Solvents, protic

Solvents can be differentiated according to the availability of dissociable hydrogen atoms attached to a more electronegative atom. Protic solvents readily form hydrogen bonds and can stabilize cations by electron pair donation and anions via hydrogen bonding. Examples include water, alcohols, carboxylic acids, ammonia, and amines. 

The common protic solvents for electrochemistry are water and the lower alcohols such as methanol and ethanol. All protic solvents are prone to proton reduction to yield hydrogen gas, and they are used for reductive electrochemistry only with electrodes such as mercury or carbon for which proton reduction is kinetically slow, or in circumstances where a species of interest is added with the intent that it be protonated or that it reacts with solvent in a desired way. Of course, much electrochanistry is performed in water due to its ubiquity in the natural world and its excellence as a solvent for salts. 

Properties of some commonly used solvents in electrochemistry (6) 

Common name Molecular weight (g mol ) Freezing point (°C) Boiling Density point (°C) (g cm ) Viscosity (centipoise) Dielectric constant (DC) Dipole moment 

Note Superscript numbers represents the temperature, in degree Celsius, at which the density was measured. 

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In a Lewis-acid catalysed Diels-Alder reaction, the first step is coordination of the catalyst to a Lewis-basic site of the reactant. In a typical catalysed Diels-Alder reaction, the carbonyl oxygen of the dienophile coordinates to the Lewis acid. The most common solvents for these processes are inert apolar liquids such as dichloromethane or benzene. Protic solvents, and water in particular, are avoided because of their strong interactions wifti the catalyst and the reacting system. Interestingly, for other catalysed reactions such as hydroformylations the same solvents do not give problems. This paradox is a result of the difference in hardness of the reactants and the catalyst involved... 

An interesting case are the a,/i-unsaturated ketones, which form carbanions, in which the negative charge is delocalized in a 5-centre-6-electron system. Alkylation, however, only occurs at the central, most nucleophilic position. This regioselectivity has been utilized by Woodward (R.B. Woodward, 1957 B.F. Mundy, 1972) in the synthesis of 4-dialkylated steroids. This reaction has been carried out at high temperature in a protic solvent. Therefore it yields the product, which is formed from the most stable anion (thermodynamic control). In conjugated enones a proton adjacent to the carbonyl group, however, is removed much faster than a y-proton. If the same alkylation, therefore, is carried out in an aprotic solvent, which does not catalyze tautomerizations, and if the temperature is kept low, the steroid is mono- or dimethylated at C-2 in comparable yield (L. Nedelec, 1974). 

Solvent Effects on the Rate of Substitution by the S 2 Mechanism Polar solvents are required m typical bimolecular substitutions because ionic substances such as the sodium and potassium salts cited earlier m Table 8 1 are not sufficiently soluble m nonpolar solvents to give a high enough concentration of the nucleophile to allow the reaction to occur at a rapid rate Other than the requirement that the solvent be polar enough to dis solve ionic compounds however the effect of solvent polarity on the rate of 8 2 reactions IS small What is most important is whether or not the polar solvent is protic or aprotic Water (HOH) alcohols (ROH) and carboxylic acids (RCO2H) are classified as polar protic solvents they all have OH groups that allow them to form hydrogen bonds... 

Protic solvent (Section 8 12) A solvent that has easily ex changeable protons especially protons bonded to oxygen as in hydroxyl groups... 

The zwitterion (6) can react with protic solvents to produce a variety of products. Reaction with water yields a transient hydroperoxy alcohol (10) that can dehydrate to a carboxyUc acid or spHt out H2O2 to form a carbonyl compound (aldehyde or ketone, R2CO). In alcohoHc media, the product is an isolable hydroperoxy ether (11) that can be hydrolyzed or reduced (with (CH O) or (CH2)2S) to a carbonyl compound. Reductive amination of (11) over Raney nickel produces amides and amines (64). Reaction of the zwitterion with a carboxyUc acid to form a hydroperoxy ester (12) is commercially important because it can be oxidized to other acids, RCOOH and R COOH. Reaction of zwitterion with HCN produces a-hydroxy nitriles that can be hydrolyzed to a-hydroxy carboxyUc acids. Carboxylates are obtained with H2O2/OH (65). The zwitterion can be reduced during the course of the reaction by tetracyanoethylene to produce its epoxide (66). 

