Benzyl derivatives nucleophilic substitution

As is broadly true for aromatic compounds, the a- or benzylic position of alkyl substituents exhibits special reactivity. This includes susceptibility to radical reactions, because of the. stabilization provided the radical intermediates. In indole derivatives, the reactivity of a-substituents towards nucleophilic substitution is greatly enhanced by participation of the indole nitrogen. This effect is strongest at C3, but is also present at C2 and to some extent in the carbocyclic ring. The effect is enhanced by N-deprotonation. 

An important method for construction of functionalized 3-alkyl substituents involves introduction of a nucleophilic carbon synthon by displacement of an a-substituent. This corresponds to formation of a benzylic bond but the ability of the indole ring to act as an electron donor strongly influences the reaction pattern. Under many conditions displacement takes place by an elimination-addition sequence[l]. Substituents that are normally poor leaving groups, e.g. alkoxy or dialkylamino, exhibit a convenient level of reactivity. Conversely, the 3-(halomethyl)indoles are too reactive to be synthetically useful unless stabilized by a ring EW substituent. 3-(Dimethylaminomethyl)indoles (gramine derivatives) prepared by Mannich reactions or the derived quaternary salts are often the preferred starting material for the nucleophilic substitution reactions. 

Nucleophilic substitution of the halogen atom of halogenomethylisoxazoles proceeds readily this reaction does not differ essentially from that of benzyl halides. One should note the successful hydrolysis of 4-chloromethyl- and 4-(chlorobenzyl)-isoxazoles by freshly precipitated lead oxide, a reagent seldom used in organic chemistry. Other halides, ethers, and esters of the isoxazole series have been obtained from 3- and 4-halogenomethylisoxazoles, and 3-chloro-methylisoxazole has been reported in the Arbuzov rearrangement. Panizzi has used dichloromethylisoxazole derivatives to synthesize isoxazole-3- and isoxazole-5-aldehydes/ ... 

In another report of Singh and Han [61], Ir-catalyzed decarboxylative amidations of benzyl allyl imidodicarboxylates derived from enantiomerically enriched branched allylic alcohols are described. This reaction proceeded with complete stereospecificity-that is, with complete conservation of enantiomeric purity and retention of configuration. This result underlines once again (cf. Section 9.2.2) that the isomerization of intermediary (allyl) Ir complexes is a slow process in comparison with nucleophilic substitution. 

The 3-0-benzyl derivative underwent a rapid reaction with TASF at reflux temperature to give methyl 3-0-benzyl-A,6-0-benzylidene-2-deoxy-2-fluoro-p- -glucopyranoside (J ) in A5% yield, and a minor product (19% yield) tentatively assigned the structure of methyl 3-0-benzvl-A.6-0-benzvlldene-2-deoxv-B-D-ervthro-hex-2-enopyranoslde. Base-catalyzed elimination reactions with trlflyl derivatives are uncommon (, ), but have been observed In certain furanoid (A0,A2) and, recently, in pyranoid (33,35) ring systems (see also Table I). Eliminations in glycopyranosldes occurred (33,35) under conditions which decreased the ease of nucleophilic substitution (33,A3,AA). 

Nucleophilic Substitution at Benzyl Derivatives. The sharp break from a stepwise to a concerted mechanism that is observed for nucleophilic substitution of azide ion at X-l-Y (Figs. 2.2 and 2.5) is blurred for nucleophilic substitution at the primary 4-methoxybenzyl derivatives (4-MeO,H)-3-Y. For example, the secondary substrate (4-MeO)-l-Cl reacts exclusively by a stepwise mechanism through the liberated carbocation intermediate (4-MeO)-T, which shows a moderately large selectivity toward azide ion ( az/ s = 100 in 50 50 (v/v) water/ trifluoroethanol). The removal of an a-Me group from (4-MeO)-l-Cl to give (4-MeO,H)-3-Cl increases the barrier to ionization of the substrate in the stepwise reaction relative to that for the concerted bimolecular substitution of azide ion. The result is that both of these mechanisms are observed concurrently for nucleophilic substitution of azide ion at (4-MeO,H)-3-Cl in water/acetone solvents. These concurrent stepwise and concerted nucleophilic substitution reactions of azide ion with (4-MeO,H)-3-Cl show that there is no sharp borderline between mechanisms for substitution at primary benzylic carbon, but instead a region of overlap where both mechanisms are observed. 

A second example which points out the fallacy in relating charge and geometric progression may be seen in the nucleophilic substitution of benzyl derivatives (p. 155). Since such reactions require at least three configurations... 

