Olefins, activated acrylonitriles

Addition of HCN to unsaturated compounds is often the easiest and most economical method of making organonitnles. An early synthesis of acrylonitrile involved the addition of HCN to acetylene. The addition of HCN to aldehydes and ketones is readily accompHshed with simple base catalysis, as is the addition of HCN to activated olefins (Michael addition). However, the addition of HCN to unactivated olefins and the regioselective addition to dienes is best accompHshed with a transition-metal catalyst, as illustrated by DuPont s adiponitrile process (6—9). 

A number of activated olefinic compounds react very weU in this scheme including methacrylates, crotonates, acrylonitrile, and vinyl ketones. These reactions are typicaHy mn in an etherial solvent and can be mn without the complications of undesirable side reactions leading to trialkylated tin species. 

Hydrogen cyanide adds to an olefinic double bond most readily when an adjacent activating group is present in the molecule, eg, carbonyl or cyano groups. In these cases, a Michael addition proceeds readily under basic catalysis, as with acrylonitrile (qv) to yield succinonitnle [110-61-2], C4H4N2, iu high yield (13). Formation of acrylonitrile by addition across the acetylenic bond can be accompHshed under catalytic conditions (see Acetylene-DERIVED chemicals). 

A. Nucleophilic Attack on Carbon. —(/) Activated Olefins. A study of triarylphosphine-catalysed dimerization of acrylonitrile to 2-methylene-glutaronitrile (26) and 1,4-dicyano-l-butene (27) has established a balance between phosphine nucleophilicity and protolytic strength of the solvent. The reaction of methyl vinyl ketone with triphenylphosphine in triethyl-silanol gave only 3-methylene-2,6-heptadienone (28). 

There is a possibiUty that (hydroxymethyl)phosphines might be catalyzing hydration of activated olefinic moieties in lignin. The Michael addition reaction shown in eq. (6a) is catalyzed by 5% THP in water at ambient conditions, with 70% conversion of the acrylonitrile no such reaction is seen with aciyhc acid or the methyl ester, but analogous hydromethoxylation of these compounds is seen in MeOH (42) (eq. (6b), R = H or Me). There is a report on similar catalytic use of tiialkylphosphines, which, like THP, are strong nucleophiles (43). 

The increasing volume of chemical production, insufficient capacity and high price of olefins stimulate the rising trend in the innovation of current processes. High attention has been devoted to the direct ammoxidation of propane to acrylonitrile. A number of mixed oxide catalysts were investigated in propane ammoxidation [1]. However, up to now no catalytic system achieved reaction parameters suitable for commercial application. Nowadays the attention in the field of activation and conversion of paraffins is turned to catalytic systems where atomically dispersed metal ions are responsible for the activity of the catalysts. Ones of appropriate candidates are Fe-zeolites. Very recently, an activity of Fe-silicalite in the ammoxidation of propane was reported [2, 3]. This catalytic system exhibited relatively low yield (maximally 10% for propane to acrylonitrile). Despite the low performance, Fe-silicalites are one of the few zeolitic systems, which reveal some catalytic activity in propane ammoxidation, and therefore, we believe that it has a potential to be improved. Up to this day, investigation of Fe-silicalite and Fe-MFI catalysts in the propane ammoxidation were only reported in the literature. In this study, we compare the catalytic activity of Fe-silicalite and Fe-MTW zeolites in direct ammoxidation of propane to acrylonitrile. 

In the presence of all the other catalysts shown in Table II, acrylonitrile and VP react further to give appreciable amounts of activated olefins which can compete with the acetylene for cobalt coordination sites and therefore act as a catalyst poison. 

If no suitable reagent is present, the nitrile oxide immediately dimerizes into furoxane. Such reagents can be activated olefins such as vinyl esters and ethers, acrylonitrile, styrene and cycloolefins. 

One of the most important challenges in the modern chemical industry is represented by the development of new processes aimed at the exploitation of alternative raw materials, in replacement of technologies that make use of building blocks derived from oil (olefins and aromatics). This has led to a scientific activity devoted to the valorization of natural gas components, through catalytic, environmentally benign processes of transformation (1). Examples include the direct exoenthalpic transformation of methane to methanol, DME or formaldehyde, the oxidation of ethane to acetic acid or its oxychlorination to vinyl chloride, the oxidation of propane to acrylic acid or its ammoxidation to acrylonitrile, the oxidation of isobutane to... 

The CM of olefins bearing electron-withdrawing functionalities, such as a,/ -unsaturated aldehydes, ketones, amides, and esters, allows for the direct installment of olefin functionality, which can either be retained or utilized as a synthetic handle for further elaboration. The poor nucleophilicity of electron-deficient olefins makes them challenging substrates for olefin CM. As a result, these substrates must generally be paired with more electron-rich crosspartners to proceed. In one of the initial reports in this area, Crowe and Goldberg found that acrylonitrile could participate in CM reactions with various terminal olefins using catalyst 1 (Equation (2))." Acrylonitrile was found not to be active in secondary metathesis isomerization, and no homodimer formation was observed, making it a type III olefin. In addition, as mentioned in Section 11.06.3.2, this reaction represents one of the few examples of Z-selectivity in CM. Subsequent to this report, ruthenium complexes 6 and 7a were also observed to function as competent catalysts for acrylonitrile... 

