Ethers benzyl methyl, formation

Imanishi and coworkers reported that thermolysis of the benzyl methyl ethers 98 (or benzyl-phosphonium salts) leads to high yields of indoles 99 in the absence of strong base. In the case of the methyl ethers, heating in the presence of an acid and catalyst and PPhs presumably involves in situ formation of a phosphonium salt intermediate <96JCS(P1)1261,96H(42)513>. 

Loss of catalytic activity resulting from internal displacements is not usually a serious problem below temperatures of about 100 C. However, highly active R-groups, such as benzyl, methyl and allyl, undergo internal displacement more readily, particularly in the presence of strong nucleopfiles. For instance, the presence phenolates and thiolates may lead to the formation of benzyl alcohol, ethers, or sulphides from benzyl-substituted quaternary ammonium salts. 

Wender and coworkers conclude that cobalt-catalyzed benzyl alcohol homologation involves the intermediate formation of car-bonium ions (8). However, since the methyl cation (CH3+) is unstable and difficult to form (9), it is more likely that methanol homologation to ethanol proceeds via nucleophilic attack on a protonated methyl alcohol molecule. Protonated dimethyl ether and methyl acetate forms have been invoked also by Braca (10), along with the subsequent formation of methyl-ruthenium moieties, to describe ruthenium catalyzed homologation to ethyl acetate. 

Alkenes are scavengers that are able to differentiate between carbenes (cycloaddition) and carbocations (electrophilic addition). The reactions of phenyl-carbene (117) with equimolar mixtures of methanol and alkenes afforded phenylcyclopropanes (120) and benzyl methyl ether (121) as the major products (Scheme 24).51 Electrophilic addition of the benzyl cation (118) to alkenes, leading to 122 and 123 by way of 119, was a minor route (ca. 6%). Isobutene and enol ethers gave similar results. The overall contribution of 118 must be more than 6% as (part of) the ether 121 also originates from 118. Alcohols and enol ethers react with diarylcarbenium ions at about the same rates (ca. 109 M-1 s-1), somewhat faster than alkenes (ca. 108 M-1 s-1).52 By extrapolation, diffusion-controlled rates and indiscriminate reactions are expected for the free (solvated) benzyl cation (118). In support of this notion, the product distributions in Scheme 24 only respond slightly to the nature of the n bond (alkene vs. enol ether). The formation of free benzyl cations from phenylcarbene and methanol is thus estimated to be in the range of 10-15%. However, the major route to the benzyl ether 121, whether by ion-pair collapse or by way of an ylide, cannot be identified. 

A. J. Colussi, F. Zabel, and S. W. Benson, Very low-pressure pyrolysis of phenyl ediyl ether, phenyl allyl ether, and benzyl methyl-edier and endialpy of formation of phenoxy radical,/ t. J. Chem. 

The reaction patterns of arylcarbenes with solidified alcohol at 77 K are also completely different from those observed in alcohol solution. For example, generation of phenylcarbene (le) in methanol matrices at 77 K results in the formation of alcohol (63) at the expense of benzyl methyl ether (62), which is the exclusive product in the reaction in alcoholic solution at ambient temperatures (Scheme 9.14). A similar dramatic increase in the CH insertion products is observed in the reaction involving other carbenes with alcohols. ... 

Benzyl acetates react with trimethylsilane and CO in the presence of Co2(CO)8 as catalyst to give P-phenethyl alcohols by a one-carbon homologation. The active catalyst is assumed to be (CH3)3SiCo(CO)4. The reaction proceeds under CO at atmospheric pressure at 25°. It fails with benzyl alcohol itself, but is successful with benzyl formate and benzyl methyl ether.5... 

The formation of mixtures obviously detracts from the preparative interest of this reaction, but in some cases the reaction is relatively clean. As an example, the adduct in position 1 is the main product with benzyltrimethylsilane or with benzyl methyl ether [187] (the rearomatized... 

Alkyl bromides. Alcohols are converted into bromides by reaction with bromotrimethylsilane (1.5-4 equiv.) in CHCI3 at 25-50° (equation I). The reaction occurs with inversion. Tertiary and benzylic alcohols react more rapidly than primary or secondary alcohols. Bromides are not formed under the same conditions from Irimethylsilyl ethers of alcohols. However, trimethyl orthoformate is converted into methyl formate, HC(OCH3)3 —s HCOOCH3. Unlike iodotrimethylsUane, the bromosilane does not dealkylate esters, ethers, or carbamates. 

