Ethylene—halogen reactions

The beneficial effects of solid surfaces on the rates of bromination reactions were observed as eai ly as 1923 [4-6], The polarity of the glass surface was found to enhance the rates of bromination of ethylene. Halogenation reactions over zeolite catalysts have been reviewed [1]. A summary of halogenations over non-zeolite (until mid-1999) and zeolite (1995-mid 1999) catalysts is given in Table 1. 

The halogenation reaction of ethylene has been modeled by many researchers [170, 172-176], For chlorination in apolar solvents (or in the gas phase), the formation of two radical species requires the use of flexible CASSCF and MRCI electronic structure methods, and such calculations have been reported by Kurosaki [172], In aqueous solution, Kurosaki has used a mixed discrete-continuum model to show that the reaction proceeds through an ionic mechanism [174], The bromination reaction has also received attention [169,170], However, only very recently was a reliable theoretical study of the ionic transition state using PCM/MP2 liquid-phase optimization reported by Cammi et al. [176], These authors calculated that the free energy of activation for the ionic bromination of the ethylene in aqueous solution is 8.2 kcalmol-1, in good agreement with the experimental value of 10 kcalmol-1. 

This is true not only for halogen-substituted ethylenes. The reactions of alkyl-substituted ethylenes (82, 83, 93) seem to follow the same reaction mechanisms. The products from the reaction of propene under various reaction conditions are summarized in Table IV. The overall picture of the reaction is illustrated in Schemes 8 and 9 (93). These reaction mechanisms seem to be generally applicable. Studies on the reactions with cyclic olefins could serve as a further evidence (61, 78). 

The ethylene halides may be prepared by direct halogenation of ethane, but this is not a practical method as it yields a mixture of the two isomeric compounds as in the further halogenation of the monohalogen ethanes. The best method of preparation is from the unsaturated hydrocarbon, ethylene. This reaction has been fully considered already (p. 154) and need not be discussed again. 

The addition of elemental halogen or hydrogen halides to C-C multiple bonds is the most important halogenation reaction in industrial chemistry. At present, 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE, by chlorination of ethylene) is among those chemicals with the highest production rates and is now used as a starting material for the production of poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC, Scheme 2) [6], Vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) can be achieved by three different routes. 

There are some substances, called inhibitors, which decrease the rate of reaction. If an undesirable side reaction occurs, inhibitors can be useful in reducing the activity of fhe cafalysf. For example, in an ethylene oxidation reaction, ethylene oxide is the desired product. Under the same conditions, CO2 and H2O are also formed by complete oxidation, which is undesirable and needs to be suppressed. In this process, silver supported on alumina is a good catalyst. If a halogen compound is added to the catalyst, CO2 and water formation is reduced. This is also useful in reducing fhe activity of a catalyst, thus avoiding an undesirable side reaction. 

Many of the features of the generally accepted mechanism for the addition of halogens to alkenes can be introduced by referring to the reaction of ethylene with bromine... 

Although acetonitrile is one of the more stable nitriles, it undergoes typical nitrile reactions and is used to produce many types of nitrogen-containing compounds, eg, amides (15), amines (16,17) higher molecular weight mono- and dinitriles (18,19) halogenated nitriles (20) ketones (21) isocyanates (22) heterocycles, eg, pyridines (23), and imidazolines (24). It can be trimerized to. f-trimethyltriazine (25) and has been telomerized with ethylene (26) and copolymerized with a-epoxides (27). 

Another use of hydrogen fluoride, although not in halogen exchange, is the reaction with ethylenes or acetylenes to form the addition products, 1,1-difluoroethane [75-37-6] and vinyl fluoride [75-02-5]-. 

