Halides, aliphatic selectivity

Vinylic halides are virtually unreactive and a high selectivity is to be found in the preferential cleavage of aliphatic carbon-halogen bonds of haloalkanoic amides and esters, and of nitro- and cyanoaryl derivatives. Activated haloarenes, e.g. 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene, however, give a complex mixture of products [7]. 

A fiber-optic device has been described that can monitor chlorinated hydrocarbons in water (Gobel et al. 1994). The sensor is based on the diffusion of chlorinated hydrocarbons into a polymeric layer surrounding a silver halide optical fiber through which is passed broad-band mid-infrared radiation. The chlorinated compounds concentrated in the polymer absorb some of the radiation that escapes the liber (evanescent wave) this technique is a variant of attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectroscopy. A LOD for chloroform was stated to be 5 mg/L (5 ppm). This sensor does not have a high degree of selectivity for chloroform over other chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons, but appears to be useful for continuous monitoring purposes. 

Reduction of nitro groups. The lithium anion of phthalocyaninecobalt(I), Li[Co(I)Pc], selectively reduces aliphatic and aromatic nitro compounds to primary amines at room temperature in 65 95% yield. Double bonds, nitriles, carhonyl groups, and aryl halides are not reduced. 

Silyl ethers of aliphatic alcohols are inert towards strong bases, oxidants (ozone [81], Dess-Martin periodinane [605], iodonium salts [610,611], sulfur trioxide-pyridine complex [398]), and weak acids (e.g., 1 mol/L HC02H in DCM [605]), but can be selectively cleaved by treatment with HF in pyridine or with TBAF (Table 3.32). Phenols can also be linked to insoluble supports as silyl ethers, but these are less stable than alkyl silyl ethers and can even be cleaved by treatment with acyl halides under basic reaction conditions [595], Silyl ether attachment has been successfully used for the solid-phase synthesis of oligosaccharides [600,601,612,613] and peptides [614]. 

Support-bound primary or secondary aliphatic alcohols can be acylated under conditions similar to those used in solution, provided that these conditions are compatible with the chosen linker. For instance, acids can be activated with a carbodiimide either as symmetric anhydrides or as O-acylisoureas, which quickly react with alcohols in the presence of a catalyst, such as DMAP or another base, to yield esters (Table 13.12). Further acid derivatives suitable for esterification reactions on solid phase include acyl halides and imidazolides. HOBt esters react only slowly with alcohols, but enable the selective acylation of primary alcohols in the presence of secondary alcohols (Entry 5, Table 13.12). 

Yoshida et al. were the first to report the synthesis of carbamate esters by the direct reaction of aliphatic amines, C02 and alkyl halides [47]. The process involved the O-alkylation of intermediate alkylammonium carbamate salt, and required relatively, severe conditions (333-393 K 4MPa C02), long reaction times (1-2 days) and an excess of amine (2.5 equiv.) with respect to the alkylating agent. The method was shown to be effective only with secondary aliphatic amines which, however, were converted into organic carbamates in low to moderate yield and with modest selectivity because of significant side-formation of N-alkylation products. 

Inorganic bases have been also employed in this system. When Butcher first used alkali carbonates [50], it was reported that, in DMF and at ambient temperature, the carbamation of primary and secondary aliphatic amines (or also arylamines) with alkyl halides under a C02 atmosphere (0.1 MPa) was effectively promoted by Cs2C03 [50, 51]. The Cs+ cations in the solvent used (DMF) did not form ion pairs with counterions, and favored the formation of naked carbamate anions that were more reactive at the O-ends with alkyl halides. Jung further found that the addition of tetrabutylammonium iodide (TBAI) to the system RR NH/ C02/RX/Cs2C03/DMF promoted the carbamation process with a higher yield and selectivity with respect to N-alkylation [51]. The process has been successfully extended to the synthesis of carbamate functionalities on solid phases. In this case, resin-bound carbamates are readily released from the resin by treatment with LiAlH4 in THF, yielding the respective N-methyl secondary amines [51]. 

Benzylic and allylic positions are hydroxylated by CPO in halide-dependent catalytic transformations. Toluene and p-xylene are oxidized to the respective aldehydes and carboxylic acids [247, 248]. Ethylbenzene and other substrates with longer alkyl chains form the respective benzylic/allylic alcohols with high enantio-selectivity. Straight-chain aliphatic and cyclic (Z)-alkenes are hydroxylated, favoring small unsubstituted substrates in which the double bond is not more than two carbon atoms from the terminus. Steric control is observed for benzylic hydroxylations. 

Electrochemical studies are usually performed with compounds which are reactive at potentials within the potential window of the chosen medium i.e. a system is selected so that the compound can be reduced at potentials where the electrolyte, solvent and electrode are inert. The reactions described here are distinctive in that they occur at very negative potentials at the limit of the cathodic potential window . We have focused here on preparative reductions at mercury cathodes in media containing tetraalkylammonium (TAA+) electrolytes. Using these conditions the cathodic reduction of functional groups which are electroinactive within the accessible potential window has been achieved and several simple, but selective organic syntheses were performed. Quite a number of functional groups are reduced at this limit of the cathodic potential window . They include a variety of benzenoid aromatic compounds, heteroaromatics, alkynes, 1,3-dienes, certain alkyl halides, and aliphatic ketones. It seems likely that the list will be increased to include examples of other aliphatic functional groups. 

Elemental antimony is known to mediate the Barbier-type allylation of aldehydes by allylic halides.35 The active intermediates are believed to be allylic antimony(m) species, which are generated from the antimony(O) and the halides. In fact, allylic dichlorostibanes, produced by metathesis of SbCl3 with the corresponding allylic stannanes, react with benzaldehyde to give homoallyl alcohols, where the C-C bond is constructed with -selectivity (Equation (l)).36 Fluoride salts such as KF, NaF, RbF, and CsF accelerate the Sb-mediated Barbier-type allylation with allyl bromide in aqueous media (Equation (2)).37 In the absence of the fluoride ion, no allylation occurs. Although aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes are allylated in good yields by a combined use of Sb-KF, acetophenone, cyclohexanone, and methyl pyruvate remain untouched. 

Electrocatalysis is manifested when it is found that the electrochemical rate constant, for an electrode process, standardized with respect to some reference potential (often the thermodynamic reversible potential for the same process) depends on the chemical nature of the electrode metal, the physical state of the electrode surface, the crystal orientation of single-crystal surfaces, or, for example, alloying effects. Also, the reaction mechanism and selectivity 4) may be found to be dependent on the above factors in special cases, for a given reactant, even the reaction pathway [4), for instance, in electrochemical reduction of ketones or alkyl halides, or electrochemical oxidation of aliphatic acids (the Kolbe and Hofer-Moest reactions), may depend on those factors. 

Propargyl halides also react with carbonyl compounds in the presence of zinc powder in concentrated aqueous salt solutions to give homopropargylic alcohols with high selectivity. High yields are obtained with aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes whereas ketones react only partially [1081. 

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