Nucleophilic aromatic substitution solvent effects

The range of nueleophiles whieh have been observed to partieipate in nueleophilie aromatie substitution is similar to that for S[, 2 reactions and includes alkoxides, phenoxides, sulftdes, fluoride ion, and amines. Substitutions by earbanions are somewhat less common. This may be because there are frequently complications resulting from eleetron-transfer proeesses with nitroaromatics. Solvent effects on nucleophilic aromatic substitutions are similar to those discussed for S 2 reactions. Dipolar... 

If one limits the consideration to only that limited number of reactions which clearly belong to the category of nucleophilic aromatic substitutions presently under discussion, only a few experimental observations are pertinent. Bunnett and Bernasconi30 and Hart and Bourns40 have studied the deuterium solvent isotope effect and its dependence on hydroxide ion concentration for the reaction of 2,4-dinitrophenyl phenyl ether with piperidine in dioxan-water. In both studies it was found that the solvent isotope effect decreased with increasing concentration of hydroxide ion, and Hart and Bourns were able to estimate that fc 1/ for conversion of intermediate to product was approximately 1.8. Also, Pietra and Vitali41 have reported that in the reaction of piperidine with cyclohexyl 2,4-dinitrophenyl ether in benzene, the reaction becomes 1.5 times slower on substitution of the N-deuteriated amine at the highest amine concentration studied. 

It is more difficult to interpret micellar effects upon reactions of azide ion. The behavior is normal , in the sense that k /kw 1, for deacylation, an Sn2 reaction, and addition to a carbocation (Table 4) (Cuenca, 1985). But the micellar reaction is much faster for nucleophilic aromatic substitution. Values of k /kw depend upon the substrate and are slightly larger when both N 3 and an inert counterion are present, but the trends are the same. We have no explanation for these results, although there seems to be a relation between the anomalous behavior of the azide ion in micellar reactions of aromatic substrates and its nucleophilicity in water and similar polar, hydroxylic solvents. Azide is a very powerful nucleophile towards carboca-tions, based on Ritchie s N+ scale, but in water it is much less reactive towards 2,4-dinitrohalobenzenes than predicted, whereas the reactivity of other nucleophiles fits the N+ scale (Ritchie and Sawada, 1977). Therefore the large values of k /kw may reflect the fact that azide ion is unusually unreactive in aromatic nucleophilic substitution in water, rather than that it is abnormally reactive in micelles. 

Spurred by our desire to avoid use of expensive dipolau aprotic solvents in nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions, we have developed two alternative phase transfer systems, which operate in non-polar solvents such as toluene, chlorobenzene, or dichlorobenzene. Poleu polymers such as PEG are Inexpensive and stable, albeit somewhat inefficient PTC agents for these reactions. N-Alkyl-N, N -Dialkylaminopyridinium salts have been identified as very efficient PTC agents, which are about 100 times more stable to nucleophiles than Bu NBr. The bis-pyridinium salts of this family of catalysts are extremely effective for phase transfer of dianions such as bis-phenolates. 

The kinetics of polycondensation hy nucleophilic aromatic substitution in highly polar solvents and solvent mixtures to yield linear, high molecular weight aromatic polyethers were measured. The basic reaction studied was between a di-phenoxide salt and a dihaloaromatic compound. The role of steric and inductive effects was elucidated on the basis of the kinetics determined for model compounds. The polymerization rate of the dipotassium salt of various bis-phenols with 4,4 -dichlorodiphenylsulfone in methyl sulfoxide solvent follows second-order kinetics. The rate constant at the monomer stage was found to be greater than the rate constant at the dimer and subsequent polymerization stages. 

For example, acetylation reactions of alcohols and carbohydrates have been performed in [Bmim]-derived ionic liquids.If the dicyanamide anion [N(CN)2] is incorporated into the liquid, mild acetylations of carbohydrates can be performed at room temperature, in good yields, without any added catalyst.In this example, it was shown that the RTIL was not only an effective solvent but also an active base catalyst. In a recent study, Welton and co-workers performed calculations on the gas phase basicity of the conjugate acids of possible anions from which to construct their liquid.Using these data, they were able to choose the optimum RTIL in which to conduct a nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction of an activated aniline with an activated arylhalide. Given the enormous number of possible anions and cations from which to build up an ionic liquid, the role of computation in experimental design such as this will become increasingly important. 

