Oxythallation

Oxythallation is another important solvometallation process.502 The intermediate organothallium compounds formed during addition, however, are seldom isolable, and tend to undergo spontaneous rapid decomposition to form oxidation products. Some examples are discussed in Sections 9.3 and 9.4.1. 

Organometallics may add to carbon-carbon multiple bonds to form new organome-tallic compounds. These reactions are called carbometallations since the carbon-metal bond adds across the multiple bond. In most cases the newly formed organometallics are further transformed to produce other valuable organic 

When ethylene reacts with triethyl- or tripropylaluminum, multiple carbometa-lation takes place, resulting in the formation of oligomers.509 Oxidation of the products followed by hydrolysis yields alcohols, whereas displacement reaction produces terminal alkenes that are of commercial importance.510 Transition-metal compounds promote the addition to form polymers (Ziegler-Natta polymerization see Section 13.2.4). 

The addition of trialkylaluminums to acetylenes is a slow, nonselective process. Zirconium compounds, however, catalyze the addition to 

Addition of the Grignard reagent to the carbon-carbon double bond requires severe reaction conditions.508 513 Zirconium-based compounds, in contrast, catalyze carbomagnesation of 1-alkenes to occur selectively under mild conditions. [NiCl2(PPh3)2] is the best catalyst to promote syn addition to disubstituted acetylenes, although usually in low yields 514 

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Thalliumilll) niirate, T1(N03)3,3H20. Formed Tl plus cone. HNO,. Immediately hydrolysed by water but is soluble in dilute mineral acids, alcohols and diglyme. Used in oxythallation. ... 

Thallation of aromatic compounds with thallium tris(trifluoroacetate) proceeds more easily than mercuration. Transmetallation of organothallium compounds with Pd(II) is used for synthetic purposes. The reaction of alkenes with arylthallium compounds in the presence of Pd(Il) salt gives styrene derivatives (433). The reaction can be made catalytic by use of CuCl7[393,394], The aryla-tion of methyl vinyl ketone was carried out with the arylthallium compound 434[395]. The /9-alkoxythallium compound 435, obtained by oxythallation of styrene, is converted into acetophenone by the treatment with PdCh[396]. 

Monoalkylthallium(III) compounds are unstable (73, 79), and very few examples of this class have been isolated. A number of alkylthallium diacetates have been obtained either from oxythallation of olefins with thallium-(III) acetate (see below) or from exchange reactions such as that shown in Eq. (11) (74, 75). Only four alkylthallium dihalides have been isolated so far, namely a neopentylthallium dihalide (60) [Eq. (12)] and the isomeric 2-, 3-, and 4-pyridiomethylthallium dichlorides (20) [Eq. (13)]. Monoaryl-and monovinylthallium(III) derivatives are considerably more stable than... 

Monoalkylthallium(III) compounds can be prepared easily and rapidly by treatment of olefins with thallium(III) salts, i.e., oxythallation (66). In marked contrast to the analogous oxymercuration reaction (66), however, where treatment of olefins with mercury(II) salts results in formation of stable organomercurials, the monoalkylthallium(III) derivatives obtained from oxythallation are in the vast majority of cases spontaneously unstable, and cannot be isolated under the reaction conditions employed. Oxythallation adducts have been isolated on a number of occasions (61, 71,104,128), but the predominant reaction pathway which has been observed in oxythallation reactions is initial formation of an alkylthallium(III) derivative and subsequent rapid decomposition of this intermediate to give products derived by oxidation of the organic substrate and simultaneous reduction of the thallium from thallium(III) to thallium(I). The ease and rapidity with which these reactions occur have stimulated interest not only in the preparation and properties of monoalkylthallium(III) derivatives, but in the mechanism and stereochemistry of oxythallation, and in the development of specific synthetic organic transformations based on oxidation of unsaturated systems by thallium(III) salts. 

