Diazonium salts phenols

Ciprofibrate (48), a more potent lipid-lowering agent clofibrate, is prepared from Simmons-Smith product by Sandmeyer replacement of the amino group by a hydroxyl via the diazonium salt. Phenol undergoes the Reimer-Thiemann like process common to these agents upon alkaline treatment with acetone and chloroform to complete the synthesis of ci profib-rate (48). 

Azo-compounds can be obtained by reduction of nitro-compounds, or by oxidation of hydrazo-compounds. They are usually prepared, however, by reacting a phenol or amine with a diazonium salt. The coupling usually takes place in the position para to the hydroxyl or amino group, but if this position is occupied it goes to the ortho position, e.g. 

The diazonium salts usually decompose when warmed with water to give a phenol and nitrogen. When treated with CuCl, CuBr, KI, the diazo group is replaced by chlorine, bromine or iodine respectively (Sandmeyer reaction). A diazonium sulphate and hydroxyl-amine give an azoimide. The diazonium salt of anthranilic acid (2-aminobenzoic acid) decomposes to give benzyne. ... 

The most important reaction of the diazonium salts is the condensation with phenols or aromatic amines to form the intensely coloured azo compounds. The phenol or amine is called the secondary component, and the process of coupling with a diazonium salt is the basis of manufacture of all the azo dyestuffs. The entering azo group goes into the p-position of the benzene ring if this is free, otherwise it takes up the o-position, e.g. diazotized aniline coupled with phenol gives benzeneazophenol. When only half a molecular proportion of nitrous acid is used in the diazotization of an aromatic amine a diazo-amino compound is formed. 

When a diazonium salt in aqueous solution is gently warmed, it reacts with the water, liberating nitrogen and forming the corresponding phenol ... 

When an aqueous solution of a diazonium salt is added to an alkaline solution of a phenol, coupling occurs with formation of an azo-compound (p. 188). If ho vc cr the ntiueous solution of the diazonium salt, t. . ., />-bromohenzene diazonium chloride, is mixed with an excess of an aromatic hydrocarbon, and aqueous sodium hydroxide then added to the vigorously stirred mixture, the diazotate which is formed, e.g., BrC,H N OH, dissolves in the hydrocarbon and there undergoes decomposition with the formation of nitrogen and two free radicals. The aryl free radical then reacts with the hydrocarbon to give a... 

The most noteworthy reaction of azo-compounds is their behaviour on reduction. Prolonged reduction first saturates the azo group, giving the hydrazo derivative (C NH-NH C), and then breaks the NH NH linkage, with the formation of two primary amine molecules. If method (1) has been employed to prepare the azo-compound, these two primary amines will therefore be respectively (a) the original amine from which the diazonium salt was prepared, and (6) the amino derivative of the amine or phenol with which the diazonium salt was coupled. For example, amino-azobenzene on complete reduction gives one equivalent of aniline, and one of p-phenylene diamine, NHaCeH NH benzene-azo-2-naphthoI similarly gives one equivalent of aniline and one of... 

The solution must be strongly acid in order to avoid the coupbng reaction between the undecomposed diazonium salt and the phenol (see under Azo Dyes). For the preparation of phenol and the cresols, the aqueous solution of the diazonium compound is warmed to about 50° at higher temperatures the reaction may become unduly vigorous and lead to appreciable quantities of tarry compounds... 

Azo compounds (ArN=NAr) are prepared bj the interaction of a diazonium salt with a phenol in the presence of sodium hydroxide, for example ... 

This IS the most general method for preparing phenols It is easily performed the aque ous acidic solution m which the diazonium salt is prepared is heated and gives the phe nol directly An aryl cation is probably generated which is then captured by water acting as a nucleophile... 

A reaction of aryl diazonium salts that does not involve loss of nitrogen takes place when they react with phenols and arylamines Aryl diazonium ions are relatively weak elec trophiles but have sufficient reactivity to attack strongly activated aromatic rings The reaction is known as azo coupling two aryl groups are joined together by an azo (—N=N—) function... 

Preparation of phenols Heating its aqueous acidic solution converts a diazonium salt to a phenol This IS the most general method for the synthesis of phenols... 

Reaction with arenediazonium salts Adding a phe nol to a solution of a diazonium salt formed from a primary aromatic amine leads to formation of an azo compound The reaction is carried out at a pH such that a significant portion of the phenol is pres ent as its phenoxide ion The diazonium ion acts as an electrophile toward the strongly activated ring of the phenoxide ion... 

Coupling of the diazonium salts with phenols and amines forms the basis for manufacture of a number of commercial dyes. 

A diazonium salt is a weak electrophile, and thus reacts only with highly electron-rich species such as amino and hydroxy compounds. Even hydroxy compounds must be ionized for reaction to occur. Consequendy, hydroxy compounds such as phenols and naphthols are coupled in an alkaline medium (pH > of phenol or naphthol typically pH 7—11), whereas aromatic amines such as N,N diaLkylamines are coupled in a slightly acid medium, typically pH 1—5. This provides optimum stabiUty for the dia2onium salt (stable in acid) without deactivating the nucleophile (protonation of the amine). 

Other typical electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions—nitration (second entr-y), sul-fonation (fourth entry), and Friedel-Crafts alkylation and acylation (fifth and sixth entries)—take place readily and are synthetically useful. Phenols also undergo electrophilic substitution reactions that are limited to only the most active aromatic compounds these include nitrosation (third entry) and coupling with diazonium salts (seventh entry). 

Toluene from Toluidine.—It is often desirable to obtain tbe hydiocarbon from the base. The process of diazotisntion offers the only convenient method. The diazonium salt may be reduced by alcohol (Reaction 1, p. 162) or, as in the piesent instance, by sodium stannite. Less direct methods are the con-veision of the diazonium compound into (i) the hydrazine (see p. 174), (2) the acid and distillation with lime (p. 200), (3) the halogen derivative and reduction with sodium amalgam, 01, finally (4) the phenol and distillation with zinc dust. 

Methyl Orange.--The first point to notice in this reaction is that the diazonium salt forms no diazoamino-compotind with the dimethylanilinc, but at once pioduces an azo-compound. This is always the case with tertiary amines, some secondary amines like diphenyl.amine and the phenols. The reaction may be regarded as typical of the formation of all azo-colounng m.atters. At least two substances are requisite in this process on the one hand. an aromatic compound containing an amino-groujD in the nucleus, and, on the other, a base or phenol... 

Diazonium salts are important intermediates in organic synthesis, e.g. for the Sandmeyer reaction. The most important use is the coupling reaction with phenols or aromatic amines to yield azo dyes (see Diazo coupling). 

Arylamines are converted by diazotization with nitrous acid into arenediazonium salts, ArN2+ X-. The diazonio group can then be replaced by many other substituents in the Sandmeyer reaction to give a wide variety of substituted aromatic compounds. Aryl chlorides, bromides, iodides, and nitriles can be prepared from arenediazonium salts, as can arenes and phenols. In addition to their reactivity toward substitution reactions, diazonium salts undergo coupling with phenols and arylamines to give brightly colored azo dyes. 

Coupling reactions with diazonium salts to yield intensely colored azo derivatives have often been used for the detection of phenols, primary aromatic amines and electron-rich heterocyclics. 

The hydrolytic action of alkalis on the thiophosphate insecticides, such as parathion, yields free phenols that then couple with the diazonium salt to yield azo dyes. 

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