Boron compounds catalysts

The reaction of adipic acid with ammonia in either Hquid or vapor phase produces adipamide as an intermediate which is subsequentiy dehydrated to adiponitrile. The most widely used catalysts are based on phosphoms-containing compounds, but boron compounds and siHca gel also have been patented for this use (52—56). Vapor-phase processes involve the use of fixed catalyst beds whereas, in Hquid—gas processes, the catalyst is added to the feed. The reaction temperature of the Hquid-phase processes is ca 300°C and most vapor-phase processes mn at 350—400°C. Both operate at atmospheric pressure. Yields of adipic acid to adiponitrile are as high as 95% (57). 

Boron trifluoride [7637-07-2] (trifluoroborane), BF, was first reported in 1809 by Gay-Lussac and Thenard (1) who prepared it by the reaction of boric acid and fluorspar at duU red heat. It is a colorless gas when dry, but fumes in the presence of moisture yielding a dense white smoke of irritating, pungent odor. It is widely used as an acid catalyst (2) for many types of organic reactions, especially for the production of polymer and petroleum (qv) products. The gas was first produced commercially in 1936 by the Harshaw Chemical Co. (see also Boron COMPOUNDS). 

Boron trifluoride catalyst is used under a great variety of conditions either alone in the gas phase or in the presence of many types of promoters. Many boron trifluoride coordination compounds are also used. 

Boron trifluoride catalyst may be recovered by distillation, chemical reactions, or a combination of these methods. Ammonia or amines are frequently added to the spent catalyst to form stable coordination compounds that can be separated from the reaction products. Subsequent treatment with sulfuric acid releases boron trifluoride. An organic compound may be added that forms an adduct more stable than that formed by the desired product and boron trifluoride. In another procedure, a fluoride is added to the reaction products to precipitate the boron trifluoride which is then released by heating. Selective solvents may also be employed in recovery procedures (see Catalysts,regeneration). 

Boron tribromide [10294-33A], BBr, is used in the manufacture of diborane and in the production of ultra high purity boron (see Boron, ELEMENTAL BoRON COMPOUNDS). Anhydrous aluminum bromide [7727-15-3], AIBr., is used as an acid catalyst in organic syntheses where it is more reactive and more soluble in organic solvents than AlCl. Tballium bromide [7789AOA], TlBr, is claimed as a component in radiographic image conversion panels (39). 

Increasing interest is expressed in diastereoselective addition of organometallic reagents to the ON bond of chiral imines or their derivatives, as well as chiral catalyst-facilitated enantioselective addition of nucleophiles to pro-chiral imines.98 The imines frequently selected for investigation include N-masked imines such as oxime ethers, sulfenimines, and /V-trimcthylsilylimines (150-153). A variety of chiral modifiers, including chiral boron compounds, chiral diols, chiral hydroxy acids, A-sull onyl amino acids, and /V-sulfonyl amido alcohols 141-149, have been evaluated for their efficiency in enantioselective allylboration reactions.680... 

Often Lewis acids are added to the system as a cocatalyst. It could be envisaged that Lewis acids enhance the cationic nature of the nickel species and increase the rate of reductive elimination. Indeed, the Lewis acidity mainly determines the activity of the catalyst. It may influence the regioselectivity of the catalyst in such a way as to give more linear product, but this seems not to be the case. Lewis acids are particularly important in the addition of the second molecule of HCN to molecules 2 and 4. Stoichiometrically, Lewis acids (boron compounds, triethyl aluminium) accelerate reductive elimination of RCN (R=CH2Si(CH3)3) from palladium complexes P2Pd(R)(CN) (P2= e g. dppp) [7], This may involve complexation of the Lewis acid to the cyanide anion, thus decreasing the electron density at the metal and accelerating the reductive elimination. 

