By reduction of alkyl halides

Stabilization of intermediates by strong adsorption will frequently be a necessary precondition for synthesis. Thus, in the case of the Kolbe reaction, further oxidation of the radicals is prevented the formation of metal-carbon bonds in the reduction of alkyl halides (Fleischmann et al., 1971a Galli and Olivani, 1970) or oxidation of Grignard reagents (Fleischmann et al., 1972c) is shown by the isolation of organometallic... 

Castro CE, WC Kray (1963) The cleavage of bonds by low-valent transition metal ions. The homogeneous reduction of alkyl halides by chromous sulfate. J Am Chem Soc 85 2768-2773. 

Neither reaction excludes the other, nor are these the only routes possible. The oxidation of alkylanions on a metallic anode is likely. Other processes are more clearly indicated when, instead of Cd, Zn is used as a cathode. In the latter case, zinc alkyls R2Zn and RZnI are formed by cathodic reaction of RI. This allows an efficient preparation of R4M where M = Pb, Sn and R = propyl, butyl or pentyl39, in contrast to the cathodic reduction of alkyl halides which is practically limited to the methyl and ethyl groups. 

Although the tin hydride reductions of alkyl halides seem simple, one must be careful because these reactions occur by a free radical mechanism. This is important, because the carbon radical produced in the reaction can isomerize68,78 and one often obtains two different stereoisomers from the synthesis. Another problem is that chiral centres can be lost in tin hydride reductions when an optically active halide is reduced. One example of this is the reduction of benzyl-6-isocyanopenicillanate with tributyltin deuteride78 (Scheme 14). The amount of isomerization depends on the temperature, the concentration of the tin hydride and the presence of and /-substituents78-82. However, some authors have reported tin hydride reductions where no racemization was observed78. 

Unsymmetrical secondary aliphatic amines have been prepared by reaction of alkyl halides with benzylidene amines and subsequent hydrolysis 814 by reaction of alkyl halides with alkyl amines 5 by reduction of amine-aldehyde adducts 8-8 and by dealkylation of tertiary amines with dibenzoyl peroxide. ... 

REDUCTION OF ALKYL HALIDES AND TOSYLATES WITH SODIUM CYANOBOROHYDRIDE IN HEXAMETHYL-PHOSPHORAMIDE (HMPA) A. 1-IODODECANE TO n—DECANE B. 1-DODECYL TOSYLATE TO n-DODECANE, 53, 107 REDUCTION OF KETONES BY USE OF TOSYLHYDRAZONE DERIVATIVES ANDROSTAN-17 0—OL, 52, 122 REDUCTIVE AMINATION WITH SO-... 

Two-Step Chemical Catalysis of the Reduction of Alkyl Halides by Low-Valent Cobalamins and Cobinamides... 

Other disulfones like (32) and (33) were studied (see Ref [6]). They exhibit surprisingly stable anion radicals (and even a stable dianion with (32)). Such charged species could be used as redox mediators, tiowever, reduction of alkyl halides RX by (33) did not permit the formation of alkylated products presumably because of the strong steric strain induced by alkylation of the corresponding carbon atoms in the cyclobutene ring. 

The pattern for reduction of alkyl halides by Ni(tmc) + (12) closely resembles that by Cr(15[ane]N4) + (13). This suggests a similar mechanism for both reductants. There is strong... 

Generation of aryl radicals by reduction of aryl halides in the presence of some nucleophiles, particularly alkyl or aryl sulphide ions and cyanide ions, leads to bond formation with the generation of a new radical-anion. Overall, a reaction between the initial aryl halide and a nucleophile is triggered at the cathode and is an equivalent of the Sr I process. It proceeds in stages according to Scheme 4.6 [156] and requires only a catalytic concentration of radical-anion. The reaction can... 

Scheme 4.10. Calalyttc cycle for the reduction of alkyl halides by cobalamins. The outer circle represents the combined photo and electrochemical process, "fhe inner shunt is the wholly electrochemical process at more negative potentials. Ligands are omitted for clarity.

Amines are prepared by aminolysis of alkyl halides, and also reductive amination (reduction in the presence of ammonia) of aldehydes and ketones (see Section 5.7.19). They are obtained conveniently from Hofmann rearrangement of amides. 

Several research groups ha ve been involved in the study of ET reactions from an electrochemically generated aromatic radical anion to alkyl halides in order to describe the dichotomy between ET and polar substitution (SN2). The mechanism for indirect reduction of alkyl halides by aromatic mediators has been described in several papers. For all aliphatic alkyl halides and most benzylic halides the cleavage of the carbon-halogen bond takes place concertedly with the... 

The indirect electrochemical reduction of alkyl halides is also possible by use of nickel(I) complexes which may be obtained by cathodic reduction of square planar Ni(n)-complexes of macrocyclic tetradentate ligands (Table 7, No. 10, 11) 2 4-248) Comparable to the Co(I)- and Ni(O)-complexes, the Ni(I)-species reacts with the alkyl halide unter oxidative addition to form an organo nickel(III) compound. The stability of the new nickel-carbon bond dominates the overall behavior of the system. If the stability is low, the alkyl group is lost in form of the radical and the original Ni(II)-complex is regenerated. A large number of regenerative cycles is the result. 

Tor reviews, see Hanson Synthesis 1974, 1-8, pp. 2-5 Hanson Premuzic Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1968, 7, 247-252 [Angew. Chem. 80, 271-276], For a review of the mechanisms of reduction of alkyl halides by metal complexes, see Kochi Organometallic Mechanisms and Catalysis, Academic Press New York, 1978, pp. 138-177. " Castro Kray 7. Am. Chem. Soc. 1966, 88, 4447. 

Alkylnickel formation has also been extensively studied in the one-electron reductions of alkyl halides and peroxides by a nickel(I) macrocycle (189, 196, 197). Although two forms of the nickel(II) isomers of the tetra-N-methylated macrocycle are known, there is no ready interconversion between the [(f ,f ,S,S,)Nin(tmc)]2+ and [(i ,S,S,/ )]Ni"(tmc)]2+. Solutions of the [Ni (tmc)]+ complexes can be prepared in alkaline media (183), although within several Hours isomerization of the nickel(I) forms takes place. The complexes are again strong reductants (E° = — 0.90 V). Using the lft,4ft,8S,llS isomer (Fig. 12), Espenson and his co-workers have examined reactions with a variety of primary alkyl halides (189). For most systems studied, the overall reactions exhibit the stoichiometry according to Eq. (20) ... 

---