Nucleophilic attack initiation mechanism

Example You could explore the possible geometries of two molecules interacting in solution and guess at initial transition structures. For example, if molecule Aundergoes nucleophilic attack on molecule B, you could impose a distance restraint between the two atoms that would form a bond, allowing the rest of the system to relax. Simulations such as these can help to explain stereochemistry or reaction kinetics and can serve as starting points for quantum mechanics calculations and optimizations. 

Very little is known about nucleophilic attack on an unsubstituted carbon atom of pyrazoles and their aromatic derivatives (pyrazolones, pyrazolium ions). The SwAr reaction of halogenopyrazoles will be discussed in Section 4.04.2.3.7. Sulfur nucleophiles do not attack the ring carbon atoms of pyrazolium salts but instead the substituent carbon linked to nitrogen with concomitant dequaternization (Section 4.04.2.3.lO(ii)). The ring opening of pyrazolium salts by hydroxide ion occurs only if carbon C-3 is unsubstituted the exact mechanism is unknown and perhaps involves an initial attack of OH on C-3. 

Scheme 6 depicts a typical penicillin sulfoxide rearrangement (69JA1401). The mechanism probably involves an initial thermal formation of a sulfenic acid which is trapped by the acetic anhydride as the mixed sulfenic-acetic anhydride. Nucleophilic attack by the double bond on the sulfur leads to an episulfonium ion which, depending on the site of acetate attack, can afford either the penam (19) or the cepham (20). Product ratios are dependent on reaction conditions. For example, in another related study acetic anhydride gave predominantly the penam product, while chloroacetic anhydride gave the cepham product (7lJCS(O3540). The rearrangement can also be effected by acid in this case the principal products are the cepham (21) and the cephem (22 Scheme 7). Since these early studies a wide variety of reagents have been found to catalyze the conversion of a penicillin sulfoxide to the cepham/cephem ring system (e.g. 77JOC2887).

Fatty acids with odd numbers of carbon atoms are rare in mammals, but fairly common in plants and marine organisms. Humans and animals whose diets include these food sources metabolize odd-carbon fatty acids via the /3-oxida-tion pathway. The final product of /3-oxidation in this case is the 3-carbon pro-pionyl-CoA instead of acetyl-CoA. Three specialized enzymes then carry out the reactions that convert propionyl-CoA to succinyl-CoA, a TCA cycle intermediate. (Because propionyl-CoA is a degradation product of methionine, valine, and isoleucine, this sequence of reactions is also important in amino acid catabolism, as we shall see in Chapter 26.) The pathway involves an initial carboxylation at the a-carbon of propionyl-CoA to produce D-methylmalonyl-CoA (Figure 24.19). The reaction is catalyzed by a biotin-dependent enzyme, propionyl-CoA carboxylase. The mechanism involves ATP-driven carboxylation of biotin at Nj, followed by nucleophilic attack by the a-carbanion of propi-onyl-CoA in a stereo-specific manner. 

There is some debate in the literature as to the actual mechanism of the Beirut reaction. It is not clear which of the electrophilic nitrogens of BFO is the site of nucleophilic attack or if the reactive species is the dinitroso compound 10. In the case of the unsubstituted benzofurazan oxide (R = H), the product is the same regardless of which nitrogen undergoes the initial condensation step. When R 7 H, the nucleophilic addition step determines the structure of the product and, in fact, isomeric mixtures of quinoxaline-1,4-dioxides are often observed. One report suggests that N-3 of the more stable tautomer is the site of nucleophilic attack in accord with observed reaction products. However, a later study concludes that the product distribution can be best rationalized by invoking the ortho-dinitrosobenzene form 10 as the reactive intermediate. 

Pyridinium chloride ([PyHjCl) has also been used in a number ofcyclization reactions of aryl ethers (Scheme 5.1-4) [4, 18]. Presumably the reaction initially proceeds by deallcylation of the methyl ether groups to produce the corresponding phenol. The mechanism of the cyclization is not well understood, but Pagni and Smith have suggested that it proceeds by nucleophilic attack of an Ar-OH or Ar-0 group on the second aromatic ring (in a protonated form) [4]. 

No single mechanism accounts for all the reactions. One pathway involves a concerted one-step process involving a cyclic transition state. This of necessity affords a c -product. Another possibility, more favoured in polar solvents, involves a cationic 5-coordinate intermediate [IrX(A)(CO)L2]+, which undergoes subsequent nucleophilic attack by B-. Other possibilities include a SN2 route, where the metal polarizes AB before generating the nucleophile, and radical routes. Studies are complicated by the fact that the thermodynamically more stable isolated product may not be the same as the kinetic product formed by initial addition. 

Goheen and Bennett9 showed that regular nitric acid could be used, in about two molar excess, for the oxidation of dimethyl sulphoxide to dimethyl sulphone in 86% yield. The reaction temperature was 120-150°C with a reaction time of about 4 hours. The mechanism for this reaction was postulated to involve initially a protonated sulphoxide species (which has been shown to be present in other strongly acidic systems101 ) followed by nucleophilic attack by nitrate, and the loss of nitrogen dioxide as shown in equations (4) and (5). 

