Potassium crown ethers

All alkali and ammonium DNM salts have been prepared and characterized. Solid state structures of the potassium, cesium, tetramethylammonium and a potassium crown-ether complex of DNM are available . 

All 1,2-oligosilyl dipotassium compounds studied were found to acquire an approximate trans conformation of the potassium-crown ether moieties, but only 3b was found to adopt an exact trans conformation [9], Although 3b can acquire both a meso- and a rac-type configuration, only the meso form was found to exist in the crystal. 

By far the most frequently used method is the deprotonation with potassium tert-butoxide, which gives the potassium salts in nearly quantitative yields. The method seems to be usable for any bis(chalcogenophosphinyl and -phosphoryl)imide and has been employed for a broad diversity of derivatives, regardless of the nature of the chalcogen.2,26,30,33,36-38,49,89,91,99 If the salts are needed for further use in reactions with metal halides to form complexes, the potassium salt can be used in situ, without isolation, e.g., with zinc(II) chloride or palladium and platinum chloro complexes.41,43 Potassium metal in THF also forms the salt K[SPh2PNPPh2S] in 82% yield, 38 but the method is not practical for preparative purposes. Potassium-crown ether complexes, [K(18-crown-6)][Q1Ph2PNPPh2Q1] with Q1 = O,92 Q1 = S,93 and Q1 = Se,98 have been prepared by direct complexation of the potassium salt with the macrocyclic ligand. 

As an example, Fig. 12.3 depicts a Zn-porphyrin-potassium-crown-ether compound for which the coordination mode of the cyanide ligand could not be un-... 

Fig. 12.3. Top and side views of the CN isomer of the Zn-porphyrin-potassium-crown-ether compound discussed in the text.

Hitchcock PB, Lappert MF, Protchenko AV. The first crystalline alkali metal salt of a benzenoid radical anion without a stabilizing substituent and of a related dimer X-ray strucmres of the toluene radical anion and of the benzene radical anion dimer potassium-crown ether salts. Am Chem Soc. 2001 123 189-190. 

A relationship between At/ and the free energy of formation has been reported for potassium complexes with 11 hex-adentate crown ether ligands. In this study At/ values were calculated as the steric energy of the potassium-crown ether complex minus the steric energy of the crown ether ligand. The free energy of formation was linearly correlated with At/(r = 0.991) yielding the first quantitative structure-reactivity relationship for metal complexation by crown ethers. This study clearly demonstrates the concept that metal complex stability is influenced by steric strain and that this influence can be quantified with MM. 

Leigh D A, Moody A E, Wade F A, King T A, West D and Bahra G S 1995 Second harmonic generation from Langmuir-Blodgett films of fullerene-aza-crown ethers and their potassium ion complexes Langmuir 11 2334-6... 

The metal-ion complexmg properties of crown ethers are clearly evident m their effects on the solubility and reactivity of ionic compounds m nonpolar media Potassium fluoride (KF) is ionic and practically insoluble m benzene alone but dissolves m it when 18 crown 6 is present This happens because of the electron distribution of 18 crown 6 as shown m Figure 16 2a The electrostatic potential surface consists of essentially two regions an electron rich interior associated with the oxygens and a hydrocarbon like exterior associated with the CH2 groups When KF is added to a solution of 18 crown 6 m benzene potassium ion (K ) interacts with the oxygens of the crown ether to form a Lewis acid Lewis base complex As can be seen m the space filling model of this... 

In media such as water and alcohols fluoride ion is strongly solvated by hydro gen bonding and is neither very basic nor very nucleophilic On the other hand the poorly solvated or naked fluoride 10ns that are present when potassium fluoride dis solves m benzene m the presence of a crown ether are better able to express their anionic reactivity Thus alkyl halides react with potassium fluoride m benzene containing 18 crown 6 thereby providing a method for the preparation of otherwise difficultly acces sible alkyl fluorides... 

The macrocychc hexaimine stmcture of Figure 19a forms a homodinuclear cryptate with Cu(I) (122), whereas crown ether boron receptors (Fig. 19b) have been appHed for the simultaneous and selective recognition of complementary cation—anion species such as potassium and fluoride (123) or ammonium and alkoxide ions (124) to yield a heterodinuclear complex (120). 

The unsaturation present at the end of the polyether chain acts as a chain terminator ia the polyurethane reaction and reduces some of the desired physical properties. Much work has been done ia iadustry to reduce unsaturation while continuing to use the same reactors and hoi ding down the cost. In a study (102) usiag 18-crown-6 ether with potassium hydroxide to polymerise PO, a rate enhancement of approximately 10 was found at 110°C and slightly higher at lower temperature. The activation energy for this process was found to be 65 kj/mol (mol ratio, r = 1.5 crown ether/KOH) compared to 78 kj/mol for the KOH-catalysed polymerisation of PO. It was also feasible to prepare a PPO with 10, 000 having narrow distribution at 40°C with added crown ether (r = 1.5) (103). The polymerisation rate under these conditions is about the same as that without crown ether at 80°C. 

The crown ethers and cryptates are able to complex the alkaU metals very strongly (38). AppHcations of these agents depend on the appreciable solubihty of the chelates in a wide range of solvents and the increase in activity of the co-anion in nonaqueous systems. For example, potassium hydroxide or permanganate can be solubiHzed in benzene [71 -43-2] hy dicyclohexano-[18]-crown-6 [16069-36-6]. In nonpolar solvents the anions are neither extensively solvated nor strongly paired with the complexed cation, and they behave as naked or bare anions with enhanced activity. Small amounts of the macrocycHc compounds can serve as phase-transfer agents, and they may be more effective than tetrabutylammonium ion for the purpose. The cost of these macrocycHc agents limits industrial use. 

