Onium catalysts

A general review of synthesis and reactivity of silica-immobilized onium catalysts, which deals mainly with phosphonium salts, is available [42]. 

Fig. 22. Preparation of quaternary onium catalysts supported on latexes derived from HIPEs...

Figure 41. Effect of onium catalysts I-IV on bleaching rate in persulfate.

All silica immobilized phase transfer catalysts previously reported involve two or more steps for the immobilization. Problems with preparations of this type include the difficulty in obtaining maximum functionality on the substrate and residual substrate bond intermediates which may interfere in final applications. The purpose of this work was to prepare well-characterized functionalized phase transfer catalysts that could be immobilized on siliceous substrates in a single step. As will be shown the preparation of functionalized onium catalysts proceeds readily. The route to facile immobilization of crown ether was not so direct. Avenues for high yield chemistry employing accessible or economic intermediates were not available. A new class of crown ethers which are readily functionalized during synthesis was developed. We have designated than "silacrowns". This report concentrates upon the properties and characterization of these new phase transfer catalysts. 

Given the structural diversity of the ligands that can be attached to polyethylene oligomers, it is not surprising that there is a similar diversity in the sorts of catalysts that have been supported on these materials. Selected examples of catalysts prepared using polyethylene ligands are shown in structures 14-26 in Fig. 4 [32-34,38-40,45-49]. While most of these catalysts contain transition metals, non-transition metal catalysts like poly-ethyldibutyltin chloride 14 or phase-transfer onium catalysts like 24 have also been prepared. 

In the nucleophilic displacement of a hydrophilic leaving group such as methanesul-fonate with bromide (Scheme 9), carried out under LL-PTC conditions with onium catalysts of different types, their lipophilicity is important whereas the cation structure is not [11]. 

Quaternary Salts. Herbicides paraquat (20) and diquat (59) are the quaternary salts of 4,4 -bipyridine (19) and 2,2 -bipyridine with methyl chloride and 1,2-dibromoethane, respectively. Higher alkylpyridinium salts are used in the textile industry as dye ancillaries and spin bath additives. The higher alkylpyridinium salt, hexadecylpytidinium chloride [123-03-5] (67) (cetylpyridinium chloride) is a topical antiseptic. Amprolium (62), a quaternary salt of a-picohne (2), is a coccidiostat. Bisaryl salts of butylpyridinium bromide (or its lower 1-alkyl homologues) with aluminum chloride have been used as battery electrolytes (84), in aluminum electroplating baths (85), as Friedel-Crafts catalysts (86), and for the formylation of toluene by carbon monoxide (87) (see QuaternaryAA ONiUM compounds). 

For practical appHcation in mixtures of water—organic solvent, only ammonium and phosphonium salts containing 15 or more C atoms are sufficiently lipophilic. In empirical catalyst comparisons crown ethers (hexaoxacyclooctodecanes) (1)—(3) were often as effective as the best onium salts. 

Benzyltriethylammonium chloride [56-37-1] is the most widely used catalyst under strongly basic conditions. Methyltrioctylammonium chloride [5137-55-3] (Ahquat 336, Adogen 464) is probably the least expensive catalyst. Others of high activity and moderate price are tetra- -butylammonium chloride [1112-67-0] bromide [1643-19-2] hydrogen sulfate [32503-27-8], tetra- -butylphosphonium chloride [2304-30-5], and other phosphonium salts of a similar number of C atoms. Many other onium salts can also be utilized. 

All lation of Garbanions. Concentrated N a OH—hen syl triethyl amm onium chloride is the base/catalyst system normally used for this type of process (20). Classes of compounds alkylated in this way include phenylacetonitriles, ben2ylketones, simple aUphatic ketones, certain aldehydes, aryl sulfones, P-ketosulfones, P-ketoesters, malonic esters and nitriles, phenylacetic esters, indene, and fluorene (see Alkylation). 

All lation of A Heterocycles. Indoles (25), imida2oles (26), pyra2oles (27), ben2otria2oles (27), or other heterocycles are generally alkylated in the presence of 50% aqueous NaOH and catalyst hen 2y1triethy1 amm onium chloride without solvent or in chloroben2ene or toluene. 

In the chlorination of 2,4-dichlorophenol it has been found that traces of amine (23), onium salts (24), or triphenylphosphine oxide (25) are excellent catalysts to further chlorination by chlorine ia the ortho position with respect to the hydroxyl function. During chlorination (80°C, without solvent) these catalysts cause traces of 2,4,5-trichlorophenol ( 500 1000 ppm) to be transformed iato tetrachlorophenol. Thus these techniques leave no 2,4,5-trichlorophenol ia the final product, yielding a 2,4,6-trichlorophenol of outstanding quaUty. The possibiUty of chlorination usiag SO2CI2 ia the presence of Lewis catalysts has been discussed (26), but no mention is made of 2,4,5-trichlorophenol formation or content. 

