Tertiary nitriles

Primary alkylating agents work best, while secondary bromides and chlorides react in moderate yields to give the desired nitriles. Tertiary halides mainly undergo side reactions, one of which is the E2 elimination ... 

Benzyl nitriles. Tertiary benzyl nitriles are prepared by substitution of aryl fluorides. 

The condensation of alkyl halides with nitriles, tertiary amides, and esters afford ketone products with Sml2-Nil2. ... 

Tertiary amines capable of eliminating a secondary amine to form a conjugated system can react with hydrogen cyanide to form y-keto nitriles by amine replacement. Thus (I) yields p-benzoylpropionitrile (IV) ... 

The lower members of other homologous series of oxygen compounds— the acids, aldehydes, ketones, anhydrides, ethers and esters—have approximately the same limits of solubility as the alcohols and substitution and branching of the carbon chain has a similar influence. For the amines (primary, secondary and tertiary), the limit of solubility is about C whilst for the amides and nitriles it is about C4. 

The imides, primaiy and secondary nitro compounds, oximes and sulphon amides of Solubility Group III are weakly acidic nitrogen compounds they cannot be titrated satisfactorily with a standard alkaU nor do they exhibit the reactions characteristic of phenols. The neutral nitrogen compounds of Solubility Group VII include tertiary nitro compounds amides (simple and substituted) derivatives of aldehydes and ketones (hydrazones, semlcarb-azones, ete.) nitriles nitroso, azo, hydrazo and other Intermediate reduction products of aromatic nitro compounds. All the above nitrogen compounds, and also the sulphonamides of Solubility Group VII, respond, with few exceptions, to the same classification reactions (reduction and hydrolysis) and hence will be considered together. 

The conversion of carboxylic acid derivatives (halides, esters and lactones, tertiary amides and lactams, nitriles) into aldehydes can be achieved with bulky aluminum hydrides (e.g. DIBAL = diisobutylaluminum hydride, lithium trialkoxyalanates). Simple addition of three equivalents of an alcohol to LiAlH, in THF solution produces those deactivated and selective reagents, e.g. lithium triisopropoxyalanate, LiAlH(OPr )j (J. Malek, 1972). 

Reduction of an azide a nitrile or a nitro compound furnishes a primary amine A method that provides access to primary secondary or tertiary amines is reduction of the carbonyl group of an amide by lithium aluminum hydride... 

The preparation of amines by the methods described m this section involves the prior synthesis and isolation of some reducible material that has a carbon-nitrogen bond an azide a nitrile a nitro substituted arene or an amide The following section describes a method that combines the two steps of carbon-nitrogen bond formation and reduction into a single operation Like the reduction of amides it offers the possibility of prepar mg primary secondary or tertiary amines by proper choice of starting materials... 

The propensity of nitriles to release cyanide subsequent to metaboHsm is the basis of their acute toxicity. Nitriles that form tertiary radicals at their alpha carbon atoms (eg, isobutyronitrile, 2-methylbutyronitrile) are substantially more acutely lethal than nitriles that form secondary radicals at their alpha carbons (eg, butyronitrile, propionitnle). Cyanohydrins are acutely toxic because they are unstable and release cyanide quickly. Alpha-aminonitriles are also acutely toxic, presumably by analogy with cyanohydrins. 

Cycloahphatics capable of tertiary carbocation formation are candidates for nucleophilic addition of nitriles. HCN in strong sulfuric acid transforms 1-methyl-1-cyclohexanol to 1-methyl-1-cyclohexylamine through the formamide (47). The terpenes pinene (14) [2437-95-8] and limonene [5989-27-5] (15) each undergo a double addition of HCN to provide, after hydrolysis, the cycloahphatic diamine 1,8-menthanediamine (16) (48). 

The tertiary amine is formed in a similar manner from the imine and a secondary amine. This side reaction can be minimized by carrying out the hydrogenation in the presence of ammonia, which tends to shift the equiHbrium back towards the imine. When a compound with two or more nitrile groups is hydrogenated, the formation of both cycHc and acycHc secondary and tertiary amines is possible, depending on whether the side reaction is intramolecular or intermolecular. For example, for the hydrogenation of adiponitfile ... 

