Crown salts

An anion, Gc(SiMc3)3, has been isolated407 as a lithium-crown salt and shows a pyramidal structure (Ge-Si = 236.7 pm, SiGeSi = 102.6°). As expected, the angle is more acute than for R3SG ions but less so than for Ph3ELi (E = Sn, Pb) (Section II.D). 

Nucleophilic Substitutions.—Many of the nucleophilic substitutions covered by equation (1) can be catalysed as effectively in liquid-liquid two-phase systems by crown and cryptand compounds as by quaternary ions. Alkyl substitution on the basic crown skeleton of (28), as in (31), was found to increase the efficiency of catalysis for the conversion of alkyl mesylates to halides, presumably by ensuring partitioning of the crown-salt complex between the phases. A similar observation has been made using alkyl-substituted crown (32) and aza-crown compounds (33) as catalysts in two-phase reactions, for example between iodide, cyanide or thiocyanate aniohs and an alkyl bromide. Alkyl substitution in the macrobicyclic cryptands (34) has the same effect on Sn processes, and in all the above cases systems can be devised with catalytic efficiency comparable to or greater than that achieved by quaternary ion PTC. 

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... 

Phase transfer catalysis succeeds for two reasons First it provides a mechanism for introducing an anion into the medium that contains the reactive substrate More important the anion is introduced m a weakly solvated highly reactive state You ve already seen phase transfer catalysis m another form m Section 16 4 where the metal complexmg properties of crown ethers were described Crown ethers permit metal salts to dissolve m nonpolar solvents by surrounding the cation with a lipophilic cloak leav mg the anion free to react without the encumbrance of strong solvation forces... 

Critical micelle concentration (Section 19 5) Concentration above which substances such as salts of fatty acids aggre gate to form micelles in aqueous solution Crown ether (Section 16 4) A cyclic polyether that via lon-dipole attractive forces forms stable complexes with metal 10ns Such complexes along with their accompany mg anion are soluble in nonpolar solvents C terminus (Section 27 7) The amino acid at the end of a pep tide or protein chain that has its carboxyl group intact—that IS in which the carboxyl group is not part of a peptide bond Cumulated diene (Section 10 5) Diene of the type C=C=C in which a single carbon atom participates in double bonds with two others... 

Halex rates can also be increased by phase-transfer catalysts (PTC) with widely varying stmctures quaternary ammonium salts (51—53) 18-crown-6-ether (54) pytidinium salts (55) quaternary phosphonium salts (56) and poly(ethylene glycol)s (57). Catalytic quantities of cesium duoride also enhance Halex reactions (58). 

Fig. 4. Chiroselective inclusion formation of racemic l-phenylethylammonium salt ((R/S)-14) using optically active crown compound ((i, 5)-13) [53955-48-9]. The diastereomeric inclusion complex (R)-(14) is more stable than (3, 3)-(13)-(3)-(14) (top views, dotted lines represent hydrogen...

Phase-tiansfei catalysis (PTC) is a technique by which leactions between substances located in diffeient phases aie biought about oi accelerated. Typically, one OI more of the reactants are organic Hquids or soHds dissolved in a nonpolar organic solvent and the coreactants are salts or alkah metal hydroxides in aqueous solution. Without a catalyst such reactions are often slow or do not occur at ah the phase-transfer catalyst, however, makes such conversions fast and efficient. Catalysts used most extensively are quaternary ammonium or phosphonium salts, and crown ethers and cryptates. Although isolated examples of PTC can be found in the early Hterature, it is only since the middle of the 1960s that the method has developed extensively. 

For practical appHcation in mixtures of water—organic solvent, only ammonium and phosphonium salts containing 15 or more C atoms are sufficiently lipophilic. In empirical catalyst comparisons crown ethers (hexaoxacyclooctodecanes) (1)—(3) were often as effective as the best onium salts. 

