Phosphonium salts, phase transfer catalysis

C. M. Starks, Phase-Transfer Catalysis. L Heterogeneous Reactions Involving Anion Transfer by Quaternary Ammonium and Phosphonium Salts , J. Am. Chem. Soc 1971, 93,195-199. 

It was a result of demand from industry in the mid-1960s for an alternative to be found for the expensive traditional synthetic procedures that led to the evolution of phase-transfer catalysis in which hydrophilic anions could be transferred into an organic medium. Several phase-transfer catalysts are available quaternary ammonium, phosphonium and arsonium salts, crown ethers, cryptands and polyethylene glycols. Of these, the quaternary ammonium salts are the most versatile and, compared with the crown ethers, which have many applications, they have the advantage of being relatively cheap, stable and non-toxic [1, 2]. Additionally, comparisons of the efficiencies of the various catalysts have shown that the ammonium salts are superior to the crown ethers and polyethylene glycols and comparable with the cryptands [e.g. 3, 4], which have fewer proven applications and require higher... 

Starks, C. M. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 93 (1971) 195 Phase transfer catalysis I. Heterogeneous reactions involving anion transfer by quaternary phosphonium salts. 

The general concept of phase transfer catalysis applies to the transfer of any species from one phase to another (not just anions as illustrated above), provided a suitable catalyst can be chosen, and provided suitable phase compositions and reaction conditions are used. Most published work using PTC deals only with the transfer of anionic reactants using either quaternary ammonium or phosphonium salts, or with crown ethers in liquid-liquid or liquid-solid systems. Examples of the transfer and reaction of other chemical species have been reported(24) but clearly some of the most innovative work in this area has been done by Alper and his co-workers, as described in Chapter 2. He illustrates that gas-liquid-liquid transfers with complex catalyst systems provide methods for catalytic hydrogenations with gaseous hydrogen. 

The sulphur atom of alkyl(thioalkyl)phosphonium salts forms a new onium centre on triethyloxonium tetrafluoroborate alkylation in nitromethane848,849 (thiocetals see above). Phosphonium ketene acetals are potential alkylating agents for phosphorus dithioic acid anions in non-aqueous, aprotic and aqueous media and in phase-transfer catalysis conditions296 (reaction 263). It is suggested that onium ketene acetals react by nucleophilic attack on the methyl group of the acetal. 

TABLE 26. Half-life periods r1/2 for the degradation of quaternary phosphonium salts R4P+ Y" in a chlorobenzene-50% aqueous NaOH two-phase system under phase-transfer catalysis in the absence (A)a and presence (B)fc of a molar excess of the corresponding inorganic salt (NaY)727... 

Apart from reactions in which anionic counterparts of phosphonium cations are essentially implicated in a phase-transfer catalysis process (polymer-supported or soluble catalysts see above), some kinds of chemical transformations in which the anion s reactivity is involved have been studied. There are two major advantages, one being experimental and the other the regenerating capability of the reagent, in monomer- or polymer-supported form. The anionic counterparts of phosphonium salts can have an influence on their own stability or structure (the formation of betaines163 and allyl-phosphonium-vinylphosphonium isomerization, for example275,278). 

Polymeric phosphonium salt-bound carboxylate, benzenesulphinate and phenoxide anions have been used in nucleophilic substitution reactions for the synthesis of carboxylic acid esters, sulphones and C/O alkylation of phenols from alkyl halides. The polymeric reagent seems to increase the nucleophilicity of the anions376 and the yields are higher than those for corresponding polymer phase-transfer catalysis (reaction 273). 

In 1971, Starks introduced the term phase-transfer catalysis to explain the critical role of tetraalkylammonium or phosphonium salts (Q 1 X ) in the reactions between two substances located in different immiscible phases [1], For instance, the displacement reaction of 1-chlorooctane with aqueous sodium cyanide is accelerated many thousand-fold by the addition of hexadecyltributylphosphonium bromide 1 as a phase-transfer catalyst (Scheme 1.1). The key element of this tremendous reactivity enhancement is the generation of quaternary phosphonium cyanide, which renders the cyanide anion organic soluble and sufficiently nucleophilic. 

