Electrochemical lead halides

Electrochemical synthesis was utilized to prepare labeled compounds. Tetramethyllead labeled with 14C was prepared in a double compartment cell in DMF with NaClC>4, by electrolyzing 14CH3l on lead electrodes. The method is reported as superior to transmet-allation with methylmagnesium halide. It is also possible to incorporate lead isotopes. 2i°Pb2+ ions were deposited on a Cu foil and the latter was used as a sacrificial electrode in solutions of CH3I. The yield of labeled tetramethyllead was 85%65. Synthesis of 210Pb-labeled chlorotrimethylplumbane was also described66. 

In contrast to the direct reduction as described above, the indirect electrochemical reduction of perfluoroalkyl halides is a versatile and novel method for generating perfluoroalkyl radicals selectively. Saveant et al. have demonstrated many successful examples. Using terephthalonitrile as a mediator, the indirect reduction of CF3Br in the presence of styrene leads to the dimer of the radical adduct obtained by the attack of CF on styrene. On the other hand, in the presence of butyl vinyl ether, the mediator reacts with the radical adduct obtained by the attack of CF3. on the olefin (Scheme 3.4) [14]. 

Electrochemical fluorination in anhydrous hydrogen fluoride (Simons process) involves electrolysis of organic compounds (ahphatic hydrocarbons, haloalkanes, acid halides, esters, ethers, amines) at nickel electrodes. It leads mostly to perfluori-nated compounds, but is accompanied to a high extent by cleavage and rearrangement reactions. The mechanism of the formation of carbocations according to Eq. (1) and Scheme 1 is assumed... 

Ni-cyclam, Ni(CR), or Ni(tet a) can be used efficiently as catalyst in DMF, and in the presence of NH4CIO4 as proton source [71-74]. Ni species generated electrochemically react rapidly with organic halides to generate alkyl, alkenyl, or aryl radicals which add intramolecularly to a double or triple bond, then leading to cyclopentanoids (Table 7, entries 3-7a). 

The synthesis of organozinc compounds by electrochemical processes from either low reactive halogenated substrates (alkyl chlorides) or pseudo-halogenated substrates (phenol derivatives, mesylates, triflates etc.) remains an important challenge. Indeed, as mentioned above, the use of electrolytic zinc prepared from the reduction of a metal halide or from zinc(II) ions does not appear to be a convenient method. However, recent work reported by Tokuda and coworkers would suggest that the electroreduction of a zinc(II) species in the presence of naphthalene leads to the formation of a very active zinc capable of reacting even with low reactive substrates (equation 23)11. 

Recently31,32, it has been shown that the electrochemical reduction of a cobalt halide CoX2 (X = Cl or Br) in the absence or presence of a ligand leads to a cobalt(I) species able to react with aromatic halides. This can be achieved in DMF or acetonitrile (equation 28). 

The electrochemical preparation of organozinc compounds obtained from the corresponding aromatic halides and with the use of a nickel complex as catalyst is only efficient in dimethylformamide as solvent. Moreover, in most cases and as described previously, the reaction requires the presence of excess 2,2 -bipyridine (five molar equivalents with respect to nickel) to achieve the transmetallation reaction leading to the organozinc compound and to avoid the formation of biaryl, Ar-Ar (equation 53). 

With primary halides, dimers (R—R) are formed predominantly, while with tertiary halides, the disproportionation products (RH, R(—H)) prevail. Both alkyl nickel(III) complexes, formed by electrochemical reduction of the nickel(II) complex in presence of alkyl halides, are able to undergo insertion reactions with added activated olefins. Thus, Michael adducts are the final products. The Ni(salen)-complex yields the Michael products via the radical pathway regenerating the original Ni(II)-complex and hence the reaction is catalytic. In contrast to that, the Ni(III)-complex formed after insertion of the activated olefin into the alkyl-nickel bond of the [RNi" X(teta)] -complex is relatively stable. Thus, further reduction leads to the Michael products and an electroinactive Ni"(teta)-species. 

The electrochemical oxidation of 2,5-dimethylthiophene in various electrolytes has been investigated (71JOC3673). In non-halide electrolytes such as ammonium nitrate or sodium acetate, the primary anodic process is the oxidation of the thiophene to the cation-radical (159). Loss of a proton, followed by another oxidation and reaction with solvent methanol, leads to the product (160) (Scheme 31). When the electrolyte is methanolic NaCN, however, nuclear cyanation is observed in addition to side-chain methoxylation. Attack by cyanide ion on the cation-radical (159) can take place at either the 2- or the 3-position, leading to the products (161)-(163) (Scheme 32). 

Electrochemical oxidation of hydrazidoyl halides (330) also affords 1,4-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetrazines (104). A nitrilimine intermediate is not suggested for this reaction. The main process is the dehydrodimerization of the initially formed hydrazonyl radical, while a concurrent side-reaction leads to the l,4-dihydro-l,2,4,5-tetrazines (104), which are transformed into the corresponding cation radicals (336) on further oxidation (77IZV393, b-75MI22102). 

When the nickel complexes [NiX2(PPh3)2] (X = Cl, Br) are reduced electrochemically in the presence of C02 and aryl halides, aryl carboxylate anions are formed.585 The reduction leads to nickel(O) complexes which then undergo oxidative addition of the aryl halide followed by insertion of C02. Further reduction then gives the product and regenerates nickel(O) (Scheme 55). 

---