Phosphonium salts, conversion formation

The formation of the heterocycle 1 from the xylylene-bis-phosphonium salt 2 and PCI3 proceeds via a detectable intermediate 3 in a cascade of condensation reactions that is terminated by spontaneous heterolysis of the last remaining P-Cl bond in a cyclic bis-ylide-substituted chlorophosphine formed (Scheme 1) [15]. The reaction scheme is applicable to an arsenic analogue of 1 [15] and to bis-phosphonio-benzophospholides with different triaryl-, aryl-alkyl- and aryl-vinyl-phosphonio groups [16, 18, 19], but failed for trialkylphosphonio-substituted cations here, insufficient acidity prohibited obviously quantitative deprotonation of the phosphonium salts, and only mixtures of products with unreacted starting materials were obtained [19]. The cations were isolated as chloride or bromide salts, but conversion of the anions by complexation with Lewis-acids or metathesis was easily feasible [16, 18, 19] and even salts with organometallic anions ([Co(CO)4] , [CpM(CO)3] (M=Mo, W) were accessible [20]. 

The ratio of the two Zr(IV) products that one observes depends on the nature of RX primary alkyl halides highly favor the formation of the Zr alkyl complex, tertiary alkyl and acyl halides almost exclusively form the Zr dihalide complex, while mixtures of the two organometallic complexes are observed for secondary halides. The coordinated phosphine ligands invariably are quaternized to phosphonium salts, but this conversion is slower than the rates of oxidation of Zr. 

It is not clear whether enolization is avoided under the lithium-free, high-concentration conditions, or whether it occurs reversibly enough to permit eventual conversion of the ketone to the alkene. However, the most successful procedures involve alkoxide bases (159, 168-170) or require the presence of excess phosphonium salt (171). Proton exchange and reversible enolate formation are likely under these conditions, and aldol condensation pathways would also be reversible when potassium or sodium bases are used. Thus, excellent yields of alkenes are possible with the most hindered substrates, provided that other pathways for irreversible enolate decomposition are not available. 

The advantage of this method was the low cattilyst loading involved. In fact, just 0.25 mol% of rhodium dimer catalyst afforded the expected benzophenone with full conversion (see Scheme 7.16). So, a straightforward synthetically useful route to congested benzophenone frameworks starting from readily available aryl aldehydes and potassium aryltrifluoroborates was described. Neutral conditions allow the direct formation of di-, tri-, and even tetra-orf/ro-substituted benzophenones under operationally simple conditions in very good yields, thanks to the use of a stable phosphonium salt of P(fBu)3. 

Protection and Deprotection.—N-Protected a-amino-acids are readily esterified by methanol or ethanol in 60—80% yield after reaction with an enamine (e.g. from isobutyraldehyde and piperidine) and t-butyl isocyanate. Such amino-acids can also be esterified efficiently with alkyl halides under phase-transfer conditions with no racemization. Direct esterification of a-amino-acids with ethyl toluene-p-sulphonate in boiling ethanol gives a-amino-acid ethyl esters in 80—90% yield as the sulphonate salts. The protection of acid functions by formation of the 2-chloro-(or bromo-)ethyl esters has been discussed. These derivatives survive exposure to both moderately acidic and basic conditions and are removable by conversion into the iodoethyl analogues followed by zinc reduction. Alternatively, they may be converted into hydrophilic ammonium or phosphonium salts which exhibit enhanced acid stability but which are cleaved by very dilute base. Yet another method for the removal of such groups using supernucleophilic Co phthalocyanin anions has been reviewed. Further routes to 2,2,2-trichloroethyl esters have been described, one of which employs an activated ester intermediate and is suited to acid-labile substrates. 

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