The use of iodotrimethylsilane for this purpose provides an effective alternative to known methods. Thus the reaction of primary and secondary methyl ethers with iodotrimethylsilane in chloroform or acetonitrile at 25—60° for 2—64 hours affords the corresponding trimethylsilyl ethers in high yield. The alcohols may be liberated from the trimethylsilyl ethers by methanolysis. The mechanism of the ether cleavage is presumed to involve initial formation of a trimethylsilyl oxonium ion which is converted to the silyl ether by nucleophilic attack of iodide at the methyl group. tert-Butyl, trityl, and benzyl ethers of primary and secondary alcohols are rapidly converted to trimethylsilyl ethers by the action of iodotrimethylsilane, probably via heterolysis of silyl oxonium ion intermediates. The cleavage of aryl methyl ethers to aryl trimethylsilyl ethers may also be effected more slowly by reaction with iodotrimethylsilane at 25—50° in chloroform or sulfolane for 12-125 hours, with iodotrimethylsilane at 100—110° in the absence of solvent, " and with iodotrimethylsilane generated in situ from iodine and trimcthylphenylsilane at 100°. ... 

The relatively basic (hydroxyalkyl)phosphines act toward LMCs as reductants and, compatible with this, also as strong nucleophiles. We have studied such reactions in aqueous and D2O solutions by P-, H-, and C-NMR spectroscopies (including 2D correlation methods), product isolation and, when possible, X-ray analysis of isolated compounds or their derivatives. Thus, aromatic aldehyde moieties present in lignin (e.g., 3) are reduced to the corresponding alcohols (see 4) with co-production of the phosphine oxide in D2O, -CH(D)OD is formed selectively (36). The mechanism proceeds via a phosphonium species formed by initial nucleophilic attack of the P-atom at the carbonyl C-atom, i.e., via ArCH(OH)P%, where Ar is the aromatic residue and R is the hydroxyalkyl substituent (36). When the aldehyde contains a 4-OH substituent, the alcohol product... 

The stereochemistry of addition depends on the details of the mechanism. The addition can proceed through an ion pair intermediate formed by an initial protonation step. Most alkenes, however, react via a complex that involves the alkene, hydrogen halide, and a third species that delivers the nucleophilic halide. This termolecular mechanism is generally pictured as a nucleophilic attack on an alkene-hydrogen halide complex. This mechanism bypasses a discrete carbocation and exhibits a preference for anti addition. 

The addition reactions discussed in Sections 4.1.1 and 4.1.2 are initiated by the interaction of a proton with the alkene. Electron density is drawn toward the proton and this causes nucleophilic attack on the double bond. The role of the electrophile can also be played by metal cations, and the mercuric ion is the electrophile in several synthetically valuable procedures.13 The most commonly used reagent is mercuric acetate, but the trifluoroacetate, trifluoromethanesulfonate, or nitrate salts are more reactive and preferable in some applications. A general mechanism depicts a mercurinium ion as an intermediate.14 Such species can be detected by physical measurements when alkenes react with mercuric ions in nonnucleophilic solvents.15 The cation may be predominantly bridged or open, depending on the structure of the particular alkene. The addition is completed by attack of a nucleophile at the more-substituted carbon. The nucleophilic capture is usually the rate- and product-controlling step.13,16... 

A mechanism proposed 87) for the alkaline hydrolysis of tetraethyl pyrophosphate, which is markedly accelerated by HPO e ions, has been substantiated by isotopic labeling 88). The nucleophilic attack by HPOJp on the symmetrical pyrophosphate 131 is considered to lead initially to the unsymmetrical P P1-diethyl pyrophosphate dianion 132 which decomposes spontaneously under the conditions of reaction to give the diethyl phosphate anion and POf 102. The latter reacts with water to form inorganic phosphate and with alcohols suclj as methanol and ethylene glycol to produce alkyl phosphates. 

The initiation mechanism comprises nucleophilic attack of the metal chloride at the least-hindered carbon. Thus hydrolysis of the 1 1 reaction product of (251) with PO yields l-chloropropan-2-ol.937... 

Nucleophilic attack at C-5 has been proposed as a reaction mechanism for a number of ring transformations and the instability of the parent compound toward alkalis probably involves initial attack at this carbon. Since the publication of CHEC-II(1996), there have been no definitive reports of nucleophilic attack at ring carbon atoms. 

Nucleophilic substitution at the a-carbon atom does not occur in the case of the most studied and stable bicyclic disulfonium dications.96 Although the reaction of dication 34 with bromide ions formally leads to the S C bond cleavage, the reaction mechanism involves initial nucleophilic attack at the sulfonium atom by the bromide anion. The bromosulfonium salt intermediate... 

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