Carboxyl reactive nitriles

Diener (46) and Tsuchiya (47) have shown carboxyl-reactive nitrile liquids to have utility in both aqueous and non-aqueous anodic and cathodic electrodeposition systems aimed at primers and coatings. Excellent coating adhesion is demonstrated with advantages noted in moisture resistance and reverse impacts. Diener suggests an electrocoat system as a replacement for standard solvent-based primers used with aircraft adhesives. 

Numata and Kinjo (52) have shown rubber-modified isocyanurate-oxazolidone resins may be effectively modified with carboxyl-reactive nitrile liquids. The viscoelastic behavior of models using a polyglycidyl ether of phenol-formaldehyde novolac resin and di-phenylmethane-4,4 -diisocyanate is discussed. Such resins have suggested utility in thin films as electrical varnishes. 

As previously mentioned in this chapter, carboxyl-reactive nitrile liquids appear to be the preferred modifiers for latent epoxy structural film adhesives. One of the major components used in formulating these adhesives is a solid epoxy resin of similar molecular weight (1000). This limited coatings study suggests that similar elastomer-modified epoxy resins are equally impressive in solution epoxy coatings. In addition. Table XI/Recipe 3 features a high impact coating modified with both liquid and solid carboxylated nitrile elastomers. 

Low molecular weight liquid nitrile rubbers with vinyl, carboxyl or mercaptan reactive end groups have been used with acrylic adhesives, epoxide resins and polyesters. Japanese workers have produced interesting butadiene-acrylonitrile alternating copolymers using Ziegler-Natta-type catalysts that are capable of some degree of ciystallisation. 

Elastomers, plastics, fabrics, wood and metals can be joined with themselves and with each other using nitrile rubber/epoxy resin blends cured with amines and/or acidic agents. Ethylene-propylene vulcanizates can also be joined using blends of carboxylated nitrile rubber, epoxy resin and a reactive metal filler (copper, nickel, cobalt). However, one of the largest areas of use of nitrile rubber modified epoxy systems is in the printed circuit board area [12]. 

Nickel peroxide is a solid, insoluble oxidant prepared by reaction of nickel (II) salts with hypochlorite or ozone in aqueous alkaline solution. This reagent when used in nonpolar medium is similar to, but more reactive than, activated manganese dioxide in selectively oxidizing allylic or acetylenic alcohols. It also reacts rapidly with amines, phenols, hydrazones and sulfides so that selective oxidation of allylic alcohols in the presence of these functionalities may not be possible. In basic media the oxidizing power of nickel peroxide is increased and saturated primary alcohols can be oxidized directly to carboxylic acids. In the presence of ammonia at —20°, primary allylic alcohols give amides while at elevated temperatures nitriles are formed. At elevated temperatures efficient cleavage of a-glycols, a-ketols... 

Hydroformylation of nitrile rubber is another chemical modification that can incorporate a reactive aldehyde group into the diene part and further open up new synthetic routes to the formation of novel nitrile elastomers with a saturated backbone containing carboxyl or hydroxyl functionalities. 

Many other examples of synthetic equivalent groups have been developed. For example, in Chapter 6 we discussed the use of diene and dienophiles with masked functionality in the Diels-Alder reaction. It should be recognized that there is no absolute difference between what is termed a reagent and a synthetic equivalent group. For example, we think of potassium cyanide as a reagent, but the cyanide ion is a nucleophilic equivalent of a carboxy group. This reactivity is evident in the classical preparation of carboxylic acids from alkyl halides via nitrile intermediates. 

Compared with aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids and their derivatives are less reactive toward reduction. Nevertheless, it is still possible to reduce various acid derivatives in aqueous conditions. Aromatic carboxylic acids, esters, amides, nitriles, and chlorides (and ketones and nitro compounds) were rapidly reduced by the Sml2-H20 system to the corresponding products at room temperature in good yields... 

Formally related reactions are observed when anthracene [210] or arylole-fines [211-213] are reduced in the presence of carboxylic acid derivatives such as anhydrides, esters, amides, or nitriles. Under these conditions, mono- or diacylated compounds are obtained. It is interesting to note that the yield of acylated products largely depends on the counterion of the reduced hydrocarbon species. It is especially high when lithium is used, which is supposed to prevent hydrodimerization of the carboxylic acid by ion-pair formation. In contrast to alkylation, acylation is assumed to prefer an Sn2 mechanism. However, it is not clear if the radical anion or the dianion are the reactive species. The addition of nitriles is usually followed by hydrolysis of the resulting ketimines [211-213]. 

The reactivity of oxiranes with lithium enoiates and related compounds has been widely explored and reviewed . Dianions derived from carboxylic acids react readily with oxiranes, but the reaction can be slowed by steric hindrance . The reaction of oxiranes with dianions of acetoacetates is greatly accelerated by the addition of BF3 Et20 " . Oxiranes react readily with lithium salts derived from nitriles , malonates and analogues , lithiated oxazolines and lithio enamines . 

Amides are the least reactive of the carboxylic acid derivatives, and undergo acid or base hydrolysis to produce the parent carboxylic acids, and reduction to appropriate amines (see Section 4.3.10). They can also be dehydrated to nitriles, most commonly with boiling acetic anhydride, (AcO)20, sulphonyl chloride (SOCI2) or phosphoms oxychloride (POCI3) (see Section 4.3.18). Amines (with one less carbon) are prepared from amides by the treatment of halides (Br2 or CI2) in aqueous NaOH or KOH. This reaction is known as Hofmann rearrangement (see Section 4.3.10). 

Amides, azides and nitriles are reduced to amines by catalytic hydrogenation (H2/Pd—C or H2/Pt—C) as well as metal hydride reduction (LiAlH4). They are less reactive towards the metal hydride reduction, and cannot be reduced by NaBITj. Unlike the LiAlIU reduction of all other carboxylic acid derivatives, which affords 1° alcohols, the LiAlIU reduction of amides, azides and nitriles yields amines. Acid is not used in the work-up step, since amines are basic. Thus, hydrolytic work-up is employed to afford amines. When the nitrile group is reduced, an NH2 and an extra CH2 are introduced into the molecule. 

The terminal carhanionic sites of "living" polymers can be reacted with various electrophilic compounds of yield (o)-functional polymers. Esters, nitriles, acid chlorides, anhydrides, lactones, epoxides, benzyl or allyl halogenides have been used for their high reactivity with metal organic sites, to yield appropriate functions.2 Carbon dioxide is also an efficient reagent to yield terminal carboxylic functions. 

As a class of compounds, nitriles have broad commercial utility that includes their use as solvents, feedstocks, pharmaceuticals, catalysts, and pesticides. The versatile reactivity of organ onitriles arises both from die reactivity of the C=N bond, and from die ability of the cyano substituent to activate adjacent bonds, especially C-H bonds. Nitriles can be used to prepare amines, amides, amidines, carboxylic acids and esters, aldehydes, ketones, large-ring cyclic ketones, imines,... 

The conjugate addition of unstabilized enolates to various acceptors was conceptually recognized by early researchers however, complications were encountered depending on the enolates and acceptors employed. Reexamination of this strategy was made possible by the development of techniques for kinetic enolate formation. This discussion is divided into three enolate classes (a) aldehyde and ketone enolates, azaenolates or equivalents, (b) ester and amide enolates, dithioenolates and dienolates and (c) a,0-carboxylic dianions and a-nitrile anions, in order to emphasize the differential reactivity of various enolates with various acceptors."7 The a-nitrile anions are included because of their equivalence to the hypothetical a-carboxylic acid anion. 

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