Crown ether complex, solvent effect

Ethers form Lewis acid Lewis base complexes with metal ions Certain cyclic polyethers called crown ethers, are particularly effective m coor dinatmg with Na" and K" and salts of these cations can be dissolved m nonpolar solvents when crown ethers are present Under these conditions the rates of many reactions that involve anions are accelerated... 

An enormous variety of solvates associated with many different kinds of compounds is reported in the literature. In most cases this aspect of the structure deserved little attention as it had no effect on other properties of the compound under investigation. Suitable examples include a dihydrate of a diphosphabieyclo[3.3.1]nonane derivative 29), benzene and chloroform solvates of crown ether complexes with alkyl-ammonium ions 30 54>, and acetonitrile (Fig. 4) and toluene (Fig. 5) solvates of organo-metallic derivatives of cyclotetraphosphazene 31. In most of these structures the solvent entities are rather loosely held in the lattice (as is reflected in relatively high thermal parameters of the corresponding atoms), and are classified as solvent of crystallization or a space filler 31a). However, if the geometric definition set at the outset is used to describe clathrates as crystalline solids in which guest molecules... 

The stability of crown-ether complexes depends on several factors these include cavity size of the ligand, cation diameter, spatial distribution of ring binding sites, the character of the hetero-atoms, the presence of additional binding sites and the type of solvent used. In apolar solutions it also depends on the nature of the anion. The effects of these parameters will be illustrated in the next sections. 

Since the crown ethers are very effective complexing agents, the amount of free M+ in solution, as in (33)—(36), is expected to be small the crown ether competes very well with Rh and X for M +. Indeed, it is found that the addition of excess salt causes a much lower degree of rate inhibition in [18]-crown-6 as compared to some other solvents. For example, Fig. 10 illustrates the differences between [18]-crown-6 and tetraglyme as the level of salt promoter is increased. The capability of using an excess of salt reduces the criticality of precisely controlling the salt concentration and is beneficial for the stability of the catalyst (92). 

Bromination.2 This bromine-crown ether complex, like dioxane-bromine (5, 58), can brominate alkenes, but the stereoselectivity is greater than that with free bromine and is less sensitive to solvent effects. Thus, bromination of trans-ifi-methylstyrene with DBC Br2 occurs exclusively by anti-addition and bromination of dr-/J-methylstyrene occurs by anti-addition to the extent of 95-100%. The bromine complex of polydibenzo-18-crown-63 is a particularly useful reagent because it can be packed as a slurry in a chromatography column. The alkene is then placed on the column and eluted with CC14. 

The crown ether has two effects on KMn04 first, it makes KMn04 much more soluble in benzene second, it holds the potassium ion tightly, making the permanganate more available for reaction. Chemists call this a "naked anion" because it is not complexed with solvent molecules. 

Actually, highly nucleophilic anions such as Cl" are deleterious for the synthesis of crown ether complexes, if they are not effectively stabilized by hydrogen bonding from protic solvents or other proton donors such as picric acid Anions that have been found useful for crown ether complex preparation are of soft HSAB character, e.g. SCN", CIO4, Br", I", and picrate. 

Alkalides and electrides are effective reducing agents comparable to solvated electrons. Alkalides and electrides are crystalline salts consisting of crown ethers complexed with alkali ions or salts with alkali metals as anions, and consist of trapped electrons. They are of the type K+(15 — crown — 6)2Na [197-200]. The reduction is carried out in solvents such as THF under... 

Gas-phase binding energies calculated for the penta aquo complexes and crown ether complexes of the actinides studied show that there is no intrinsic preference, or better fit, for actinyl(V) cations as compared to actinyl(Vt) ones. Rather, the ability of Np02" (Np-V) to form in-cavity 18-crown-6 complexes in water is traced to solvation effects in polar solvents. Thus, the effective screening of the charge provided by the macrocycle leads to destabilization of the An(VI) crown complexes relative to their An(V) counterparts." ... 

Phase transfer processes rely on the catalytic effect of quaternary onium or crown type compounds to solubilize in organic solutions otherwise insoluble anionic nucleophiles and bases. The solubility of the ion pairs depends on lipophilic solvation of the ammonium or phosphonium cations or crown ether complexes and the associated anions (except for small amounts of water) are relatively less solvated. Because the anions are remote from the cationic charge and are relatively solvation free they are quite reactive. Their increased reactivity and solubility in nonpolar media allows numerous reactions to be conducted in organic solvents at or near room temperature. Both liquid-liquid and solid-liquid phase transfer processes are known the former ordinarily utilize quaternary ion catalysts whereas the latter have ordinarily utilized crowns or cryptates. Crowns and cryptates can be used in liquid-liquid processes, but fewer successful examples of quaternary ion catalysis of solid-liquid processes are available. In most of the cases where amines are reported to catalyze phase transfer reactions, in situ quat formation has either been demonstrated or can be presumed. 

