Aryl ethers reactions

Aryl ether Reaction conditions Product % yield... 

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. 

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)... 

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... 

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). 

In the presence of sulfide or sulfhydryl anions, the quinonemethide is attacked and a benzyl thiol formed. The P-aryl ether linkage to the next phenylpropane unit is broken down as a result of neighboring-group attack by the sulfur, eliminating the aryloxy group which becomes reactive phenolate ion (eq. 2). If sulfide is not present, a principal reaction is the formation of the stable aryl enol ether, ArCH=CHOAr. A smaller amount of this product also forms in the presence of sulfhydryl anion. 

Methyl chloride can be converted iato methyl iodide or bromide by refluxing ia acetone solution ia the presence of sodium iodide or bromide. The reactivity of methyl chloride and other aUphatic chlorides ia substitution reactions can often be iacteased by usiag a small amount of sodium or potassium iodide as ia the formation of methyl aryl ethers. Methyl chloride and potassium phthalimide do not readily react to give /V-methy1phtha1imide unless potassium iodide is added. The reaction to form methylceUulose and the Williamson synthesis to give methyl ethers are cataly2ed by small quantities of sodium or potassium iodide. 

With Phenols. The 2-hydroxylethyl aryl ethers are prepared from the reaction of ethylene oxide with phenols at elevated temperatures and pressures (78,79). 2-Phenoxyethyl alcohol is a perfume fixative. The water-soluble alkylphenol ethers of the higher poly(ethylene glycol)s are important surface-active agents. They are made by adding ethylene oxide to the alkylphenol at ca 200°C and 200—250 kPa (>2 atm), using sodium acetate or... 

The Claisen rearrangemenC is a thermal rearrangement of allyl aryl ethers and allyl vinyl ethers respectively. It may be regarded as the oxa-version of the closely related Cope rearrangement. Claisen has discovered this reaction first on allyl vinyl ethers 1, and then extended to the rearrangement of allyl aryl ethers 2 to yield o-allylphenols 3 ... 

Nitromifene (85) is such an agent. A Grignard reaction of aryl ether and ketone leads to tertiary carbinol Tosic acid dehydration leads to a mixture of 1 and stilbenes which constitute the antiestrogen, nitromi fene (85)... 

Pyridinium chloride ([PyHjCl) has also been used in a number ofcyclization reactions of aryl ethers (Scheme 5.1-4) [4, 18]. Presumably the reaction initially proceeds by deallcylation of the methyl ether groups to produce the corresponding phenol. The mechanism of the cyclization is not well understood, but Pagni and Smith have suggested that it proceeds by nucleophilic attack of an Ar-OH or Ar-0 group on the second aromatic ring (in a protonated form) [4]. 

Although the sulfone activated biphenyl and the ketone activated naphthalene moiety for the displacement polymerization have been reported by Attwood et al. [11], these were rediscovered by Cummings et al. [12] and Hergenrother et al. [13], respectively, for the synthesis of poly(aryl ethers). Recently, Singh and Hay [14] reported polymers containing 0-dibenzoyl benzene (1,2,3) moiety by reaction between bis(O-fluorobenzoyl) benzene or substituted benzene with bisphenates of alkali metal salt in DMAC as follows ... 

It is interesting to note that all the new aromatic systems, as described, undergo displacement polymerizations in DMAC solvent by the K2CO3 method, except perfluoroalkylene [10] and amide activated polymerization [9], which were performed in NMP solvent. The displacement polymerization in DMAC solvent was carried out at 155-164°C. poly(aryl ether ketones) require less reaction time (3-6 h) than other aromatic systems for synthesis of polyethers [15]. Synthesis of the fluorinated polyether as reported by Irvin et al. [16] was carried out at room temperature for 16 h (Mw = 75,000), whereas the same polymer by Mercer et al. [17] was synthesized at 120°C for 17 h (Mw = 78,970). 

Diphenol/thiophenol is one of the most important polymer precursors for synthesis of poly(aryl ethers) or poly-(aryl sulfides) in displacement polymerizations. Commonly used bisphenols are 4,4 -isopropylidene diphenol or bisphenol-A (BPA) due to their low price and easy availability. Other commercial bisphenols have also been reported [7,24,25]. Recently, synthesis of poly(aryl ethers) by the reaction of new bisphenol monomers with activated aromatic dihalides has been reported. The structures of the polymer precursors are described in Table 2. Poly(aryl ether phenylquinoxalines) have been synthesized by Connell et al. [26], by the reaction of bisphenols containing a preformed quinoxaline ring with... 

