Oxidation of isocyanates

Dimethyldioxirane is a powerful oxidant prepared by reacting acetone with KHSOs the latter is commercially available as a triple salt under the trade name of oxone. 1,4-Dinitrocubane 

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The standard reaction sequence for transformation of a carboxylic acid into a nitro group is lengthy. Eaton has shortened this conversion via oxidation of isocyanates to nitro compounds with dimethyldioxirane in wet acetone (Eq. 2.71).140... 

Electron-deficient alkenes add stereospecifically to 4-hydroxy-THISs with formation of endo-cycloadducts. Only with methylvinyl-ketone considerable amounts of the exo isomer are produced (Scheme 8) (16). The adducts (6) may extrude hydrogen sulfide on heating with methoxide producing 2-pyridones. The base is unnecessary with fumaronitrile adducts. The alternative elimination of isocyanate Or sulfur may be controlled using 7 as the dipolarenOphile. The cycloaddition produces two products, 8a (R = H, R = COOMe) and 8b (R = COOMe, R =H) (Scheme 9) (17). Pyrolysis of 8b leads to extrusion of furan and isocyanate to give a thiophene. The alternative S-elimi-nation can be effected by oxidation of the adduct and subsequent pyrolysis. 

Isocyanates are derivatives of isocyanic acid, HN=C=0, ia which alkyl or aryl groups, as weU as a host of other substrates, are direcdy linked to the NCO moiety via the nitrogen atom. StmcturaHy, isocyanates (imides of carbonic acid) are isomeric to cyanates, ROCMSI (nitriles of carbonic acid), and nitrile oxides, RCMSI—>0 (derivatives of carboxyUc acid). 

Garbodiimide Formation. Carbodiimide formation has commercial significance in the manufacture of Hquid MDI. Heating of MDI in the presence of catalytic amounts of phosphine oxides or alkyl phosphates leads to partial conversion of isocyanate into carbodiimide (95). The carbodiimide (39) species reacts with excess isocyanate to form a 2 + 2cycloaddition product. The presence of this product in MDI leads to a melting point depression and thus a mixture which is Hquid at room temperature. 

Ammonia is used in the fibers and plastic industry as the source of nitrogen for the production of caprolactam, the monomer for nylon 6. Oxidation of propylene with ammonia gives acrylonitrile (qv), used for the manufacture of acryHc fibers, resins, and elastomers. Hexamethylenetetramine (HMTA), produced from ammonia and formaldehyde, is used in the manufacture of phenoHc thermosetting resins (see Phenolic resins). Toluene 2,4-cHisocyanate (TDI), employed in the production of polyurethane foam, indirectly consumes ammonia because nitric acid is a raw material in the TDI manufacturing process (see Amines Isocyanates). Urea, which is produced from ammonia, is used in the manufacture of urea—formaldehyde synthetic resins (see Amino resins). Melamine is produced by polymerization of dicyanodiamine and high pressure, high temperature pyrolysis of urea, both in the presence of ammonia (see Cyanamides). 

Other Reactions. 2-Dioxolaniniines, 2-oxathiolaniniines, and 2-oxa2o1idinimines result from the reaction of propylene oxide with isocyanates, isothiocyanates, and carbodiimides, respectively (103,104). 

Cyanuric acid can also be prepared from HNCO (100). Isocyanic acid [75-13-8] can be synthesized directiy by oxidation of HCN over a silver catalyst (101) or by reaction of H2, CO, and NO (60—75% yield) over palladium or iridium catalysts at 280—450°C (102). Ammonium cyanate and urea are by-products of the latter reaction. 

The cyclized analog of meralluride is prepared by a similar synthesis. Thus, condensation of camphoric acid (42) (obtained by oxidation of camphor) with ammonia gives the bicyclic succinimide (44). Reaction with allyl isocyanate followed by ring opening and then reaction with mercuric acetate affords the mercury derivative (45) as the acetate rather than the hydroxide as above. Reaction with sodium chloride converts that acetate to the halide (46). Displacement on mercury with the disodium salt of thioglycollic acid affords the diuretic mercaptomerine (47). ... 

Impurities in CL have also been destroyed by oxidation with ozone22 followed by distillation. Ozonation treatment of waste CL leaves no ionic impurities. However, the most commonly used oxidizing agents are potassium permanganate, perboric acid, perborate, and potassium bromate. Treatment of CL with these oxidizing agents is carried out in a neutral medium at 40-60°C. Strongly alkaline or acidic conditions accelerate the oxidation of CL to form isocyanates. Hie undesirable oxidation reaction is fast above pH 7 because of the reaction with isocyanate to form carbamic acid salts, which shifts the equilibrium to form additional isocyanate. 

The treatment of isocyanates with 3-methyl-l-ethyl-3-phosphoIene-l-oxide (59) is a useful method for the synthesis of carbodiimides in good yields. The mechanism does not simply involve the addition of one molecule of isocyanate to another, since the kinetics are first order in isocyanate and first order in catalyst. The following mechanism has been proposed (the catalyst is here represented as... 

Oxidation of Primary Amines, Oximes, Azides, Isocyanates, or Nitroso Compounds to Nitro Compounds... 

Oxidation of primary amines, oximes, azides, isocyanates, or nitroso... 

The oxidation of isocyanides to isocyanates with oxygen, catalyzed by Ni(CNR)4 or Ni(CjHi2)2. has been known for some time 106). One can now postulate on the basis of these data that catalysis is being accomplished via oxygen coordination to the metal. 

An in situ infrared investigation has been conducted of the reduction of NO by CH4 over Co-ZSM-5. In the presence of O2, NO2 is formed via the oxidation of NO. Adsorbed NO2 then reacts with CH4. Nitrile species are observed and found to react very rapidly with NO2, and at a somewhat slower rate with NO and O2. The dynamics of the disappearance of CN species suggests that they are reactive intermediates, and that N2 and CO2 are produced by the reaction of CN species with NO2. While isocyanate species are also observed, these species are associated with A1 atoms in the zeolite lattice and do not act as reaction intermediates. A mechanism for NO reduction is proposed that explains why O2 facilitates the reduction of NO by CH4, and why NO facilitates the oxidation of CH4 by O2. 

Methyl isocyanate is obtained by oxidation of methylformamide over a silver catalyst [71]. 

The intermolecular dimerization of nitrile oxides has been described as a procedure to prepare Fx with identical substituent both in the 3 and 4 position (Fig. 3). This procedure is a [3 -F 2] cycloaddition where one molecule of nitrile oxide acts as 1,3-dipole and the other as dipolarophile [24-26]. Yu et al. has studied this procedure in terms of theoretical calculus [27,28]. Rearrangement of isocyanates competes with the bimolecular dimerization, with the former becoming dominant at elevated temperatures. 

The dioxygen adduct so formed is highly reactive and will catalyse the oxidation of phosphine to phosphine oxide and isocyanide to isocyanate (77). But clearly a survey of these reactions is not within the scope of this review and is provided elsewhere (7, 77). 

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