One of the major developments in organic chemistry during the past 15 years has been the application of phase-transfer catalysis to synthesis. These reactions are often effected in an aqueous base-organic two-phase system with an ammonium or phosphonium salt or crown ether as the catalyst. Crown ethers have also been of great utility as catalysts for solid-liquid phase-transfer processes. Some of the more attractive fea-... 

Phase transfer catalysis and the use of crown ethers are also of particular advantage in alkanenitrile synthesis (Table 1). Usually quaternary ammonium and phosphonium salts serve quite well as catalysts. Another modification is represented by the use of a solid catalyst, which is insoluble in the two-phase system, for instance alumina or anion-exchange resins (triphase catalysis). Crown ethers again capture the cations and generate naked cyanide ions in fairly nonpolar solvents, leading to exceptionally mild reaction conditions. 

Molinari, H., F. Montanari, S. Quici, and P. Tundo, Polymer-Supported Phase-Transfer Catalysis. High Catalytic Activity of Ammonium and Phosphonium Salts Bonded to a Polystyrene Matrix, /. Amer. Chem. Soc., 101, 3920(1979). 

As pointed out earlier, the lack of a common solvent, for aqueous and certain organic substrates, may result in a slow reaction rate and poor selectivity. This serious limitation has been circumvented with the aid of phase transfer catalysis, a well known technique in organic synthesis [55]. It consists in the transfer of a water soluble oxidant species into the immiscible organic phase, as a quaternary ammonium or phosphonium salt. Two main results are achieved by this technique. The reaction rate is increased, due to higher concentration of the oxidant species in the organic phase. Acid catalyzed side reactions are decreased, by keeping the products in the organic phase. 

SoHd-liguid phase-transfer catalysis. Crown ethers have commonly been used as catalysts for reactions between a solid-liquid interface, and quaternary ammonium and phosphonium salts have been used only as catalysts for reactions in two-phase liquid liquid reactions. However, several laboratories have reported that the latter catalysts are also satisfactory for two-phase solid liquid reactions. Thus dichlorocarbene can be generated from chloroform and solid sodium hydroxide under catalysis from benzyltriethylammonium chloride in yields comparable to those of the classical Makosza method. Another example of this type of catalysis is the oxidation of terminal and internal alkynes by solid potassium permanganate in CH2CI2 with Adogen 464 as catalyst. Aliquat 336 has been found to be as satisfactory as a crown ether for certain displacement reactions with NaOAc, KSCN, KNOa, and KF in CH3CN or CHaCla. ... 

The term phase transfer catalysis was coined by Starks to describe the mechanism of catalysis of reactions between water-soluble inorganic salts and water-insoluble organic substrates by lipophilic quaternary ammonium and phosphonium ions Ql). His investigations of nucleophilic displacement reactions, such as that of aqueous sodium cyanide with 1-chlorooctane, and the investigations of Makosza on reactions of aqueous sodium hydroxide with chloroform to generate dichlorocarbene, and with active ketones and nitriles to generate carbanions, pioneered the field in the mid-1960 s. It was nearly fifteen years before many such processes were adopted in industry. Starks now estimates there are about sixty phase transfer catalytic processes in use worldwide, mostly in pharmaceutical and fine chemical manufacturing (32V... 

Introduction. Sodium periodate is widely used for the oxidation of a variety of organic substrates and as a cooxidant in other oxidation reactions (see Sodium Periodate-Osmium Tetroxide and Sodium Periodate-Potassium Permanganate) f The Nal04 oxidation is usually conducted in water however, for organic substrates that are insoluble in water, an organic cosolvent (e.g. MeOH, 95% EtOH, 1,4-dioxane, acetone, MeCN) is used. Alternatively, the oxidation can be conducted either with phase-transfer catalysis (PTC) using quaternary ammonium or phosphonium salts in a two-phase system, or in an organic solvent if the oxidant is first coated on an inert support. ... 

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