The crown ethers and cryptates are able to complex the alkaU metals very strongly (38). AppHcations of these agents depend on the appreciable solubihty of the chelates in a wide range of solvents and the increase in activity of the co-anion in nonaqueous systems. For example, potassium hydroxide or permanganate can be solubiHzed in benzene [71 -43-2] hy dicyclohexano-[18]-crown-6 [16069-36-6]. In nonpolar solvents the anions are neither extensively solvated nor strongly paired with the complexed cation, and they behave as naked or bare anions with enhanced activity. Small amounts of the macrocycHc compounds can serve as phase-transfer agents, and they may be more effective than tetrabutylammonium ion for the purpose. The cost of these macrocycHc agents limits industrial use. 

Other measures of nucleophilicity have been proposed. Brauman et al. studied Sn2 reactions in the gas phase and applied Marcus theory to obtain the intrinsic barriers of identity reactions. These quantities were interpreted as intrinsic nucleo-philicities. Streitwieser has shown that the reactivity of anionic nucleophiles toward methyl iodide in dimethylformamide (DMF) is correlated with the overall heat of reaction in the gas phase he concludes that bond strength and electron affinity are the important factors controlling nucleophilicity. The dominant role of the solvent in controlling nucleophilicity was shown by Parker, who found solvent effects on nucleophilic reactivity of many orders of magnitude. For example, most anions are more nucleophilic in DMF than in methanol by factors as large as 10, because they are less effectively shielded by solvation in the aprotic solvent. Liotta et al. have measured rates of substitution by anionic nucleophiles in acetonitrile solution containing a crown ether, which forms an inclusion complex with the cation (K ) of the nucleophile. These rates correlate with gas phase rates of the same nucleophiles, which, in this crown ether-acetonitrile system, are considered to be naked anions. The solvation of anionic nucleophiles is treated in Section 8.3. 

In addition to the boron trifluoride-diethyl ether complex, chlorotrimcthylsilanc also shows a rate accelerating effect on cuprate addition reactions this effect emerges only if tetrahydrofuran is used as the reaction solvent. No significant difference in rate and diastereoselectivity is observed in diethyl ether as reaction solvent when addition of the cuprate, prepared from butyllithium and copper(I) bromide-dimethylsulfide complex, is performed in the presence or absence of chlorotrimethylsilane17. If, however, the reaction is performed in tetrahydrofuran, the reaction rate is accelerated in the presence of chlorotrimethylsilane and the diastereofacial selectivity increases to a ratio of 88 12 17. In contrast to the reaction in diethyl ether, the O-silylated product is predominantly formed in tetrahydrofuran. The alcohol product is only formed to a low extent and showed a diastereomeric ratio of 55 45, which is similar to the result obtained in the absence of chlorotrimethylsilane. This discrepancy indicates that the selective pathway leading to the O-silylated product is totally different and several times faster than the unselective pathway" which leads to the unsilylated alcohol adduct. A slight further increase in the Cram selectivity was achieved when 18-crown-6 was used in order to increase the steric bulk of the reagent. 

Evidence that the cation plays an essential role, at least in some cases, is that when the Li was effectively removed from L1A1H4 (by the addition of a crown ether), the reaction did not take place. The complex 19 must now be hydrolyzed to the alcohol. For NaBH4 the Na" " does not seem to participate in the transition state, but kinetic evidence shows that an OR group from the solvent does participate and remains attached to the boron... 

The crowns as model carriers. Many studies involving crown ethers and related ligands have been performed which mimic the ion-transport behaviour of the natural antibiotic carriers (Lamb, Izatt Christensen, 1981). This is not surprising, since clearly the alkali metal chemistry of the cyclic antibiotic molecules parallels in many respects that of the crown ethers towards these metals. As discussed in Chapter 4, complexation of an ion such as sodium or potassium with a crown polyether results in an increase in its lipophilicity (and a concomitant increase in its solubility in non-polar organic solvents). However, even though a ring such as 18-crown-6 binds potassium selectively, this crown is expected to be a less effective ionophore for potassium than the natural systems since the two sides of the crown complex are not as well-protected from the hydro-phobic environment existing in the membrane. 

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