Activated olefins (acrylonitrile, methyl acrylate), and halides such as allyl bromide and ethyl bromoacetate were used as electrophiles. In nonpolar solvents, the enamines (126a) were alkylated with high enantioselectivity, but poor chemical yields. In polar solvents, the chemical yields were acceptable, the optical yields poor 148). A similar reaction sequence has been used successfully for the synthesis of (+)-mesembrine (133)149 >. 

The method is quite useful for particulary active alkyl halides such as allylic, benzylic, and propargylic halides, and for a-halo ethers and esters, but is not very serviceable for ordinary primary and secondary halides. Tertiary halides do not give the reaction at all since, with respect to the halide, this is nucleophilic substitution and elimination predominates. The reaction can also be applied to activated aryl halides (such as 2,4-dinitrochlo-robenzene see Chapter 13), to epoxides,217 and to activated olefins such as acrylonitrile, e.g.,... 

During the history of a half century from the first discovery of the reaction (/) and 35 years after the industrialization (2-4), these catalytic reactions, so-called allylic oxidations of lower olefins (Table I), have been improved year by year. Drastic changes have been introduced to the catalyst composition and preparation as well as to the reaction process. As a result, the total yield of acrylic acid from propylene reaches more than 90% under industrial conditions and the single pass yield of acrylonitrile also exceeds 80% in the commercial plants. The practical catalysts employed in the commercial plants consist of complicated multicomponent metal oxide systems including bismuth molybdate or iron antimonate as the main component. These modern catalyst systems show much higher activity and selectivity... 

Intennoleciilar Reactions. The intermolecular version of free radical reactions of sugar-derived radicals consists mainly of addition onto suitably activated olefins, such as acrylonitrile, generally used in excess. This approach has been explored by Giese [102]. The stereochemical course of the reaction is dictated by steric effects of the vicinal substituents, as seen from the reaction of radical 71 where equatorial attack is favored over the axial with acrylonitrile (Scheme 28). Only equatorial attack is observed using... 

The interaction of aryldiazonium tetrachlorocuprates [Cu(II)] with olefins has been studied by ESR spectroscopy using the spin-trapping technique (Lyakhovich et al. 1991). The radicals ArCH2CH( )Ph and ArCH2CH( )CN have been detected in mixtures of the aryldiazonium tetrachlorocuprates [Cu(II)] with styrene and acrylonitrile using nitroso-durene as a spin adduct. However, aryl radical signals were not detected under those conditions. Obviously, aryl radicals react with the nearby ethylenic bond within the activated... 

Activated olefins can also be subjected to cathodic C—C cross coupling reactions with carbonyl compounds. An example of this is the synthesis of y-hydroxynitriles from acrylonitrile and aliphatic aldehydes 353 > ... 

Cycloaddition of trimethylsilyldiazomethane with activated olefins leads to pyrazoline derivatives that have the SMA substructure. Two examples are reported in the literature. The first concerns addition to acrylonitrile that gives 5-trimethylsilyl-3-cyano-A2-pyrazoline in good yield.111... 

Acetals result from oxidative coupling of alcohols with electron-poor terminal olefins followed by a second, redox-neutral addition of alcohol [11-13]. Acrylonitrile (41) is converted to 3,3-dimethoxypropionitrile (42), an intermediate in the industrial synthesis of thiamin (vitamin Bl), by use of an alkyl nitrite oxidant [57]. A stereoselective acetalization was performed with methacrylates 43 to yield 44 with variable de [58]. Rare examples of intermolecular acetalization with nonactivated olefins are observed with chelating allyl and homoallyl amines and thioethers (45, give acetals 46) [46]. As opposed to intermolecular acetalizations, the intramolecular variety do not require activated olefins, but a suitable spatial relationship of hydroxy groups and the alkene[13]. Thus, Wacker oxidation of enediol 47 gave bicyclic acetal 48 as a precursor of a fluorinated analogue of the pheromone fron-talin[59]. 

Mixed coupling of two dissimilar activated olefins A and B is best rationalized by path 3). To suppress the formation of symmetric dimers AA and BB besides the wanted mixed dimer AB the difference in reduction potential between A and B should be 0,2 to 0,4 V. Cpe at the potential of the more easily reducible olefin A with an excess of B present in the electrolyte yields predominantly AB. With equal amounts of A and B AA and AB are obtained and with small differences in the reduction potentials of A and B all three possible dimers are formed. Thus coreduction of diethyl maleate (Ei/2 = -1,32 V.) and acrylonitrile (E j. 2 = -1,94 V.) by cpe at -1,4 V yielded 15-3 (AA) and 154 (AB). Cpe at -1,7 V of 6 equivalents of AN and one equivalent of cyanobutadiene (Ejy2 =... 

Organometallics are formed at the cathode if transient radicals produced in reductions react with the active electrode. This occurs as a side reaction in cathodic coupling (Sect. 12.2, Eq. (185)) of carbonyl compounds, e.g., of acetone 3 9 or of activated olefins, e.g., of methyl vinyl ketone 41or acrylonitrile. Furthermore, in cathodic cleavage (Sect. 13.2, Eq. (227) ) of alkyl bromides or iodides organometallics are formed, e.g., ME(CH2CH2CN)2(ME = Pb, Tl, Sn, Hg) 481 bis(p-substituted benzyl)mercury 485 or dicyclopropylmercury 489 ... 

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