Alkoxides metal

Alkoxide ion (RO ) The oxygen atom of a metal alkoxide acts as a nucleophile to replace the halogen of an alkyl halide The product is an ether... 

Metal acetylides Metal-air cells Metal alcoholates Metal alkoxides Metal alloys Metal amalgams... 

Besides pH, other preparative variables that can affect the microstructure of a gel, and consequendy, the properties of the dried and heat-treated product iaclude water content, solvent, precursor type and concentration, and temperature (9). Of these, water content has been studied most extensively because of its large effect on gelation and its relative ease of use as a preparative variable. In general, too Httie water (less than one mole per mole of metal alkoxide) prevents gelation and too much (more than the stoichiometric amount) leads to precipitation (3,9). Other than the amount of water used, the rate at which it is added offers another level of control over gel characteristics. 

In earlier studies (24), the reaction was carried out at temperatures above 200°C under autogenous pressure conditions usiag alkaU metal hydroxide or alkoxide catalysts significant amounts of carboxyUc acid, RCH2COOH, were formed as were other by-products. More recent reports describe catalysts which minimize by-products MgO—K CO —CUC2O2 (25), less basic but stiU requiring high temperatures Rh, Ir, Pt, or Ru complexes (26) and an alkaU metal alkoxide plus Ni or Pd (27), effective at much lower temperatures. 

The most important appHcation of metal alkoxides in reactions of the Friedel-Crafts type is that of aluminum phenoxide as a catalyst in phenol alkylation (205). Phenol is sufficientiy acidic to react with aluminum with the formation of (CgH O)2Al. Aluminum phenoxide, when dissolved in phenol, greatiy increases the acidic strength. It is beheved that, similar to alkoxoacids (206) an aluminum phenoxoacid is formed, which is a strong conjugate acid of the type HAl(OCgH )4. This acid is then the catalyticaHy active species (see Alkoxides, metal). 

The process known as transimidization has been employed to functionalize polyimide oligomers, which were subsequentiy used to produce polyimide—titania hybrids (59). This technique resulted in the successhil synthesis of transparent hybrids composed of 18, 37, and 54% titania. The effect of metal alkoxide quantity, as well as the oligomer molecular weight and cure temperature, were evaluated using differential scanning calorimetry (dsc), thermogravimetric analysis (tga) and saxs. 

GopolymeriZation Initiators. The copolymerization of styrene and dienes in hydrocarbon solution with alkyUithium initiators produces a tapered block copolymer stmcture because of the large differences in monomer reactivity ratios for styrene (r < 0.1) and dienes (r > 10) (1,33,34). In order to obtain random copolymers of styrene and dienes, it is necessary to either add small amounts of a Lewis base such as tetrahydrofuran or an alkaU metal alkoxide (MtOR, where Mt = Na, K, Rb, or Cs). In contrast to Lewis bases which promote formation of undesirable vinyl microstmcture in diene polymerizations (57), the addition of small amounts of an alkaU metal alkoxide such as potassium amyloxide ([ROK]/[Li] = 0.08) is sufficient to promote random copolymerization of styrene and diene without producing significant increases in the amount of vinyl microstmcture (58,59). 

Enolate Initiators. In principle, ester enolate anions should represent the ideal initiators for anionic polymeri2ation of alkyl methacrylates. Although general procedures have been developed for the preparation of a variety of alkaU metal enolate salts, many of these compounds are unstable except at low temperatures (67,102,103). Usehil initiating systems for acrylate polymeri2ation have been prepared from complexes of ester enolates with alkak metal alkoxides (104,105). 

Figure 17 summarizes the avadable sol—gel processes (56). The process on the right of the figure involves the hydrolysis of metal alkoxides in a water—alcohol solution. The hydrolyzed alkoxides are polymerized to form a chemical gel, which is dried and heat treated to form a rigid oxide network held together by chemical bonds. This process is difficult to carry out, because the hydrolysis and polymerization must be carefully controlled. If the hydrolysis reaction proceeds too far, precipitation of hydrous metal oxides from the solution starts to occur, causing agglomerations of particulates in the sol. 

In anionic polymerization the reaction is initiated by a strong base, eg, a metal hydride, alkah metal alkoxide, organometaHic compounds, or hydroxides, to form a lactamate ... 

