Quaternary ammonium hydrogen sulphates

Because of their high lipophobic character, compared with other ammonium salts, quaternary ammonium hydroxides are not readily prepared by liquidrliquid anion exchange. Only with quaternary ammonium hydrogen sulphates is it possible to transfer the ammonium hydroxide into the organic phase in any viable degree of concentration [30] and this procedure remains the cheapest and simplest procedure. Other methods include treatment of quaternary ammonium halides with silver oxide [31] and by anion exchange using polymer bound hydroxide [e.g. 32]. 

Quaternary ammonium hydrogen difluorides KHF2 (7.8 g, O.l mol) is added to the quaternary ammonium hydrogen sulphate (O.l mol), neutralized with KHCOj (10 g), in CHClj (500 ml) and H20 (25 ml) and the mixture is stirred at room temperature for ca. 

Tetra-n-butylammonium cyanoborohydride has been prepared by metathesis from the quaternary ammonium hydrogen sulphate and sodium cyanoborohydride. Other tetraalkylammonium cyanoborohydrides have also been synthesized [10]. 

In contrast, liquidiliquid phase-transfer catalysis is virtually ineffective for the conversion of a-bromoacetamides into aziridones (a-lactams). Maximum yields of only 17-23% have been reported [31, 32], using tetra-n-butylammonium hydrogen sulphate or benzyltriethylammonium bromide over a reaction time of 4-6 days. It is significant that a solidiliquid two-phase system, using solid potassium hydroxide in the presence of 18-crown-6 produces the aziridones in 50-94% yield [33], but there are no reports of the corresponding quaternary ammonium ion catalysed reaction. Under the liquidiliquid two-phase conditions, the major product of the reaction is the piperazine-2,5-dione, resulting from dimerization of the bromoacetamide [34, 38]. However, only moderate yields are isolated and a polymer-supported catalyst appears to provide the best results [34, 38], Significant side reactions result from nucleophilic displacement by the aqueous base to produce hydroxyamides and ethers. 

The metal-catalysed autoxidation of alkenes to produce ketones (Wacker reaction) is promoted by the presence of quaternary ammonium salts [14]. For example, using copper(II) chloride and palladium(II) chloride in benzene in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, 1-decene is converted into 2-decanone (73%), 1,7-octadiene into 2,7-octadione (77%) and vinylcyclohexane into cyclo-hexylethanone (22%). Benzyltriethylammonium chloride and tetra-n-butylammo-nium hydrogen sulphate are ineffective catalysts. It has been suggested that the process is not micellar, although the catalysts have the characteristics of those which produce micelles. The Wacker reaction is also catalysed by rhodium and ruthenium salts in the presence of a quaternary ammonium salt. Generally, however, the yields are lower than those obtained using the palladium catalyst and, frequently, several oxidation products are obtained from each reaction [15]. 

Hydrophilic molecules are composed of ions (such as sulphonate, sulphate, carboxylate, phosphate and quaternary ammonium), polar groups (such as primary amines, amine oxides, sulphoxides and phosphine oxide) and non-polar groups with electronegative atoms (such as oxygen atom in ethers, aldehydes, amides, esters and ketones and nitrogen atoms in amides, nitroalkanes and amines). These molecules associate with the hydrogen bonding network in water. 

The primary and secondary amines yield tertiary amines (RNMe2, R2NMe) by catalytic reaction with formaldehyde. These are used as corrosion inhibitors, fuel oil additives, bacteriacides and fungicides or are converted to amine oxides by reaction with hydrogen peroxide or to quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) by reaction with methyl chloride (or sulphate) or benzyl... 

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