Methoxide nucleophilicity

The deuterium labels are there so that we can see that the Sn2 reaction is indeed taking place. This reaction is entirely syn even though the methoxide nucleophile must attack alongside the other chlorine atom. The reaction does not stop there since a second methoxide displaces the other chloride—also in a syn fashion. Here too there must be considerable resistance to syn attack as the second methoxide anion must approach alongside the first. 

Sapphyrins bearing peripheral substituents other than those present in 5.21 also react with uranyl cation in methanol to form complexes akin to 5.96. Analogous reactions, wherein the methoxide nucleophile is replaced by cyanide were also described by Sessler and coworkers. Unfortunately, when cyanide anion is used as the nucleophile, the reaction yield was very poor. It thus proved impossible to isolate and characterize fully the resulting uranyl complex. 

A patent issued in 1965 claims substitution for fluoride on fluorobenzene-Cr(C0)3 in DMSO by a long list of nucleophiles [18]. Chloroarene complexes are typically less reactive [2]. The bromo- and iodoarene complexes are known,but generally are not effective in the S Ar reaction. The high reactivity of the fluor-obenzene complex allows nucleophilic substitution under mild reaction conditions. A variety of alkoxides [19] including chiral versions [20, 21] were used successfully. Alkyl sulfides replace fluoride in an analogous process [2,15, 22]. Several difluoroarene complexes are known and both fluorides can be displaced by a methoxide nucleophile [23]. 

The formation of the above anions ("enolate type) depend on equilibria between the carbon compounds, the base, and the solvent. To ensure a substantial concentration of the anionic synthons in solution the pA" of both the conjugated acid of the base and of the solvent must be higher than the pAT -value of the carbon compound. Alkali hydroxides in water (p/T, 16), alkoxides in the corresponding alcohols (pAT, 20), sodium amide in liquid ammonia (pATj 35), dimsyl sodium in dimethyl sulfoxide (pAT, = 35), sodium hydride, lithium amides, or lithium alkyls in ether or hydrocarbon solvents (pAT, > 40) are common combinations used in synthesis. Sometimes the bases (e.g. methoxides, amides, lithium alkyls) react as nucleophiles, in other words they do not abstract a proton, but their anion undergoes addition and substitution reactions with the carbon compound. If such is the case, sterically hindered bases are employed. A few examples are given below (H.O. House, 1972 I. Kuwajima, 1976). 

Among several propargylic derivatives, the propargylic carbonates 3 were found to be the most reactive and they have been used most extensively because of their high reactivity[2,2a]. The allenylpalladium methoxide 4, formed as an intermediate in catalytic reactions of the methyl propargylic carbonate 3, undergoes two types of transformations. One is substitution of cr-bonded Pd. which proceeds by either insertion or transmetallation. The insertion of an alkene, for example, into the Pd—C cr-bond and elimination of/i-hydrogen affords the allenyl compound 5 (1.2,4-triene). Alkene and CO insertions are typical. The substitution of Pd methoxide with hard carbon nucleophiles or terminal alkynes in the presence of Cul takes place via transmetallation to yield the allenyl compound 6. By these reactions, various allenyl derivatives can be prepared. 

Charge diagrams suggest that the 2-amino-5-halothiazoles are less sensitive to nucleophilic attack on 5-position than their thiazole counterpart. Recent kinetic data on this reactivity however, show, that this expectation is not fulfilled (67) the ratio fc.. bron.c.-2-am.noih.azoie/ -biomoth.azoie O"" (reaction with sodium methoxide) emphasizes the very unusual amino activation to nucleophilic substitution. The reason of this activation could lie in the protomeric equilibrium, the reactive species being either under protomeric form 2 or 3 (General Introduction to Protomeric Thiazoles). The reactivity of halothiazoles should, however, be reinvestigated under the point of view of the mechanism (1690). 

The generally accepted mechanism for nucleophilic aromatic substitution m nitro substituted aryl halides illustrated for the reaction of p fluoromtrobenzene with sodium methoxide is outlined m Figure 23 3 It is a two step addition-elimination mechanism, m which addition of the nucleophile to the aryl halide is followed by elimination of the halide leaving group Figure 23 4 shows the structure of the key intermediate The mech anism is consistent with the following experimental observations... 

The most common types of aryl halides m nucleophilic aromatic substitutions are those that bear o ox p nitro substituents Among other classes of reactive aryl halides a few merit special consideration One class includes highly fluormated aromatic compounds such as hexafluorobenzene which undergoes substitution of one of its fluorines on reac tion with nucleophiles such as sodium methoxide... 

Halides derived from certain heterocyclic aromatic compounds are often quite reac tive toward nucleophiles 2 Chloropyridme for example reacts with sodium methoxide some 230 million times faster than chlorobenzene at 50°C... 

Nucleophilic Displacement Reactions. The presence of activating groups, eg, o,p mX.1.0 groups, makes aromatic fluorine reactive in nucleophilic displacement reactions. This has been demonstrated by deterrnination of the relative fluorine—chlorine displacement ratios from the reaction of halonitroben2enes with sodium methoxide in methanol (137) F is displaced 200—300 times more readily than Cl. 

Methyl-3,4-dinitropyrrole (170) undergoes some interesting reactions with nucleophilic reagents. With methanolic sodium methoxide it yields a product (171) which on treatment with trifluoroacetic acid gives the 2-methoxypyrrole (172) 78CC564). 

Phenylsulfonylfulminic acid, prepared as outlined in Scheme 110, reacted even with highly hindered alkenes such as tetramethylethylene. The phenylsulfonyl group was easily displaced by a variety of nucleophiles such as methoxide, cyanide and hydride (79JA1319). 

Miller et al. [9] hypothesized rules on the regioselectivity of addition from the study of the base-catalyzed addition of alcohols to chlorotnfluoroethylene. Attack occurs at the vinylic carbon with most fluorines. Thus, isomers of dichloro-hexafl uorobutene react with methanol and phenol to give the corresponding saturated and vinylic ethers The nucleophiles exclusively attack position 3 of 1,1-dichloro-l,2,3,4,4,4-hexafluoro-2-butene and position I of 4,4-dichloro-l,l,2,3,3,4-hexafluoro-1-butene [10]. In I, l-dichloro-2,3,3,4,4,4-hexafluoro-l-butene, attack on position 2 is favored [J/] (equation 5) Terminal fluoroolefms are almost invariably attacked at tbe difluoromethylene group, as illustrated by the reaction of sodium methoxide with perfluoro-1-heptene in methanol [/2J (equation 6). 

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