Polar media, metal carbonyl

Consequently, in the early work with hydridosilicon derivatives, diethyl ether was normally used in the case of very volatile products, dimethyl ether offered some practical advantages. It was tacitly assumed that a polar solvent was essential in order to dissolve, at least partly, the transition-metal carbonyl derivative. More recently, however, it has become clear that alkanes, although nonpolar, provide a very suitable reaction medium, and can be used in cases where ethers, for example, are inimical to the products (8, 32, 306, 310). The hydrocarbon, besides acting as a diluent for the silicon halide, seems to assist the separation of alkali halide from the surface of the reacting transition-metal carbonyl salt. 

Most metal enolates are generated by transmetalation from Li enoiates. However, Ti-enolates can be formed by action of TiCiyz -PrjNEt on carbonyl confounds [404,1042] and Zr-enolates can be generated by similar reactions with Zr(0-/ert-Bu)4 [1245], Lithium E-endates are obtained by deprotonation of ketones or esters with a branched Li-amide (LDA, LICA, LOB A, LTMP) in a weakly polar medium (THF or THF-hexane), while Z-enolates are formed by using LDA or LHMDS in the presence of HMPA or DPMU [1016], Tertiary amides always give Z-endates, and difunctionalized derivatives such as Evans s oxazolidinones 5.30 and 5.31 are chelated to the metal prior to enolization. 

This intricate behaviour was reflected in the competitive carbonylation of the methyl and ethyl radicals when EtI + MeOH and Mel + EtOH mixtures were reacted. Ethyl acetate but also trace methyl acetate were produced. No ethyl propionate was detected on the one hand and essentially methyl acetate and lower amounts of propionic acid, methyl propionate and ethyl acetate were formed (25) using rhodium zeolites indicating that various exchange reactions were proceeding with high enough rates so as to result in a different effective feed composition. These side reactions reveal the importance of the polarity of the medium as well as the nature of the transition metal. 

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