Boron trifluoride Friedel-Crafts reaction

Friedel-Crafts reaction of isopropylbenzene and 2-methylpropenal diacetate (methacrolein diacetate) in the presence of titanium tetrachloride/boron trifluoride etherate gives cyclamenaldehyde enolacetate, which is hydrolyzed to the aldehyde [151] ... 

The application of the ideas of Lewis on acids, which correlate a wide range of phenomena in qualitative fashion, has as yet led to very few quantitative studies of reaction velocity but has led to detailed speculations as to mechanisms (Luder and Zuffanti, 118). Friedel-Crafts reactions are considered to be acid-catalyzed, the formation of a car-bonium ion being the first step. The carbonium ion then acts as an acid relative to the base benzene which, upon loss of a proton, yields the alkylated product. Isomerizations of isoparaffins can be explained in similar fashion (Schneider and Kennedy, 119). An alkyl halide yields a carbonium ion on reaction with acids such as boron trifluoride, aluminum chloride, and other metal halides. 

Similar structures can be realised in low yield from the Friedel-Crafts reaction of 1,4-dimethoxybenzene with substituted phthalic anhydrides (R = Me, Et, i-Pr), which were obtained by the appropriate Diels-Alder synthesis. The acylations were effected in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate as catalyst, followed by demethylation of the product (ref.55). 

Other Catalysts used in Friedel-Crafts Reaction. In addition to aluminium chloride there are a number of other catalysts that are used frequently, such as Ferric chloride [FeClg] Boron trifluoride [BFg] Zinc chloride [ZnCl2] etc. 

In Friedel-Crafts reactions, ortho substitution of the polymer is more likely to occur if the reaction is conducted at elevated temperatures and for a relatively long reaction time. To overcome these problems, it has been proposed to use a boron trifluoride catalyst in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride. Another procedure uses lithium chloride and aluminum chloride to polymerize p-phenoxybenzoyl chloride as the ketone monomer and p-phenoxybenzenesulfonyl chloride as the sulfone monomer. ... 

Hydrogen fluoride-boron trifluoride (tetrafluoroboric acid, HF-BF3) is used in numerous Friedel-Crafts reactions, isomerization, rearrangement and car-bonylation, and also has industrial interest (42,54). It has a good solubility in organic solvents and, therefore, acts as a strong acid under nonaqueous conditions. 

Alkylation of Aromatics. Aromatic hydrocarbons containing a replaceable hydrogen can be alkylated unless steric effects prevent introduction of the alkyl group (61,78-82). The reaction is called the Friedel-Crafts alkylation, first realized in the presence of aluminum chloride, which is the catalyst still the most frequently used and studied in Friedel-Crafts reactions. In addition, many other acid catalysts are effective (80,82-84). These include other Lewis acids (other aluminum halides, gallium chloride, boron trifluoride, ferric chloride, zinc chloride, stannous and stannic chloride, antimony chloride) and protic acids (hydrogen fluoride, concentrated sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, polyphosphoric acid, trifluo-romethanesulfonic acid, and alkane- and arenesulfonic acids). 

Nitroparaffins afford an unique reaction medium for Friedel-Crafts reactions since these solvents will dissolve Lewis acid catalysts such as anhydrous aluminum chloride (AICI3), boron trifluoride (BF3), titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), and stannic tetrachloride (SnC ). The role of nitromethane as a metal stabilizer for various chlorinated and fluorinated solvents involves its ability to complex with metal salts like aluminum chloride from the solvent-metal reaction. 

Friedel-Crafts reaction catalysts like anhydrous aluminum chloride are readily soluble in the nitroalkanes. Solutions containing up to 50% aluminum chloride are easily prepared in nitroalkane solvents. These catalytically active complexes, AICI3-RNO2, can be isolated and used in solvents other than the nitroalkane. The reactants in the Friedel-Crafts reaction are often soluble in the nitroalkane reaction medium. Other catalysts like boron trifluoride (BF3), titanium tetrachloride (TiCl4), and stannic tetrachloride (SnCl4) are also soluble in the nitroalkane solvents. Reaction types which use nitroparaffins as solvents include alkylation of aromatics, acetylation of aromatics, halogenations, nitrations, and the reaction of olefins and hydrogen sulfide to yield mercaptans. 

Friedel-Catalysts n Strongly acidic metal halides such as aluminum chloride, aluminum bromide, boron trifluoride, ferric chloride, and zinc chloride, used in the polymerization of unsaturated hydrocarbons, e.g., olefins. (Friedel-Crafts reactions using such catalysis are named for Charles Friedel and James Crafts, who first used them in 1877.) These acidic halides are also known as Lewis acids. 

