Monoalkylation

Upon reaction with an alcohol in the presence of a catalyst, the monoalkyl ether of ethylene glycol is obtained ... 

The monoalkyl ethers with R = CHj, CjHj and C4H, , known respectively as methyl ceUoaolve, ceUosolve and hutyl cellosolve, are of great commercial value, particularly as solvents, since they combine the properties of alcohols and ethers and are miscible with water. Equally important compounds are the carbitols (monoalkyl ethers of diethyleneglycol) prepared by the action of ethylene oxide upon the monoethers of ethylene glycol ... 

CHjO), + 3CH,OH + 3HC1 —> 3CH3OCH2CI + 3H,0 Monoalkyl benzene derivatives yield para chloromethjd compounds, frequently accompanied by small amounts of the ortho isomeride. The reaction is similar in some respects to that of Friedel and Crafts. Chloromethylation is of great value in synthetic work as the —CH,C1 group can be converted into other groups such as —CH,OH, —CHO, —CH,OR, —CH,CN, —CH,CH(COOC.,Hs)2 and —CH,. 

Commercial dialkyl-anilines may be purified by refluxing with an excess of acetic anhydride any unchanged aniline and monoalkyl-aniline are converted into the difficultly-volatile acetyl derivatives ... 

The salts of monoalkyl sulphates are frequently encountered as commercial detergents (for example, dreft, gardinol and pentrone ) they are usually sodium salts, the alkyl components contain 12 or more carbon atoms, and give colloidal solutions. They are hydrol3 sed by boiling with dilute sodium hydroxide solution ... 

A special problem arises in the preparation of secondary amines. These compounds are highly nucleophilic, and alkylation of an amine with alkyl halides cannot be expected to stop at any specifle stage. Secondary amides, however, can be monoalkylated and lydrolyzed or be reduced to secondary amines (p. 11 If.). In the elegant synthesis of phenyl- phrine an intermediate -hydroxy isocyanate (from a hydrazide and nitrous acid) cyclizes to pve an oxazolidinone which is monomethylated. Treatment with strong acid cleaves the cyclic irethan. 

Such is the case of 2-amino or 2-(monoalkyl or arylamino)-4-oxo-selenazolines. Thus because of this aminoc=iimino tautomerism. these compounds can be called 2-aminose enazo ines or 2-iminoselenazolidines and can be classed either as selenazolines or selenazolidines. This has been a source of controversy that has been resolved by recent spectroscopic studies (67. 68). 

It IS sometimes difficult to limit Friedel-Crafts alkylation to monoalkylation... 

In a polluted or urban atmosphere, O formation by the CH oxidation mechanism is overshadowed by the oxidation of other VOCs. Seed OH can be produced from reactions 4 and 5, but the photodisassociation of carbonyls and nitrous acid [7782-77-6] HNO2, (formed from the reaction of OH + NO and other reactions) are also important sources of OH ia polluted environments. An imperfect, but useful, measure of the rate of O formation by VOC oxidation is the rate of the initial OH-VOC reaction, shown ia Table 4 relative to the OH-CH rate for some commonly occurring VOCs. Also given are the median VOC concentrations. Shown for comparison are the relative reaction rates for two VOC species that are emitted by vegetation isoprene and a-piuene. In general, internally bonded olefins are the most reactive, followed ia decreasiag order by terminally bonded olefins, multi alkyl aromatics, monoalkyl aromatics, C and higher paraffins, C2—C paraffins, benzene, acetylene, and ethane. 

Table 5. Applications for Glycol Monoalkyl Ethers, R0(CH2CH20) H ...

Alkyltin Intermedia.tes, For the most part, organotin stabilizers are produced commercially from the respective alkyl tin chloride intermediates. There are several processes used to manufacture these intermediates. The desired ratio of monoalkyl tin trichloride to dialkyltin dichloride is generally achieved by a redistribution reaction involving a second-step reaction with stannic chloride (tin(IV) chloride). By far, the most easily synthesized alkyltin chloride intermediates are the methyltin chlorides because methyl chloride reacts directiy with tin metal in the presence of a catalyst to form dimethyl tin dichloride cleanly in high yields (21). Coaddition of stannic chloride to the reactor leads directiy to almost any desired mixture of mono- and dimethyl tin chloride intermediates ... 

