Of thiophene

The presence of thiophene and its derivatives in crude oils was detected in 1899, but until 1953, the date at which the methyl-thiophenes were identified in kerosene from Agha Jari, Iran crude oil, it was believed that they came from the degradation of sulfides during refining operations. Finally, their presence was no longer doubted after the identification of benzothiophenes and their derivatives (Table 8.9), and lately of naphthenobenzothiophenes in heavy cuts. 

Commercial benzene may contain thiophene C H S, b.p. 84°, which cannot be separated by distillation or by fractional crystallisation. The presence of thiophene may be detected by shaking 3 ml. of benzene with a solution of 10 mg. of isatin in 10 ml. of concentrated sulphuric acid and allowing the mixture to stand for a short time a bluish-green colouration is produced if thiophene is present. The thiophene may be removed from benzene by any of the following methods —... 

By treatment with anhydrous aluminium chloride (Holmes and Beeman, 1934). Ordinary commercial, water-white benzene contains about 0 05 per cent, of thiophene. It is first dried with anhydrous calcium chloride. One litre of the dry crude benzene is shaken vigorously (preferably in a mechanical shaking machine) with 12 g. of anhydrous aluminium chloride for half an hour the temperature should preferably be 25-35°. The benzene is then decanted from the red liquid formed, washed with 10 per cent, sodium hydroxide solution (to remove soluble sulphur compounds), then with water, and finally dried over anhydrous calcium chloride. It is then distilled and the fraction, b.p. 79-5-80-5°, is collected. The latter is again vigorously shaken with 24 g. of anhydrous aluminium chloride for 30 minutes, decanted from the red liquid, washed with 10 per cent, sodium hydroxide solution, water, dried, and distilled. The resulting benzene is free from thiophene. 

Into a 500-ml. bolt head or three-necked fiask, provided with a mechanical stirrer and a reflux condenser, place 60 g. (69 ml.) of thiophene-free toluene (Section 11,47,16) and 60 g. (33 ml.) of concentrated sulphuric acid. Heat the mixture, with stirring, in an oil bath maintained at... 

Acetylthiophene Is prepared by the acetylation of thiophene with acetic anhydride In the presence of orthophosphoric acid ... 

The oxidative coupling of thiophene, furan[338] and pyrrole[339,340] is also possible. The following order of reactivity was observed in the coupling of substituted furans[338] R = H > Me > CHO > CO Me > CH(OAc)i > CO2H. The cross-coupling of furans and thiophenes with arene is possible, and 4-phenylfurfural (397) is the main product of the cross-coupling of furfural and benzene[341]. 

Pd(II) salts promote the carbonylation of organomercury compounds. Reaction of phenylmercury chloride and PdCh under CO pressure affords benzophenone (429)[387]. Both esters and ketones are obtained by the carbonylation of furylmercury(Il) chloride in alcohol[388]. Although the yields are not satisfactory, esters are obtained by the carbonylation of aryl- and alkylmercuryfll) chlorides[389,390]. One-pot catalytic carbonylation of thiophene, furan, and pyrrole (430) takes place at the 2-position via mercuration and transmetallation by the use of PdCb, Hg(N03), and CuCl2[391]. 

The 4-hydroxy-THISs react with electron-deficient alkynes to give cycloadducts (3) that spontaneously eliminate sulfur, producing 2-pyridones (3). Bulky 5-substituents lead to a decrease in the addition rate, and elimination of isocyanate with formation of thiophenes becomes favored (3, 12, 13). Benzyne yields an isolable adduct that exclusively extrudes isocyanate on thermolysis, but sulfur on irradiation (Scheme 7)... 

T system, the PPP a—-tt method (133). The -tt and a net charges and bond orders of thiophene and thiazole are compared in Table 1-5. Whatever the method considered the variation of the indices occurs in the same sense when passing from thiophene to thiazole the replacement in the 3-position of a carbon atom by a nitrogen induces... 

Summarizing, the introduction of nitrogen at the place of C-3 in thiophene does not deeply disturb the electronic environment of the sulfur atom, but it induces in the rest of the molecule some alternating modification of the electronic density (Figs. 1-3 and 1-4). The perturbations induced by the nitrogen in the tt bond order of thiophene are... 