Tl(III) < Pb(IV), and this conclusion has been confirmed recently with reference to the oxythallation of olefins 124) and the cleavage of cyclopropanes 127). It is also predictable that oxidations of unsaturated systems by Tl(III) will exhibit characteristics commonly associated with analogous oxidations by Hg(II) and Pb(IV). There is, however, one important difference between Pb(IV) and Tl(III) redox reactions, namely that in the latter case reduction of the metal ion is believed to proceed only by a direct two-electron transfer mechanism (70). Thallium(II) has been detected by y-irradiation 10), pulse radiolysis 17, 107), and flash photolysis 144a) studies, butis completely unstable with respect to Tl(III) and T1(I) the rate constant for the process 2T1(II) Tl(III) + T1(I), 2.3 x 10 liter mole sec , is in fact close to diffusion control of the reaction 17). 

The effect of structure of the alkyl group on the stability of monoalkyl-thallium(III) compounds can best be understood by reference to the different mechanisms by which these compounds undergo decomposition. A number of authors have attributed the instability of monoalkylthallium(III) compounds to facile C—T1 bond heterolysis and formation of carbonium ions [Eq. (25)] (52, 66, 79). This explanation is, however, somewhat suspect in cases where primary carbonium ions would be involved and either the two-step sequence shown in Eqs. (26), (27), or the fully synchronous 8 2 displacement shown in Eq. (28), is more compatible with the known facts. Examination of the oxythallation reactions that have been described reveals that Eq. (27) [or, for concerted reactions, Eq. (28)] can be elaborated, and that five major types of decomposition can be recognized for RTlXj compounds. These are outlined in Scheme 8, where Y, the nucleophile... 

From the above discussion it follows that the probability of carbonium ion formation during decomposition of RTIX2 compounds by a Type 5 process is low when X is carboxylate, but significantly higher when X is nitrate, sulfate, perchlorate, or fluoroborate. The important role played by the anion of the metal salt in oxymetallation has in fact been recognized only very recently for both oxymercuration 11, 12) and oxythallation (92). The... 

Formation of mixtures of products in these reactions can be attributed largely to the properties of the acetate group. The reactions of a number of cycloalkenes with thallium(III) salts have been investigated in some detail and the results obtained have served both to elucidate the stereochemistry of oxythallation and to underline the important role assumed by the anion of the metal salt in these oxidations. The most unambiguous evidence as to the stereochemistry of oxythallation comes from studies by Winstein on the oxythallation of norbornene (VII) and norbornadiene (VIII) with thal-lium(III) acetate in chloroform, in which the adducts (IX) and (X) could be precipitated from the reaction mixture by addition of pentane 128) (Scheme 11). Both by chemical means and by analogy with the oxymercuration... 

The same conclusion was drawn from the results obtained from careful studies of the stereochemistry of the glycol products formed on oxidation of cyclohexene with thallium(III) acetate 3, 83). When dry acetic acid was employed as solvent the product was mainly the tranr-diacetate (XI) in moist acetic acid, however, the mixture of glycol mono- (XII) and diacetates (XIII) which was obtained was mainly cis. These results have been interpreted in terms of initial trans oxythallation, ring inversion. 

Oxidation of the steroidal olefin (XXVII) with thallium(III) acetate gives mainly the allylic acetates (XXXI)-(XXXIII) (Scheme 15), again indicating that trans oxythallation is the preferred reaction course (19). Addition of the electrophile takes place from the less-hindered a-side of the molecule to give the thallinium ion (XXVIII), which by loss of a proton from C-4 would give the alkylthallium diacetate (XXIX). Decomposition of this intermediate by a Type 5 process is probably favorable, as it leads to the resonance-stabilized allylic carbonium ion (XXX), from which the observed products can be derived. Evidence in support of the decomposition process shown in Scheme 15 has been obtained from a study of the exchange reaction between frawr-crotylmercuric acetate and thallium(III) acetate in acetic acid (Scheme 16) (142). 

