groups (102) and polyethers with other heterolinkages, eg, poly(arylether azine)s (103). 

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