Thickeners. Thickeners are added to remover formulas to increase the viscosity which allows the remover to cling to vertical surfaces. Natural and synthetic polymers are used as thickeners. They are generally dispersed and then caused to swell by the addition of a protic solvent or by adjusting the pH of the remover. When the polymer swells, it causes the viscosity of the mixture to increase. Viscosity is controlled by the amount of thickener added. Common thickeners used in organic removers include hydroxypropylmethylceUulose [9004-65-3], hydroxypropylceUulose [9004-64-2], hydroxyethyl cellulose, and poly(acryHc acid) [9003-01-4]. Thickeners used in aqueous removers include acryHc polymers and latex-type polymers. Some thickeners are not stable in very acidic or very basic environments, so careful selection is important. 

Most ozonolysis reaction products are postulated to form by the reaction of the 1,3-zwitterion with the extmded carbonyl compound in a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction to produce stable 1,2,4-trioxanes (ozonides) (17) as shown with itself (dimerization) to form cycHc diperoxides (4) or with protic solvents, such as alcohols, carboxyUc acids, etc, to form a-substituted alkyl hydroperoxides. The latter can form other peroxidic products, depending on reactants, reaction conditions, and solvent. 

Aluminum chloride dissolves readily in chlorinated solvents such as chloroform, methylene chloride, and carbon tetrachloride. In polar aprotic solvents, such as acetonitrile, ethyl ether, anisole, nitromethane, and nitrobenzene, it dissolves forming a complex with the solvent. The catalytic activity of aluminum chloride is moderated by these complexes. Anhydrous aluminum chloride reacts vigorously with most protic solvents, such as water and alcohols. The ability to catalyze alkylation reactions is lost by complexing aluminum chloride with these protic solvents. However, small amounts of these "procatalysts" can promote the formation of catalyticaHy active aluminum chloride complexes. 

Alkali moderation of supported precious metal catalysts reduces secondary amine formation and generation of ammonia (18). Ammonia in the reaction medium inhibits Rh, but not Ru precious metal catalyst. More secondary amine results from use of more polar protic solvents, CH OH > C2H5OH > Lithium hydroxide is the most effective alkah promoter (19), reducing secondary amine formation and hydrogenolysis. The general order of catalyst procUvity toward secondary amine formation is Pt > Pd Ru > Rh (20). Rhodium s catalyst support contribution to secondary amine formation decreases ia the order carbon > alumina > barium carbonate > barium sulfate > calcium carbonate. 

Since IR spectra are essentially due to vibrational transitions, many substituents with single bonds or isolated double bonds give rise to characteristic absorption bands within a limited frequency range in contrast, the absorption due to conjugated multiple bonds is usually not characteristic and cannot be ascribed to any particular grouping. Thus IR spectra afford reference data for identification of pyrimidines, for the identification of certain attached groups and as an aid in studying qualitatively the tautomerism (if any) of pyrimidinones, pyrimidinethiones and pyrimidinamines in the solid state or in non-protic solvents (see Section 2.13.1.8). 

The problem of tautomerism is simpler in the case of 1-substituted pyrazolin-3-ones since only two forms, the OH (140a) and the NH (140b), are possible. The OH form is the more stable and is the only one present in the crystal (Section 4.04.1.3.1). In protic solvents, like water or methanol, the equilibrium position is much more evenly balanced between the OH and NH forms. Finally, 4-hydroxypyrazoles (141) exist as such. A CNDO/2 calculation justifies the result that 4-hydroxy tautomers are relatively more stable than... 

The idea of kinetic versus thermodynamic control can be illustrated by discussing briefly the case of formation of enolate anions from unsymmetrical ketones. This is a very important matter for synthesis and will be discussed more fully in Chapter 1 of Part B. Most ketones, highly symmetric ones being the exception, can give rise to more than one enolate. Many studies have shown tiiat the ratio among the possible enolates that are formed depends on the reaction conditions. This can be illustrated for the case of 3-methyl-2-butanone. If the base chosen is a strong, sterically hindered one and the solvent is aptotic, the major enolate formed is 3. If a protic solvent is used or if a weaker base (one comparable in basicity to the ketone enolate) is used, the dominant enolate is 2. Enolate 3 is the kinetic enolate whereas 2 is the thermodynamically favored enolate. 

