Iodide, sodium reaction with alkyl halides

By reaction with alkyl halides, esters of sulfonic and carbonic acids, trimethy-loxonium tetrafluoroborate, diazo compounds, Mannich or Mitsunobu conditions or miscellaneous reagents. Methyl iodide is a versatile and effective methylating reagent that can be used at room temperature, at moderate temperatures in a tightly closed vessel or at high temperatures in an autoclave. 2,4-Dihydropyrazol-3-one 1 was methylated at N1 with sodium hydride in boiling 1,4-dioxane followed by methyl iodide at room temperature. l,2-Dihydropyrazol-3-one 2 was obtained in 59% yield (79AP853) (Scheme 1). 

Somewhat similar observations have been made in the reaction of alkyl halides with sodium mirrors (the Wurtz reaction) in which alkyl coupling occurs. Thus, ethane formed on treatment of methyl iodide with sodium in a field of 20 G shows n.m.r. emission (Garst and Cox, 1970). The phase is consistent with polarization via T j-S mixing,... 

The reaction of alkyl halides with metal nitrites is one of the most important methods for the preparation of nitroalkanes. As a metal nitrite, silver nitrite (Victor-Meyer reaction), potassium nitrite, or sodium nitrite (Kornblum reaction) have been frequently used. The products are usually a mixture of nitroalkanes and alkyl nitrites, which are readily separated by distillation (Eq. 2.47). The synthesis of nitro compounds by this process is well documented in the reviews, and some typical cases are listed in Table 2.3.92a Primary and secondary alkyl iodides and bromides as well as sulfonate esters give the corresponding nitro compounds in 50-70% yields on treatment with NaN02 in DMF or DMSO. Some of them are described precisely in vol 4 of Organic Synthesis. For example, 1,4-dinitrobutane is prepared in 41 -46% yield by the reaction of 1,4-diiodobutane with silver nitrite in diethyl ether.92b 1-Nitrooctane is prepared by the reaction with silver nitrite in 75-80% yield. The reaction of silver nitrite with secondary halides gives yields of nitroalkanes of about 15%, whereas with tertiary halides the yields are 0-5%.92c Ethyl a-nitrobutyrate is prepared by the reaction of ethyl a-bromobutyrate in 68-75% yield with sodium nitrite in DMF.92d Sodium nitrite is considerably more soluble in DMSO than in DMF as a consequence, with DMSO, much more concentrated solutions can be employed and this makes shorter reaction times possible.926... 

As esters the alkyl halides are hydrolysed by alkalis to alcohols and salts of halogen acids. They are converted by nascent hydrogen into hydrocarbons, by ammonia into amines, by alkoxides into ethers, by alkali hydrogen sulphides into mercaptans, by potassium cyanide into nitriles, and by sodium acetate into acetic esters. (Formulate these reactions.) The alkyl halides are practically insoluble in water but are, on the other hand, miscible with organic solvents. As a consequence of the great affinity of iodine for silver, the alkyl iodides are almost instantaneously decomposed by aqueous-alcoholic silver nitrate solution, and so yield silver iodide and alcohol. The important method of Ziesel for the quantitative determination of alkyl groups combined in the form of ethers, depends on this property (cf. p. 80). 

In what appears, initially, to be a closely similar reaction, acid chlorides react with alkyl halides under solidtliquid two-phase conditions using sodium hydrogen carbonate in the presence of sodium iodide and tetra-n-butylammonium bromide [45]. Although the mechanism is not clear, it has been proposed that the acid chloride is initially converted into the carboxylate anion. It is also probable that the halogen interchange between the sodium iodide and the alkyl halides enhances their reactivity. Although the yields are high, the availability of the alkyl halides and alcohols are usually similar and there appears to be little to commend this process over the catalysed reaction of the acid chlorides with the alcohols. 