Fig. 1-6). The structure obtained for thiazoie is surprisingly close to an average of the structures of thiophene (169) and 1,3,4-thiadiazole (170) (Fig. 1-7). From a comparison of the molecular structures of thiazoie, thiophene, thiadiazole. and pyridine (171), it appears that around C(4) the bond angles of thiazoie C(4)-H with both adjacent C(4)-N and C(4)-C(5) bonds show a difference of 5.4° that, compared to a difference in C(2)-H of pyridine of 4.2°, is interpreted by L. Nygaard (159) as resulting from an attraction of H(4) by the electron lone pair of nitrogen. 

Rg. 1-7. Molecular structures of thiophene and 1,3,4-thiadiazole bond lengths in A (left), bond angles in degrees (right). 

These results show that in the phenylation of thiazole with benzoyl peroxide two secondary reactions enter in competition the attack of thiazole by benzoyloxy radicals, leading to a mixture of thiazolyl benzoates, and the formation of dithiazolyle through attack of thiazole by the thiazolyl radicals resulting from hydrogen abstraction on the substrate and from the dimerization of these radicals. This last reaction is less important than in the case of thiophene but more important than in the case of pyridine (398). 

A primary isotope effect /ch/ d of 6.4 (extrapolated for 35 C) is observed for the metalation and the methylation of 171b when the C-5 position is deuterated. This value is in excellent agreement with the primary isotope effect of 6.6 reported for the metalation of thiophene (392) and it confirms that the rate-determining step is the abstraction by the base of the acidic proton. 

When benzene is prepared from coal tar it is contaminated thiophene from which it cannot be separated by distillation because of very similar boiling points Shaking a mixture of benzene and thiophene with sulfuric acid causes sulfonation of the thiophene ring but leaves benzene untouched The sulfonation product of thiophene dissolves m the sulfuric acid layer from which the benzene layer is separated the benzene layer is then washed with water and distilled Give the structure of the sulfonation product of thiophene... 

Figure 8.15 The carbon Is X-ray photoelectron spectra of furan, pyrrole and thiophene. The sulphur Ip spectrum of thiophene is also shown. (Reproduced with permission from Gelius, U., Allan, C. J., Johansson, G., Siegbahn, H., Allison, D. A. and Siegbahn, K., Physica Scripta, 3, 237, 1971)...

The example of B5H9 serves to show how the chemical shift may be used as an aid to determining the stmcture of a molecule and, in particular, in deciding between alternative stmctures. There are many examples in the literature of this kind of application which is reminiscent of the way in which the chemical shift in NMR spectroscopy may be employed. However there is one important difference in using the two kinds of chemical shift. In XPS there are no interactions affecting closely spaced lines in the spectmm, however close they may be. Figure 8.15 illustrates this for the C lx lines of thiophene. In NMR spectroscopy the spectmm becomes more complex, due to spin-spin interactions, when chemical shifts are similar. 

Sulfonated styrene—divinylbensene cross-linked polymers have been appHed in many of the previously mentioned reactions and also in the acylation of thiophene with acetic anhydride and acetyl chloride (209). Resins of this type (Dowex 50, Amherljte IR-112, and Permutit Q) are particularly effective catalysts in the alkylation of phenols with olefins (such as propylene, isobutylene, diisobutylene), alkyl haUdes, and alcohols (210) (see Ion exchange). Superacids. 

Thiophene [110-02-1] and a number of its derivatives are significant in fine chemical industries as intermediates to many products for pharmaceutical, agrochemical, dyestuffs, and electronic appHcations. This article concentrates on the industrial, commercial, and economic aspects of the production and apphcations of thiophene and thiophene derivatives and details the main synthetic schemes to the parent ring system and simple alkyl and aryl derivatives. Functionalization of the ring and the synthesis of some functional derivatives that result, not from the parent ring system, but by direct ring cyclization reactions are also considered. Many good reviews on the chemistry of thiophene and thiophene derivatives are available (1 7). 

In valence bond terms the mesomers indicated by (1—7) reflect the ground-state position of thiophene. Mesomer (1) is the principal contributor to the ring stmcture (2) and (3) are significant (4—7) contribute in a minor way to the stmcture. 

Table 1 indicates the significant physical properties of thiophene and 2- and 3-methylthiophene Table 2, the toxicological and ecotoxicological properties. 

Table 2. Toxicological and Ecotoxicological Properties of Thiophene and Methylthiophenes ...

Ir Spectroscopy. Significant absorptions can be identified as characteristic of particular substitutions within families of thiophene derivatives. The most widely studied in this connection are probably the halothiophenes, where absorption bands have been characterized. This is usehil for qualitative analysis, but has also been used quantitatively in association with the standard spectmm of materials of known purity. 

