Conversion of alcohols

In the conversion of alcohols into alkyl halides, the mechanism is probably ... 

The major portion of the present chapter concerns the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides by reaction with hydrogen halides... 

Selectivity is not an issue m the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides Except for certain limitations to be discussed m Section 8 15 the location of the halogen sub stituent m the product corresponds to that of the hydroxyl group m the starting alcohol... 

This concludes discussion of our second functional group transformation mvolv mg alcohols the first was the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides (Chapter 4) and the second the conversion of alcohols to alkenes In the remaining sections of the chap ter the conversion of alkyl halides to alkenes by dehydrohalogenation is described... 

FREUDENBERG - SCHdNBERG Xanthate Rearrangement Rearrangement of S-methyl xanthates to S-methyIdithiocarbonatas (conversion of alcohols lo thiols via xanthates, also phenols to thiophenols via thiocarbamates). 

The conversion of alcohols to esters by O-acylation and of amines to amides by N-acylation are fundamental organic reactions. These reactions are the reverse of the hydrolytic procedures discussed in the preceding sections. Section 3.4 in Part B discusses these reactions from the point of view of synthetic applications and methods. 

A consequence of the tribasic nature of phosphoric acid (three -OH groups attached to phosphorus) is the increased number of options available in the overall process of conversion of alcohol to protected phosphate. The conversion might be carried out by the sequence... 

Note that in the S l reaction, which is often carried out under acidic conditions, neutral water can act as a leaving group. This occurs, for example, when an alkyl halide is prepared from a tertiary alcohol by reaction with HBr or HC1 (Section 10.6). The alcohol is first protonated and then spontaneously loses H2O to generate a carbocation, which reacts with halide ion to give the alkyl halide (Figure 11.13). Knowing that an SN1 reaction is involved in the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides explains why the reaction works well only for tertiary alcohols. Tertiary alcohols react fastest because they give the most stable carbocation intermediates. 

Sulfonic esters are most frequently prepared by treatment of the corresponding halides with alcohols in the presence of a base. The method is much used for the conversion of alcohols to tosylates, brosylates, and similar sulfonic esters. Both R and R may be alkyl or aryl. The base is often pyridine, which functions as a nucleophilic catalyst, as in the similar alcoholysis of carboxylic acyl halides (10-21). Primary alcohols react the most rapidly, and it is often possible to sulfonate selectively a primary OH group in a molecule that also contains secondary or tertiary OH groups. The reaction with sulfonamides has been much less frequently used and is limited to N,N-disubstituted sulfonamides that is, R" may not be hydrogen. However, within these limits it is a useful reaction. The nucleophile in this case is actually R 0 . However, R" may be hydrogen (as well as alkyl) if the nucleophile is a phenol, so that the product is RS020Ar. Acidic catalysts are used in this case. Sulfonic acids have been converted directly to sulfonates by treatment with triethyl or trimethyl orthoformate HC(OR)3, without catalyst or solvent and with a trialkyl phosphite P(OR)3. ... 

Conversion of Alcohols, Esters, and Silyl Ethers into their Corresponding Halides, Azides, and Ethers... 

Table 9 Fe-catalyzed dehydrogen conversion of alcohol to ketone ...

Several modifications of procedures based on halophosphonium ion have been developed. Triphenylphosphine and imidazole in combination with iodine or bromine gives good conversion of alcohols to iodides or bromides.22 An even more reactive system consists of chlorodiphenylphosphine, imidazole, and the halogen,23 and has the further advantage that the resulting phosphorus by-product diphenylphosphinic acid, can be extracted with base during product workup. 

The Mitsunobu conditions also can be used to effect a variety of other important and useful nucleophilic substitution reactions, such as conversion of alcohols to mixed phosphite esters.56 The active phosphitylating agent is believed to be a mixed phospho-ramidite. 

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