Dimethyl sulfate, alkylation reduction

ANILINES, BENZYL AMINES, AND ANALOGUES An orally active local anesthetic agent that can be used as an (intiarrhythmic agent is meobenti ne (57). Its patented synthesis starts with -hydroxyphenyl nitrile and proceeds by dimethyl sulfate etherification and Raney nickel reduction to Alkylation of -methyl-dimethylthiourea with completes l.he synthesis of meobenti ne (57). ... 

Later work examined substituent effects on kinetically controlled alkylations [68, 69] (Scheme 32). Substitution at the 5-position is well tolerated in these reactions. Reductive lithiation of a series of 4-phenylthio-l,3-dioxanes and quenching of the axial alkyllithium intermediate with dimethyl sulfate provided the flzzfz -l,3-diols in good yield, with essentially complete selectivity. 

Methoxyphenylurea, 31,10,13 Methyl -acetylbenzoate, 32, 81 Methyl acrylate, 30, 65 32, 86 y-Methylallophanate, 32, 62 Methylamine, 30, 60 4 -Methyl-2-aminobenzophenone, 32,12 N-Methylaniline, 30, 62 31,110 N-Methylarylamines, preparation by reductive alkylation, 30, 59, 60 Methylation, of e-caprolactam, 31, 72 of quinacetophenone, with dimethyl sulfate, 31, 91 with methyl iodide, 31, 90 2-Methyl-3,l,4-benzoxaz-4-one, 32, 12 N-Methyl-a-bromo-n-butyranilide, 30, 63... 

Dioxo-l,4,7,10-tetrahydro-l,10-phenanthroline (72) with dimethyl sulfate gives l,4-dihydro-7-methoxy-l-methyl-4-oxo- 1,10-phenanthroline (73) rather than a quaternary salt, steric hindrance presumably preventing alkylation of both nitrogens.203 A related alkylation has also been reported.295 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydro-1,10-phenanthrolines similarly form 1-alkyl derivatives rather than 10-alkyl quaternary salts with alkyl halides.38 The rate of methylation of 1,10-phenanthroline with methyl iodide in dimethyl sulfoxide has been studied,296 and the polaro-graphic reduction of 1 -methyl- 1,10-phenanthrolinium iodide was reported.286... 

The procedure given above is an adaptation of the methylation method first used by Sommelet and Ferrand3 and developed more fully by Clarke, Gillespie, and Weisshaus.2 /3-Phenylethyldi-methylamine has been prepared from /9-phenylethylamine by alkylation with dimethyl sulfate 4 by the reaction of fi-phenyl-ethylamine and of N-methyl- S-phenylethylamine with formaldehyde 6 by catalytic reduction of phenylacetonitrile in the presence of dimethylamine 3 by the reaction of dimethylamine with /3-phenylethyl chloride 7 8 9 and with /3-phenylethyl bromide 9 and by the reaction of phenylacetaldehyde with dimethylamine.10... 

Dimethyl carbonate is an interesting material which can be used instead of toxic dimethyl sulfate as a multipurpose alkylating reagent.438-578 Its synthesis can be performed in one step from cheap methanol, CO and oxygen materials in the presence of copper salts (e.g. copper(ll) methoxychloride or CuCl/py) at ca. 100 °C and 15-70 atm (equation 290).578,62S This reaction is thought to proceed in two steps 578 (a) formation of copper(II) methoxychloride from the reaction of copper(I) chloride, 02 and methanol (equation 291) and (b) reduction of copper(II) methoxychloride with CO to form dimethyl carbonate and regenerate copper(I) chloride (equation 292).626... 

The l,3-dithiole-2-thione derivative (328) can be prepared by reduction of carbon disulfide with potassium in DMF under argon and subsequent alkylation with dimethyl sulfate (80CB1898). Other alkylating agents besides dimethyl sulfate can be used. 

Dithioesters can be reduced in anhydrous acetonitrileor in methanol,the best results being obtained with dimethyl sulfate as alkylating agent. The most convenient procedure involves a simple electrolysis cell with a lead cathode and methanol as solvent. Eight substrates (68 X = SMe) were tested, with R equal to phenyl, chloro- and methoxy-substituted phenyls, and f-butyl. Unlike the corresponding reductions of thioamides, the reactions were not entirely clean and gave substantial amounts of side products such as (70). The product dithioacetals (69 X = SMe, R = Me) were formed in yields of 40-60%. On two of the substrates, better yields (ca. 70%) could be obtained in anhydrous acetonitrile, but a more sophisticated apparatus was required. One enolizable substrate (71) was tested, but the yield was only 30%. ... 

Methylamine, 30, 60 Methylaniline, 30, 62 31, 110 N-Methylarylamines, preparation by reductive alkylation, 30, 59, 60 Methylation, of e-caprolactam, 31, 72 of quinacetophenone with dimethyl sulfate, 31, 91... 

The asymmetric solvent ( S, S)-(-h)-l,4-bis(dimethylamino)-2,3-dimethoxybutane (593) can be easily prepared in 88% yield from 592a by lithium aluminum hydride reduction of both amides. Interestingly, 592a is prepared from 591 by bis-alkylation with dimethyl sulfate under phase-transfer conditions [191]. 

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