The reaction of a -halocarboxylic acids with sodium nitrite has been used to synthesize ni-tromethane, nitroethane and nitropropane, although the reaction fails for higher nitroalkanes. " A number of other reactions have been reported which use nitrite anion as a nucleophile, including (1) reaction of alkyl halides with potassium nitrite in the presence of 18-crown-6, (2) reaction of alkyl halides with nitrite anion bound to amberlite resins, (3) synthesis of 2-nitroethanol from the acid-catalyzed ring opening of ethylene oxide with sodium nitrite, and (4) reaction of primary alkyl chlorides with sodium nitrite in the presence of sodium iodide. ... 

The reaction of the sodium derivative of methylpyrazine with alkyl halides in liquid ammonia gives good yields (44-81%) of mono-alkylated products phenylation has been achieved by reaction with benzyne (generated from bromobenzene and sodamide in liquid ammonia) and gives 53% benzylpyrazine.178 The alkylation of the sodio derivative of 2-methoxy-3-methylpyrazine with methyl iodide, and of the product with ethyl bromide, gives 2-methoxy-3-sec-butylpyrazine (25) a constituent of galbanum oil.31... 

The sulfonyl halides (ArSOjCl) convert the alcohol into a sulfonate (ArSOjOR), which is a better leaving group than the hydroxyl group. This allows a range of nucleophilic substitutions to be carried out, many of which parallel those found with alkyl halides. Alkyl halides such as iodides are formed by the nucleophilic substitution of the sulfonate by an iodide ion. The reaction in this case proceeds with inversion of configuration. Treatment of the sulfonate esters with bases such as sodium methoxide or collidine (2,4,6-trimethylpyridine), or even just heating them, can lead to the elimination of toluene-4-sulfonic acid and the formation of an alkene. 

The alkyl phenyl sulfone precursors for the olefination may be prepared by the reaction of alkyl halides with sodium benzenethiolate, followed by oxidation of the alkyl phenyl sulfides formed with mCPBA. Alternatively, displacement of an alkyl bromide or iodide with the less nucleophilic sodium benzenesulfmate PhS02Na leads directly to the alkyl phenyl sulfone. 

Finkelstein reaction. Reaction of alkyl halides with sodium iodide in acetone. 

Recently, however, Kornblum et al.651 showed that alkali nitrites, in particular sodium nitrite, can replace silver nitrite in the preparation of nitro compounds if dimethylformamide is used as solvent. The method has the additional advantage that not merely primary but also secondary alkyl iodides and bromides react readily in this solvent. Yields are around 60% in both cases. It usually suffices to stir the halide with an excess of sodium nitrite in dimethylformamide for some hours at room temperature primary iodides need about 2.5 hours, primary bromides about 6 hours for complete reaction. With secondary halides it is advisable to add urea as this raises the solubility... 

Methyleneaminophosphines (10), on treatment with methyl iodide, give the expected phosphonium salts (11), which on thermolysis undergo a reaction analogous to the Arbusov reaction to give imidophosphoranes. Various phosphonates and phosphine oxides have been prepared by the reaction of the anions (RO)aP—0 Na+ and R2P—0 Na+ with alkyl halides. The analogous reactions of the chlorohydrin (12) with sodium diethyl phosphonate give the cyclic phosphonate (13) as a mixture of geometrical isomers of approximately equal stability. ... 

Reactions of Alkyl Halides.—Halogen atoms in organic compounds enter into reactions with many substances. When the alkyl halides are brought into contact with the more active metals, the halogen atom either is removed and a condensation-product formed, or addition takes place. The two classes of reactions are illustrated by those which take place between methyl iodide and sodium and magnesium —... 

The dithiocarboxylate salts of alkali metals readily react with alkyl halides. The lithium, sodium, and potassium salts 1-3 readily react with methyl iodide to give the corresponding methyl ester 11 at room temperature in good yields, while similar reactions of rubidium and cesium salts 4 and 5 result in low yields (Scheme 3) [38]. 

Sn l and Sm2 reactions of benzylic halides occur faster than the corresponding reactions of alkyl halides. Three nucleophilic substitufions are involved in fhe synthesis shown. The benzylic alcohol is converted to the corresponding chloride with HCI, then to the corresponding cyanide. Sodium iodide catalyzes the second reaction by converting the benzylic chloride to the more reactive iodide. 

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