Halogen atom transfer addition reactions

Et3B is an effective tool for halogen atom transfer radical reactions (see also Chap. 1.5). Perfluoroalkyl iodide [29], a-halo nitrile and a-halo ester [30] added to alkenes and alkynes at low temperature. Not only terminal alkenes but also internal alkenes can be employed to furnish iodine atom transfer adducts (Scheme 23). Furthermore, addition of perfluoroalkyl iodide to silyl and germyl enolate provided a-perfluoroalkyl ketones [31]. The reaction would involve the elimination of a tri-... 

Radicals for addition reactions can be generated by halogen atom abstraction by stannyl radicals. The chain mechanism for alkylation of alkyl halides by reaction with a substituted alkene is outlined below. There are three reactions in the propagation cycle of this chain mechanism addition, hydrogen atom abstraction, and halogen atom transfer. 

The possibility that substitution results from halogen-atom transfer to the nucleophile, thus generating an alkyl radical that could then couple with its reduced or oxidized form, has been mentioned earlier in the reaction of iron(i) and iron(o) porphyrins with aliphatic halides. This mechanism has been extensively investigated in two cases, namely the oxidative addition of various aliphatic and benzylic halides to cobalt(n) and chromiumfn) complexes. 

Addition of excess CH3I to a solution of [Ni (tmc)]+ results in the rapid loss of the absorption (A = 360 nm, e = 4 x 103 M-1 cm-1) and appearance of a less intense band at A = 346 nm. A subsequent slower reaction gives rise to the weaker absorbance profile of [Ni"(tmc)]2+. The data are interpreted in terms of the formation of an organo-nickel(II) species followed by a slower hydrolysis with breaking of the Ni-C bond. Kinetic studies under conditions of excess alkyl halide show a dependence according to the equation — d[Ni1(tmc)+]/cft = 2 [Ni(I)][RX]. The data have been interpreted in terms of a ratedetermining one-electron transfer from the nickel(I) species to RX, either by outer-sphere electron transfer or by halogen atom transfer, to yield the alkyl radical R. This reactive intermediate reacts rapidly with a second nickel(I) species ... 

This mechanism is quite general for this substitution reaction in transition metal hydride-carbonyl complexes [52]. It is also known for intramolecular oxidative addition of a C-H bond [53], heterobimetallic elimination of methane [54], insertion of olefins [55], silylenes [56], and CO [57] into M-H bonds, extmsion of CO from metal-formyl complexes [11] and coenzyme B12- dependent rearrangements [58]. Likewise, the reduction of alkyl halides by metal hydrides often proceeds according to the ATC mechanism with both H-atom and halogen-atom transfer in the propagation steps [4, 53]. 

A second type of reaction that involves the formal addition of a carbon-halogen bond to a double carbon-carbon, both inter- and intramolecularly, will also be discussed. These are the atom transfer radical reactions, and also include the polymerization of some olefins such as styrene or acrylates. 

Reaction sequences involving halogen transfer, followed by non-radical interception of the alkyl iodide or bromide formed can allow for the trapping of products arising from less exothermic or even endothermic atom transfer additions and are exemplified in Scheme 11. Yoon [30] and Curran [31] have demonstrated that the a-halo ethers formed upon addition to vinyl ethers can be trapped with alcohols, leading to formation of acetals. Substitution reactions on the heteroaromatics pyrrole and indole have been carried out through a sequence of steps involving I- or Br-... 

A variety of atom transfer radical reactions involving addition of halo, phenyl-seleno, and phenylthio sulfonates have been developed. In these reactions, it is believed that the sulfonyl radical attacks the olefin, and the halogen or arylchalcogen... 

The initial ruthenium(II) catalyst 66 abstracts a halogen (either chlorine or bromine) from the substrate forming a ruthenium(III) species 67. This is followed by pi complexation (68), radical addition (69) and halogen atom transfer to form the desired product (70). Starting from 65a, enantioselectivities of the resulting product 70a ranged from 20 to 40% ee with excellent chemical yields [28]. Reactions with a slightly different substrate bromotrichloromethane (65b) provided 70b in 32% ee, and a poor yield of 26% [29]. 