Most organic reactions are done in solution, and it is therefore important to recognize some of the ways in which solvent can affect the course and rates of reactions. Some of the more common solvents can be roughly classified as in Table 4.10 on the basis of their structure and dielectric constant. There are important differences between protic solvents—solvents fliat contain relatively mobile protons such as those bonded to oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur—and aprotic solvents, in which all hydrogens are bound to carbon. Similarly, polar solvents, those fliat have high dielectric constants, have effects on reaction rates that are different from those of nonpolar solvent media. 

In fee absence of fee solvation typical of protic solvents, fee relative nucleophilicity of anions changes. Hard nucleophiles increase in reactivity more than do soft nucleophiles. As a result, fee relative reactivity order changes. In methanol, for example, fee relative reactivity order is N3 > 1 > CN > Br > CP, whereas in DMSO fee order becomes CN > N3 > CP > Br > P. In mefeanol, fee reactivity order is dominated by solvent effects, and fee more weakly solvated N3 and P ions are fee most reactive nucleophiles. The iodide ion is large and very polarizable. The anionic charge on fee azide ion is dispersed by delocalization. When fee effect of solvation is diminished in DMSO, other factors become more important. These include fee strength of fee bond being formed, which would account for fee reversed order of fee halides in fee two series. There is also evidence fiiat S( 2 transition states are better solvated in protic dipolar solvents than in protic solvents. 

For the other broad category of reaction conditions, the reaction proceeds under conditions of thermodynamic control. This can result from several factors. Aldol condensations can be effected for many compounds using less than a stoichiometric amount of base. Under these conditions, the aldol reaction is reversible, and the product ratio will be determined by the relative stability of the various possible products. Conditions of thermodynamic control also permit equilibration among all the enolates of the nucleophile. The conditions that permit equilibration include higher reaction temperatures, protic solvents, and the use of less tightly coordinating cations. 

The predominant, if not exclusive, formation of 5/7-fused hydroxy ketones was observed in the case of 4-alkylated dienones [(204) (205) (R = CH3) 6 1 from (201) (R = CH3)] ° and of prednisone 21-acetate [(206)-> (207)]. It appears therefore likely that intermediates which represent the conjugate acids of the postulated zwitterionic intermediates in the dienone photoisomerizations [c/. (202), (203)] participate both in the acid-catalyzed transformations of (200) and in the dienone photochemistry in protic solvents. 

The acetoxy dienone (218) gives phenol (220). Here, an alternative primary photoreaction competes effectively with the dienone 1,5-bonding expulsion of the lOjS-acetoxy substituent and hydrogen uptake from the solvent (dioxane). In the case of the hydroxy analog (219) the two paths are balanced and products from both processes, phenol (220) and diketone (222), are isolated. In the formation of the spiro compound (222) rupture of the 1,10-bond in the dipolar intermediate (221) predominates over the normal electron transmission in aprotic solvents from the enolate moiety via the three-membered ring to the electron-deficient carbon. While in protic solvents and in 10-methyl compounds this process is inhibited by the protonation of the enolate system in the dipolar intermediate [cf. (202), (203)], proton elimination from the tertiary hydroxy group in (221) could reverse the efficiencies of the two oxygens as electron sources. 

Reductive cleavages of carbon-chlorine bonds by active metals and with photochemical activation figure in recent studies aimed at HFCs and HCFCs Sodium amalgam [3J] (equation 25), zinc powder [34] (equation 26), and alumi-mun/tin chloride [35] (equation 26) are all used in conjunction with protic solvents in reactions giving high yields and conversions... 

Water (HOH), alcohols (ROH), and carboxylic acids (RC02FI) are classified as polar protic solvents they all have OH groups that allow them to for-rn hydrogen bonds... 

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