Dimethylphenol complexes

Polymerization Mechanism. The mechanism that accounts for the experimental observations of oxidative coupling of 2,6-disubstituted phenols involves an initial formation of aryloxy radicals from oxidation of the phenol with the oxidized form of the copper—amine complex or other catalytic agent. The aryloxy radicals couple to form cyclohexadienones, which undergo enolization and redistribution steps (32). The initial steps of the polymerization scheme for 2,6-dimethylphenol are as in equation 6. 

The oxidative coupling of 2,6-dimethylphenol to yield poly(phenylene oxide) represents 90—95% of the consumption of 2,6-dimethylphenol (68). The oxidation with air is catalyzed by a copper—amine complex. The poly(phenylene oxide) derived from 2,6-dimethylphenol is blended with other polymers, primarily high impact polystyrene, and the resulting alloy is widely used in housings for business machines, electronic equipment and in the manufacture of automobiles (see Polyethers, aromatic). A minor use of 2,6-dimethylphenol involves its oxidative coupling to... 

Isaacson and Sawhney (60) studied the reactions of a number of phenols and smectite with transition metal (Cu, FeJ+) and nontransition metal exchangeable cations. IR spectra of the clay-phenol complexes showed that all the clays studied transformed the sorbed phenols. The transformation occurred to a much greater extent in clays with transition metal cations than in those with the non-transition metal cations. In a subsequent study, Sawhney et al. (61) studied the polymerization of 2,6-dimethylphenol on air-dried homoionic Na-, Ca-, A1-, and Fe-smectite at 50°C. A portion of the adsorbed 2,6-dimethylphenol was transformed into dimers, trimers, tetramers, and quinone-type compounds. The nature of the exchange cations had an effect on both sorption and transformation and decreased in the order Fe Al > Ca > Na. 

It is well known that 2,6-dimethylphenol is oxidatively polymerized to poly(2,6-dimethyl-l,4-phenyleneoxide) with a copper amine complex as catalyst in the presence of oxygen at room temperature (Eq. 1)... 

Electro-oxidative polymerization of 2,6-disubstituted phenols is listed in Table I, with the polymerizations catalyzed by the copper-pyridine complex and oxidized by lead dioxide. 2,6-Dimethylphenol was electro-oxidatively polymerized to yield poly(2,6-dimethylphen-yleneoxide) with a molecular weight of 10000, as was attained by other polymerization methods. The NMR and IR spectra were in complete agreement with those measured for the other polymerization... 

When determining QSC values of dimeric lithium phenolates in solution, the value has to be corrected for anisotropic rotational diffusion as the complexes have an oblate, non-spherical shape . The Li2A2S2 complex of 2,6-di-f-butylphenolate has a Li QSC value of ca 280 kHz in a number of different solvents. The 2,6-dimethylphenolate system is present as an Li2A2S4 complex in THF and apparently as an L12A2S2 complex in DEE. These complexes have QSC values of 170 and 270 kHz in the two solvents, respectively. 

The arylamine 780b required for the total synthesis of carbazomycin B (261) was obtained by catalytic hydrogenation, using 10% palladium on activated carbon, of the nitroaryl derivative 784 which was obtained in six steps and 33% overall yield starting from 2,3-dimethylphenol 781 (see Scheme 5.85). Electrophilic substitution of the arylamine 780b with the iron-complex salt 602 provided the iron complex 787 in quantitative yield. The direct, one-pot transformation of the iron complex 787 to carbazomycin B 261 by an iron-mediated arylamine cyclization was unsuccessful, probably because the unprotected hydroxyarylamine moiety is too sensitive towards the oxidizing reaction conditions. However, the corresponding 0-acetyl derivative... 

Poly(2,6-dimethylphenylene ether) can be prepared by dehydrogenation of 2,6-dimethylphenol with oxygen in the presence of copper(l) chloride/pyridine as catalyst at room temperature. It is known that the mechanism involves a stepwise reaction, probably proceeding via a copper phenolate complex that is then dehydrogenated. 

The mechanism of the oxidative polymerization of 2,6-dimethylphenol (XOH) with an amine-Cu complex is represented by Eq. (20)145 147. ... 

Table 14. Oxidative polymerization of 2,6-dimethylphenol catalyzed by polymer-Cu complexes... 

The catalytic cycle of Cu-complex-catalyzed oxidation is illustrated in Scheme 14, the example used being file dimerization of 2,6-dimethylphenol (XOH)1S3 In the first step, the substrate coordinates to the Cu(II) complex and one electron transfers from the substrate to the Cu(II) ion. Then the activated substrate dissociates... 