C-allylation of PhO" Na with H2C=CHCH2C1 in a variety of solvents in the presence of different crown ethers is most effective in each case when using poly(vinylbenzo-15-crown-5)polyether. Only in the presence of the crown ethers 15-crown-5 and 18-crown-6 are the anions in potassium phthalimide and sodium saccharinate, respectively, sufficiently activated to bring about nucleophilic aromatic substitution of the 4-fluorine in pentafluoropyridine. The formation of 2,4-dinitrophenol, in addition to the expected ether, from 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene and potassium 2-propoxide in 2-propanol-benzene (1 1), in the presence of dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 polyether, has been accounted for on the basis of a nucleophile-radical reaction (5rn1)/ ... 

Solvent effects on nucleophilic aromatic substitutions are similar to those discussed for Sn2 reactions. Dipolar aprotic solvents, crown ethers, and phase... 

For the nucleophilic aromatic substitution reaction (SnAt) it has been discussed whether the addition of the nucleophile, the elimination of the leaving group is the rate limiting step or if this depends on the solvent. Taking the SnAt reaction between azide ion and 4-fluoronitrobenzene as an example, QM/MM calculations indicate that solvation effects cause the highest barrier for the elimination step. As a function of the solvent the experimental free energies of activation for these reactions are (values are given in kcal/mol) H2O 28.1/MeOH 27.5/MeCN ... 

Acevedo O, Jorgensen WL (2004) Solvent effects and mechanism for a nucleophilic aromatic substitution from QM/MM simulations. Org Lett 6 2881-2884... 

Oxazolines (4) are easily prepared from benzoic acids and behave as activating groups in nucleophilic aromatic substitution. Thus, o-methoxy- or o-fluoro-substituents are replaced by the alkyl group of RLi. " The same oxazoline group in the 4-position of pyridine promotes 3-lithiation, whereas in the 3-position it induces nucleophilic alkylation to give 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives. Benzyl alcohol is lithiated in the 2-position of the benzene nucleus. Solvent effects are suggested to be responsible for the quantitative syn selectivity in the alkylation of lithiated ketimines (5). ... 

The primary mechanism for formation of aryl ether linkages involves nucleophilic aromatic substitution of an activated leaving group by phenolate. Polar aprotic solvents, e.g., dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO), N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) and dimethylacetamide (DMAC) are required to effect the reaction. The use of dimethylproylene urea has been reported as an alternative solvent... 

The polymerizations require the use of dipolar aprotic solvents such as N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), dimethyl acetamide (DMAC), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or N,N -dimethylpropylene urea (DMPU). Nucleophilic aromatic substitution polymerizations are t q>ically performed in a high boiling aprotic polar solvent with the monomer(s) reacted in the presence of a base, potassium carbonate, at elevated temperatures (ca. 180 C). Potassium carbonate is used to convert the phenol into the potassium phenolate and since K2CO3 is a weak base, no hydrolytic side reactions are observed. Dipolar aprotic solvents are used in these poly(aryl ether) syntheses, since they effectively dissolve the monomers and solvate the polar intermediates and the final polymer. DMPU has been shown to be an excellent solvent for poly(ether) syntheses, particularly for those polymers which are only marginally soluble in other dipolar aprotic solvents (22). Furthermore, DMPU allows higher reaction temperatures (260 C). We have observed that DMPU, when used in conjunction with toluene as a dehydrating agent, accelerates many nucleophilic substitution reactions. 

When nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions of the Sfj2Ar type are carried out in a protic solvent (i.e., water), the oxygen effect is neglected. Marquet has proven that aromatic radical anion intermediates... 

The polymers used in this study were prepared by a nucleophilic activated aromatic substitution reaction of a bisphenate and dihalo diphenyl sulfone ( ). The reaction was carried out in an aprotic dipolar solvent (NMP) at 170°C in the presence of potassium carbonate (Scheme 1) (5,6). The polymers were purified by repeated precipitation into methanol/water, followed by drying to constant weight. The bisphenols used were bisphenol-A (Bis-A), hydroquinone (Hq) and biphenol (Bp). Thus, the aliphatic character of Bis-A could be removed while retaining a similar aromatic content and structure. The use of biphenol allows an investigation of the possible effect of extended conjugation on the radiation degradation. 

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