The advantage of the activated displacement polymerization is the facile incorporation of different and unconventional structural units in the polymer backbone. Most of the heteroarylene activated polyethers prepared by this route are soluble in many organic solvents. The solubility behavior of new polyethers is shown in Table 8. In contrast to many polyphenylenequi-noxalines, poly(aryl ether phenylquinoxalines) prepared by the quionoxaline activated displacement reaction are soluble in NMP. Solubility in NMP is important since it is frequently used for polymer processing in the microelectronics industry [27]. 

Unlike the acid-catalyzed ether cleavage reaction discussed in the previous section, which is general to all ethers, the Claisen rearrangement is specific to allyl aryl ethers, Ar—O—CH2CH = CH2. Treatment of a phenoxide ion with 3-bromopropene (allyl bromide) results in a Williamson ether synthesis and formation of an allyl aryl ether. Heating the allyl aryl ether to 200 to 250 °C then effects Claisen rearrangement, leading to an o-allylphenol. The net result is alkylation of the phenol in an ortho position. 

Methyl aryl ethers, such as anisole, are cleaved to iodomethane and a phen-oxide ion by treatment with Li) in hot DMR Propose a mechanism for this reaction. 

Two other important sigmatropic reactions are the Claisen rearrangement of an allyl aryl ether discussed in Section 18.4 and the Cope rearrangement of a 1,5-hexadiene. These two, along with the Diels-Alder reaction, are the most useful pericyclic reactions for organic synthesis many thousands of examples of all three are known. Note that the Claisen rearrangement occurs with both allylic aryl ethers and allylic vinylic ethers. 

It should be pointed out that not all benzoin derivatives (75) are suitable for use as photoinitialors. Benzoin esters (75, R=aeyl) undergo a side reaction leading to furan derivatives. Aryl ethers (75, R=aryl) undergo (3-seission to give a phenoxy radical (an inhibitor) in competition with a-scission (Scheme 3.54). Benzoin derivatives with a-hydrogens (75 R-Il) are readily autoxidized and consequently can have poor shelf lives. 

The present procedure illustrates the facile demethylation of methyl aryl ethers by lithium diphenylphosphide.3 This reaction is specific for methyl ethers and may be carried out in the presence of ethyl ethers in high yield.4 Use of excess reagent allows cleavage in the presence of enolizable ketones.5 In the present case, the cleavage may be performed without protection of the aldehyde, but two equivalents of reagent are required, and the yield is reduced to ca. 60%. 

The occurrence of arenediazo alkyl and aryl ethers as intermediates has been discussed since 1870, when Kekule and Hidegh postulated that in the azo coupling reaction of benzenediazonium salts with phenol, 4-phenylazophenol is formed via the diazo phenyl ether. The analogous problem for diazo methyl ethers was first discussed by von Euler (1903). 

Herbert and Hay reported a bisphenolic monomer, 3,8-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-A-phenyl-1,2-naphthalimide (Table 6.1), as well as its corresponding polyf V-phenyl imido aryl ether sulfone) via transimidization reactions with hydrazine monohydrate, aliphatic amines, and an amino acid.193 These polysulfones with... 

It is interesting to point out that the same kind of arylation of this methoxyethanol with arylbromide, performed in the same reactions conditions, but now in presence of copper(I) or (II) catalysts with oxygen, phosphorus or nitrogen ligands give very poor yields no higher than 12 % in aryl ether (Fig. 10). 

Dialkyl and alkyl aryl ethers can be cleaved with iodotrimethylsilane ROR -bMe3SiI — Rl-bMe3SiOR. A more convenient and less exjjensive alternative, which gives the same products, is a mixture of chlorotrimethylsilane and Nal. Alkyl aryl ethers can also be cleaved with Lil to give alkyl iodides and salts of phenols in a reaction similar to 10-73. Triphenyldibromophosphorane (Ph3PBr2) cleaves dialkyl ethers to give 2mol of alkyl bromide. ... 

In these cases, of course, the final tautomerization does not take place even when R = H, since there is no aromaticity to restore, and ketones are more stable than enols.The use of water as solvent accelerates the reaction.The mechanism is similar to that with allylic aryl ethers. 

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