Phosphorus chloride reaction with carboxylic acids

Several papers have been devoted to the subject of reactions of phosphoranes with carboxylic acids and their derivatives. Thus triphenylphosphine dibromide (111) in acetonitrile cleaves lactones,93 while the corresponding dichloride (112) converts esters into acid chlorides.94 The reactions of esters with phosphorus pentachloride (101) have been studied further,95 and the influence of structural changes on the yields of products (113) and (114) has resulted in minor modifications to the mechanism previously96 outlined. 

The reductive formation of C-S bonds via the reaction of carboxylic acids with phosphorus pentasulphide and red phosphorus has been utilized in the synthesis of 3-arylthiophenes starting from 2-arylsuccinic acids [66, 67]. The reaction is catalysed by benzyltriethylammonium chloride, but it has been suggested that co-catalysis with 18-crown-6 is advantageous [67]. 

Chlorinated Fatty Acids. Chlorination of carboxylic acids is much more difficult because the contribution or the carbonyl group toward proton removal is offset by the electron donation effect from the hydroxyl group. This hindrance is obviated by reaction with the acid chloride or anhydride. Chlorination is normally accomplished hy use of n catalyst, such as phosphorus trichloride. Monochloroacelic acid is an important industrial chemical. Dichloro- and trichloroacetic acids can he produced by further chlorination, although the latter can be produced convenienlly by nitric acid oxidation of chloral. Higher chlorinalcd tally acids can be produced by treatment or the hydroxy carboxylic acid or ester with HCI ur PCL ... 

This reaction represents the best general method for amide preparation. Cold, concentrated aqueous ammonia is used as in the preparation of iso-butyramide (83%),or the reaction may be carried out by passing dry ammonia into a solution of the acyl halide in anhydrous ether as in the formation of cyclopropanecarboxamide (91%). Separation of the amide from ammonium chloride is usually accomplished by extraction of the amide by organic solvents. Aqueous sodium hydroxide is employed to take up the hydrogen chloride when amine hydrochlorides are used in place of the free amines as in the preparation of N-methylisobutyramide (75%). When phosphorus trichloride is added to a mixture of an amine and a carboxylic acid, phosphazo compounds, RN=PNHR, rather than acyl halides, are believed to be intermediates. These compounds have been shown to react with carboxylic acids to give amides. ... 

Convenient methods have been developed for the synthesis of triazolium salts. The 3-methylthio-substituted triazolium compounds 138 are readily accessible by the reaction of 5-methyl-1,4-diphenylisothiosemi-carbazide with acid chlorides, or (in the presence of phosphorus oxychloride) with carboxylic acids (74TL2649). Deprotonation of 138 (R = H) yields the nucleophilic carbene 139, which is readily alkylated to yield... 

For instance, the reaction of amines with carboxylic acids occurs under appreciably milder conditions if phosphorus trichloride is added the reaction does not proceed by way of the intermediate acid chloride, as previously assumed, but the amine and phosphorus trichloride first form a phosphorazo compound (phosphoramidic imide) which in turn reacts with the carboxylic acid to give the amide 693... 

The reaction of phosphites with carboxylic acid chlorides and with thionocarboxylic acid chlorides to give the corresponding phosphonates (67) and (68) has been studied. Hudson and Brown have shown that ring strain in the phosphorus nucleophile can suppress the Arbusov reaction with acid chlorides. Whereas the acyclic aminophosphite (69) gives (70), presumably via an intermediate salt (71), reaction with the cyclic compound... 

Acid Chlorides. Acid chlorides can be made from the corresponding fatty acids by treatment with phosphorus halides. When liquid carboxylic acids are reacted, the phosphorus halide, PCU or POCU, may be added gradually. If the acid does not react energetically, as in the case of the higher members of the acetic acid series or with aromatic carboxylic acids, phosphorus pentachloride is used. The reactions may be represented as follows ... 

Other reactions of carboxylic acids include the formation of esters and the reaction with phosphorus(V) chloride to form acyl halides. 

The reaction of carboxylic acid amides with phosphorus pentachloride, to yield compounds I and II, was investigated extensively by Wallach and his students in 1876-1882, and later by v. Braun, who utilized this reaction to degrade secondary amines to ammonia. The highly reactive imidoyl chlorides have been used, especially by v. Braun, as synthetic tools to produce a variety of compounds which could not easily be synthesized by other procedures. However, imidoyl chlorides never made the headlines in synthetic organic chemistry, most likely because of the inherent difficulty involved in handling these highly reactive compounds. 

Acid chlorides are prepared from carboxylic acids by reaction with thionyl chloride (SOCl2), as we saw in the previous section. Similar reaction of a carboxylic acid with phosphorus tribromide (PB ) yields the acid bromide. 

The traditional method for transforming carboxylic acids into reactive acylating agents capable of converting alcohols to esters or amines to amides is by formation of the acyl chloride. Molecules devoid of acid-sensitive functional groups can be converted to acyl chlorides with thionyl chloride or phosphorus pentachloride. When milder conditions are necessary, the reaction of the acid or its sodium salt with oxalyl chloride provides the acyl chloride. When a salt is used, the reaction solution remains essentially neutral. 

Pyridine and quinoline /V-oxides react with phosphorus oxychloride or sulfuryl chloride to form mixtures of the corresponding a- and y-chloropyridines. The reaction sequence involves first formation of a nucleophilic complex (e.g. 270), then attack of chloride ions on this, followed by rearomatization (see also Section 3.2.3.12.5) involving the loss of the /V-oxide oxygen. Treatment of pyridazine 1-oxides with phosphorus oxychloride also results in an a-chlorination with respect to the /V-oxide groups with simultaneous deoxygenation. If the a-position is blocked substitution occurs at the y-position. Thionyl chloride chlorinates the nucleus of certain pyridine carboxylic acids, e.g. picolinic acid — (271), probably by a similar mechanism. 

---