Metal dialkylamides with alcohols

By Reactions of Metal Dialkylamides with Alcohols and Phenols 339... 

In addition to the above, alcoholysis or transesterification reactions of metal alkoxides themselves have been widely used for obtaining the targeted homo- and heteroleptic alkoxide derivatives of the same metal. Since the 1960s, the replacement reactions of metal dialkylamides with alcohols has provided a highly convenient and versatile route (Section 2.9) for the synthesis of homoleptic alkoxides of a number of metals, particularly in their lower valency states. 

The main idea of these techniques lies in the interaction of the active hydrogen atom of the alcohols with the anions of metal hydrides, alkyls, acetylides, nitrides, amides, dialkylamides, bis(trialkylsilyl)amides, sulfides, etc., with formation of compounds where an H atom is bonded by a strong covalent bond (usually gaseous HX). Alkaline hydrides of the most active metals (K, Rb, Cs) are used to slow down the reaction of metal with alcohol sometimes it is necessary simply to avoid explosion. 

Reactions of Metal Dialkylamides M(NR2)x (R = Me, Et, SiMes) with Alcohols (Method I)... 

Zirconium and hafnium dialkylamides are highly reactive compounds. They undergo (i) protolytic substitution reactions with reagents such as alcohols, cyclopentadiene and bisftrimethylsilyOamine 63 64 (ii) insertion reactions with C02, CS2, COS, nitriles, phenyl isocyanate, methyl isothiocyanate, carbodiimides and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate 69-72 and (iii) addition reactions with metal carbonyls.73 These reactions are summarized with reference to Zr(NMe2)4 in Scheme 1. 

Allenyl-lithium reagents, generated by metallation of allenic hydrocarbons or from haloallenes by halogen-metal exchange, react with various electrophiles with retention of the allenic structure to give functionalized allenes. High yields of allenylsilanes and sulphides, allenic acids and dialkylamides, and fi-allenic alcohols are available by this method. However, additions to ketones are less satisfactory since propargylic alcohols are formed in some cases. 

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