J3 4 = 3.45-4.35 J2-4 = 1.25-1.7 and J2-5 = 3.2-3.65 Hz. The technique can be used quantitatively by comparison with standard spectra of materials of known purity. C-nmr spectroscopy of thiophene and thiophene derivatives is also a valuable technique that shows well-defined patterns of spectra. C chemical shifts for thiophene, from tetramethylsilane (TMS), are 127.6, C 125.9, C 125.9, and C 127.6 ppm. 

Electrophilic substitution of thiophene occurs largely at the 2-position and the reactivity of the ring is greater than that of benzene. 3-Substituted derivatives are generally prepared by indirect means or through ring cyclization reactions. 

All lation. Thiophenes can be alkylated in the 2-position using alkyl halides, alcohols, and olefins. Choice of catalyst is important the weaker Friedel-Crafts catalysts, eg, ZnCl2 and SnCl, are preferred. It is often preferable to use the more readily accompHshed acylation reactions of thiophene to give the required alkyl derivatives on reduction. Alternatively, metalation or Grignard reactions, on halothiophenes or halomethylthiophenes, can be utilized. 

Acylation. To achieve acylation of thiophenes, acid anhydrides with phosphoric acid, iodine, or other catalysts have been widely used. Acid chlorides with AlCl, SnCl, ZnCl2, and BF also give 2-thienylketones. AH reactions give between 0.5 and 2.0% of the 3-isomer. There has been much striving to find catalyst systems that minimize the 3-isomer content attempting to meet to customer specifications. The standard procedure for formylation is via the Vil smeier-H a ack reaction, using phosphoms o xycbl o ri de / /V, / V- dim e tb yl fo rm a m i de (POCl /DMF) or /V-m ethyl form an i1 i de. 

Nitration. It is difficult to control nitration of thiophene, which yields 2-nitrothiophene [609-40-9]. The strongly electropbilic nitronium ion leads to significant yields (12—15%) of 3-isomer. A preferred procedure is the slow addition of thiophene to an anhydrous mixture of nitric acid, acetic acid, and acetic anhydride. 

Reduction and Hydrodesulfurization. Reduction of thiophene to 2,3- and 2,5-dihydrothiophene and ultimately tetrahydrothiophene can be achieved by treatment with sodium metal—alcohol or ammonia. Hydrogen with Pd, Co, Mo, and Rh catalysts also reduces thiophene to tetrahydrothiophene [110-01-0] a malodorous material used as a gas odorant. 

Rigorous hydrogenating conditions, particularly with Raney Nickel, remove the sulfur atom of thiophenes. With vapor-phase catalysis, hydrodesulfurization is the technique used to remove sulfur materials from cmde oil. Chemically hydrodesulfurization can be a valuable route to alkanes otherwise difficult to access. 

Side-Chain Derivatization. Reaction of thiophene with aqueous formaldehyde solution in concentrated hydrochloric acid gives 2-chloromethylthiophene [765-50-4]. This relatively unstable, lachrymatory material has been used as a commercial source of further derivatives such as 2-thiopheneacetonitrile [20893-30-5] and 2-thiopheneacetic acid [1918-77-0] (24). Similar derivatives can be obtained by peroxide, or light-catalyzed (25) halogenation of methylthiophenes, eg, Ai-bromosuccinimide/benzoylperoxide on 2-, and 3-methylthiophenes gives the corresponding bromomethylthiophenes. 

Manufacture of thiophene on the commercial scale involves reactions of the two component method type wherein a 4-carbon chain molecule reacts with a source of sulfur over a catalyst which also effects cyclization and aromatization. A range of suitable feedstocks has included butane, / -butanol, -butyraldehyde, crotonaldehyde, and furan the source of sulfur has included sulfur itself, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon disulfide (29—32). 

Process Description. Reactors used in the vapor-phase synthesis of thiophene and aLkylthiophenes are all multitubular, fixed-bed catalytic reactors operating at atmospheric pressure, or up to 10 kPa and with hot-air circulation on the shell, or salt bath heating, maintaining reaction temperatures in the range of 400—500°C. The feedstocks, in the appropriate molar ratio, are vaporized and passed through the catalyst bed. Condensation gives the cmde product mixture noncondensable vapors are vented to the incinerator. 

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