Butadiene isomerization

The trans-poly-1,4-butadiene isomer is a harder and less soluble rigid crystalline polymer than the cis isomer. As shown by the skeletal structures for the trans isomer (Figure 1.11), chain extensions on opposite sides of the double bonds allow good fitting of adjacent polymer chains, and this, results in a rigid structure. In contrast, the os-poly-1,4-butadiene isomeric polymer units do not permit such interlocking of alternate units. Even so, chain... 

It seems that the order of shifts in the various reactions going from strongly oxidizing to a more moderate activity is CO2 —> loss - butadiene - isomerization. If loss is identified with oxygen-containing substances, this would conform to expectations. This sequence is also in line with the results of Table I with one notable exception V Or, is... 

Figure 6.16. The funnel region for butadiene isomerization a) cross section of the excited-slate potential energy surface for fi = a, where a, and a, correspond to rotations about the two C=C bonds of butadiene and p lo rotation about the single bond and b) optimized geometries of the three points of minimal energy within the funnel (by permission from Olivucci et al., 1993).

MINDO has also been used as a basis for a theoretical discussion of ketene cycloadditions 143> of cyclobutene-butadiene isomerization 144>. 

A. Komornicki and J. W. Mclver, Chem. Phys. Lett., 10, 303 (1971). Rapid Geometry Optimization for Self-Consistent Molecular Orbital Methods. A. Komornicki and J. W. Mclver, / Am. Chem. Soc., 94, 2625 (1971). Structures of Transition States in Organic Reactions. General Theory and an Application to the Cyclobutene-Butadiene Isomerization Using a Self-Consistent Molecular Orbital Method. 

Transition States in Organic Reacrions. General Theory and an Application to the Cyclobutene-Butadiene Isomerization Using a Semiempirical Molecular Orbital Method. 

Studies both with model compounds and deuterated polymers have shown that, as with the poly butadienes, isomerization is not accompanied by double bond migration. 

J. W, Mclver, Jr. and A. Komornicki, Structure of transition states in organic reactions. General theory and its application to the cyclobutene-butadiene isomerization using a semiempirical molecular orbital method, J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 94 2615 (1972). 

Difunctionalization with similar or different nucleophiles has wide synthetic applications. The oxidative diacetoxylation of butadiene with Pd(OAc)i affords 1,4-diacetoxy-2-butene (344) and l,2-diacetoxy-3-butene (345). The latter can be isomerized to the former. An industrial process has been developed based on this reaction. The commercial process for l,4-diacetoxy-2-butene (344) has been developed using the supported Pd catalyst containing Te in AcOH. 1,4-Butanedioi and THF are produced commercially from 1,4-diacetoxy-2-butene (344)[302]. 

An active catalytic species in the dimerization reaction is Pd(0) complex, which forms the bis-7r-allylpalladium complex 3, The formation of 1,3,7-octa-triene (7) is understood by the elimination of/5-hydrogen from the intermediate complex 1 to give 4 and its reductive elimination. In telomer formation, a nucleophile reacts with butadiene to form the dimeric telomers in which the nucleophile is introduced mainly at the terminal position to form the 1-substituted 2,7-octadiene 5. As a minor product, the isomeric 3-substituted 1,7-octadiene 6 is formed[13,14]. The dimerization carried out in MeOD produces l-methoxy-6-deuterio-2,7-octadiene (10) as a main product 15]. This result suggests that the telomers are formed by the 1,6- and 3,6-additions of MeO and D to the intermediate complexes I and 2. 

Carboxylic acids react with butadiene as alkali metal carboxylates. A mixture of isomeric 1- and 3-acetoxyoctadienes (39 and 40) is formed by the reaction of acetic acid[13]. The reaction is very slow in acetic acid alone. It is accelerated by forming acetate by the addition of a base[40]. Addition of an equal amount of triethylamine achieved complete conversion at 80 C after 2 h. AcONa or AcOK also can be used as a base. Trimethylolpropane phosphite (TMPP) completely eliminates the formation of 1,3,7-octatriene, and the acetoxyocta-dienes 39 and 40 are obtained in 81% and 9% yields by using N.N.N M -tetramethyl-l,3-diaminobutane at 50 in a 2 h reaction. These two isomers undergo Pd-catalyzed allylic rearrangement with each other. 

Direct addition of ammonia to olefmic bonds would be an attractive method for amine synthesis, if it could be carried out smoothly. Like water, ammonia reacts with butadiene only under particular reaction conditions. Almost no reaction takes place with pure ammonia in organic solvents. The presence of water accelerates the reaction considerably. The reaction of aqueous ammonia (28%) with butadiene in MeCN in the presence orPd(OAc)i and PhjP at 80 C for 10 h gives tri-2,7-octadienylamine (47) as the main product, accompanied by a small amount of di-2,7-octadienylamine (46)[46,47], Isomeric branched... 

When however the ionic addition of hydrogen bromide to 1 3 butadiene is car ried out at room temperature the ratio of isomeric allylic bromides observed is differ ent from that which is formed at — 80°C At room temperature the 1 4 addition product predominates... 

The final type of isomerism we take up in this section involves various possible structures which result from the polymerization of 1,3-dienes. Three important monomers of this type are 1,3-butadiene, 1,3-isoprene, and 1,3-chloroprene, structures [X]-[XII], respectively ... 

In spite of the assortment of things discussed in this chapter, there are also a variety of topics that could be included but which are not owing to space limitations. We do not discuss copolymers formed by the step-growth mechanism, for example, or the use of Ziegler-Natta catalysts to regulate geometrical isomerism in, say, butadiene polymerization. Some other important omissions are noted in passing in the body of the chapter. 