Metal alkoxides are compounds in which a metal is attached to one or more alkyl groups by an oxygen atom. Alkoxides are derived from alcohols by the replacement of the hydroxyl hydrogen by metal. 

Sodium ethoxide was the first metal alkoxide described in 1837 (1). The alkoxides of many transition metals were developed after World War II (2—5). Today some alkoxides, including those of sodium, potassium, magnesium, aluminum, zirconium, and titanium, are commercially important. The name metal alkoxides is preferred, although metal alcoholates is also used. 

Many metal alkoxides are soluble ia the corresponding alcohols, but magnesium alkoxides are practically insoluble. Only the distillable alkoxides, like those of alumiaum, titanium, and zirconium, are soluble ia weaMy polar solvents. The double alkoxides are soluble ia alcohol K[Li(OC2Hy)2],... 

Much work has been done on the structure of the metal alkoxides (49). The simple alkaU alkoxides have an ionic lattice and a layer stmcture, but alkaline earth alkoxides show more covalent character. The aluminum alkoxides have been thoroughly studied and there is no doubt as to their covalent nature the lower alkoxides are associated, even in solution and in the vapor phase. The degree of association depends on the bulkiness of the alkoxy group and can range from 2 to 4, eg, the freshly distilled isopropylate is trimeric (4) ... 

Stmctures are highly varied among the transition metals. The titanium atom in titanium tetraethoxide has the coordination number 6 (Fig. 1). The corresponding zirconium compound, with coordination number 8, has a different stmcture (Fig. 2). Metal alkoxides are colored when the corresponding metal ions are colored, otherwise they are not. 

The most outstanding property of the metal alkoxides is ease of hydrolysis. 

Partial hydrolysis of a metal alkoxide to form reactive monomers. 

Metal alkoxides and carboxyUc acids give salts (58) ... 

Metal alkoxides and phenol usually form phenolates smoothly (61). 

Metal alkoxides cataly2e the Tishchenko condensation of aldehydes (62), the transesterification of carboxyhc esters, the Meerwein-Poimdorf reaction (63), and other enolization and condensation reactions. 

Alkaline earth metal alkoxides decompose to carbonates, olefins, hydrogen, and methane calcium alkoxides give ketones (65). For aluminum alkoxides, thermal stability decreases as follows primary > secondary > tertiary the respective decomposition temperatures are ca 320°C, 250°C, and 140°C. Decomposition products are ethers, alcohols, and olefins. 

Many metal alkoxides decompose at higher temperatures to lower valency compounds, in some cases to metal. 

From Metals and Alcohol. Alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, and aluminum react with alcohols to give metal alkoxides (2,3,65) ... 

Metal alkoxides may achieve complete replacement of halogen. 

From Alcoholysis and Transesteriflcation. Metal alkoxides of higher, unsaturated, or branched alcohols are difficult to prepare directiy and are usually made from lower metal alkoxides by means of alcoholysis ... 

The reaction is driven to completion by distilling the lower boiling alcohol. Metal methoxides are frequentiy insoluble and caimot be employed as starting materials in this reaction by the same token, they can be convenientiy prepared from solutions of higher alkoxides by precipitation with methanol. Alcoholysis also gives mixed metal alkoxides ... 

From Metal Amides. Dimethyl and diethyl amides of some metals react smoothly to give good yields of certain metal alkoxides that are otherwise difficult to obtain (71,72). 

Mixed Halide Alkoxides. Metal chlorides, hydrogen chloride, and carboxyUc acid chlorides convert metal alkoxides to metal chloride alkoxides. 

Double Alkoxides. Complex double alkoxides are formed when a solution of an alkaU or alkaline earth metal alkoxide is added to a solution of an alkoxide of aluminum, titanium, or tirconium and a series of such compounds have been prepared (44). 

This reaction is important in the manufacture of long-chain alcohols by means of hydrolysis of the aluminum alkoxide. Examples of oxidation of metal alkoxides (40,42) include ... 

Table 4 Hsts the manufacturers of some metal alkoxides, and the individual materials are described in the following. Some other properties of metal ethoxides are summarized in Table 1.

Metal alkoxides are strongly caustic and are decomposed by the humidity of the air or moisture of the skin, requiring the use of protective glasses and gloves. 

The health ha2ard presented by metal alkoxides reflects the toxicity of the metals they contain and the metallic hydroxides and alcohols they form on hydrolysis. 

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