For enantioselectivity to be possible multipoint interaction between the catalyst and the reactant in the transition state is necessary. The most effective chiral onium salts are derivatives of cinchona alkaloids (see Fig. 3.59). 

A multiphase system consisting of a hydrocarbon solvent, a strong alkaline solution, and a quaternary onium salt, in the presence of a Pd/C catalyst with hydrogen that was bubbled at atmospheric pressure through the organic phase, allows the rapid displacement of chlorine from polyhalogenated benzenes. The onium salt, insoluble in both phases, is localized in the interfaces, coats the Pd/C catalyst, and constitutes the phase in which the reaction takes... 

UOP in a joint venture with ChevronTexaco developed an additive technology named Alkad . The additive is based on HF salts of amines, which form liquid onium polyhydrogen fluoride complexes with HF, reducing the vapor pressure of the catalyst 65% to more than 80% aerosol reduction is claimed with this additive. As in the ReVap technology, additional separation columns have to be installed. Both additives are claimed to increase the product octane number, especially when propene, isobutylene, and pentenes are employed in the feedstock. 

Abstract Phase transfer catalysts including onium salts or crown ethers transfer between heterogeneous different phases and catalytically mediate desired reactions. Chiral non-racemic phase transfer catalysts are useful for reactions producing new stereogenic centers, giving chiral non-racemic products. Recent developments in this rapid expanding area will be presented. 

Oxidation of —CHtOH — —CHO (cf., 12,479-480). This oxidation can be effected in high yield with sodium hypochlorite (slight excess) in buffered H20/ CH2C12 with this nitroxyl radical and KBr as the catalysts.1 The oxidation is exothermic, and the temperature should be maintained at 0-15° with a salt-ice bath. Saturated primary alcohols are converted to aldehydes in 88-93% yield yields are lower in the case of unsaturated substrates. Addition of quaternary onium salts permits further oxidation to carboxylic acids. 

Onium salts, crown ethers, alkali metal salts or similar chelated salts, quaternary ammonium and phosphonium are some of the salts which have been widely used as phase transfer catalysts (PTC). The choice of phase transfer catalysts depends on a number of process factors, such as reaction system, solvent, temperature, removal and recovery of catalyst, base strength etc. 

With a view to producing catalysts that can easily be removed from reaction products, typical phase-transfer catalysts such as onium salts, crown ethers, and cryptands have been immobilized on polymer supports. The use of such catalysts in liquid-liquid and liquid-solid two-phase systems has been described as triphase catalysis (Regen, 1975, 1977). Cinquini et al. (1976) have compared the activities of catalysts consisting of ligands bound to chloromethylated polystyrene cross-linked with 2 or 4% divinylbenzene and having different densities of catalytic sites ([126], [127], [ 132]—[ 135]) in the... 

The choice of the catalyst is an important factor in PTC. Very hydrophilic onium salts such as tetramethylammonium chloride are not particularly active phase transfer agents for nonpolar solvents, as they do not effectively partition themselves into the organic phase. Table 5.2 shows relative reaction rates for anion displacement reactions for a number of common phase transfer agents. From the table it is clear that the activities of phase transfer catalysts are reaction dependent. It is important to pick the best catalyst for the job in hand. The use of onium salts containing both long and very short alkyl chains, such as hexade-cyltrimethylammonium bromide, will promote stable emulsions in some reaction systems, and thus these are poor catalysts. 

The nature of this ionic/hydrophilic liquid phase can be quite diverse it can be made by an onium salt (e.g., ammonium or phosphonium), by an ionic liquid (e.g., imidazolium salts), by polyethyleneglycols, and even water. What is required is that the catalyst-philic phase is not miscible with the other phases... 

Onium salts, such as tetraethylammonium bromide (TEAB) and tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (TBAB), were also tested as PTCs immobilized on clay. In particular, Montmorillonite KIO modified with TBAB efficiently catalyzed the substitution reaction of a-tosyloxyketones with azide to a-azidoketones, in a biphasic CHCI3/water system (Figure 6.13). ° The transformation is a PTC reaction, where the reagents get transferred from the hquid to the solid phase. The authors dubbed the PTC-modified catalyst system surfactant pillared clay that formed a thin membrane-hke film at the interface of the chloroform in water emulsion, that is, a third liquid phase with a high affinity for the clay. The advantages over traditional nucleophilic substitution conditions were that the product obtained was very pure under these conditions and could be easily recovered without the need for dangerous distillation steps. 

The first catalysts utilized in phase transfer processes were quaternary onium salts. In particular, benzyltriethylammonium chloride was favored by Makosza (7 ) whereas Starks utilized the more thermally stable phosphonium salts (6,8). In either case, the catalytic process worked in the same way the ammonium or phosphonium cation exchanged for the cation associated with the nucleophilic reagent salt. The new reagent, Q+Nu , dissolved in the organic phase and effected substitution. 

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