In a related process, 1,4-dichlorobutene was produced by direct vapor-phase chlorination of butadiene at 160—250°C. The 1,4-dichlorobutenes reacted with aqueous sodium cyanide in the presence of copper catalysts to produce the isomeric 1,4-dicyanobutenes yields were as high as 95% (58). The by-product NaCl could be recovered for reconversion to Na and CI2 via electrolysis. Adiponitrile was produced by the hydrogenation of the dicyanobutenes over a palladium catalyst in either the vapor phase or the Hquid phase (59,60). The yield in either case was 95% or better. This process is no longer practiced by DuPont in favor of the more economically attractive process described below. 

The first HCN addition (eq. 3) occurs at practical rates above 70°C under sufficient pressure to keep butadiene condensed in solution and produces the 1,4- and 1,2-addition products (3-pentenenitrile [4635-87-4] 3PN, and 2-meth5i-3-butenenitrile [16529-56-9] 2M3BN) in a 2 to 1 ratio. Fortunately, thermodynamics favors 3PN (about 20 1) and 2M3BN may be isomerized to 3PN (eq. 4) in the presence of a nickel catalyst. 

Chloro-l,2-butadiene [25790-55-0] is mainly of historical iaterest (2). It is formed from vinylacetylene and HCl ia the absence of an isomerization catalyst. In the usual process for chloroprene usiag cuprous chloride, a portion of this isomer may be formed initially and then isomerize, but most of the chloroprene is apparently formed directly by the addition. 

The vinylacetylene [689-97-4] route to chloroprene has been described elsewhere (14). It is no longer practical because of costs except where inexpensive by-product acetylene and existing equipment ate available (see Acetylene-DERIVED chemicals). In the production of chloroprene from butadiene [106-99-0], there are three essential steps, chlorination, isomerization, and caustic dehydrochlorination of the 3,3-dichloro-l-butene, as shown by the following equations Chlorination... 

Refining and Isomerization. Whatever chlorination process is used, the cmde product is separated by distillation. In successive steps, residual butadiene is stripped for recycle, impurities boiling between butadiene (—5° C) and 3,4-dichloto-l-butene [760-23-6] (123°C) are separated and discarded, the 3,4 isomer is produced, and 1,4 isomers (140—150°C) are separated from higher boiling by-products. Distillation is typically carried out continuously at reduced pressure in corrosion-resistant columns. Ferrous materials are avoided because of catalytic effects of dissolved metal as well as unacceptable corrosion rates. Nickel is satisfactory as long as the process streams are kept extremely dry. 

Elastomers. Ethylene—propylene terpolymer (diene monomer) elastomers (EPDM) use a variety of third monomers during polymerization (see Elastomers, ethyiene-propylene-diene rubber). Ethyhdenenorbomene (ENB) is the most important of these monomers and requires dicyclopentadiene as a precursor. ENB is synthesized in a two step preparation, ie, a Diels-Alder reaction of CPD (via cracking of DCPD) with butadiene to yield 5-vinylbicyclo[2.2.1]-hept-2-ene [3048-64-4] (7) where the external double bond is then isomerized catalyticaHy toward the ring yielding 5-ethyhdenebicyclo[2.2.1]-hept-2-ene [16219-75-3] (ENB) (8) (60). 

In another method based on butadiene, it is dimerized ia the presence of sodium to form an isomeric mixture of disodiooctadiene (69). 

In a copolymer of 33% acrylonitrile, the most common composition for commercial products, the butadiene occurs in the approximate ratio of 90% trans, 8% vinyl, and 2% cis. At higher acrylonitrile content the cis configuration disappears, and at lower levels it increases to about 5% the vinyl configuration remains approximately constant (6,7). Since actual compositions of commercial nitrile mbbers are between 15 and 50% acrylonitrile, they also vary somewhat in sequence distribution and in the content of the three isomeric butadiene configurations. 

Reduction of indolenines with sodium and ethanol gives indolines. The pentachloropyr-role, obtained by chlorination of pyrrole with sulfuryl chloride at room temperature in anhydrous ether, was shown by spectroscopic methods to have an a-pyrrolenine (2H-pyrrole) structure (222). It is necessary, however, to postulate that it is in equilibrium with small but finite amounts of the isomeric /3-pyrrolenine form (3//-pyrrole 223), since pentachloropyrrole functions as a 2-aza- rather than as a 1-aza-butadiene in forming a cycloadduct (224) with styrene (80JOC435). Pentachloropyrrole acts as a dienophile in its reaction with cyclopentadiene via its ene moiety (81JOC3036). 

Alkyl derivatives of 1,3-butadiene usually undergo photosensitized Z-E isomerism when photosensitizers that can supply at least 60 kcal/mol are used. Two conformers of the diene, the s-Z and s-E, exist in equilibrium, so there are two nonidentical ground states from which excitation can occur. Two triplet excited states that do not readily interconvert are derived from the s-E and s-Z conformers. Theoretical calculations suggest that at their energy minimum the excited states of conjugated dienes can be described as an alkyl radical and an orthogonal allyl system called an allylmethylene diradical ... 

The mid-block monomers are primarily isoprene and butadiene. These diolefins can polymerize in several ways. The isomeric structure of the final polymer has a strong impact on its properties and thermal stability. Isomeric composition is easily varied by changing the polymerization solvent or adding complexing agents. The typical isomeric structures for isoprene and butadiene mid-blocks are shown in Fig. 2. 

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