Nitrosoalkanes, dimerization reactions

Much of the pioneering research on nitrosoalkane dimers is based on reactions involving the formation of free radicals. Most of the reactions are of little value from the preparative standpoint, either because a highly specialized apparatus (e.g., photolysis equipment, high-vacuum trains, even a Van de Graaff generator) is used or because complex mixtures of products are produced. However, this work is of such importance in the historical development of aliphatic nitroso chemistry that it merits a brief review here rather than relegation to Section 5. 

The reaction of nitroalkanes and dinitroalkanes with sodium hydrogen telluride gives nitrosoalkane dimers and olefins, respectively.96 The reduction of other nitrogenated species such as hydroxylamines, azides, nitroso, azo, and azoxy compounds can also be performed by using tellurium reagents.6,11,12... 

However, stability of a dimer relative to its monomeric form depends on a variety of factors, which have been reviewed in an earlier paper. The same paper also described a novel method of catenation exemplified by the preparation of an oligomeric nitrosoalkane from 1,4-dinitrosocylohexane. Thus, bifunctional nitrosoalkanes with suitable structural features may have the potential to form poly [nitrosoalkanes] by the dimerization reaction. It was the objective of the present work to attempt poly-[nitrosoalkane] formation by using different bifunctional nitrosoalkanes and further try to obtain polymers of higher molecular weight. 

At low concentrations of chlorine, dimeric nitrosoalkanes free from chlorine are produced when alkanes are treated also with nitric oxide. Under these circumstances, molecular chlorine is first converted into atomic chlorine which attacks the alkane to form alkyl radicals and hydrogen chloride. The alkyl radicals, in turn, form nitrosoalkanes with nitric oxide. This reaction is most effectively carried out when the ultraviolet radiation is between 380 and 420 mp. [43, 56],... 

The bimolecular reduction of aliphatic nitroso compounds is complex and somewhat unreliable. With careful control of reaction conditions, a-nitroso ketones (in dimeric form) may be reduced with stannous chloride in an acidic medium at room temperature to the azoxy compounds, while dimeric a-nitroso acid derivatives may be reduced at about 50°C [10, 35, 36]. Nitrosoalkanes, on the other hand, are decomposed at room temperature to alcohols and nitrogen, and are reduced to amines at 50°-60°C. It has been postulated that only the dimeric nitroso compounds can be reduced to azoxy compounds and, in fact, that the dimer has a covalent nitrogen-nitrogen bond. Equations (31)—(34) summarize these data [10]. 

Aromatic and aliphatic primary amines can be oxidized to the corresponding nitro compounds by peroxy acids and by a number of other reagents. The peroxy acid oxidations probably go by way of intermediate hydroxylamines and nitroso compounds (Scheme 2). Various side reactions can therefore take place, the nature of which depends upon the structure of the starting amine and the reaction conditions. For example, aromatic amines can give azoxy compounds by reaction of nitroso compounds with hy-droxylamine intermediates aliphatic amines can give nitroso dimers or oximes formed by acid-catalyz rearrangement of the intermediate nitrosoalkanes (Scheme 3). 

MCPBA has been regarded as the reagent of choice for the conversion of primary aliphatic amines into the corresponding nitro compounds. The peroxy acid must be used in excess to minimize formation of dimers of the intermediate nitroso compounds, llie yield of nitroalkane is also increased if the reaction is carried out at elevated temperature, since this favors the monomeric rather than the dimeric foim of the intermediate nitrosoalkane and allows it to be oxidized further. For example, cyclohexylamine gave the dimer of nitrosocyclohexane (43%) when oxidized by MCPBA at 23 C, but at 83 C (in boiling 1,2-di-chloroethane) the only product was nitrocyclohexane (86%). 

Nitrogen Compounds. The aqueous Oxone-acetone combination has been developed for the transformation of certain anilines to the corresponding nitrobenzene derivatives, as exemplified in eq 15. This process involves sequential oxidation steps proceeding by way of an intermediate nitroso compound. In the case of primary aliphatic amines, other reactions of the nitrosoalkane species compete with the second oxidation step (for example, dimerization and tautomerization to the isomeric oxime), thereby limiting the synthetic generality of these oxidations. An overwhelming excess of aqueous Oxone has been used to convert cyclohexylamine to nitrocyclohexane (eq 16)P... 

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