Phosphonium ylids, reaction with

Phase transfer catalysis, which proved extremely useful in classical ylid reactions with both phosphonium and sulfonium salts (Ref, 8, 42-45), was first used with a polymer by Farrall, Durst and Frechet in 1978 (Ref, 15) according to scheme 4. In this reaction, the polymeric sulfonium salt (IX), which is suspended in a dichloromethane solution of the carbonyl compound, is treated with aqueous sodium hydroxide in the presence of tetrabutyl ammonium hydroxide to give over 95% yield of the desired epoxide together with a polymeric by-product (X) which can be recycled and reused repeatedly without any loss of activity. In contrast, the same polymeric reagent (IX) used under classical conditions affords lower yields of epoxides and loses its activity rapidly on repeated recycling. This last observation shows clearly that phase transfer catalysis may contribute significantly to the prevention of side reactions in some modifications of polymers. 

Cleavage reactions are best carried out in aqueous solution. In aprotic solvents, electrogenerated bases lead to the conversion of onium salts to the ylids which are not reducible [49]. The sequence of reactions shown in Scheme 5.2 shows that the bond cleavage process for phosphonium salts proceeds with retention of configuration around the phosphorus atom [50]. Retention of configuration at arsenic is also observed [51]. This electrochemical process is a route to asymmetric trisub-stituted phosphorus and arsenic centres. 

Treatment of the salt, [PhsBiCFhCOR1] BF4 with base generates triphenylbis-muthonium 2-oxoalkylide (84 R1 = Buf, Ph). This reacts with 1,2-dicarbonyls to give 2,3-diacyloxiranes (85 from acyclic reactants, MeCOCOR2, R2 = Me, OEt) or 2-acyl-3-hydroxytropones [e.g. (86), from the tetrachloro-o-quinone].123 Both reaction types are of considerable synthetic utility, and both are in marked contrast to the routes followed by the corresponding phosphonium ylids. 

The EM Modular Reaction System can also be used to perform multi-step syntheses [83], For the production of pharmaceuticals, in this case for the synthesis of vitamin A, an ylid is formed from a phosphonium salt and a base in the first stage at 2 °C. In a second stage, the ylid reacts with an aldehyde at 60 °C in a flow-through capillary reactor. In a third stage the crude product is hydrolyzed at 20 °C in an additional micro mixer to form the target product vitamin A acetate, as illustrated. For the claimed reaction, no further experimental details were given. 

The simplest sulfur ylids are formed from sulfonium salts 69 by deprotonation in base. These ylids react with carbonyl compounds to give epoxides.18 Nucleophilic attack on the carbonyl group 70 is followed by elimination 71 of dimethylsulfide 72 and formation of the epoxide 73. You should compare diagram 71 with diagram 23 in chapter 15. The phosphonium ylid reacted by formation of a P-0 bond and an alkene in the Wittig reaction. The sulfonium compound reacts by formation of a C-O bond 71 as the S-O bond is much weaker than the P-0 bond. The sulfonium salt 69 can be reformed by reaction of 72 with Mel. 

In Chapter 31 we discussed the Wittig reaction of phosphonium ylids with carbonyl compounds. Sulfonium ylids react with carbonyl compounds too, but in quite a different way—compare these two reactions. 

Schweitzer has synthesized alkylidene cyclopropanes by Wittig reaction with a cyclopropyl phosphonium salt. If, however, the electrophilic character of the cyclopropane is enhanced by a second acceptor group (e.g. CO2R, SR), suitable nucleophiles are able to attack the three-membered ring. The resulting ylid can form hetero- and carbocycles by an intramolecular Wittig reactionas demonstrated in equations 62 and 63. These annulation reactions have been applied to terpene and alkaloid preparations. 

The last reaction is, of course, a Wittig reaction so the first must be nucleophilic attack by the anion of the imide on the cyclopropane with the phosphonium ylid as the leaving group. 

There is no general solvent that is useful for all reactions, and BTF naturally has its limitations. In addition to the limitations posed by the freezing point, boiling point and chemical stability mentioned before, BTF is not very Lewis-basic and therefore is not a good substitute for reactions that require solvents like ethers, DMF, DMSO, etc. Not surprisingly, ions are not readily dissolved in BTF and many types of anionic reactions do not work well in BTF. For example, attempted deprotonations of esters and ketones with LDA in BTF were not successful. Reaction of diethyl malonate with NaH (5 equiv) and reaction with Mel[72] (6 equiv) in BTF was very heterogeneous and yielded 60% of the di-methylated product, compared to 89% in THF. No reaction was observed if the same malonate anion was used as a nucleophile in a Pd-catalyzed allylic substitution reaction in BTF (see 3.7). Wittig reactions also did not work very well in BTF. The ylid of ethyl triphenyl phosphonium bromide [73] was formed only slowly in BTF, and the characteristic deep red color was never obtained. 

Mesomeric phosphonium dications. 4 Reaction with nucleophiles to form ylides. 4 Mesomeric phosphonium inner salts. 5 A stable four-membered ring ylid-ketone adduct. 5... 

The reaction of trialkylphosphines, especially triphenylphosphine, with alkyl halides is particularly useful since the resultant phosphonium salts are easily converted to the phosphonium ylid on treatment with a suitable base (sec. 8.8r kk Ylids are, of course, the reactive species in the well-known Wittig olefination reaction, which will be discussed in section 8.8.A.i. A related Sn2 process involves reaction of a trialkylphosphite with an alkyl halide, the Arbuzov reaction (sometimes called the Michaelis-Arbuzov reaction). Triethylphos-phite (70) reacts with iodomethane to give the phosphonium salt, 71. Heating generates the monoalkyl phos-phonic ester (72). This type of phosphonic ester can be converted to an ylid and used in the well-known Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons oiefination (sec. 8.8.A.iii). 

Fluorophosphoranes can be obtained from phosphonous and phosphinous halides by reactions with arsenic or antimony obtained with KHF2 (6.518). Some phosphinous halides react with sulphur compounds to give phosphinothioites (9.420), with phenyl azide to give monophosphazenes (7.447), and with ylids fluorides (6.504, 6.505). Hydrofluorophosphoranes produces phosphonium salts (6.377). Phosphonous and phosphinous halides can be condensed to form polyphosphines or cyclic derivatives (6.660, 6.666,6.680,6.684), or reacted to give P-P linkages (6.737). 

Phosphonium ylids are formed in reactions between phosphines and carbenes (6.97) and between phosphines and carbon tetrahalides (6.85). Phosphines also react with aliphatic diazo compounds to give ylids, provided cuprous chloride is present to prevent the formation of phosphinazines (6.107). 

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