Carbon atoms nucleophilic

All the mechanisms so far discussed take place at a saturated carbon atom. Nucleophilic substitution is also important at trigonal carbons, especially when the carbon is double bonded to an oxygen, a sulfur, or a nitrogen. Nucleophilic substitution at vinylic carbons is considered in the next section at aromatic carbons in Chapter 13. 

The carbonyl group also possesses electrophilic properties at the carbon atom. nucleophilic properties at the oxygen atom. Nucleophilic attack of the carbonyl gn is favored if this is attached to an aromatic ring (inductive effect) and there is als methoxy or phenolic OH group present in the 4-position. Changing a neutral react medium by proton addition has the same effect. 

A reaction in which a nucleophile substitutes for a leaving group on a carbonyl carbon atom. Nucleophilic acyl substitution usually takes place through the following addition-elimination mechanism, (p. 960)... 

P carbon atom is larger than that on the a carbon atom. Nucleophiles approach the conjugated alkene along the axis of the large p orbital of the (3 carbon atom. 

When the imidazole ring is considered to be something resembling a pyrrole-pyridine combination (1) it would appear that any electrophilic attack should take place preferably at C-5 (pyrrole-or, pyridine-j8). Such a model, though, fails to take account of the tautomeric equivalence of C-4 and C-5 (Section 4.06.5.1). The overall reactivities of imidazole and benzimidazole can be inferred from sets of resonance structures in which the dipolar contributors have finite importance (Section 4.06.2) or by mesomeric structures such as (2). These predict electrophilic attack in imidazole at N-3 or any ring carbon atom, nucleophilic attack at C-2 or C-1, and also the amphoteric nature of the molecule. In benzimidazole the acidic and basic properties, the preference for nucleophilic attack at C-2 and the tendency for electrophiles to react at the fused benzene ring can be readily rationalized. 

Selective replacement of the C(4)-2fc-toluenesulphonate group in pyranosides by azide ion has been reported. Dick and Jones " found that the tri-O-methanesulphonyl derivative of methyl a-D-xylopyrano-side (130), which presumably exists in the Cl conformation, afforded tlie 4-azido derivative (131) witli azide ion in dimethylformamide. In the context of the abo e discussion, a combination of two effects may be invoked to rationalize this selectivity. First, replacement at is hindered by the tranj-axial substituent at C(i) and secondly, attack at C(2) is not possible since it is adjacent to the anomeric carbon atom. Nucleophilic attack by azide ion is therefore directed to the 4-position. 

The n-complex of the alkene and Pd(II) allows nucleophilic attack by the amide on the nearer end and in a cis fashion because the nucleophile is tethered to the alkene by only two carbon atoms. Nucleophilic attack and elimination of palladium(O) occur in the usual way. The removal of the C02Bn group would normally be by hydrogenolysis but in this case ester hydrolysis by, say, HBr treatment would be preferred to avoid reduction of the alkene. The free acid decarboxylates spontaneously. 

The w-system is, in addition, destabilized by a repulsive interaction between the lone electron pairs on the fluorine atoms and the r-orbitals on the sp hybridized carbon atoms. Nucleophilic attack on the carbon induces re-hybridization to the sp state, relieving some of this repulsive strain. 

In frontier orbital terms this is because conjugation with a carbonyl group lowers the energy of the LUMO (the JC orbital of the alkene) and at the same time distorts it so that the coefficient on the p carbon atom is larger than that on the a carbon atom. Nucleophiles approach the conjugated alkene along the axis of the large p orbital of the p carbon atom. 

Unimolecular thermal and photochemical reactions Electrophilic attack at heteroatoms Electrophilic attack at carbon atoms Nucleophilic attack at carbon atoms Electrophilic attack on substituents Nucleophilic attack on substituents Nucleophilic substitution Synthesis... 

In the preceding examples the amine acts as a nucleophile by donating its electron pair to an electrophilic reagent. In the following example, resonance contributions involving the nitrogen electron pair make carbon atoms nucleophilic ... 

