Cyclohexyl elimination

Further insight into the E2 mechanism comes from stereochemical studies One such experiment compares the rates of elimination of the cis and trans isomers of 4 tert butyl cyclohexyl bromide... 

Nucleophilic substitution in cyclohexyl systems is quite slow and is often accompanied by extensive elimination. The stereochemistry of substitution has been determined with the use of a deuterium-labeled substrate (entry 6). In the example shown, the substitution process occurs with complete inversion of configuration. By NMR amdysis, it can be determined that there is about 15% of rearrangement by hydride shift accon any-ing solvolysis in acetic acid. This increases to 35% in formic acid and 75% in trifiuoroacetic acid. The extent of rearrangement increases with decreasing solvent... 

Cyclohexyl systems have a very strong preference for anti elimination via conforma-... 

The amino functional group is not commonly encountered in steroid synthesis except perhaps in steroidal alkaloids. However, certain elimination reactions have been shown to have theoretical and limited preparative importance, largely due to the efforts of McKenna and co-workers. The Hofmann rule for 2 elimination predicts that alkaline elimination of quaternary ammonium salts will occur towards the carbon carrying the most hydrogen atoms cf. the converse Saytzeff orientation, above). In cyclohexyl systems, the requirement for diaxial elimination appears to be important, as in other 2 eliminations, and the Hofmann rule frequently is not obeyed [e.g., (116) (117)]. 

Substituted TMM complexes also cycloadd to aldehydes in the presence of a tin cocatalyst such as MesSnOAc and MesSnOTs [31]. Reaction of 2-heptenal with methyl precursor (6) gave a mixture of methylenetetrahydrofurans (68) and (69). This regioselectivity is reversed with 10-undecenal and methyl precursor (5), where adduct (70) now predominates over (71). As in the carbocyclic system, the phenylthio group also functions as a regiocontrol element in reaction with cyclohexyl aldehyde. The initially formed adduct (72) eliminates the element of thio-phenol on attempted allyl rearrangement, and the overall process becomes a cycloaddition approach to furans (Scheme 2.21) [20]. 

However, the E2C mechanism has been criticized, and it has been contended that all the experimental results can be explained by the normal E2 mechanism. McLennan suggested that the transition state is that shown as 18. An ion-pair mechanism has also been proposed. Although the actual mechanisms involved may be a matter of controversy, there is no doubt that a class of elimination reactions exists that is characterized by second-order attack by weak bases. " These reactions also have the following general characteristics (1) they are favored by good leaving groups (2) they are favored by polar aprotic solvents (3) the reactivity order is tertiary > secondary > primary, the opposite of the normal E2 order (p. 1319) (4) the elimination is always anti (syn elimination is not found), but in cyclohexyl systems, a diequatorial anti elimination is about as favorable as a diaxial anti elimination (unlike the normal E2 reaction, p. 1302) (5) they follow Zaitsev s rule (see below), where this does not conflict with the requirement for anti elimination. 

It is possible that the general instability of secondary alkyl ligands such as isopropyl and cyclohexyl (see Section B,2) may also be due to homolytic fission at room temperature, but here also other mechanisms, such as the elimination of Co—H, are possible. 

From these data, some key information can be drawn in both cases, the couple methane/pentane as well as the couple ethane/butane have similar selectivities. This implies that each couple of products (ethane/butane and methane/pentane) is probably formed via a common intermediate, which is probably related to the hexyl surface intermediate D, which is formed as follows cyclohexane reacts first with the surface via C - H activation to produce a cyclohexyl intermediate A, which then undergoes a second C - H bond activation at the /-position to give the key 1,3-dimetallacyclopentane intermediate B. Concerted electron transfer (a 2+2 retrocychzation) leads to a non-cychc -alkenylidene metal surface complex, C, which under H2 can evolve towards a surface hexyl intermediate D. Then, the surface hexyl species D can lead to all the observed products via the following elementary steps (1) hydrogenolysis into hexane (2) /1-hydride elimination to form 1-hexene, followed by re-insertion to form various hexyl complexes (E and F) or (3) a second carbon-carbon bond cleavage, through a y-C - H bond activation to the metallacyclic intermediate G or H (Scheme 40). Under H2, intermediate G can lead either to pentane/methane or ethane/butane mixtures, while intermediate H would form ethane/butane or propane. 

Kwart and Khan investigated the copper-catalyzed decomposition of benzenesulphonyl azide both in methanol 33) and in cyclohexene 34>. No reaction occurs between benzenesulphonyl azide and cyclohexene at 100 °C but the addition of copper powder causes a smooth decomposition to take place yielding an impressive array of products 34>. The major ones are benzenesulphonamide 18 (37%), the aziridine 19 (15%) and the lV-(l-cyclohexenyl)benzenesulphonamide 20 (17%) (Scheme 2). Some traces of cyclohexyl azide were also found but the addition of hydro-quinone eliminated its formation. 

The marked ANTI stereoselectivity observed with cyclohexyl systems (see above) reflects the ability to achieve, and the very marked preference to eliminate from, the so-called trans-diaxial conformation (34) ... 

The reaction fails if the proton to be removed is sterically hindered - either tertiary as in 21 or neopentyl-like as in 2263). In six membered rings, the ds, syn hydrogen must be axial for elimination. In the parent cyclohexyl system 23, a mixture of 24 and 25 results29) whereas, in a eonformationally rigid cyclohexane... 

Regarding this proposal, it should be noted that while 1,1-eliminations on Si-Si-C units to generate silylenes are well known thermal processes (54) the photochemical variant seems not to have been described. The rearrangement of silylsilylenes (4) to disilenes is known to be rapid (55), and silyl radical addition at the least hindered site would produce the observed persistent radical. Preliminary evidence for the operation of 1,1-photoelimination processes in the polysilane high polymers has been obtained, in that the exhaustive irradiation at 248 nm of poly(cyclohexylmethylsilane) (PCHMS) produces —10-15% volatile products which contain trialkylsilyl terminal groups. For example, the following products were produced and identified by GC— MS (R=cyclohexyl,R = methyl) H(RR Si)2H (49%), H(RR Si)3H (19%), R2R SiH (2%), R 2RSiRR SiH (5%) and R2R SiRR SiH (7%). 

Typically, the organic substrate in these reactions is a haloalkane. Primary haloalkanes will generally give 100% substitution products, but tertiary and cyclohexyl halides usually undergo 100 % elimination, with secondary haloalkanes producing a mixture of the two. Studies of the chloride and bromide displacements of (R)-2-octyl methanesulfonate have shown that phase transfer displacements proceed with almost complete inversion of stereochemistry at the carbon centre, indicating an Sjv2-like mechanistic pathway [41],... 

An Arbuzov reaction of triethyl phosphite with A-chloroamines RNHC1 (R = i-Pr, cyclohexyl or PhCH2), prepared from the corresponding amines and aqueous sodium hypochlorite, leads to the phosphoramides 357 with the elimination of ethyl chloride395. 

Cyclohexyl halides may undergo elimination or substitution reactions. They are usually more prone to elimination, but the acetate anion MeCC>2 is not particularly basic, and nucleophiles are particularly nucleophilic in the polar aprotic solvent DMF. More cyclohexyl acetate (substitution) than cyclohexene (elimination) is likely to form. 

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