Alkali Metal Catalysts. The polymerization of isoprene with sodium metal was reported in 1911 (49,50). In hydrocarbon solvent or bulk, the polymerization of isoprene with alkaU metals occurs heterogeneously, whereas in highly polar solvents the polymerization is homogeneous (51—53). Of the alkah metals, only lithium in bulk or hydrocarbon solvent gives over 90% cis-1,4 microstmcture. Sodium or potassium metals in / -heptane give no cis-1,4 microstmcture, and 48—58 mol % /ram-1,4, 35—42% 3,4, and 7—10% 1,2 microstmcture (46). Alkali metals in benzene or tetrahydrofuran with crown ethers form solutions that readily polymerize isoprene however, the 1,4 content of the polyisoprene is low (54). For example, the polyisoprene formed with sodium metal and dicyclohexyl-18-crown-6 (crown ether) in benzene at 10°C contains 32% 1,4-, 44% 3,4-, and 24% 1,2-isoprene units (54). 

The reactions of oxiranes with thiocyanate ion or with thiourea are usually done in homogeneous solution in water, alcohols or alcohol-acetic acid. The use of silica gel as a support for potassium thiocyanate in toluene solvent is advantageous for the simple work-up (filtration and evaporation of solvent) (80JOC4254). A crown ether has been used to catalyze reactions of potassium thiocyanate. 

Rate differences observed between the same bromophenylcarbene (241) when prepared by two different routes, diazirine photolysis and the reaction of benzylidene dibromide with potassium r-butoxide, vanish when a crown ether is added to the basic solution in the latter experiment. In this case the complexing potassium bromide is taken over by the crown ether, and selectivity towards alkenes reaches the values of the photolytic runs (74JA5632). 

When added to nonpolar solvents, the crown ethers increase the solubility of ionic materials. For example, in the presence of 18-crown-6, potassium fluoride is soluble in benzene and acts as a reactive nucleophile ... 

In the absence of die polyether, potassium fluoride is insoluble in benzene and unreactive toward alkyl halides. Similar enhancement of solubility and reactivity of other salts is observed in the presence of crown ethers The solubility and reactivity enhancement result because the ionic compound is dissociated to a tightly complexed cation and a naked anion. Figure 4.13 shows the tight coordination that can be achieved with a typical crown ether. The complexed cation, because it is surrounded by the nonpolar crown ether, has high solubility in the nonpolar media. To maintain electroneutrality, the anion is also transported into the solvent. The cation is shielded from interaction with the anion as a... 

Recently, Okahara and his co-workers have investigated a variety of one-pot crown ether syntheses which are referred to in Sects. 3.4, 4.3, 5.4. During the course of these investigations, they examined the temperature dependence of the cyclization yield . Using either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide and forming 15-crown-5, 18-crown-6 and 21-crown-7, an attempt was made to correlate yield and reaction temperature. For most of the reactions, yield was recorded over the range from 20 ° — 120 °C... 

Timko and Cram were the first to prepare true crown ethers containing the furanyl subcyclic unit ° . Destructive distillation of sucrose yielded 2-hydroxymethyl-5-formyl-furan 7 in 41% yield. This could be reduced to the corresponding diol in 91% yield by treatment with sodium borohydride. Reaction of the diol with tetraethylene glycol dito-sylate, and potassium t-butoxide in THE solution afforded the crown in 36% yield. The approach is illustrated below as Eq. (3.26). 

Frensch and Vdgtle have recently appended three crown ether units to the cyclo-triveratrylene unit . Note that Hyatt had previously prepared the open-chained relatives of this structure (see Sect. 7.3 and Eq. 7.6). Whereas Hyatt prepared the cyclo-triveratrylene skeleton and then appended polyethyleneoxy arms to it, Frensch and Vogtle conducted the condensation reaction (formaldehyde/HCl) on the preformed benzocrown. Thus benzo-15-crown-5 was converted into the corresponding tris-crown (IS) (mp 203.5—205.5°) in 4% yield. The yield was somewhat higher for the condensation of benzo-18-crown-6, but in both cases, yield ranges were observed. These species formed 1 3 (ligand/salt) complexes with sodium and potassium ions. 

In specific applications to phase transfer catalysis, Knbchel and his coworkers compared crown ethers, aminopolyethers, cryptands, octopus molecules ( krakenmole-kiile , see below) and open-chained polyether compounds. They determined yields per unit time for reactions such as that between potassium acetate and benzyl chloride in acetonitrile solution. As expected, the open-chained polyethers were inferior to their cyclic counterparts, although a surprising finding was that certain aminopolyethers were superior to the corresponding crowns. 

Difluoromethoxy-2-chloro-l,l,l-trifluoroethane and potassium fluoride produce 2-difluoromethoxy-1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane [50] The yield of the latter reaction is improved by adding a phase transfer catalyst or crown ether, tetra-methylammonium chlonde, tetrabutylammonium chloride, or 18-crown-6 with a solvent like sulfolane can be used for this purpose [5/] (equation 32)... 

Crown ether 18-crown-6 plays a role in the generation of phenylfluoro-carbene by 1,1-dehydrobromination of a-bromo-a-fluorotoluene with potassium terl-butoxide [i] (equation 3)... 

Figure 4.11 Molecular structures of typical crown-ether complexes with alkali metal cations (a) sodium-water-benzo-I5-crown-5 showing pentagonal-pyramidal coordination of Na by 6 oxygen atoms (b) 18-crown-6-potassium-ethyl acetoacetate enolate showing unsymmelrical coordination of K by 8 oxygen atoms and (c) the RbNCS ion pair coordinated by dibenzo-I8-crown-6 to give seven-fold coordination about Rb.

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