Propylene oxide is one of the raw materials used to manufacture rubbery and crystalline polyepoxides. R. J. Herold and R. A. Livigni describe propylene oxide polymerization with hexacyanometalate salt complexes as catalyst. Polyphenylene oxide is made by copper catalyzed oxidative coupling of 2,6-dimethylphenol. G. D. Cooper, J. G. Bennett, and A. Factor discuss the preparation of copolymers of PPO by oxidative coupling of dimethylphenol with methylphenylphenol and with diphenylphenol. 

This reaction has been actively studied since it was first reported by Hay in 1959 (I), but most of the extensive literature, which includes several recent reviews (2-8), deals primarily with the complex polymerization mechanism. Few copolymers have been prepared by oxidative coupling of phenols, and only one copolymer system has been examined in any detail. Copolymers of 2,6-dimethylphenol (DMP) and 2,6-diphenylphenol (DPP) have been prepared and the effect of variations in polymerization procedure on the structure and properties of the copolymers examined (4, 9) this work has now been extended to copolymers of each of these monomers with a third phenol, 2-methyl-6-phenylphenol (MPP). This paper presents a study of the DMP-MPP and MPP-DPP copolymers and a comparison with the DMP-DPP system previously reported. 

Dimethylphenol is oxidatively polymerized to poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenyl-ene ether) with a copper-amine complex by a laccaselike reaction. The activated phenols are coupled to form a dimer. The dimer is activated by a mechanism similar to that by which the polymerization proceeds. The effects of the amine ligands are to improve the solubility and the stability of the copper complex as well as the phenol-coordinated complex and to control the redox potential of the copper complex. 

In these equations, Cu202, DMP, and DPQ denote [Cu(HB(3,5-Me2pz)3)]2(02), 2,6-dimethylphenol, and the diphenoquinone, respectively. The rate expressions clearly indicate the occurrence of two competitive reaction pathways ascribed to (1) the spontaneous O—O bond homolysis of the p.-7j2 tj2 peroxo complex and (2) acid/base replacement of the peroxo group with phenoxide to give a phenoxo copper(II) interme-... 

Alkylated rare-earth metal complexes with rare-earth metal centers surrounded exclusively by oxygen donor ligands were reported from facile ligand redistribution processes in 2,6-dimethylphenolate/trialkylaluminum mixtures. As shown in Scheme 29 for the yttrium derivatives Y(0ArMe,II)2[(//-OArMe>H)2AlR2](THF)2 (R= Me, Et), heterobimetallic 1 1-species were ac-... 

Asymmetric hydrogenation of itaconic acids.1 Japanese chemists have prepared a new bisphosphine ligand (2), which is more efficient than DIOP for asymmetric hydrogenation of itaconic acids when complexed with rhodium. It is available in four steps from 4-bromo-2,6-dimethylphenol. 

Also related to their redox activity, a series of copper and manganese bis(dithiolene) complexes has been reported to catalyze the oxidative polymerization of 2,6-dimethylphenol to poly[oxy(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene)]... 

Copper compounds are catalysts for the Michael addition reaction (249), olefin dimerizations (245, 248), the polymerization of propylene sulfide (142), and the preparation of straight-chain poly phenol ethers by oxidation of 2,6-dimethylphenol in the presence of ethyl- or phenyl-copper (209a). Pentafluorophenylcopper tetramer is an intriguing catalyst for the rearrangement of highly strained polycyclic molecules (116). The copper compound promotes the cleavage of different bonds in 1,2,2-tri-methylbicyclo[1.1.0]butane compared to ruthenium or rhodium complexes. Methylcopper also catalyzes the decomposition of tetramethyllead in alcohol solution (78, 81). 

The decomposition of lignin into aromatic repeat units is a long practiced art that reached its zenith around 1800 a.d. Production of chemicals by wood pyrolysis was extensively practiced until, between 1750 and 1850 a.d., coal slowly displaced wood as the major chemical source available to man. Wood is usually pyrolyzed at 260-4 lO C and lignin at 300-440 C to produce 50 wt % charcoal, 10-15% tar, and lesser amounts of 2-propanone, ethanoic acid, and methanol [16-181. The tar is often called wood creosote and is a complex mixture of substituted phenols and aromatics. It contains phenol, 2- and 4-methylphenol, 2,4-dimethylphenol, 2-methoxyphenol, 4-methyl-2-methoxyphenol, and 4-ethyl-2-methoxyphenol [19]. 

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