Pyridine substitution, catalysis

Highly efficient rhodium-catalyzed direct arylations were accomplished through the use of 2,2, 6,6 -tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl (TEMPO) as terminal oxidant [17]. Thereby, a variety of pyridine-substituted arenes was regioselectively functionalized with aromatic boronic acids (Scheme 9.5). However, in order for efficient catalysis to proceed, 4equiv. of TEMPO were required. The use of molecular oxygen as terminal oxidant yielded, unfortunately, only unsatisfactory results under otherwise identical reaction conditions. However, a variety of easily available boronic acids could be employed as arylating reagents. 

The importance of metal catalysis is suggested by the fact that exclusive 4-substitution of pyridine with alkyllithiums or alkyl-magnesium halides occurs when free metal is present exclusive 2-substitution otherwise occurs. 

Bifunctional catalysis in nucleophilic aromatic substitution was first observed by Bitter and Zollinger34, who studied the reaction of cyanuric chloride with aniline in benzene. This reaction was not accelerated by phenols or y-pyridone but was catalyzed by triethylamine and pyridine and by bifunctional catalysts such as a-pyridone and carboxylic acids. The carboxylic acids did not function as purely electrophilic reagents, since there was no relationship between catalytic efficiency and acid strength, acetic acid being more effective than chloracetic acid, which in turn was a more efficient catalyst than trichloroacetic acid. For catalysis by the carboxylic acids Bitter and Zollinger proposed the transition state depicted by H. 

The interesting complex chemistry of rhodium has been rather neglected this is probably because most of the synthetic methods for obtaining complexes have been tedious. In general, substitutions of chlorine atoms bonded to rhodium by other ligands are slow, and products have usually been mixtures. The situation is now changing, since novel catalytic approaches to rhodium complexes have been developed.1 The catalysis in the present synthesis involves the rapid further reaction of the hydrido complex formed from l,2,6-trichIorotri(pyridine)rho-dium(III) in the presence of hypophosphite ion. 

Moderate to good enantioselectivities were obtained for nearly all examples, but the products from 83a-c could be recrystallized to higher enantiomeric purity. Addition of iodine was critical for catalysis as was the use of a ligand with electron-poor para-fluorophenyl groups on the phosphorous atom. Substitution at the 3 position of the pyridine ring was described as being difficult for both the quinolines and pyridine systems. The resulting hydrazine derivatives could be easily converted to piperdines by reduction with Raney nickel or under Birch conditions. 

The general chemistry of acylpyridinium salts (181) and their role in the nucleophilic catalysis by pyridine of carbonyl substitution reactions have been reviewed and compared with the role of acylammonium salts (182). ... 

There are many reactions in which pyridines are used as bases. However in a large number of reactions only pyridine itself is reactive. a-Substituted pyridines behave differently, e.g. in the catalysis of acylation reactions with acyl chlorides or anhydrides [45]. The sterical hinderance of the a-substituents decelerates reactions in which a pyridine reacts as a nucleophile. A reaction which can be base-catalyzed by a-substituted pyridines is the addition of alcohols to hetero-cumulenes such as ketenes and isocyanates. Therefore this reaction was investigated as a model reaction for base catalysis by concave pyridines. 

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