In contrast to solid-phase Suzuki couphng, very low amounts of the Pd-catalyst (0.2 mol%) were sufficient and high conversions (87-99%) to biaryls (65) were obtained to yield relatively pure products (>90%, GC/MS, NMR) after ultrafiltration. In some cases most of the polymer supported boronic compound precipitated during the reaction and therefore no further purification was required. Nonetheless, quantitative removal of catalyst traces was not yet possible with either work-up protocol. 

Whether or not such electrophilic organometallic species can be identified, or indeed isolated, depends primarily on the stability of the counteranion. The per-fluorophenyl boron compounds B(C,sF5)3 and [B(C6F5)4] , first prepared by Stone and co-workers in 1963 [33], proved particularly useful in this respect. Their use in metallocene polymerisation catalysis [34, 35] led to significantly more active catalysts and well-defined catalyst systems that proved mechanistically informative. These results have then enabled similar species to be detected in the more complex MAO-activated catalyst systems (vide infra). 

Boric oxide is used to produce many types of glass including low-sodium, continuous filaments for glass-belted tires, and fiberglass plastics. It also is used to make ceramic coatings, porcelain enamels and glazes. Also, the compound is used as an acid catalyst in organic synthesis and to prepare several other boron compounds. 

Boron trichloride is used as a catalyst in polymerization reactions. Other applications include refining of alloys soldering flux and as a component in certain fire extinguishers. It also is used to prepare boron libers and other boron compounds including diborane, sodium borohydride and several adducts. 

Volatile boron compounds, especially boranes, are usually more toxic than boric acid or soluble borates (Table 29.9) (NAS 1980). However, there is little commercial production of synthetic boranes, except for sodium borohydride — one of the least toxic boranes (Sprague 1972). Boron trifluoride is a gas used as a catalyst in several industrial systems, but on exposure to moisture in air, it reacts to form a stable dihydride (Rusch etal. 1986). Eor boric oxide dusts, occupational exposures to 4.1 mg/m (range 1.2 to 8.5) are associated with eye irritation dryness of mouth, nose and throat sore throat and cough (Garabrant et al. 1984). 

A potential way to avoid the formation of undesired side products, like in 7.2., is the use of such boron compounds that have only one transferable group. In most cases boronic acids are the compounds of choice, as they are easy to prepare, insensitive to moisture and air, and usually form crystalline solids. In certain cases, however the transmetalation of the heteroaryl group might be hindered by the formation of stable hydrogen bonded complexes. In such cases the use of a boronate ester, such as in equation 7.4., provides better yields. For example pyridine-2-boronic acid dimethylester coupled readily with a bromoquinoline derivative under conditions similar to 7.3. (potassium hydroxide was used as base and tetrabutylammonium bromide as phase transfer catalyst).6... 

Hydroboration. Although hydroboration seldom requires a catalyst, hydrobora-tion with electron-deficient boron compounds, such as boric esters, may be greatly accelerated by using transition-metal catalysts. In addition, the chemo-, regio- and stereoslectivity of hydroboration could all be affected. Furthemore, catalyzed hydroboration may offer the possibility to carry out chiral hydroboration by the use of catalysts with chiral ligands. Since the hydroboration of alkynes is more facile than that of alkenes the main advantage of the catalytic process for alkynes may be to achieve better selectivities. Hydroboration catalyzed by transition-metal complexes has become the most intensively studied area of the field.599... 

Nucleophilic allysilanes or -stannanes react with aldehydes in the presence of Lewis acids (294). As illustrated in Scheme 122, the use of a chiral boron compound as catalyst affords the corresponding homoal-lylic alcohols of high enantiomeric purity (295). 

Only a few additives have been proposed as general-purpose deposit modifiers or preventers. Boron compounds have already been mentioned (46). Use of metal chelates of pentadione (PD) as a combustion catalyst, said to remove deposits and keep clean combustion-chamber surfaces, was reported in 1949 (7) and was disclosed in patents as far back as 1937. More work on octane-requirement increase depressants may be expected. 

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