Isocyanic acid dimerization

Methyl isocyanate and all isocyanic acid esters are an interesting and highly reactive class of organic compounds, since the isocyanate group (-NC0) reacts readily with a wide variety of compounds as well as with itself to form dimers, trimers, ureas, and carbodi-imides. Methyl isocyanate (MIC) is an intermediate in the preparation of carbamate pesticides and conceivably could be applied to the production of special heterocyclic polymers and derivatives. 

Dimers are formed in presence of mild based such as pyridine or isocyanates themselves. Dimerization can be prevented by adding acids or acid chlorides (e.g., benzoyl chloride). Dimers are thermally unstable, and upon heating they dissociate into starting components. Thus, they are sometimes used to form so called blocked isocyanates, which are quite stable at room temperature but react at elevated temperatures. Strong bases, however, favor the trimerization of isocyanate to form isocyanurate ... 

Isocyanates undergo dimerization reactions by a [2+2] cycloaddition across their C=N bonds to give diazetidinediones 3. The isomeric unsymmetrical dimers have never been isolated but they are postulated to be intermediates in the formation of carbodiimides from isocyanates. The isocyanate dimers usually dissociate back to the monomers on heating. Therefore, they are considered to be masked isocyanates. The dimerization of isocyanates requires the use of a base or a Lewis acid as a catalyst, and often isocyanate trimers are formed as coproducts. 

Commercially, polymeric MDI is trimerized duting the manufacture of rigid foam to provide improved thermal stabiUty and flammabiUty performance. Numerous catalysts are known to promote the reaction. Tertiary amines and alkaU salts of carboxyUc acids are among the most effective. The common step ia all catalyzed trimerizations is the activatioa of the C=N double boad of the isocyanate group. The example (18) highlights the alkoxide assisted formation of the cycHc dimer and the importance of the subsequent iatermediates. Similar oligomerization steps have beea described previously for other catalysts (61). 

N-Substituted amides can be prepared by direct attack of isocyanates on aromatic rings.The R group may be alkyl or aryl, but if the latter, dimers and trimers are also obtained. Isothiocyanates similarly give thioamides. The reaction has been carried out intramolecularly both with aralkyl isothiocyanates and acyl isothiocyanates.In the latter case, the product is easily hydrolyzable to a dicarboxylic acid this is a way of putting a carboxyl group on a ring ortho to one already there (34 is... 

In the case of thiazoline-2(3//)-thiones, the mesoionic thiazolo[2,3-h][l,3,4]thiadiazoles are obtained by two different routes (Scheme 65). On the one hand, thione 166 reacts with isothiocyanate via intermediate 167 and with a second equivalent isothiocyanate to afford the mesoionic 168 on the other hand, in the presence of isocyanate, the thione preferentially dimerizes 167 with the open-chain carbodiimide 169 to give the mesoionic 170. Addition of acid with removal of an amine group converts 170 into the symmetric heteroaromatic amine (171) (88CB1495 92T1285). The related transformation of an imidazoline into 1,3,4-thiadiazoles has also been described (90T4353). 

The kinetics and mechanism of the phosphorus-catalysed dimerization of acrylonitrile to give 1,4-dicyanobut-l-ene and 2,4-dicyanobut-l-ene have been studied.114 The reactions of aryhminodimagnesium (138) with //-substituted p-cyanobenzophenones, l-cyano-9-fluorenenone, o-, m-, and p-dicyanobcnzcnes, and o-, m-, and p-nitrobenzonitriles have been examined.115 The effect of pressure on the reaction of 3 -methyl- l-(4-tolyl)triazene (139) and benzoic acid in chloroform and acetonitrile has been studied.116 The effect of acids on the rate of urethane formation from alcohols and isocyanates in the presence of alkyltin carboxylates has been examined.117 A Hammett a value has been reported for the amidine group N=CHNMe2 and used for the prediction of the basicity of sites in bifunctional amidines.118... 

Dehydration of primary nitroalkanes with phenyl isocyanate or acetic anhydride in the presence of catalytic triethylamine affords nitrile oxides, which may be trapped as their 1,3-dipolar cycloadducts or allowed to dimerize to the corresponding furoxans. Other dehydrating agents that have been used include diketene, sulfuric acid and, when the a-methylene group is activated by electron-withdrawing groups, boron trifluoride in acetic anhydride, trifluoroacetic anhydride with triethylamine, and nitric acid in acetic acid. 

Carbodiimides undergo cyclooligomerization reactions. In this regard they are similar to isocyanates, the mono imides of carbon dioxide. For example, aliphatic carbodiimides undergo rapid dimerization catalyzed by tetrafluoroboric acid at room temperature to give salts of the cyclodimers 183. Neutralization with dilute sodium hydroxide, or better filtration through basic AI2O3, afford l,3-dialkyl-2,4-bisalkylimino-l,3-diazetidines 184. ... 

Optically active cathinone has been obtained through the optical resolution of racemic norephedrine using 0,C>-dibenzoyl-D-tartaric acid (26). Each enantiomer was formylated (9) and oxidized with chromium trioxide in pyridine, and the product (13) was then deformylated by heating with 20% hydrochloric acid at 40 C (Scheme 2). Estimation of the optical purity by formation of a urea (14) with (—)-l-phenylethyl isocyanate and HPLC scrutiny, showed an optical purity exceeding 98% for each enantiomer. Cathinone as the free base racemizes and dimerizes readily in hydroxylic media, and similar behavior, at a somewhat reduced rate, is also observed for solutions of the oxalate salt sometimes used for isolation purposes. Cathinone base is fairly stable in dilute solution in nonhydroxy lie, nonpolar media. It readily decomposes during drying of the leaf, hence the desire to use fresh material for hedonistic purposes 14,27). 

The uretidinediones, which are the pyclic dimers of isocyanates, form the most extensive series of four-membered heterooydic compounds with two nitrogen atoms. Their chemistry closely resembles that the isoi nate monomera with which they are in equilibrium at high temperatures. The parent compound, the dimeric fcyanic acid, is unknown, and all hut one member of the series are 1,3-diaiyl derivatives. 

Other aliphatic dllsocyanates that are being used commercially in urethane coatings are 3-(isocyanatomethy1)-3,5,5-trimethyIcyclohexyl isocyanate (Veba-Chemie A.G.) (28). "dimeryl" diisocyanate derived from dimerized linoleic acid (Henkel Corp.) (29). and xylylene diisocyanate (XDI) (Takeda Chemical Co.) (30). It is interesting to note that no catalysts are required for the reaction of XDI with hydroxyl compounds and that its reactivity is similar to that of TDI. 

Alkoxythiocarbonyl isothiocyanates (172 X = S) are also useful 47t components and with imines at room temperature furnish 6-alkoxy-2//-l,3,5-thiadiazine-4(3//)-thiones (173) albeit in variable yields <83CB2044>. In a similar manner ethoxythiocarbonyl isocyanate (172 R = Et, X = O) and benzylideneaniline produce 2,3-diphenyl-6-ethoxy-2/f-l,3,5-thiadiazin-4(3//)-one (174) <82CB1252>. In warm toluene the ethoxythiocarbonyl isocyanate dimerizes to give the 0-ethyl ester (175) of 6-ethoxy-3,4-dihydro-2,4-dioxo-2//-l,3,5-thiadiazine-3-thiocarboxylic acid (Scheme 24). 

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