Ionic liquids isomerism

Table 3.1-5 Melting points and heats of fusion for isomeric [BMIM][PFg] and [PMIM][PFs] ionic liquids, showing melting point and crystal stability increasing with the degree of branching in the alkyl substituent.

This was confirmed by taking a sample of 9-acetylanthracene and allowing it to isomerize in the ionic liquid. This gave a mixture of anthracene, 1,5-diacetylan-thracene and 1,8-diacetylanthracene. It should be noted that a proton source was needed for this reaction to occur, implying an acid-catalyzed mechanism (Scheme 5.1-65) [95]. 

Cracking and isomerization reactions occur readily in acidic chloroaluminate(III) ionic liquids. A remarkable example of this is the reaction of poly(ethene), which is converted into a mixture of gaseous alkanes of formula (C Ff2n+2, where n = 3-5) and cyclic alkanes with a hydrogen to carbon ratio of less than two (Figure 5.1-4, Scheme 5.1-68) [99]. 

A similar reaction occurs with fatty acids (such as stearic acid) or methyl stearate, which undergo isomerization, cracking, dimerization, and oligomerization reactions. This has been used to convert solid stearic acid into the more valuable liquid isostearic acid [102] (Scheme 5.1-70). The isomerization and dimerization of oleic acid and methyl oleate have also been found to occur in chloroaluminate(III) ionic liquids [103]. 

For this specific task, ionic liquids containing allcylaluminiums proved unsuitable, due to their strong isomerization activity [102]. Since, mechanistically, only the linkage of two 1-butene molecules can give rise to the formation of linear octenes, isomerization activity in the solvent inhibits the formation of the desired product. Therefore, slightly acidic chloroaluminate melts that would enable selective nickel catalysis without the addition of alkylaluminiums were developed [104]. It was found that an acidic chloroaluminate ionic liquid buffered with small amounts of weak organic bases provided a solvent that allowed a selective, biphasic reaction with [(H-COD)Ni(hfacac)]. 

The ionic liquid process has a number of advantages over traditional cationic polymerization processes such as the Cosden process, which employs a liquid-phase aluminium(III) chloride catalyst to polymerize butene feedstocks [30]. The separation and removal of the product from the ionic liquid phase as the reaction proceeds allows the polymer to be obtained simply and in a highly pure state. Indeed, the polymer contains so little of the ionic liquid that an aqueous wash step can be dispensed with. This separation also means that further reaction (e.g., isomerization) of the polymer s unsaturated ot-terminus is minimized. In addition to the ease of isolation of the desired product, the ionic liquid is not destroyed by any aqueous washing procedure and so can be reused in subsequent polymerization reactions, resulting in a reduction of operating costs. The ionic liquid technology does not require massive capital investment and is reported to be easily retrofitted to existing Cosden process plants. 

Room temperature ionic liquids have been found to be excellent solvents for a number of reactions [50b] such as the isomerization [51], hydrogenation [52] and Friedel-Crafts reactions [53]. A number of Diels-Alder reactions were recently investigated in these systems. 

Room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs), such as those based on A,A-dialkylimidazolium ions, are gaining importance (Bradley, 1999). The ionic liquids do not evaporate easily and thus there are no noxious fumes. They are also non-inflammable. Ionic liquids dissolve catalysts that are insoluble in conventional organic chemicals. IFP France has developed these solvents for dimerization, hydrogenation, isomerization, and hydroformylation reactions without conventional solvents. For butene dimerization a commercial process exists. RTILs form biphasic systems with the catalyst in the RTIL phase, which is immiscible with the reactants and products. This system is capable of being extended to a list of organometallic catalysts. Industrial Friedel-Crafts reactions, such as acylations, have been conducted and a fragrance molecule tra.seolide has been produced in 99% yield (Bradley, 1999). 

Metal hahdes in imidazolium ionic hquids offer unique enviromnents able to facihtate dehydration reactions. Under such conditions certain metal halides are able to catalyze formal hydride transfer reactions that otherwise do not occur in the ionic liquid media. We have now discovered two systems in which this transformation has been observed. The initial system involves the conversion of glucose to fractose followed by dehydration the second system involves the dehydration of glycedraldehyde dimer followed by isomerization to lactide. CrCls" anion is the only catalyst that has been effective for both systems. VCI3" is effective for the glyceraldehyde dimer system but not for glucose. 