Nitrile Intermediates. Most quaternary ammonium compounds are produced from fatty nitriles (qv), which are ia turn made from a natural fat or oil-derived fatty acid and ammonia (qv) (Fig. 2) (see Fats AND FATTY oils) (225). The nitriles are then reduced to the amines. A variety of reduciag agents maybe used (226). Catalytic hydrogenation over a metal catalyst is the method most often used on a commercial scale (227). Formation of secondary and tertiary amine side-products can be hindered by the addition of acetic anhydride (228) or excess ammonia (229). In some cases secondary amines are the desired products. 

The most common catalysts in order of decreasing reactivity are haUdes of aluminum, boron, zinc, and kon (76). Alkali metals and thek alcoholates, amines, nitriles, and tetraalkylureas have been used (77—80). The largest commercial processes use a resin—catalyst system (81). Trichlorosilane refluxes in a bed of anion-exchange resin containing tertiary amino or quaternary ammonium groups. Contact time can be used to control disproportionation to dichlorosilane, monochlorosilane, or silane. 

Catalytic hydrogenation of the nitrile function of cyanohydrins can give amines. As in the case of ordinary nitriles, catalytic reduction of cyanohydrins can yield a mixture of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines. Addition of acid or acetic anhydride to the reaction medium minimizes formation of secondary or tertiary amines through formation of the amine salt or acetamide derivative of the primary amine. 

H-Bond Acceptor (HBA) Acyl chlorides Acyl fluorides Hetero nitrogen aromatics Hetero oj gen aromatics Tertiary amides Tertiary amines Other nitriles Other nitros Isocyanates Peroxides Aldehydes Anhydrides Cyclo ketones Ahphatic ketones Esters Ethers Aromatic esters Aromatic nitriles Aromatic ethers Sulfones Sulfolanes... 

Thermolysis of tertiary and secondary alcohols with (caitxsmethoxysulfamoyi) trtethylammonium Inner salt 5 to give olefins also conversion ol amides to nitriles... 

The reaLUons of phenyltetrafluorophosphorane with numerous silylated secondary or tertiary a- or (1-hydroxy esters, ketones, nitriles, ethers, nitro, and trichloromethyl derivatives have been investigated, the corresponding a or p fluoro derivatives are obtained in yields varying from reasonable to nearly quantitative [24, 25, 26, 27 The application of phenyltetrafluorophosphorane for fliiorination of silyloxy steroids has also been reported [28]... 

Nucleophilic substitution by cyanide ion (Sections 8.1, 8.13) Cyanide ion is a good nucleophile and reacts with alkyl halides to give nitriles. The reaction is of the S m2 type and is limited to primary and secondary alkyl halides. Tertiary alkyl halides undergo elimination aryl and vinyl halides do not react. 

Enamine salts react with many nucleophilic reagents. The reaction with the cyanide ion is noteworthy. l-Methyl-2-ethyl-2-cyanopyrrolidine (170) is formed on treatment of alkali cyanide with l-methyl-2-ethyl-.d -pyrrolin-ium perchlorate (242). The reduction of the tertiary nitrile (170) with... 

Nearly every substitution of the aromatic ring has been tolerated for the cyclization step using thermal conditions, while acid-promoted conditions limited the functionality utilized. Substituents included halogens, esters, nitriles, nitro, thio-ethers, tertiary amines, alkyl, ethers, acetates, ketals, and amides. Primary and secondary amines are not well tolerated and poor yield resulted in the cyclization containing a free phenol. The Gould-Jacobs reaction has been applied to heterocycles attached and fused to the aniline. 

The reaction works well with primary alkyl halides, especially with allylic and benzylic halides, as well as other alkyl derivatives with good leaving groups. Secondary alkyl halides give poor yields. Tertiary alkyl halides react under the usual reaction conditions by elimination of HX only. Nitriles from tertiary alkyl halides can however be obtained by reaction with trimethylsilyl cyanide 4 ... 

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