Dimeric isocyanates

The presently proposed mechanism of synergism implies that ligands other than amine which can coordinate with the tin ion should also synergize its catalytic activity toward alcohol-isocyanate reactions. This apparently is the case for triphenyl phosphine-DBTDL combination. When triphenyl phosphine was added to DBTDL, it accelerated the rate of reaction of isocyanate with alcohol and water (Figure 6). Although triphenyl phosphine is known to dimerize isocyanates, (12), the dimerization... 

Pd-cataly2ed reactions of butadiene are different from those catalyzed by other transition metal complexes. Unlike Ni(0) catalysts, neither the well known cyclodimerization nor cyclotrimerization to form COD or CDT[1,2] takes place with Pd(0) catalysts. Pd(0) complexes catalyze two important reactions of conjugated dienes[3,4]. The first type is linear dimerization. The most characteristic and useful reaction of butadiene catalyzed by Pd(0) is dimerization with incorporation of nucleophiles. The bis-rr-allylpalladium complex 3 is believed to be an intermediate of 1,3,7-octatriene (7j and telomers 5 and 6[5,6]. The complex 3 is the resonance form of 2,5-divinylpalladacyclopentane (1) and pallada-3,7-cyclononadiene (2) formed by the oxidative cyclization of butadiene. The second reaction characteristic of Pd is the co-cyclization of butadiene with C = 0 bonds of aldehydes[7-9] and CO jlO] and C = N bonds of Schiff bases[ll] and isocyanate[12] to form the six-membered heterocyclic compounds 9 with two vinyl groups. The cyclization is explained by the insertion of these unsaturated bonds into the complex 1 to generate 8 and its reductive elimination to give 9. 

Oligomerization and Polymerization Reactions. One special feature of isocyanates is their propensity to dimerize and trimerize. Aromatic isocyanates, especially, are known to undergo these reactions in the absence of a catalyst. The dimerization product bears a strong dependency on both the reactivity and stmcture of the starting isocyanate. For example, aryl isocyanates dimerize, in the presence of phosphoms-based catalysts, by a crosswise addition to the C=N bond of the NCO group to yield a symmetrical dimer (15). 

Conversely, acyl isocyanates yield dimers which include the C=X (16) moiety (where X =0, S, NR) in the product ring stmcture (56). 

Reportedly, simple alkyl isocyanates do not dimerize upon standing. They trimerize to isocyanurates under comparable reaction conditions (57). Aliphatic isocyanate dimers can, however, be synthesized via the phosgenation of A[,A[-disubstituted ureas to yield /V-(ch1orocarhony1)ch1oroformamidine iatermediates which are subsequendy converted by partial hydrolysis and base catalyzed cycUzation. This is also the method of choice for the synthesis of l-alkyl-3-aryl-l,3-diazetidiones (mixed dimers of aromatic and aUphatic isocyanates) (58). 

Dimerization is reportedly catalyzed by pyridine [110-86-1] and phosphines. Trialkylphosphines have been shown to catalyze the conversion of dimer iato trimer upon prolonged standing (2,57). Pyridines and other basic catalysts are less selective because the required iacrease ia temperature causes trimerization to compete with dimerization. The gradual conversion of dimer to trimer ia the catalyzed dimerization reaction can be explained by the assumption of equiUbria between dimer and polar catalyst—dimer iatermediates. The polar iatermediates react with excess isocyanate to yield trimer. Factors, such as charge stabilization ia the polar iatermediate and its lifetime or steric requirement, are reported to be important. For these reasons, it is not currently feasible to predict the efficiency of dimer formation given a particular catalyst. 

Asymmetric aryl isocyanate dimers, ia which the C=0 group of oae molecule reacts with the C=N group of another, have been postulated as labile iatermediates ia the formation of carbodiioiides (17) upoa heating isocyanates. 

Commercially, polymeric MDI is trimerized duting the manufacture of rigid foam to provide improved thermal stabiUty and flammabiUty performance. Numerous catalysts are known to promote the reaction. Tertiary amines and alkaU salts of carboxyUc acids are among the most effective. The common step ia all catalyzed trimerizations is the activatioa of the C=N double boad of the isocyanate group. The example (18) highlights the alkoxide assisted formation of the cycHc dimer and the importance of the subsequent iatermediates. Similar oligomerization steps have beea described previously for other catalysts (61). 

Temperature control is important in the handling and storage of isocyanates. Storage at inappropriate temperatures can cause product discoloration, viscosity increases, and dimerization. Handling personnel should consult the technical data sheets for the recommended storage temperature of the specific isocyanate product. 