Thus a very strong acid can force even benzene to behave as a base. Similar behavior induced by other strong acids like aluminum chloride and boron trifluoride can be postulated to clear up a great deal of the mystery which until quite recently surrounded catalysis of the type observed in Friedel-Crafts reactions. This kind of catalysis will be dealt with in the concluding chapters. 

In each case the configuration around the boron changes from trigonal planar to tetrahedral on adduct formation. Because of this ability to form additional compounds, boron trifluoride is an important catalyst and is used in many organic reactions, notably polymerisation, esterification, and Friedel-Crafts acylation and alkylations. 

Other catalysts which may be used in the Friedel - Crafts alkylation reaction include ferric chloride, antimony pentachloride, zirconium tetrachloride, boron trifluoride, zinc chloride and hydrogen fluoride but these are generally not so effective in academic laboratories. The alkylating agents include alkyl halides, alcohols and olefines. 

Concerning my research during my Dow years, as I discuss iu Chapter 4, my search for cationic carbon intermediates started back in Hungary, while 1 was studying Friedel-Crafts-type reactions with acyl and subsequently alkyl fluorides catalyzed by boron trifluoride. In the course of these studies I observed (and, in some cases, isolated) intermediate complexes of either donor-acceptor or ionic nature. 

Although all four tocopherols have been synthesized as their all-rac forms, the commercially significant form of tocopherol is i7//-n7i a-tocopheryl acetate. The commercial processes ia use are based on the work reported by several groups ia 1938 (15—17). These processes utilize a Friedel-Crafts-type condensation of 2,3,5-trimethylhydroquinone with either phytol (16), a phytyl haUde (7,16,17), or phytadiene (7). The principal synthesis (Fig. 3) ia current commercial use iavolves condensation of 2,3,5-trimethylhydroquiQone (13) with synthetic isophytol (14) ia an iaert solvent, such as benzene or hexane, with an acid catalyst, such as ziac chloride, boron trifluoride, or orthoboric acid/oxaUc acid (7,8,18) to give the all-rac-acetate ester (15b) by reaction with acetic anhydride. Purification of tocopheryl acetate is readily accompHshed by high vacuum molecular distillation and rectification (<1 mm Hg) to achieve the required USP standard. 

Benzyl Alcohols. Benzyl alcohols of nearly all kinds undergo reduction when treated with acid in the presence of organosilicon hydrides. The most obvious exception to this is the behavior of benzyl alcohol itself. It resists reduction by the action of trifluoroacetic acid and triethylsilane, even after extended reaction times.26 Reducing systems consisting of triethylsilane and sulfuric acid/acetic acid or p-toluenesullonic acid/acetic acid mixtures also fail to reduce benzyl alcohol to toluene.134 As previously mentioned, substitution of boron trifluoride for trifluoroacetic acid results in the formation of modest yields of toluene, but only when a very large excess of the silane is used in order to capture the benzyl cation intermediate and suppress Friedel-Crafts oligomerization processes.129,143... 

The electron-rich thiophene ring system can be elaborated into complex, fused thiophenes by acid-mediated intramolecular annelation reactions. For example, treatment of alcohol 96 with trimethylsilyl triflate promoted a Friedel-Crafts acylation and subsequent dehydration giving benzo[b]thiophene 97, a potential analgesic <00JMC765>. Treatment of ketone 98 with p-toluenesulfonic acid resulted in the formation of fused benzo[b]thiophene 99 <00T8153>. Another variant involved the cyclization of epoxide 100 to fused benzo[f>]thiophene 101 mediated by boron trifluoride-etherate . 

Ethynylcarbazole was apparently formed by sodamide treatment of 9-dichlorovinylcarbazole (97) and zinc reduction of 97 gave 98. Where no reaction occurred with the Z isomer, 99 gave the dimer 100 with boron trifluoride the process presumably involves Lewis acid-catalyzed alkylation of one double bond by another double bond, complexed to boron trifluoride, followed by intramolecular Friedel-Crafts type alkylation at the carbazole 1-position. ... 

In carrying out the alkylation of benzene the propylene tetramer is reacted with an excess of benzene in the presence of a Friedel-Crafts catalyst such as aluminum chloride, boron trifluoride, or hydrofluoric acid. With careful control of this reaction, yields of alkylate boiling from 500° to 650° F. are of the order of 80% of theory with the losses due to slight olefin degradation and dialkylation. Inspection of commercial aromatic products, believed to be typical of this process, indicates the composition to be that shown in... 

Concerning electrophilic side reactions, intramolecular Friedel-Crafts condensations have been reported for example, fluorenone is formed from 2-benzoylbenzenediazonium tetrafluorobo-rate.241 The strong Lewis acid boron trifluoride can also be responsible for side reactions, such as the extensive formation of tars from nitro-substituted arenediazonium tetrafluorobor-ates or the acidic hydrolysis of ester substituents, especially in the case of 2-(ethoxycar-bonyl)benzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate.105,242... 

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