Other complexing agents sometimes advocated are cryptates, especially the compound dubbed [2.2.2] (Kryptofix 222) [23978-09-8] (see Chelating agents). Crown ethers were originally advocated for reactions in the presence of soHd reagents (Uquid-soHd PTC). It is now known, however, that onium salts are equally suitable in many cases. 

Often poly(ethylene glycol)s or derivatives thereof can be used instead of crowns or onium salts advantageously, although their catalytic activity frequently tends to be somewhat lower. The possible toxicity of crowns and cryptands and the price difference between these compounds and onium salts (100 1 to 10 1) are other important factors to be considered. Thus (1) [17455-13-9] (2) [14187-32-7] and (3) [16069-36-6] and cryptands are used more often in laboratory work, whereas onium salts are more important for industrial processes. 

Grown Ethers. Ethylene oxide forms cycHc oligomers (crown ethers) in the presence of fluorinated Lewis acids such as boron tritiuoride, phosphoms pentafluoride, or antimony pentafluoride. Hydrogen fluoride is the preferred catalyst (47). The presence of BF , PF , or SbF salts of alkah, alkaline earth, or transition metals directs the oligomerization to the cycHc tetramer, 1,4,7,10-tetraoxacyclododecane [294-93-9] (12-crown-4), pentamer, 1,4,7,10,13-pentaoxacyclopentadecane [33100-27-6] (15-crown-6), andhexamer, 1,4,7,10,13,16-hexaoxacyclooctadecane [17455-13-9]... 

Halide ions may attack 5-substituted thiiranium ions at three sites the sulfur atom (Section 5.06.3.4.5), a ring carbon atom or an 5-alkyl carbon atom. In the highly sterically hindered salt (46) attack occurs only on sulfur (Scheme 62) or the S-methyl group (Scheme 89). The demethylation of (46) by bromide and chloride ion is the only example of attack on the carbon atom of the sulfur substituent in any thiiranium salt (78CC630). Iodide and fluoride ion (the latter in the presence of a crown ether) prefer to attack the sulfur atom of (46). cis-l-Methyl-2,3-di-t-butylthiiranium fluorosulfonate, despite being somewhat hindered, nevertheless is attacked at a ring carbon atom by chloride and bromide ions. The trans isomer could not be prepared its behavior to nucleophiles is therefore unknown (74JA3146). 

In the absence of die polyether, potassium fluoride is insoluble in benzene and unreactive toward alkyl halides. Similar enhancement of solubility and reactivity of other salts is observed in the presence of crown ethers The solubility and reactivity enhancement result because the ionic compound is dissociated to a tightly complexed cation and a naked anion. Figure 4.13 shows the tight coordination that can be achieved with a typical crown ether. The complexed cation, because it is surrounded by the nonpolar crown ether, has high solubility in the nonpolar media. To maintain electroneutrality, the anion is also transported into the solvent. The cation is shielded from interaction with the anion as a... 

Chastrette and Chastrette showed that the cyclocooligomerization of furan and acetone was improved by the presence of lithium salts. Liotta and co-workers reported the synthesis of 12-crown-4 by a double Williamson approach in the presence of LiC104. They mention in a footnote that A run performed as detailed but without UCIO4 gave no product . Other inferential evidence has accumulated as well. 

Newkome and co-workers have demonstrated the operation of a template effect in the formation of a pyrido-ester-crown. In the reaction shown in Eq. (2.8), they treated 2-clTloronicotinoyl cliloride with either the disodium or dipotassium salt of pentaethylene glycol. TJie two reactions were conducted under identical conditions except for the presence of sodium vs. potassium cations. Since the product is a six-oxygen macrocycle, its formation would be expected to be favored by K" rather than Na" counter ions for the glycolate. In fact, the yields of crown-lactone were 30% and 48% respectively when Na" and K" were the templating cations. 