A weak C—X bond is required to facilitate the initiation step, but the success of the reaction depends on the subsequently formed C-heteroatom bond being stronger than the one broken in the initial reactant. In other words, to ensure the chain process, the initially generated radical should be more stable than the one formed after the addition. It is also critical that the halogen atom-transfer step be suffi-ciendy rapid to propagate the chain. The usual processes in ATR reactions involve a-carbonyl radicals leading to the formation of lactones, lactams, or cycloalkanones, which embody a new carbon-halogen bond after the transfer step. 

Halogen content If halogens in the anion are not crucial for specific reactions performed in the ionic liquid, they should be avoided. Moisture sensitivity, halogenide transfers, alcoholysis and toxic effects are often connected with halogen atoms in the molecule [27]. In addition, the hydrolysis products HCl or HF act corrosively. Within the project reported by Wasserscheid and coworkers they successfully developed ionic liquids with alkylsulfate groups as anions to overcome the halogen content. These new solvents show very favorable properties. 

Some radical reactions occur under the control of transition metal templates. The first example of asymmetric creation of an asymmetric carbon with a halogen atom is shown by the a DIOP-Rh(I) complex-catalyzed addition of bromotrichloromethane to styrene, which occurs with 32% enantioselectivity (Scheme 99) (233). Ru(II) complexes with DIOP or BINAP ligands promote addition of arenesulfonyl chlorides to afford the products in 25-40% ee (234). A reaction mechanism involving radical redox transfer chain process has been proposed. 

Many variants on the addition of two heteroatoms (X—Y) across an alkene or alkyne have been developed.245 These reactions always proceed by the atom transfer method and require a reactive atom or group donor (X = halogen, SPh, SePh). Many atoms and groups Y can be introduced including oxygen and nitrogen. However, such additions are only occasionally advantageous when compared to ionic... 

Alkoxyl radicals can be generated by a variety of methods including peroxide reduction, nitrite ester photolysis, hypohalite thermolysis, and fragmentation of epoxyalkyl radicals (for additional examples of alkoxyl radical generation, see Section 4.2.S.2). Hypohalites are excellent halogen atom donors to carbon-centered radicals, and a recent example of this type of cyclization from the work of Kraus is illustrated in Scheme 43.182 Oxidation of the hemiketal (57) presumably forms an intermediate hypoiodite, which spontaneously cyclizes to (58) by an atom transfer mechanism. Unfortunately, the direct application of the Barton method for the generation of alkoxyl radicals fails because the intermediate pyridine-thione carbonates are sensitive to hydrolytic reactions. However, in a very important recent development, Beckwith and Hay have shown that alkoxyl radicals are formed from N-alkoxypyridinethiones.183 Al-... 

When unsaturatcd polymers have hydrogen or halogen atoms in a-position to the double bonds, they are especially sensitive to chain transfer by a free radical attack. Therefore in these cases, the graft copolymerization may involve a combination of two initiation processes which occur simultaneously and compete with each other, one by chain transfer, the other by addition copolymerization. The relative importance of both processes is again dependent on the nature of the polymerizing monomer and of the backbone polymer involved in the reaction. 

Susuki and Tsuji reported the first Kharasch addition/carbonylation sequences to synthesize halogenated acid chlorides from olefins, carbon tetrachloride, and carbon monoxide catalyzed by [CpFe(CO)2]2 [101]. Its activity is comparable to or better than that of the corresponding molybdenum complex (see Part 1, Sect. 7). Davis and coworkers determined later that the reaction does not involve homolysis of the dimer to a metal-centered radical, which reduces the organic halide, but that radical generation occurs from the dimeric catalyst after initial dissociation of a CO ligand and subsequent SET [102]. The reaction proceeds otherwise as a typical metal-catalyzed atom transfer process (cf. Part 1, Fig. 37, Part 2, Fig. 7). 

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