From the evidence currently available it appears that the mechanism of oxythallation is similar to that of oxymercuration. That is, initial rapid formation of a 7r-complex—a thallinium ion—followed by rearrangement of this species to give a o-bonded organothallium derivative (54). Decomposition of this latter intermediate by one or more of the processes shown in Scheme 8 then leads to products. The results obtained from a number of kinetic studies are in broad general agreement with this interpretation (52,79). 

From the above discussion it is evident that adaptation of oxythallation to the development of useful synthetic transformations rests largely on the degree of control which can be exerted on the decomposition pathway of the intermediate RTlXj derivative. The results obtained by Freppel et al., for... 

While the above examples demonstrate that product control to a significant extent is possible in oxythallation by careful choice of substrate or reaction conditions, the synthetic utility of oxythallation has been illustrated most convincingly by the results obtained with highly ionic thallium(III) salts, especially the nitrate (hereafter abbreviated TTN). Unlike the sulfate, perchlorate, or fluoroborate salts (165), TTN can easily be obtained as the stable, crystalline trihydrate which is soluble in alcohols, carboxylic acids, ethers such as dimethoxyethane (glyme), and dilute mineral acids. Oxidations by TTN can therefore be carried out under a wide variety of experimental conditions. 

These conclusions were supported by the results obtained in a study of the reactions of various types of acetylenes with TTN (94). Hydration of the C=C bond was found to occur to a very minor extent, if at all, with almost all of the compounds studied, and the nature of the products formed was dependent on the structure of the acetylene and the solvent employed. Oxidation of diarylacetylenes with two equivalents of TTN in either aqueous acidic glyme or methanol as solvent resulted in smooth high yield conversion into the corresponding benzils (Scheme 23). The mechanism of this oxidation in aqueous medium most probably involves oxythallation of the acetylene, ketonization of the initially formed adduct (XXXV) to give the monoalkylthallium(III) derivative (XXXVI), and conversion of this intermediate into a benzoin (XXXVII) by a Type 1 process. Oxidation of (XXXVII) to the benzil (XXXVIII) by the second equivalent of reagent would then proceed in exactly the same manner as described for the oxidation of chalcones, deoxybenzoins, and benzoins to benzils by TTN. The mechanism of oxidation in methanol solution is somewhat more complex and has not yet been fully elucidated. 

Thallium (III) Compounds. Thallium (ITT) derivatives have been used extensively as oxidants in oiganic synthesis. In particular, thallic acetate and trifluoroacetate are extremely effective as electrophiles in oxythallation and thallation reactions. For example, ketones can be prepared from terminal acetylenes by means of Tl(OOCCH3)3 in acetic acid (oxythallation) (30) ... 

Oxythallation reactions of olefins provide useful synthetic routes to products, eg, glycols, aldehydes, and ketones (31) ... 

As in all oxidations with T1(N03)3 oxythallation is the first step of the reactions. 9.3.2. Oxidative Cleavage... 

In some cases, ketones are obtained in high yields by the oxymercuration or oxythallation of alkenes, followed by treatment with PdCb in aqueous THF. 

Another synthetic route to monoorganothallium compounds is the reaction of aryl or vinyl derivatives of mercury(II) or tin(IV) with TIX3 (X = halide, carboxy-late). Monoalkylthallium derivatives are intermediates m the oxidation of alkenes and alkynes by thallium(III) salts (oxythallation) (see Section 7). 

Fused tetrahydro-2//-pyrans can also be obtained in high stereoseleclivity by oxythallation. In fact, starting from /ra .v-2-[( )-2-methyl-2-butenyl]cvclohexanol (7), tetrahydro-2//-pyran formation proceeds via initial cyclization to the tetrahydrofuran, followed by ring expansion, giving the /ra/z.v-6,6-fused product 8 in 50% isolated yield13. 

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