Isomerization boron halides

Notable examples of general synthetic procedures in Volume 47 include the synthesis of aromatic aldehydes (from dichloro-methyl methyl ether), aliphatic aldehydes (from alkyl halides and trimethylamine oxide and by oxidation of alcohols using dimethyl sulfoxide, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, and pyridinum trifluoro-acetate the latter method is particularly useful since the conditions are so mild), carbethoxycycloalkanones (from sodium hydride, diethyl carbonate, and the cycloalkanone), m-dialkylbenzenes (from the />-isomer by isomerization with hydrogen fluoride and boron trifluoride), and the deamination of amines (by conversion to the nitrosoamide and thermolysis to the ester). Other general methods are represented by the synthesis of 1 J-difluoroolefins (from sodium chlorodifluoroacetate, triphenyl phosphine, and an aldehyde or ketone), the nitration of aromatic rings (with ni-tronium tetrafluoroborate), the reductive methylation of aromatic nitro compounds (with formaldehyde and hydrogen), the synthesis of dialkyl ketones (from carboxylic acids and iron powder), and the preparation of 1-substituted cyclopropanols (from the condensation of a 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol derivative and ethyl-... 

The application of the ideas of Lewis on acids, which correlate a wide range of phenomena in qualitative fashion, has as yet led to very few quantitative studies of reaction velocity but has led to detailed speculations as to mechanisms (Luder and Zuffanti, 118). Friedel-Crafts reactions are considered to be acid-catalyzed, the formation of a car-bonium ion being the first step. The carbonium ion then acts as an acid relative to the base benzene which, upon loss of a proton, yields the alkylated product. Isomerizations of isoparaffins can be explained in similar fashion (Schneider and Kennedy, 119). An alkyl halide yields a carbonium ion on reaction with acids such as boron trifluoride, aluminum chloride, and other metal halides. 

A species such as (8), formed via transmetallation, often undergoes reductive elimination to complete a very useful coupling reaction. Thus, magnesium,boron, zinc and tin are effective. The major asset of this method is the complete retention of the configuration in the alkene, resulting in products of exceptional isomeric purity. The halides involved include aromatic, alkenyl and allenyl. Several reviews of this method have been published. " ... 

The boron can be removed from the vinylstannane to give a stannylvinylcuprate, which will react with an alkyl halide, providing a general method for preparing trisubsti-tuted vinylstannanes with >98% isomeric purity (equation 8-26).63... 

A study has been made of the kinetics of epoxidation of allylphosphinates and of the addition of C-benzoyl-iV-phenylnitrone to vinyl- and allyl-phosphonates. Boron trifluoride stabilizes phosphorus(v) thiocyanates, preventing their isomerization to isothiocyanates. Cleavage of the phosphinothioic methanesulphonic anhydride (97) with aluminium halides yields the phosphinic halide with retained chirality. ... 

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