Ketones reaction with alkyl halides

The metalation chemistry of the imidazoline system has received attention only recently, with the lithiation of l-benzyl-2-imidazoline being found to occur at the 2-position (90TL1767). Although the reactivity of the lithi-ated species with alkyl halides was poor, better results were achieved with disulfide and carbonyl electrophiles (90TL1767,90TL1771). The products formed by reaction with ketones were found to be unstable with respect to fragmentation, and this result was utilized to provide a new route for the synthesis of unsymmetric ketones (Scheme 138). 

Kagan also showed that allylic, benzylic and propargylic halides undergo efficient reaction with ketones (Scheme 5.65).98 Importantly, in the absence of ketone, these alkyl halides react rapidly with Sml2 to yield Wurtz homocoupled products, hence the use of Barbier conditions is crucial. 

Some examples of the more important alkylation reactions with relatively acidic carbon acids are included in the reactions shown in Scheme 1.4. These reactions are important means of synthesizing a variety of ketones, carboxylic acids, and related compounds, as illustrated in Scheme 1.5. These reactions share a common mechanism involving base-catalyzed formation of a carbanion followed by nucleophilic attack via an Sn2 mechanism. The alkylating agent must be a suitable substrate for an Sn2 reaction. Primary halides and sulfonates are the best substrates. Secondary systems usually give poorer yields because of competition from elimination... 

Kitazume and Ishikawa have published a number of communications on the regiospecific zinc mediated perfluoroalkylation of a variety of substrates [148-151]. A compilation of these results appeared in 1985 [152] (Scheme 71). Secondary alcohols are available in moderate yield by reaction of perfluoro-alkyl halides (RpX) with aldehydes as the result of a modified Barbier-type reaction [148-152]. However, reaction with ketones gave low yields of the expected tertiary alcohols, although the yields could be doubled by reaction in the presence of a bis[7i-cyclopentadienyl]titanium(II) catalyst, which was prepared in situ by reduction of the dichloride with zinc in the presence of ultrasound. 

Alkylation reactions of ketones, active methylene compoimds, alcohols, and phenols with alkyl halides occurred in quite good yields in aqueous NaOH solution without added organic solvent in the presence of water-soluble calix[ ]arene (n = 4,6, or 8) containing trimethy-lammoniomethyl groups acting as a reverse phase-transfer catalyst (Scheme 8.20). ° ... 

Lithiated indoles can be alkylated with primary or allylic halides and they react with aldehydes and ketones by addition to give hydroxyalkyl derivatives. Table 10.1 gives some examples of such reactions. Entry 13 is an example of a reaction with ethylene oxide which introduces a 2-(2-hydroxyethyl) substituent. Entries 14 and 15 illustrate cases of addition to aromatic ketones in which dehydration occurs during the course of the reaction. It is likely that this process occurs through intramolecular transfer of the phenylsulfonyl group. 

These compounds are sources of the nucleophilic anion RC=C and their reaction with primary alkyl halides provides an effective synthesis of alkynes (Section 9 6) The nucleophilicity of acetylide anions is also evident m their reactions with aldehydes and ketones which are entirely analogous to those of Grignard and organolithium reagents... 

Because etiolate anions are sources of nucleophilic carbon one potential use m organic syn thesis IS their reaction with alkyl halides to give a alkyl denvahves of aldehydes and ketones... 

With enamines of cyclic ketones direct C alkylation occurs with allyl and propargyl as well as alkyl halides. The reaction is again sensitive to the polarity of the solvent (29). The pyrrolidine enamine of cyclohexanone on reaction with ethyl iodide in dioxane gave 25% of 2-ethylcyclohexanone on hydrolysis, while in chloroform the yield was increased to 32%. 

One of the advantages of the enamine alkylation reaction over direct alkylation of the ketone under the influenee of strong base is that the major product is the monoalkylated derivative 29,32). When dialkylation is observed, it occurs at the least substituted carbon in contrast to alkylation with base, where the a-disubstituted product is formed. Dialkylation becomes the predominant reaction when a strong organic base is added and an excess of alkyl halide is used (29). Thus 1-N-pyrrolidino-l-cyclo-hexene (28) on treatment with two moles of allyl bromide in the presence of ethyl dicyclohexylamine (a strong organic base which is not alkylated under the reaction conditions) gave a 95 % yield of 2,6-diallylcyclohexanone (29). 

The (V-methyldihydrodithiazine 125 has also been used as an effective formyl anion equivalent for reaction with alkyl halides, aldehydes, and ketones (77JOC393). In this case there is exclusive alkylation between the two sulfur atoms, and hydrolysis to give the aldehyde products is considerably easier than for dithianes. However, attempts to achieve a second alkylation at C2 were unsuccessful, thus ruling out the use of this system as an acyl anion equivalent for synthesis of ketones. Despite this limitation, the compound has found some use in synthesis (82TL4995). 

Enamines 1 are useful intermediates in organic synthesis. Their use for the synthesis of a-substituted aldehydes or ketones 3 by reaction with an electrophilic reactant—e.g. an alkyl halide 2, an acyl halide or an acceptor-substituted alkene—is named after Gilbert Stork. 

Triphenylphosphine reacts with alkyl halides to form alkyltriphenylphosphonium salts. Upon reaction with strong bases, the salts release a proton to form an ylide (alkylidenetriphenylphosphorane), which is capable of reacting with aldehydes or ketones providing an unambiguous route to olefins. Since there are virtually no... 

Nitriles are similar in some respects to carboxylic acids and are prepared either by SN2 reaction of an alkyl halide with cyanide ion or by dehydration of an amide. Nitriles undergo nucleophilic addition to the polar C=N bond in the same way that carbonyl compounds do. The most important reactions of nitriles are their hydrolysis to carboxylic acids, reduction to primary amines, and reaction with organometallic reagents to yield ketones. 

An alkylation reaction is used to introduce a methyl or primary alkyl group onto the a position of a ketone, ester, or nitrile by S 2 reaction of an enolate ion with an alkyl halide. Thus, we need to look at the target molecule and identify any methyl or primary alkyl groups attached to an a carbon. In the present instance, the target has an a methyl group, which might be introduced by alkylation of an ester enolate ion with iodomethane. 

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