In addition, isocyanates may, under appropriate conditions, react with themselves to give dimers, trimers (isocyanurates) and carbodi-imides. 

In certain cases, even dimers of certain isocyanates, such as toluene diisocyanate or hexamethylene diisocyanate, can act as blocking agents, thermally reversing to regenerate the isocyanate [16,17]. 

The dimeric tellurium diimide 10.7 undergoes a cycloaddition reaction with BuNCO to generate the Ai,iV -ureatotellurium imide 10.11, which is converted to the corresponding telluroxide 10.12 by reaction with excess BuNCO. " By contrast, BuN=S=N Bu undergoes exchange reactions with isocyanates. 

In contrast, addition of dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate to cyclopent[6]azepine (6) is slow and furnishes, in 53% yield, a mixture of the dimeric 1 2 adduct 7 (red crystals), the 1 3 adduct 8 (yellow oil), and an unidentified purple oil.2 Surprisingly, cyclopent[6]azcpine fails to react with other common dienophiles such as ethenetetracarbonitrile, diethyl maleate and chlorosulfonyl isocyanate. 

M - 2 Aromatic isocyanates Aromatic phenols Certain butenols Certain fluorinated amines e.g., C8F17CH2CHICH2NH2 or CF3(CF2)7CH2CH2CH2NH2 Possible Precursor Compounds Polynuclear aromatics (e.g., dihydroxyphenanthrene) Ethylsilanes (dimers to heptamers)... 

N-Substituted amides can be prepared by direct attack of isocyanates on aromatic rings.The R group may be alkyl or aryl, but if the latter, dimers and trimers are also obtained. Isothiocyanates similarly give thioamides. The reaction has been carried out intramolecularly both with aralkyl isothiocyanates and acyl isothiocyanates.In the latter case, the product is easily hydrolyzable to a dicarboxylic acid this is a way of putting a carboxyl group on a ring ortho to one already there (34 is... 

The intermolecular dimerization of nitrile oxides has been described as a procedure to prepare Fx with identical substituent both in the 3 and 4 position (Fig. 3). This procedure is a [3 -F 2] cycloaddition where one molecule of nitrile oxide acts as 1,3-dipole and the other as dipolarophile [24-26]. Yu et al. has studied this procedure in terms of theoretical calculus [27,28]. Rearrangement of isocyanates competes with the bimolecular dimerization, with the former becoming dominant at elevated temperatures. 

More recently, Belzner et al. reported a new type of oxygen transfer reaction from isocyanates to bis[2-(dimethylaminomethyl)phenyl]silylene (8)18 which was thermally generated from the corresponding cyclotrisilane 7, and they obtained some convincing results of the involvement of silanone 9 (Scheme 3). However, they found that silanone 9 is not stable enough to be isolated. Only cyclic di- and trisiloxanes 10 and 11 (i.e., the cyclic dimer and trimer of the silanone 9) were obtained together with the corresponding isonitrile as other main products when... 

Buckles and McGrew [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 88 (15), 1966] have studied the dimerization of phenyl isocyanate in liquid solution in the presence of a catalyst. 

Di-(2,3,4,6-tetra-0-acetyl-a-D-mannopyranosyl)-l,2,5-oxadiazole 2-oxide 306 was synthesized from D-mannose 305 by a route involving dimerization of mannopyranosyl nitrile oxide as the key step. Three methods were used for the generation of the nitrile oxide isocyanate-mediated dehydration of nitromethylmannose derivatives, treatment of aldoxime with aqueous hypochlorite, and base-induced dehydrochlorination of hydroximoyl chloride (Scheme 76) <2001TL4065, 2002T8505>. 

These routes are dimerization to furoxans 2 proceeding at ambient and lower temperatures for all nitrile oxides excluding those, in which the fulmido group is sterically shielded, isomerization to isocyanates 3, which proceeds at elevated temperature, is practically the only reaction of sterically stabilized nitrile oxides. Dimerizations to 1,2,4-oxadiazole 4-oxides 4 in the presence of trimethylamine (4) or BF3 (1 BF3 = 2 1) (24) and to 1,4,2,5-dioxadiazines 5 in excess BF3 (1, 24) or in the presence of pyridine (4) are of lesser importance. Strong reactivity of nitrile oxides is based mainly on their ability to add nucleophiles and particularly enter 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions with various dipolarophiles (see Sections 1.3 and 1.4). 

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