Aromatic and aliphatic amino ethers have been synthesized by this method. An example of the formation of a cyano ether is the preparation of p-cyano benzyl methyl ether from the substituted benzyl bromide and sodium methoxide (84%). Also, certain aryloxyacetonitriles, AtOCHjCN, are made by the condensation of chloroacetonitrile with sodium phenoxides in a solution of methyl ethyl ketone containing a small amount of sodium iodide (70-80%). Aromatic nitro ethers, like o- and p-nitrodiphenyl ether, have been prepared by the Ullmann procedure (84%). The synthesis of alkyl p-nitrophenyl ethers has also been accomplished with good yields (55-92%). ... 

Selective reduaion of aromatic acids and their derivatives to aldehydes can be achieved electrochemi-cally. Reduction of the carbinolamines is observed, as in the formation of anilinomethylpyridine (Scheme 13) and 4-methylpyridine. Reductive cleavage of benzyl methyl ethers can be achieved leading to hydrocarbons when the ring substituents are electron attracting. 

R and R may be H, methyl, cyclopropyl, cyano, or ester groups. The phenylcarbene formed on irradiation of trans-l,2-diphenyloxirane has been trapped and identified in the form of a cyclopropane derivative in methanol in the presence of benzyl methyl ether and alkenes. Photolysis in the presence of 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene proceeds by cycloaddition with the formation of cyclopropane-carboxylic acid and oxetane derivatives (Eq. 368). ... 

Ionic additives to the electrolyte can influence the Kolbe electrolysis in a negative way. Anions other than the carboxylate should be excluded, because they hinder the formation of a carboxylate layer at the anode, that seems to be a prerequisite for the decarboxylation. In the electrolysis of phenyl acetate the coupling to dibenzyl is totally suppressed when sodium perchlorate is present in concentrations of 5 x 10" mol 1" benzyl methyl ether, the nonKolbe product, is formed instead. This shift from the radical... 

In polar solvents the excited state of sufficiently electron deficient arenes will accept an electron from donors. The fates of the radical ion pairs produced include formation of products of addition to the arene ring. A new example of this mode of reactivity is the photochemical reaction of 1,4-dicyanonaphthalene with benzyl methyl ether in acetonitrile. This yields stereoisomers of the addition product (120). The reaction most likely involves electron transfer from the ether to the naphthalene excited state and subsequent ionisation of a proton from the benzyl ether radical cation. This produces a benzyl ether radical which adds to the naphthalene derivative. An analogous sequence is proposed to explain the photochemical formation of (121)-(124) from ultra-violet light irradiated solutions of naphthalene-1,2-dicarboxylic acid anhydride in methanolic benzene or acetonitrile containing isobutene, 2-butene or 2-methyl-2-butene. Here it is suggested that the alkene radical cation, formed by electron transfer to the excited state of the naphthalene, is attacked by methanol deprotonation... 

Two distinct mechanisms have been proposed. In the first, the formation of free enolates by nucleophilic attack of F at silicon was supported by a study180 of the interaction of tris(diethylamino)sulphonium (TAS) difluorotrimethylsilicate and the enol trimethylsilyl ether of benzyl methyl ketone. An equilibrium mixture appears to be produced (equation 17), which may be displaced in the direction of the TAS enolate by removal of the volatile fluorotrimethylsilane. 

Methyl benzyl ether a-Methylbenzyl ether. See Benzyl methyl ether a-Methylbenzyl formate CAS 7775-38-4 FEMA 2688... 

Mel, K2CO3, acetone, reflux, 6 h. This is a veiy common and often veiy efficient method for the preparation of phenolic methyl ethers it is also applicable to the. formation of phenolic benzyl ethers. 

Me3SiI, CH3CN, 25-50°, 100% yield. Selective removal of protective groups is possible with this reagent since a carbamate, =NCOOCMe3, is cleaved in 6 min at 25° an aryl benzyl ether is cleaved in 100% yield, with no formation of 3-benzyltyrosine, in 1 h at 50°, at which time a methyl ester begins to be cleaved. 

Yields of the primary alkyl acrylates vary somewhat, owing to occasional losses through formation of polymer, but are usually in the range of 85-99%. Some secondary alcohols react very slowly, others readily. The method has been applied to more than fifty alcohols, some of which (with percentage yields) are listed below ethyl, 99% isopropyl, 37% -amyl, 87% isoamyl, 95% -hexyl, 99% 4-methyl-2-pentyl, 95% 2-ethylhexyl, 95% capryl, 80% lauryl, 92% myristyl, 90% allyl, 70% fur-furyl, 86% citronellyl, 91% cyclohexyl, 93% benzyl, 81% (3-ethoxyethyl, 99% /S-(/3-phenoxyethoxy) ethyl (from diethylene glycol monophenyl ether), 88%. 

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