Nitriles preparation reaction with Grignard reagents

Section 20 20 Nitriles are useful starting materials for the preparation of ketones by reaction with Grignard reagents... 

Nitriles are similar in some respects to carboxylic acids and are prepared either by 5 2 reaction of an alkyl halide with cyanide ion or by dehydration of an amide. Nitriles undergo nucleophilic addition to the polar C=N bond in the same way that carbonyl compounds do. The most important reactions of nitriles are their hydrolysis to carboxylic acids, reduction to primary amines, and reaction with Grignard reagents to yield ketones. 

Kctonescan be prepared by the reaction of Grignard reagents with nitriles. The initial product is a ketimine, which does not react further with the Grignard reagent, thereby preventing formation of the tertiary alcohol. Subsequent hydrolysis gives the ketone (Scheme 10.8). 

Organic acids can be prepared in many ways, four of which are described here (1) oxidation of primary alcohols or aldehydes, (2) oxidation of alkyl side chains on aromatic rings, (3) reaction of Grignard reagents with carbon dioxide, and (4) hydrolysis of alkyl cyanides (nitriles). 

Contrary to benzo[b]thiophen, benzo[b]selenophen is acylated at position 2. 2-Bromobenzo[b]selenophen, prepared from the 2-lithium derivative and bromine, is acylated at position 3, and from this derivative the 3-isomers could be synthesized. A large number of 2- and 3-aroylbenzo[b]seleno-phens were synthesized, either by Friedel-Crafts reaction of benzo-[bjselenophencarboxylic acid chlorides and benzenes or from benzol bjselenophens and benzoic acid chlorides. Also the reaction between Grignard reagents and nitriles was used for the synthesis of aroylbenzo[b]selenophens. 4,S-Diaminobenzo[b]selenophen has been synthesized via nitration of 5-aminobenzo[b]selenophen or via the reaction of the diazonium salt derived from the S-amino-derivative with p-sulphanilic acid. From the diamino-derivative, several fused benzo[b]selenophens, e.g. (525), (526), and (527), were prepared. Reaction of the phenyl-... 

Strictly speaking the alkyl halides are esters of the halogen acids, but since they enter into many reactions (t.g., formation of Grignard reagents, reaction with potassium cyanide to yield nitriles, etc.) which cannot be brought about by the other eaters, the alkyl halides are usually distinguished from the esters of the other inorganic acids. The preparation of a number of these is described below. 

The addition of Grignard reagents to aldehydes, ketones, and esters is the basis for the synthesis of a wide variety of alcohols, and several examples are given in Scheme 7.3. Primary alcohols can be made from formaldehyde (Entry 1) or, with addition of two carbons, from ethylene oxide (Entry 2). Secondary alcohols are obtained from aldehydes (Entries 3 to 6) or formate esters (Entry 7). Tertiary alcohols can be made from esters (Entries 8 and 9) or ketones (Entry 10). Lactones give diols (Entry 11). Aldehydes can be prepared from trialkyl orthoformate esters (Entries 12 and 13). Ketones can be made from nitriles (Entries 14 and 15), pyridine-2-thiol esters (Entry 16), N-methoxy-A-methyl carboxamides (Entries 17 and 18), or anhydrides (Entry 19). Carboxylic acids are available by reaction with C02 (Entries 20 to 22). Amines can be prepared from imines (Entry 23). Two-step procedures that involve formation and dehydration of alcohols provide routes to certain alkenes (Entries 24 and 25). 

---