Vlayl fluoride [75-02-5] (VF) (fluoroethene) is a colorless gas at ambient conditions. It was first prepared by reaction of l,l-difluoro-2-bromoethane [359-07-9] with ziac (1). Most approaches to vinyl fluoride synthesis have employed reactions of acetylene [74-86-2] with hydrogen fluoride (HF) either directly (2—5) or utilizing catalysts (3,6—10). Other routes have iavolved ethylene [74-85-1] and HF (11), pyrolysis of 1,1-difluoroethane [624-72-6] (12,13) and fluorochloroethanes (14—18), reaction of 1,1-difluoroethane with acetylene (19,20), and halogen exchange of vinyl chloride [75-01-4] with HF (21—23). Physical properties of vinyl fluoride are given ia Table 1. 

Flame-Retardant Resins. Flame-retardant resins are formulated to conform to fire safety specifications developed for constmction as well as marine and electrical appHcations. Resins produced from halogenated intermediates (Table 5) are usually processed at lower temperatures (180°C) to prevent excessive discoloration. Dibromoneopentyl glycol [3296-90-0] (DBNPG) also requires glass-lined equipment due to its corrosive nature. Tetrabromophthahc anhydride (TBPA) and chlorendic anhydride (8) are formulated with ethylene glycols to maximize fiame-retardant properties reaction cycle times are about 12 h. Resins are also produced commercially by the in situ bromination of polyester resins derived from tetrahydrophthahc anhydride... 

Addition. Addition reactions of ethylene have considerable importance and lead to the production of ethylene dichloride, ethylene dibromide, and ethyl chloride by halogenation—hydrohalogenation ethylbenzene, ethyltoluene, and aluminum alkyls by alkylation a-olefms by oligomerization ethanol by hydration and propionaldehyde by hydroformylation. 

Halogenation and dehalogenation are catalyzed by substances that exist in more than one valence state and are able to donate and accept halogens freely. Silver and copper hahdes are used for gas-phase reactions, and ferric chloride commonly for hquid phase. Hydrochlorination (the absoration of HCl) is promoted by BiCb or SbCl3 and hydrofluorination by sodium fluoride or chromia catalysts that form fluorides under reaction conditions. Mercuric chloride promotes addition of HCl to acetylene to make vinyl chloride. Oxychlori-nation in the Stauffer process for vinyl chloride from ethylene is catalyzed by CuCL with some KCl to retard its vaporization. 

For the ordinary Diels-Alder reaction the dienophile preferentially is of the electron-poor type electron-withdrawing substituents have a rate enhancing effect. Ethylene and simple alkenes are less reactive. Substituent Z in 2 can be e.g. CHO, COR, COOH, COOR, CN, Ar, NO2, halogen, C=C. Good dienophiles are for example maleic anhydride, acrolein, acrylonitrile, dehydrobenzene, tetracya-noethylene (TCNE), acetylene dicarboxylic esters. The diene preferentially is of the electron-rich type thus it should not bear an electron-withdrawing substituent. 

During this period of time we, and a number of other research groups, have been investigating the reactions of highly halogenated aiynes and hetarynes with aromatic hydrocarbons, for the reasons outlined in the introduction. In a reaction of pentafluorophenylmagnesium chloride with ethylene oxide in the presence of benzene, it was shown that, as well as 3-pentafluorophenylethanol (23) a by-product of molecular formula C12H6F4 was produced 43>. 

Promoters may influence selectivity by poisoning undesired reactions or by increasing the rates of desired intermediate reactions so as to increase the yield of the desired product. If they act in the first sense, they are sometimes referred to as inhibitors. An example of this type of action involves the addition of halogen compounds to the catalyst used for oxidizing ethylene to ethylene oxide (silver supported on alumina). The halogens prevent complete oxidation of the ethylene to carbon dioxide and water, thus permitting the use of this catalyst for industrial purposes. 

In selective etherification, it is important to distinguish between reversible and irreversible reactions. The former class comprises etherifications with dimethyl sulfate, halogen compounds, oxirane (ethylene oxide), and diazoalkanes, whereas the latter class involves addition reactions of the Michael type of hydroxyl groups to activated alkenes. In this Section, irreversible and reversible reactions are described separately, and a further distinction is made in the former group by placing the rather specialized, diazoalkane-based alkylations in a separate subsection. 

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