Scheme 5.1-70 Cracking and isomerization of fatty acids and fatty acid methyl esters in chloroaluminate(lll) ionic liquids.

Ozawa, R., Hayashi, S., Saha, S., Kobayashi, A., and Hamaguchi, H., Rotational isomerism and structure of the l-butyl-3-methylimidazolium cation in the ionic liquid state, Chem. Lett., 32, 948-949, 2003. 

Hydrogenation, isomerization, and hydroformylation of 1-pentene with cationic rhodium complexes were catalyzed in molten 1-n-butyl-l-methyl-imidazolium salts (130). The ionic liquid can be recycled without significant loss of activity and the products isolated by simple phase separation. 

Sarca and Laali199 have used triflic acid in butylmethylimidazolium hexafluor-ophosphate BMIM][PF6 ionic liquid for the benzylation of various arenes with benzyl alcohol [Eq. (5.76)]. When compared with Yb(OTf)3, triflic acid proved to be a better catalyst showing higher selectivity (less dibenzyl ether byproduct) by exhibiting similar activity (typically complete conversion). Of the isomeric products, para isomers dominate. Experimental observations indicate that dibenzyl ether originates from less complete protonation of benzyl alcohol and, consequently, serves as a competing nucleophile. Both substrate selectivity (kT/kB) and positional selectivity (ortho/para ratio) found in competitive benzylation with a benzene-toluene mixture (1 1 molar ratio) are similar to those determined in earlier studies, indicating that the nature of the electrophile is not affected in the ionic liquid. 

Laali et al.234 have developed a method to the highly selective pura-adamantylation of arenes (toluene, ethylbenzene, anisole) with haloadamantanes (1-chloro- and 1-bromoadamantane, l-bromo-3,5,7-trimethyladamantane) and 1-adamantanol promoted by triflic acid in butylmethylimidazolium triflate [BMIM][OTf] ionic liquid. In contrast to reactions mn in 1,2-dichloroethane, little or no adamantane byproduct was detected in [BMIM][OTf. Furthermore, no isomerization of para-tolyladamantane was observed supporting the intramolecular nature of the formation of meta isomers. In competitive experiments with benzene-toluene mixture (1 1 molar ratio), high substrate selectivities were found (kT/kB = 16-17) irrespective of the alkylating agent. This is in sharp contrast to values about unity measured in 1,2-dichloroethane. 

Olefin isomerization, with Claisen rearrangement, 1, 365 Olefin metathesis with alkyllead, 9, 415 in aqueous media, 1, 834 ESI—MS studies, 1, 812 in high-throughput catalyst discovery, 1, 365 in ionic liquids, 1, 869 for polymerization characteristics, 1, 149 Grubbs catalysts, 1, 151 Schrock catalysis, 1, 150... 

An overview of the reactions over zeolites and related materials employed in the fields of refining, petrochemistry, and commodity chemicals reviewed the role of carbocations in these reactions.15 An overview appeared of the discovery of reactive intermediates, including carbocations, and associated concepts in physical organic chemistry.16 The mechanisms of action of two families of carcinogens of botanical origin were reviewed.17 The flavanoids are converted to DNA-reactive species via an o-quinone, with subsequent isomerization to a quinone methide. Alkenylbenzenes such as safrole are activated to a-sulfatoxy esters, whose SnI ionization produces benzylic cations that alkylate DNA. A number of substrates (trifluoroacetates, mesylates, and triflates) known to undergo the SnI reaction in typical solvolysis solvents were studied in ionic liquids several lines of evidence indicate that they also react here via ionization to give carbocationic intermediates.18... 

Ionic liquids such as the eutectic AgNOj/KNOB/AgCl (mp 113 °C) are the best solvents for effecting silver ion-catalyzed isomerizations of cage-like organic molecules, e.g. basketane snoutane [31a], cf. Eq. (3-2). 

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