Polar aprotic solvent effects

Synthesis of all these heterocycle activated polyethers is carried out in polar aprotic solvents, such as NMPs, by the K2CO3 method. The effective displacement reactions are reported at varied temperatures (140-190°C) and durations (3-24 h). 

The conductometric results of Meerwein et al. (1957 b) mentioned above demonstrate that, in contrast to other products of the coupling of nucleophiles to arenediazonium ions, the diazosulfones are characterized by a relatively weak and polarized covalent bond between the p-nitrogen and the nucleophilic atom of the nucleophile. This also becomes evident in the ambidentate solvent effects found in the thermal decomposition of methyl benzenediazosulfone by Kice and Gabrielson (1970). In apolar solvents such as benzene or diphenylmethane, they were able to isolate decomposition products arising via a mechanism involving homolytic dissociation of the N — S bond. In a polar, aprotic solvent (acetonitrile), however, the primary product was acetanilide. The latter is thought to arise via an initial hetero-lytic dissociation and reaction of the diazonium ion with the solvent (Scheme 6-11). 

There is a really strong solvent effect that greatly affects the competition between SnI and Sn2, and here it is polar aprotic solvents favor Sn2 reactions. So, what are polar aprotic solvents, and why do they favor Sn2 reactions ... 

The rate of alkylation of enolate ions is strongly dependent on the solvent in which the reaction is carried out.41 The relative rates of reaction of the sodium enolate of diethyl n-butylmalonate with n-butyl bromide are shown in Table 1.3. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and iV,Ai-dimethylformamide (DMF) are particularly effective in enhancing the reactivity of enolate ions. Both of these are polar aprotic solvents. Other... 

Fluoride ion catalyzes the hydrosilylation of both alkyl and aryl aldehydes to silyl ethers that can be easily hydrolyzed to the free alcohols by treatment with 1 M hydrogen chloride in methanol.320 The most effective sources of fluoride are TBAF and tris(diethylamino)sulfonium difluorotrimethylsilicate (TASF). Somewhat less effective are CsF and KF. Solvent effects are marked. The reactions are facilitated in polar, aprotic solvents such as hexamethylphosphortriamide (HMPA) or 1,3-dimethyl-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2(l //)-pyrirnidinone (DMPU), go moderately well in dimethylformamide, but do not proceed well in either tetrahydrofuran or dichloromethane. The solvent effects are dramatically illustrated in the reaction of undecanal and dimethylphenylsilane to produce undecyloxyphenyldimethylsi-lane. After one hour at room temperature with TBAF as the source of fluoride and a 10 mol% excess of silane, yields of 91% in HMPA, 89% in DMPU, 56% in dimethylformamide, 9% in tetrahydrofuran, and only 1% in dichloromethane are obtained (Eq. 164).320... 

Nozaki-Hiyama-Kishi (NHK) reactions215,216 are well known and often employed as a useful method for the synthesis of natural products by coupling of allyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, and aryl halides or triflates with aldehydes. The organochromium reagents are prepared from the corresponding halides or triflates and chromium(ll) chloride, and are employed in polar aprotic solvents (THF, DMF, DMSO, etc.). Subsequently, it was found that nickel salts exhibited a significant catalytic effect on the formation of the C-Cr bond217,218 (Equation (19)). 

Decomposition of sulfonyl azides was shown to be catalyzed by copper in 1967 (72, 73). In the presence of alkenes, the reaction provides both aziridines and the C-H insertion products, albeit in low yields (73). In 1991, Evans et al. (74, 75) illustrated that both Cu(I) and Cu(II) salts were effective catalysts for nitrenoid transfer from [A-(/Moluenesulfonyl)imino]phenyliodinane (PhI=NTs) to a variety of acceptor alkenes. In the absence of ancillary ligands, reactions proceed best in polar aprotic solvents such as acetonitrile. Similar results are observed using both Cu(MeCN)4C104 and Cu(acac)2 as precatalysts, Eq. 53. 

The choice of the solvent is critical, and both non-coordinating solvents or polar aprotic solvents such as DMF can lead to intractable product mixtures. Solvent effects and side-reactions in chromium carbene benzannulation reactions have been thoroughly investigated [207,333,334]. 

DMSO and /V, A- dime th y I fo nn a in i d c (DMF) are particularly effective in enhancing the reactivity of enolate ions, as Table 1.2 shows. Both of these compounds belong to the polar aprotic class of solvents. Other members of this class that are used as solvents in reactions between carbanions and alkyl halides include N-mcthyI pyrro I i donc (NMP) and hexamethylphosphoric triamide (HMPA). Polar aprotic solvents, as their name implies, are materials which have high dielectric constants but which lack hydroxyl groups or other... 

THF and DME are slightly polar solvents which are moderately good cation solvators. Coordination to the metal cation involves the oxygen lone pairs. These solvents, because of their lower dielectric constants, are less effective at separating ion pairs and higher aggregates than are the polar aprotic solvents. The crystal structures of the lithium and potassium enolates of methyl /-butyl ketone have been determined by X-ray crystal-... 

For adequate reaction rates, a high concentration of iodide anion is necessary. The cation portion of the salt appears to have little or no effect on catalytic activity or reaction selectivity. Inorganic iodides (such as potassium iodide) are the obvious first choice based on availability and cost. Unfortunately these catalysts have very poor solubility in the reaction mixture without added solubilizers or polar, aprotic solvents. These solubilizers (e.g., crown ethers) and solvents are not compatible with the desired catalyst recovery system using an alkane solvent. Quaternary onium iodides however combine the best properties of solubility and reactivity. 

Reactivity Structure of R Determining factor Nature of X Solvent effect on rate 3°>2°>r>CH, Stability of R RI > RBr > RCI > RF Rate increase in polar solvents CH,>1 >2 >3° Steric hindrance in R group RI > RBr > RCI > RF With Nu there is a large rate increase in polar aprotic solvents... 

They enable inorganic salts to be used in nonpolar solvents, a media with which salts are typically incompatible. (2) The cation of the salt is complexed in the center of the crown ether, leaving the anion bare and enhanced in reactivity. These effects of crown ethers are similar to those achieved with phase-transfer agents. The bare" anion is also present when polar aprotic solvents are used. 

Small anions are more strongly solvated than larger anions, and sometimes this can have an adverse effect. Certain anions, e.g. F , can be solvated so well in polar protic solvents that their nucleophilicity is reduced by the solvation. For efficient 8 2 reactions with small anions, it is usual to use polar aprotic solvents, which do not have any O—H or N—H bonds to form hydrogen bonds to the small anions. 

Effect of solvent on El vs. E2 vs. ElcB. With any reaction a more polar environment enhances the rate of mechanisms that involve ionic intermediates. For neutral leaving groups, it is expected that El and ElcB mechanisms will be aided by increasing polarity of solvent and by increasing ionic strength. With certain substrates, polar aprotic solvents promote elimination with weak bases (the E2C reaction). 

Effect of solvent on rate Rate increases with increasing polarity of solvent as measured by its dielectric constant e. (Section 8.12) Polar aprotic solvents give fastest rates of substitution solvation of Nu - is minimal and nudeophilicity is greatest. (Section 8.12)... 

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