Metal-Halide Exchange

Domino Michael/aldol processes, which are initiated by the addition of a halide to an enone or enal, have found wide attention. They are valuable building blocks, as they can be easily converted into a variety of extended aldols via subsequent SN2 reactions with nucleophiles or a halide/metal exchange. As an example, a-haloalkyl- 3-hy-droxy ketones such as 2-76 have been obtained in very good yields and selectivities by reaction of enones 2-71 with nBu4NX in the presence of an aldehyde 2-74 and TiCl4as described by the group of Shinokubo and Oshima (Scheme 2.16) [24]. 

Halide-metal exchange, 58, 2 Halides, synthesis from alcohols, 34, 2 by chloromethylation, 1, 3 from organoboranes, 33, 1 from primary and secondary alcohols, 29, 1... 

Suitable candidates for a-elimination reactions are silylmethyl halides (— base-induced elimination of H-Hal), silylmethyl dihalides (— halide/metal exchange followed by elimination of a metal halide) and stable carbenoid-type compounds such as (a-halo-a-silylalkyl)mercury compounds (— thermal elimination of mercury(II) halide). Bis(phenylthio)(trimethylsilyl)methyl lithium (— elimination of LiSPh) represents a borderline case (see Section III.E.8). 

A chiral naphthalenophane 95 with two bromo substituents related to 93 is described in a further publication [44]. At the same time 96 forms, which by halide-metal exchange and subsequent hydrolysis was transformed into the corresponding achiral naphthalenophane. A similar naphthalenophane 98 was synthesized by Boekelheide et al. starting from the corresponding disulfone 97 [45]. 

Enantiomerically enriched l-(diisopropylaminocarbonyloxy)allyllithium derivatives (Section 1.3.3.3.1.2.) add to carbonyl compounds with syn-l,3-chirality transfer21, giving good evidence for a pericyclic transition state in the main reaction path (Section 1.3.3.1.). However, since the simple diastereoselectivity and the degree of chirality transfer are low, for synthetic purposes a metal exchange with titanium reagents or trialkyltin halides (Section D.1.3.3.3.8.2.3.) is recommended. 

It seems likely that the mechanism of the Wurtz reaction consists of two basic steps. The first is halogen-metal exchange to give an organometallic compound (RX -(- M —+ RM), which in many cases can be isolated (12-36). Following this, the organometallic compound reacts with a second molecule of alkyl halide (RX + RM —> RR). This reaction and its mechanism are considered in the next section (10-94). 

Section D illustrates formation of carbenes from halides by a-elimination. The carbene precursors are formed either by deprotonation (Entries 14 and 17) or halogen-metal exchange (Entries 15 and 16). The carbene additions can take place at low temperature. Entry 17 is an example of generation of dichlorocarbene from chloroform under phase transfer conditions. 

We have recently shown that metal-exchanged zeolites give rise to carbocationic reactions, through the interactions with alkylhalides (metal cation acts as Lewis acid sites, coordinating with the alkylhalide to form a metal-halide species and an alkyl-aluminumsilyl oxonium ion bonded to the zeolite structure, which acts as an adsorbed carbocation (scheme 2). We were able to show that they can catalyze Friedel-Crafts reactions (9) and isobutane/2-butene alkylation (70), with a superior performance than a protic zeolite catalyst. 

Annulation of aryl halides with ortho side chains bearing a pendant electi ophilic moiety via treatment with an organolithium reagent, involving halogen-metal exchange and subsequent nucleophilic cyclization to form 4- to 7-membered rings. 

Successful lithiation of aryl halides—carbocyclic or heterocyclic—with alkyUithiums is, however, the exception rather than the rule. The instability of ortholithiated carbocyclic aryl halides towards benzyne formation is always a limiting feature of their use, and aryl bromides and iodides undergo halogen-metal exchange in preference to deprotonation. Lithium amide bases avoid the second of these problems, but work well only with aryl halides benefitting from some additional acidifying feature. Chlorobenzene and bromobenzene can be lithiated with moderate yield and selectivity by LDA or LiTMP at -75 or -100 °C . 

Arylzinc reagents can be made from aryl halides with activated zinc118 or from Grignard reagents by metal-metal exchange with zinc salts.119... 

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