Frensch and Vdgtle have recently appended three crown ether units to the cyclo-triveratrylene unit . Note that Hyatt had previously prepared the open-chained relatives of this structure (see Sect. 7.3 and Eq. 7.6). Whereas Hyatt prepared the cyclo-triveratrylene skeleton and then appended polyethyleneoxy arms to it, Frensch and Vogtle conducted the condensation reaction (formaldehyde/HCl) on the preformed benzocrown. Thus benzo-15-crown-5 was converted into the corresponding tris-crown (IS) (mp 203.5—205.5°) in 4% yield. The yield was somewhat higher for the condensation of benzo-18-crown-6, but in both cases, yield ranges were observed. These species formed 1 3 (ligand/salt) complexes with sodium and potassium ions. 

Unfortunately, the envisioned mode of binding proved unrealized, although the oxo-crowns did prove to be good complexing agents for ammonium salts ". ... 

Cram and his coworkers have pioneered the use of bis-binaphthyl crowns as chiral com-plexing agents for ammonium salts and amino acid salts. In these systems, the chiral binaphthyl unit provides a steric barrier within the macrocycle which allows discrimina-... 

Cesium Salts in Crown Synthesis 3.14 Organometallic Derivatives of Crowns... 

Using cesium carbonate in methanol, Kellogg and coworkers were able to convert catechol and pentaethylene glycol into benzo-18-crown-6 in 74% yield. They found that the cesium salts in these reactions were usually equal or superior to the potassium salts. 

Although cesium salts appear to be excellent reagents for the formation of crown ethers, it should be noted that such salts are used at least in equivalent amounts or in excess (4 eq.) . These salts are relatively expensive and will probably be reserved for use in the synthesis of less readily accessible crowns. 

Quite recently, Okahara and his coworkers have extended their method to the formation of long chain N-alkylmonoazacrowns. It was expected that such compounds as N-decylmonoaza-18-crown-6 may be useful as new surfactants with complexing ability with metal salts, phase transfer catalysts and selective ion carriers . ... 

A number of bridged crown ethers have been prepared. Although the Simmons-Park in-out bicyclic amines (see Sect. 1.3.3) are the prototype, Lehn s cryptands (see Chap. 8) are probably better known. Intermediates between the cryptands (which Pedersen referred to as lanterns ) and the simple monoazacrowns are monoazacrowns bridged by a single hydrocarbon strand. Pedersen reports the synthesis of such a structure (see 7, below) which he referred to as a clam compound for the obvious reason . Although Pedersen appears not to have explored the binding properties of his clam in any detail, he did attempt to complex Na and Cs ions. A 0.0001 molar solution of the clam compound is prepared in ethanol. The metal ions Na and Cs are added to the clam-ethanol solutions as salts. Ultraviolet spectra of these solutions indicate that a small amount of the Na is complexed by the clam compound but none of the Cs . 

More recently, Johnson and Sutherland have used bridged monoazacrowns as host molecules for bis-ammonium salts. The intramolecular bis-crown diammonium complex formed when the size relationships are appropriate is shown below as structure 8. 

In the reactions characterized in the general sense above, phenyl and benzyl were the organic residues bound to phosphorus. It is not clear which of these groups is removed in the LAH dealkylation step. It should also be noted that as tetraquaternary phosphonium salts, these species do not qualify as crown analogs in the strictest sense because of the absence of lone pair electrons on phosphorus. Furthermore, the quaternary phosphorus can resist oxidation much better than secondary or tertiary phospho-... 

In other sections in this chapter, we have referred to a variety of macropolycyclic structures which are more elaborate than the simple three-stranded bicyclic cryptands. This includes bridged double-macrocycles " , in-out bicyclic amines and the macrotricyclic quaternary ammonium salts of Schmidtchen. In addition to these, there are two other types of compounds which deserve special note. The first of these is a stacked twin-ring cryptand, but it is a hybrid molecule rather than a double-cryptand . The species shown below as 20 is a crowned porphyrin, and was designed to provide a pair of metal cation binding sites similar to those which might be available in natural biological systems . 

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