Reaction with acetylide ions

Ketones react with acetylide ion (Section 8.7) to give alcohols. For example, the reaction of sodium acetylide with 2-butauone yields 3-methy -l-pentyn-3-ol ... 

All four syntheses in this problem begin with the same reaction of benzyl bromide with acetylide ion ... 

THE REACTIONS OF CARBONYL COMPOUNDS WITH ACETYLIDE IONS... 

Reaction of carbonyl compounds with acetylide ions (Section 17.5). The mechanism is shown on page 801. 

The properties of organometallic compounds are much different from those of the other classes we have studied to this point Most important many organometallic com pounds are powerful sources of nucleophilic carbon something that makes them espe cially valuable to the synthetic organic chemist For example the preparation of alkynes by the reaction of sodium acetylide with alkyl halides (Section 9 6) depends on the presence of a negatively charged nucleophilic carbon m acetylide ion... 

The acetylide anion 3 is likely to form an alkynyl-copper complex by reaction with the cupric salt. By electron transfer the copper-II ion is reduced, while the acetylenic ligands dimerize to yield the -acetylene 2 ... 

We won t study the details of this substitution reaction until Chapter 11 but for now can picture it as happening by the pathway shown in Figure 8.6. The nucleophilic acetylide ion uses an electron pair to form a bond to the positively polarized, electrophilic carbon atom of bromomethane. As the new C-C bond forms, Br- departs, taking with it the electron pair from the former C-Br bond and yielding propyne as product. We call such a reaction an alkylation because a new alkyl group has become attached to the starting alkyne. 

The alkylation reaction is limited to the use of primary alkyl bromides and alkyl iodides because acetylide ions are sufficiently strong bases to cause dehydrohalogenation instead of substitution when they react with secondary and tertiary alkyl halides. For example, reaction of bromocyclohexane with propyne anion yields the elimination product cyclohexene rather than the substitution product 1-propynylcyclohexane. 

This reaction shows that the methide ion is a very strong Bmnsted base. The species C22 is the acetylide ion, and the carbides that contain it are called acetylides. The acetylide ion is also a strong Bronsted base, and acctylides react with water to produce ethyne (acetylene) and the corresponding hydroxide. Calcium carbide, CaC2, is the most common saline carbide. 

The acetylide ion, C/, is isoelectronic with N2, CO, and CN. The reaction producing acetylene from calcium carbide can be shown as... 

C. In liquid ammonia the reaction with epoxybutane would be slower than in the case of oxiiane. However, the most important effect of the replacement of the NH3 by DMSO is, that the specific solvatarion of the metal ion by DMSO facilitates attack of the acetylide on the ring. The presence of this solvent does not give rise to difficulties during the aqueous woik-up of alcohols with a longer carbon chain (compare exp. 23). 

Solvent for Displacement Reactions. As the most polar of the common aprotic solvents, DMSO is a favored solvent for displacement reactions because of its high dielectric constant and because anions are less solvated in it (87). Rates for these reactions are sometimes a thousand times faster in DMSO than in alcohols. Suitable nucleophiles include acetylide ion, alkoxide ion, hydroxide ion, azide ion, carbanions, carboxylate ions, cyanide ion, halide ions, mercaptide ions, phenoxide ions, nitrite ions, and thiocyanate ions (31). Rates of displacement by amides or amines are also greater in DMSO than in alcohol or aqueous solutions. Dimethyl sulfoxide is used as the reaction solvent in the manufacture of high performance, polyaryl ether polymers by reaction of bis(4,4,-chlorophenyl) sulfone with the disodium salts of dihydroxyphenols, eg, bisphenol A or 4,4,-sulfonylbisphenol (88). These and related reactions are made more economical by efficient recycling of DMSO (89). Nucleophilic displacement of activated aromatic nitro groups with aryloxy anion in DMSO is a versatile and useful reaction for the synthesis of aromatic ethers and polyethers (90). 

Some carhon-carbon bond forming reactions with carbon nucleophiles cyanide ion, acetylide ion and Grignard reagents. 

Fluonnated ylides have also been prepared in such a way that fluorine is incorporated at the carbon p to the carbamomc carbon Various fluoroalkyl iodides were heated with tnphenylphosphine in the absence of solvent to form the necessary phosphonium salts Direct deprotonation with butyllithium or lithium dusopropy-lamide did not lead to y hde formation, rather, deprotonation was accompanied by loss of fluonde ion However deprotonation with hydrated potassium carbonate in dioxane was successful and resulted in fluoroolefin yields of45-80% [59] (equation 54) p-Fluorinated ylides may also be prepared by the reaction of an isopropyli-denetnphenylphosphine yhde with a perfluoroalkanoyl anhydride The intermediate acyl phosphonium salt can undergo further reaction with methylene tnphenylphosphorane and phenyllithium to form a new ylide, which can then be used in a Wittig olefination procedure [60] (equation 55) or can react with a nucleophile [61] such as an acetylide to form a fluonnated enyne [62] (equation 56)... 

Acetylide ions have also been reported as unreactive in SrnI reactions with aryl45 and heteroaryl134 halides. 

B-6. Which of the following produces a significant amount of acetylide ion on reaction with acetylene ... 

The best route to this alcohol is through reaction of an acetylide ion with ethylene oxide. 

A subtle, but important, point must be made before we can extend our understanding of acid-base chemistry to the reaction between a Grignard or alkyllithium reagent and a carbonyl group. The data in the table of Br /nsted acids and their conjugate bases reflect the strengths of common acids and bases when they act as Brif/nstedacids or bases. These data predict that methyllithium should react with acetylene to form methane and an acetylide ion, for example. 

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