Nucleophilic functional groups

Nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions of haloarenes complexed to transition metal moieties with oxygen-, sulfin-, and nitrogen-containing nucleophiles allows for the synthesis of a wide variety of aryl ethers, thioethers, and amines. These metal-mediated reactions proceed under very mild conditions and allow for the incorporation of a number of different functional groups. Nucleophilic substitution reactions of chloroarenes complexed to the cyclopentadienyliron moiety have been the focus of many studies directed toward the design of functionalized organic monomers. ... 

In the synthesis of molecules without functional groups the application of the usual polar synthetic reactions may be cumbersome, since the final elimination of hetero atoms can be difficult. Two solutions for this problem have been given in the previous sections, namely alkylation with nucleophilic carbanions and alkenylation with ylides. Another direct approach is to combine radical synthons in a non-polar reaction. Carbon radicals are. however, inherently short-lived and tend to undergo complex secondary reactions. Escheirmoser s principle (p. 34f) again provides a way out. If one connects both carbon atoms via a metal atom which (i) forms and stabilizes the carbon radicals and (ii) can be easily eliminated, the intermolecular reaction is made intramolecular, and good yields may be obtained. 

The nucleophilicity of the nitrogen atom survives in many different functional groups, although its basicity may be lost. Reactions of non-basic, but nucleophilic urea nitrogens provide, for example, an easy entry to sleeping-pills (barbiturates) as well as to stimulants (caffeine). The nitrogen atoms of imidazoles and indole anions are also nucleophilic and the NH protons can be easily substituted. 

The most frequently encountered nucleophiles in functional group transformations are anions which are used as their lithium sodium or potassium salts If we use M to represent lithium sodium or potassium some representative nucleophilic reagents are... 

Representative Functional Group Transformations by Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions of Alkyl Halides... 

Sulfonate esters are subject to the same limitations as alkyl halides Competition from elimination needs to be considered when planning a functional group transforma tion that requires an anionic nucleophile because tosylates undergo elimination reactions just as alkyl halides do... 

Section 8 1 Nucleophilic substitution is an important reaction type m synthetic organic chemistry because it is one of the mam methods for functional group transformations Examples of synthetically useful nucleophilic sub stitutions were given m Table 8 1 It is a good idea to return to that table and review its entries now that the details of nucleophilic substitution have been covered... 

Nitriles contain the —C=N functional group We have already discussed the two mam procedures by which they are prepared namely the nucleophilic substitution of alkyl halides by cyanide and the conversion of aldehydes and ketones to cyanohydrins Table 20 6 reviews aspects of these reactions Neither of the reactions m Table 20 6 is suitable for aryl nitriles (ArC=N) these compounds are readily prepared by a reaction to be dis cussed m Chapter 22... 

Arylamines contain two functional groups the amine group and the aromatic ring they are difunctional compounds The reactivity of the amine group is affected by its aryl substituent and the reactivity of the ring is affected by its amine substituent The same electron delocalization that reduces the basicity and the nucleophilicity of an arylamme nitrogen increases the electron density in the aromatic ring and makes arylamines extremely reactive toward electrophilic aromatic substitution... 

Aldoses incorporate two functional groups C=0 and OH which are capable of react mg with each other We saw m Section 17 8 that nucleophilic addition of an alcohol function to a carbonyl group gives a hemiacetal When the hydroxyl and carbonyl groups are part of the same molecule a cyclic hemiacetal results as illustrated m Figure 25 3 Cyclic hemiacetal formation is most common when the ring that results is five or SIX membered Five membered cyclic hemiacetals of carbohydrates are called furanose forms SIX membered ones are called pyranose forms The nng carbon that is derived... 

The reaction is earned out by mixing the peptide and 1 fluoro 2 4 dmitrobenzene in the presence of a weak base such as sodium carbonate In the first step the base abstracts a proton from the terminal H3N group to give a free ammo function The nucleophilic ammo group attacks 1 fluoro 2 4 dmitrobenzene displacing fluoride... 

Acetoiicetyliition Reactions. The best known and commercially most important reaction of diketene is the aceto acetylation of nucleophiles to give derivatives of acetoacetic acid (Fig. 2) (1,5,6). A wide variety of substances with acidic hydrogens can be acetoacetylated. This includes alcohols, amines, phenols, thiols, carboxyHc acids, amides, ureas, thioureas, urethanes, and sulfonamides. Where more than one functional group is present, ring closure often follows aceto acetylation, giving access to a variety of heterocycHc compounds. These reactions often require catalysts in the form of tertiary amines, acids, and mercury salts. Acetoacetate esters and acetoacetamides are the most important industrial intermediates prepared from diketene. 

Halogen Substituents. Halogen functional groups are readily replaced by nucleophiles, eg, hydroxide ion, especially when they ate attached at the a- or y-position of the pyridine ting. This reaction has been exploited in the synthesis of the insecticide chlorpyrifos [2921-88-2J (43) (42), and the insecticide tiiclopyi [55335-06-3] (44) (14,43). 2,3,5,6-Tetiachloiopyiidine [2402-79-1] reacts with caustic to form the hydioxylated material [6515-38-4], which then can be used to form (44) and (43). 

Affinity Labels. Active site-directed, irreversible inhibitors or affinity labels are usually substrate analogues that contain a reactive electrophilic functional group. In the first step, they bind to the active site of the target enzyme in a reversible fashion. Subsequentiy, an active site nucleophile in close proximity reacts with the electrophilic group on the substrate to form a covalent bond between the enzyme and the inhibitor, typically via S 2 alkylation or acylation. Affinity labels do not require activation by the catalysis of the enzyme, as in the case of a mechanism-based inhibitor. 

Historically, simple Vz-alkyl ethers formed from a phenol and a halide or sulfate were cleaved under rather drastic conditions (e.g., refluxing HBr). New ether protective groups have been developed that are removed under much milder conditions (e.g., via nucleophilic displacement, hydrogenolysis of benzyl ethers, and mild acid hydrolysis of acetal-type ethers) that seldom affect other functional groups in a molecule. 

The orientation of nucleophilic attack on a fluoroolefin is influenced also by the presence on the fluoroolefin of electron-withdrawing functional groups that stabilize the intermediate carbanion. Thus nucleophilic attack tends to be oriented... 

This chapter has a mechanistic emphasis designed to achieve a practical result. By understanding the mechanisms by which alkyl halides undergo nucleophilic substitution, we can choose experimental conditions best suited to cariying out a particular- functional group transfonnation. The difference between a successful reaction that leads cleanly to a desired product and one that fails is often a subtle one. Mechanistic analysis helps us to appreciate these subtleties and use them to our advantage. 

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