Fig. 36 Plot of geometrical progression vs charge development on the benzyl carbon for a nucleophilic substitution reaction of a benzyl derivative...

All nuclear nucleophilic substitutions on derivatives of compound 4 have involved the replacement of a substituent at position 7 (the equivalent of the y -position in pyridine). In the 7-chloro derivative 244, replacement is possible by methoxide ion,151 by ammonia (with some rearrangement)192 and by amines,151 and by thiourea to give the sulfide (245).151 Substituted 7-chloro derivatives undergo replacement by benzyl oxide ion to give a 7-benzyloxy derivative155,220 and by azide,153 hydrazine,216 hydrosulfide (to give the 7-thione166), and methyl thiolate.220 Some of these compounds carry D-ribofuranosyl benzoate substituents on N-2 or N-3, and methoxide ion... 

Chlorination or bromination of isothiochroman yields the corresponding 1-halo derivatives,241,252 253 which are intermediates for numerous isothiochromans since the halogen atoms are benzylic and, therefore, very susceptible to nucleophilic substitution. Thus, 1-chloroisothio-chroman wth mercuric cyanide gives the 1-cyano derivative, which provides the 1-carboxylic acid, 1-ester, and the 1-amide.239,252 The remaining 1-H of the 1-cyano derivative is acidic and, with base,... 

Illustrative examples of cleavage reactions of /V-arylbenzylaminc derivatives are listed in Table 3.25. Aromatic amines can be immobilized as /V-bcnzylanilincs by reductive amination of resin-bound aldehydes or by nucleophilic substitution of resin-bound benzyl halides (Chapter 10). The attachment of the amino group of 5-aminoin-doles to 2-chlorotrityl chloride resin has been reported [486]. Anilines have also been linked to resin-bound dihydropyran as aminals [487]. 

Diazines other than diketopiperazines can also be prepared on insoluble supports (Table 15.31 see also Figure 3.13 [382]). Most strategies are based on intramolecular nucleophilic substitutions or acylations. Several examples of the solid-phase preparation of quinoxalinones have been reported. In most cases, the compounds have been prepared from support-bound 2-fluoronitrobenzenes according to the strategies outlined in Figure 15.18. Alternatively, a-amino acid esters bound to polystyrene as IV-benzyl derivatives can be N-arylated with 2-fluoronitrobenzene. Reduction of the resulting 2-nitroaniline leads to the formation of quinoxalinones [383]. 1,4-Diazines have been chemically modified by N- or C-alkylation on insoluble supports (Entries 9 and 10, Table 15.31). 

For benzo[c]pyrylium salts having different alkyl substituents in positions a(l) and a (3), the reaction with secondary amines loses its predictable regioselectivity. Thus, reaction with dimethylamine, independent of the solvent, gives rise to /3-naphthylamine 185, from l-ethyl-3-methyl-substituted salt 183 (81KGS1608), and a-naphthylamine 186 from 1-benzyl derivative 184 (88UP1). In the former case, the nucleophilic attack occurs in position 3, whereas in the latter case, it takes place in position 1. 

The regioselective functionalization of nitrobenzene and benzonitrile derivatives has been performed via nucleophilic aromatic substitution of hydrogen by phosphorus-stabilized carbanions.41 Lithium phosphazenes have been found to be the most suitable nucleophiles for the substitution of hydrogen in nitrobenzene. This method represents a convenient alternative to the vicarious nucleophilic substitution for the synthesis of benzylic phosphorus derivatives using phosphorus-stabilized anions that do not bear a leaving group at the carbanionic centre. 

Benzylic electrophiles bearing electron-withdrawing groups at the arene do not always yield the expected products of nucleophilic substitution on treatment with a nucleophile. One important side reaction is the dimerization of these compounds to yield 1,2-diarylethenes (stilbenes). This dimerization does not require such highly activated systems as the example sketched in Scheme 4.28, but can even occur with, for example, 2- or 4-nitrobenzyl chloride [120, 121]. The latter compounds are converted into the corresponding stilbenes by treatment with KOH in ethanol [120]. Di-arylmethyl halides behave similarly and can yield tetraarylethenes on treatment with a base. These reactions presumably proceed via the mechanism sketched in Scheme 4.27, in which the amphiphilic character of the nitro group plays a decisive role (metalated nitroalkanes or 4-nitrobenzyl derivatives can act as nucleophiles and as electrophiles). 

---