The bond polarization and inherent weakness of the C-X bond combine to make this species susceptible to reaction with a nucleophile, Y". If the nucleophile donates two electrons to the electropositive carbon atom, a new C-Y bond will form and the C-X bond will break, generating X, as shown in Figure 11.1 for 3 4. This is a substitution reaction in which a nucleophile displaces another group at an aliphatic (sp ) carbon atom nucleophilic aliphatic substitution. Alkyl halides react with a suitable nucleophile by nucleophilic aliphatic substitution. 

Thus, to name just a few examples, a nucleophilic aliphatic substitution such as the reaction of the bromide 3.5 with sodium iodide (Figure 3-21a) can lead to a range of stereochemical products, from a l l mbrture of 3.6 and 3.7 (racemization) to only 3.7 (inversion) depending on the groups a, b, and c that are bonded to the central carbon atom. The ring closure of the 1,3-butadiene, 3.8, to cyclobutene... 

Figure 3-22 shows a nucleophilic aliphatic substitution with cyanide ion as a nucleophile, i his reaction is assumed to proceed according to the S f2 mechanism with an inversion in the stereochemistry at the carbon atom of the reaction center. We have to assign a stereochemical mechanistic factor to this reaction, and, clearly, it is desirable to assign a mechanistic factor of (-i-1) to a reaction with retention of configuration and (-1) to a reaction with inversion of configuration. Thus, we want to calculate the parity of the product, of 3 reaction from the parity of the... 

The Claisen condensation is initiated by deprotonation of an ester molecule by sodium ethanolate to give a carbanion that is stabilized, mostly by resonance, as an enolate. This carbanion makes a nucleophilic attack at the partially positively charged carbon atom of the e.ster group, leading to the formation of a C-C bond and the elimination ofan ethanolate ion, This Claisen condensation only proceeds in strongly basic conditions with a pH of about 14. 

There exist a number of d -synthons, which are stabilized by the delocalization of the electron pair into orbitals of hetero atoms, although the nucleophilic centre remains at the carbon atom. From nitroalkanes anions may be formed in aqueous solutions (e.g. CHjNOj pK, = 10.2). Nitromethane and -ethane anions are particularly useful in synthesis. The cyanide anion is also a classical d -synthon (HCN pK = 9.1). 

Dioxo compounds are deprotonated at C-2 and C-4 by two equivalents of strong bases (e.g. LDA or BuLi). Carbon atom C-4 of those dianions is much more nucleophilic than the less basic center C-2 (Hauser s rule C.R. Hauser, 1958 K.G. Hampton, 1965). The formation of some typical d -synthons and their pA values are given below. 

In the synthesis of molecules without functional groups the application of the usual polar synthetic reactions may be cumbersome, since the final elimination of hetero atoms can be difficult. Two solutions for this problem have been given in the previous sections, namely alkylation with nucleophilic carbanions and alkenylation with ylides. Another direct approach is to combine radical synthons in a non-polar reaction. Carbon radicals are. however, inherently short-lived and tend to undergo complex secondary reactions. Escheirmoser s principle (p. 34f) again provides a way out. If one connects both carbon atoms via a metal atom which (i) forms and stabilizes the carbon radicals and (ii) can be easily eliminated, the intermolecular reaction is made intramolecular, and good yields may be obtained. 

The most general methods for the syntheses of 1,2-difunctional molecules are based on the oxidation of carbon-carbon multiple bonds (p. 117) and the opening of oxiranes by hetero atoms (p. 123fl.). There exist, however, also a few useful reactions in which an a - and a d -synthon or two r -synthons are combined. The classical polar reaction is the addition of cyanide anion to carbonyl groups, which leads to a-hydroxynitriles (cyanohydrins). It is used, for example, in Strecker s synthesis of amino acids and in the homologization of monosaccharides. The ff-hydroxy group of a nitrile can be easily substituted by various nucleophiles, the nitrile can be solvolyzed or reduced. Therefore a large variety of terminal difunctional molecules with one additional carbon atom can be made. Equally versatile are a-methylsulfinyl ketones (H.G. Hauthal, 1971 T. Durst, 1979 O. DeLucchi, 1991), which are available from acid chlorides or esters and the dimsyl anion. Carbanions of these compounds can also be used for the synthesis of 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds (p. 65f.). 

