Aryl groups, nucleophilic attack

Azidoalcohols (79, 81) can be accessed directly through the cerium-catalyzed addition of sodium azide onto mono-substituted epoxides. When the substituent is a simple alkyl or aryl group, nucleophilic attack at the more substituted epoxide carbon was observed i.e., 78 -> 79). However, when a phenoxy group was incorporated into the side chain (e.g., 80), a crossover to attack on the unsubstituted methylene carbon was encountered <99SC561>. 

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]. 

Abbott and coworkers229 found that nucleophilic addition of amines to a, p-unsaturated sulfoxide gave asymmetrically induced adducts. For example, treatment of (R)-(—)-cis-propenyl p-tolyl sulfoxide 184 with piperidine in methanol gave a quantitative mixture of the diastereomeric adduct 185. Reduction of this mixture gave (Rs)-(Sc)-2-piperidinopropyl p-tolyl sulfide 186 in 74% optical yield, suggesting that the amines attack from the opposite side of the bulky aryl group at the transition state, as shown above (Figure 6). 

The use of iodotrimethylsilane for this purpose provides an effective alternative to known methods. Thus the reaction of primary and secondary methyl ethers with iodotrimethylsilane in chloroform or acetonitrile at 25—60° for 2—64 hours affords the corresponding trimethylsilyl ethers in high yield. The alcohols may be liberated from the trimethylsilyl ethers by methanolysis. The mechanism of the ether cleavage is presumed to involve initial formation of a trimethylsilyl oxonium ion which is converted to the silyl ether by nucleophilic attack of iodide at the methyl group. tert-Butyl, trityl, and benzyl ethers of primary and secondary alcohols are rapidly converted to trimethylsilyl ethers by the action of iodotrimethylsilane, probably via heterolysis of silyl oxonium ion intermediates. The cleavage of aryl methyl ethers to aryl trimethylsilyl ethers may also be effected more slowly by reaction with iodotrimethylsilane at 25—50° in chloroform or sulfolane for 12-125 hours, with iodotrimethylsilane at 100—110° in the absence of solvent, " and with iodotrimethylsilane generated in situ from iodine and trimcthylphenylsilane at 100°. ... 

A useful method to synthesize ten and fourteen-membered ring imides 346 involved an initial condensation of macrocyclic -ketoestes 343 with alkyl or aryl isocyanates and carbodiimides, respectively, in the presence of a base [68]. After a nucleophilic attack of the enolate on the isocyanate C, the resultant amide N anion 344 induced a ring closure by addition to the keto group. Then, the intermediately formed four-membered ring 345 underwent a fragmentation... 

Peroxybenzoic acid readily oxidizes aryl and alkyl sulphoxides in acetone, methylene chloride or chloroform solutions, to the sulphone in high yield . The reaction is second order and acid catalysed as is the reaction with peracetic acid . The rate of oxidation is about five times faster than when peracetic acid is used. Other work considering the oxidation of sulphoxides with peracids gathered kinetic evidence and showed that the reaction was indeed second order and that the reaction involved nucleophilic attack by the sulphoxide sulphur atom on the peracid moiety. A further study by the same authors showed that with benzyl and phenyl alkyl sulphoxides the rate of reaction was very sensitive to the inductive effect of the alkyl group. Support for the nucleophilic attack by the sulphur atom on the peracid in acidic solution was forthcoming from other sources . ... 

Arylative or silylative cyclizations of allenyl aldehydes or ketones have been reported (Equations (101) and (102)).459,459a The intermolecular process, that is, three-component coupling reaction of aldehydes, allenes, and arylboronic acids, is catalyzed by palladium as well (Equation (103)).46O 46Oa These reactions are proposed to proceed through nucleophilic attack of the allylpalladium intermediates to the carbonyl groups. 

The role of Ti(OPri)4 in this process is shown in Figure 2-7. The aldehyde is illustrated in two conformations, the solid lines indicating the more favorable orientation. The conformation represented by the dashed line is disfavored by a steric interaction with a pseudo-axial aryl group. Assuming that the attack of a nucleophile comes from the direction of the viewer, this hypothesis accounts for the Sf-face selectivity in all known Ti-TADDOLate-mediated nucleophilic additions to aldehydes. 

Rawal s group developed an intramolecular aryl Heck cyclization method to synthesize benzofurans, indoles, and benzopyrans [83], The rate of cyclization was significantly accelerated in the presence of bases, presumably because the phenolate anion formed under the reaction conditions was much more reactive as a soft nucleophile than phenol. In the presence of a catalytic amount of Herrmann s dimeric palladacyclic catalyst (101) [84], and 3 equivalents of CS2CO3 in DMA, vinyl iodide 100 was transformed into ortho and para benzofuran 102 and 103. In the mechanism proposed by Rawal, oxidative addition of phenolate 104 to Pd(0) is followed by nucleophilic attack of the ambident phenolate anion on o-palladium intermediate 105 to afford aryl-vinyl palladium species 106 after rearomatization of the presumed cyclohexadienone intermediate. Reductive elimination of palladium followed by isomerization of the exocyclic double bond furnishes 102. 

In Lambert s approach, the triarylstannylium ion is generated by the reaction of an electrophile with an allyltri-arylstannane. The bulky aryl groups sterically protect the tin center in the stannylium ion from attack by nucleophiles, yet the allyl ligand permits unhindered conjugate electrophilic displacement of the tin (Equation (42)).145... 

More recently a variation of this mechanism was reported by Novak [37], The mechanism involves nucleophilic attack at co-ordinated phosphines and it explains the exchange of aryl groups at the phosphine centres with the intermediacy of metal aryl moieties. After the nucleophilic attack the phosphine may dissociate from the metal as a phosphonium salt. To obtain a catalytic cycle the phosphonium salt adds oxidatively to the zerovalent palladium complex (Figure 2.38). Note where the electrons go . 

After the initial demonstration of stoichiometric nucleophilic attack on 7i-allyl ligands, catalytic allylic substitution reactions were pursued. In 1970, groups from Union Carbide [3, 4], Shell Oil [5], and Toray Industries [6] published or patented examples of catalytic allylic substitution. All three groups reported allylic amination with palladium catalysts. The Toray Industries report also demonstrated the exchange of aryl ether and ester leaving groups, and the patent from Shell Oil includes catalysts based on rhodium and platinum. 

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