Formyl chloride generation

The combination of tertiary amides, such as dimethylformamide, and phosphoryl chloride generates reactive electrophiles capable of being attacked by electron-rich nucleophiles and is widely used as the Vilsmeier formylation process. The Vilsmeier process has become more general, with the use of more varied amides, and has been particularly successful for the functionalization of pyrroles and indoles. Greater flexibility has been achieved with the replacement of phosphoryl chloride by trifluoromethanesulfonic anhydride. 

The Gatterman-Koch synthesis is a variant of the Friedel-Crafts acylation in which carbon monoxide and HC1 generate an intermediate that reacts like formyl chloride. Like Friedel-Crafts reactions, the Gatterman-Koch formylation succeeds only with benzene and activated benzene derivatives. 

The synthesis of benzaldehyde from benzene poses a problem because formyl chloride, the acyl halide required for the reaction, is unstable and cannot be purchased. Formyl chloride can be prepared, however, by means of the Gatterman-Koch formyla-tion reaction. This reaction uses a high-pressure mixture of carbon monoxide and HCl to generate formyl chloride, along with an aluminum chloride-cuprous chloride catalyst to carry out the acylation reaction. 

Frontier orbital theory predicts that electrophilic substitution of pyrroles with soft electrophiles will be frontier controlled and occur at the 2-position, whereas electrophilic substitution with hard electrophiles will be charge controlled and occur at the 3-position. These predictions may be illustrated by the substitution behaviour of 1-benzenesulfonylpyr-role. Nitration and Friedel-Crafts acylation of this substrate occurs at the 3-position, whereas the softer electrophiles generated in the Mannich reaction (R2N=CH2), in formylation under Vilsmeier conditions (R2N=CHC1) or in formylation with dichloromethyl methyl ether and aluminum chloride (MeO=CHCl) effect substitution mainly in the 2-position (81TL4899, 81TL4901). Formylation of 2-methoxycarbonyl-l-methylpyrrole with... 

The electrophile 4 adds to the aromatic ring to give a cationic intermediate 5. Loss of a proton from 5 and concomitant rearomatization completes the substitution step. Subsequent hydrolysis of the iminium species 2 yields the formylated aromatic product 3. Instead of the highly toxic hydrogen cyanide, zinc cyanide can be used. The hydrogen cyanide is then generated in situ upon reaction with the hydrogen chloride. The zinc chloride, which is thereby formed, then acts as Lewis acid catalyst. 

Another formylation reaction, which is named after Gattermann, is the Gatter-mann-Koch reaction. This is the reaction of an aromatic substrate with carbon monoxide and hydrogen chloride (gas) in the presence of a Lewis acid catalyst. Similar to the Gattermann reaction, the electrophilic agent 9 is generated, which then reacts with the aromatic substrate in an electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction to yield the formylated aromatic compound 10 ... 

Nucleophilic processes that generate chloroindoles are largely confined to the displacements of oxy functions and Sandmeyer reactions of diazo-nium salts [81 H( 15)547]. A low yield of 2-chloroindole was obtained by a reaction sequence that involved treatment of oxindole with phosphoryl chloride, and then treatment of the Vilsmeier salt with sodium bicarbonate [66JOC2627 86H(24)2879]. It is, however, much better to prepare this compound from 2-lithioindole (92JOC2495). With phosphoryl chloride and dimethylformamide ethyl l-hydroxyindole-2-carboxylate failed to give the expected 3-formyl derivative. Instead there was a 50% yield of the 3-chloro derivative (84CPB3678). Diazonium salts have been used as precursors in... 

The Vilsmeier-Haack reaction (herein, Vilsmeier reaction ) provides an effective method for the formylation of aromatic systems. The combination of phosphoryl chloride with V-methylaniline or dimethylformamide generates an iminium phosphorus derivative or chloro-iminium cation that is the active electrophile in an electrophilic substitution reaction. The resulting substitution product is an iminium salt 1, which is hydrolyzed on workup with alkali to give the carbaldehyde product 2 (Scheme l).1,2 The method is particularly useful with activated arenes or electron-rich heterocycles, such as pyrroles, furans, thiophenes, and indoles. We had a special interest in the preparation of indole-7-carbal-dehydes, namely, their properties as isosteres of salicylaldehyde. Thus, we became involved in a wide-ranging investigation of 4,6-dimethoxy-... 

Nitration and FriedelCrafts acylation of 1-phenylsulfonylpyrrole occur at the 3-position, whereas the softer electrophiles generated in the Mannich reaction (R2N+=CH2), in formylation under Vilsmeier conditions (R2N+=CHC1) or in formylation with dichloromethyl methyl ether and aluminum chloride (MeO+=CHCl), effect substitution mainly in the 2-position. 

The versatility of this reaction is increased when a substituted hydrazine is used instead of the primary amine, providing ready access to 1-aminoimidazoles (11) (R = NHR) from the hydrazones [36]. Hydroxylamine converts the o -(acylamino)ketones into oximes. In the presence of phosphoryl chloride or the fluoride ion, imidazole A -oxides can be generated. Thus, 2-formyl-4-methyl-l-phenylimidazole 3-oxide has been made in around 50%... 

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