The other commercially important routes to alkyltin chloride intermediates utilize an indirect method having a tetraalkjitin intermediate. Tetraalkyltins are made by transmetaHation of stannic chloride with a metal alkyl where the metal is typicaHy magnesium or aluminum. Subsequent redistribution reactions with additional stannic chloride yield the desired mixture of monoalkyl tin trichloride and dialkyltin dichloride. Both / -butjitin and / -octjitin intermediates are manufactured by one of these schemes. 

The imide proton N-3—H is more acidic than N-1—H and hence this position is more reactive toward electrophiles in a basic medium. Thus hydantoins can be selectively monoalkylated at N-3 by treatment with alkyl haUdes in the presence of alkoxides (2,4). The mono-A/-substituted derivatives (5) can be alkylated at N-1 under harsher conditions, involving the use of sodium hydride in dimethylform amide (35) to yield derivatives (6). Preparation of N-1 monoalkylated derivatives requires previous protection of the imide nitrogen as an aminomethyl derivative (36). Hydantoins with an increased acidity at N-1—H, such as 5-arylmethylene derivatives, can be easily monoalkylated at N-3, but dialkylation is also possible under mild conditions. 

Phosphoric acid, monoalkyl phosphates, and phosphonic acids, but not dialkyl phosphates (107), can be aminoalkylated on the oxygen (108—110). 

Dialkyl Oxalates. Oxalic acid gives various esters. Dialkyl esters, ROOC—COOR, are industrially useful, but monoalkyl esters. 

The single largest market use for quaternary fatty amines is in fabric softeners. Monoalkyl quaternaries (chloride) have been used in Hquid detergent softener antistat formulations (LDSA), dialkyl dimethyl quaternaries (chloride) in the rinse cycle, and dialkyl dimethyl quaternaries (sulfate) as dryer softeners. 

Miscellaneous Resins. Much less important than the melamine—formaldehyde and urea—formaldehyde resins are the methylo1 carbamates. They are urea derivatives since they are made from urea and an alcohol (R can vary from methyl to a monoalkyl ether of ethylene glycol). 

Reaction of / fZ-amyl alcohol with urea in the presence of sulfuric acid gives a monoalkylated urea (61,62). Monoalkyl ureas are used to prepare uracil derivatives which are useful as herbicides, fungicides, and plant growth regulators (61). 

MonoaLkylation using small alkyl groups of the 1-, 2 - and 3 -amines tends to reduce potency somewhat, whereas alkylation of the 3-amino group reduces activity considerably (147). 1-/V-Alkylation, as in the case of 1-A[-acylation, can lead to resistance to some bacterial resistance reactions, eg,... 

All lation. In alkylation, the dialkyl sulfates react much faster than do the alkyl haHdes, because the monoalkyl sulfate anion (ROSO ) is more effective as a leaving group than a haHde ion. The high rate is most apparent with small primary alkyl groups, eg, methyl and ethyl. Some leaving groups, such as the fluorinated sulfonate anion, eg, the triflate anion, CF SO, react even faster in ester form (4). Against phenoxide anion, the reaction rate is methyl triflate [333-27-7] dimethyl sulfate methyl toluenesulfonate [23373-38-8] (5). Dialkyl sulfates, as compared to alkyl chlorides, lack chloride ions in their products chloride corrodes and requires the use of a gas instead of a Hquid. The lower sulfates are much less expensive than lower bromides or iodides, and they also alkylate quickly. 

Hydrolysis. The hydrolysis of dialkyl and monoalkyl sulfates is a process of considerable iaterest commercially. Successful alkylation ia water requires that the fast reaction of the first alkyl group with water and base be minimised. The very slow reaction of the second alkyl group results ia poor utilisation of the alkyl group and gives an iacreased organic load to a waste-disposal system. Data have accumulated siace 1907 on hydrolysis ia water under acid, neutral, and alkaline conditions, and best conditions and good values for rates have been reported and the subject reviewed (41—50). 

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