Terminal alkyne anions are popular reagents for the acyl anion synthons (RCHjCO"). If this nucleophile is added to aldehydes or ketones, the triple bond remains. This can be con verted to an alkynemercury(II) complex with mercuric salts and is hydrated with water or acids to form ketones (M.M.T. Khan, 1974). The more substituted carbon atom of the al-kynes is converted preferentially into a carbonyl group. Highly substituted a-hydroxyketones are available by this method (J.A. Katzenellenbogen, 1973). Acetylene itself can react with two molecules of an aldehyde or a ketone (V. jager, 1977). Hydration then leads to 1,4-dihydroxy-2-butanones. The 1,4-diols tend to condense to tetrahydrofuran derivatives in the presence of acids. 

The selective intermolecular addition of two different ketones or aldehydes can sometimes be achieved without protection of the enol, because different carbonyl compounds behave differently. For example, attempts to condense acetaldehyde with benzophenone fail. Only self-condensation of acetaldehyde is observed, because the carbonyl group of benzophenone is not sufficiently electrophilic. With acetone instead of benzophenone only fi-hydroxyketones are formed in good yield, if the aldehyde is slowly added to the basic ketone solution. Aldols are not produced. This result can be generalized in the following way aldehydes have more reactive carbonyl groups than ketones, but enolates from ketones have a more nucleophilic carbon atom than enolates from aldehydes (G. Wittig, 1968). 

Epoxide opening with nucleophiles occurs at the less substituted carbon atom of the oxlrane ting. Cataiytic hydrogenolysis yields the more substituted alcohol. The scheme below contains also an example for trons-dibromination of a C—C double bond followed by dehy-drobromination with strong base for overall conversion into a conjugated diene. The bicycKc tetraene then isomerizes spontaneously to the aromatic l,6-oxido[l0]annulene (E. Vogel, 1964). 

The benzylidene derivative above is used, if both hydroxyl groups on C-2 and C-3 are needed in synthesis. This r/vzns-2,3-diol can be converted to the sterically more hindered a-cpoxide by tosylation of both hydroxy groups and subsequent treatment with base (N.R. Williams, 1970 J.G. Buchanan, 1976). An oxide anion is formed and displaces the sulfonyloxy group by a rearside attack. The oxirane may then be re-opened with nucleophiles, e.g. methyl lithium, and the less hindered carbon atom will react selectively. In the following sequence starting with an a-glucoside only the 2-methyl-2-deoxyaltrose is obtained (S. Hanessian, 1977). 

The use of oximes as nucleophiles can be quite perplexing in view of the fact that nitrogen or oxygen may react. Alkylation of hydroxylamines can therefore be a very complex process which is largely dependent on the steric factors associated with the educts. Reproducible and predictable results are obtained in intramolecular reactions between oximes and electrophilic carbon atoms. Amides, halides, nitriles, and ketones have been used as electrophiles, and various heterocycles such as quinazoline N-oxide, benzodiayepines, and isoxazoles have been obtained in excellent yields under appropriate reaction conditions. 

The electronic structure of a trimethine asymmetrical cyanine, controls the attack of a ketomethylene (Scheme 54). There is a condensation of the nucleophilic carbon on the electrophilic central carbon atom of the methine chain, leading to a neutrodimethine cyanine and simultaneously elimination of the more basic nucleus. 

As a consequence of the alternative distribution of an even number (2n) TT electrons on an odd number (2n - 1) carbon atoms, centers of the methine chain susceptible to nucleophilic attack are effectively the even carbons atoms starting from nitrogen, as it has been proven experimentally (103), particularly with a ketomethyiene giving a neutrocyanine compound (53, 67). 

Methyl free radicals, generated either by thermolysis of lead tetracetate in acetic acid solution (401) or by radical cleavage of dimethylsulfoxide by H2O2 and iron (II) salts (408), afford 2- and 5-methylthiazole in the proportion of 86 and 14%, respectively, in agreement with the nucleophilic character of alkyl free radicals and the positive charge of the 2-carbon atom of the thiazole (6). 

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