Reactions of Alcohols with Phosphorus Halides

Several phosphorus halides are useful for converting alcohols to alkyl halides. Phosphorus tribromide, phosphorus trichloride, and phosphorus pentachloride work well and are commercially available. 

Phosphorus triiodide is not sufficiently stable to be stored, but it can be generated in situ (in the reaction mixture) by the reaction of phosphorus with iodine. 

The following examples show the conversion of primary and secondary alcohols to bromides and iodides by treatment with PBr3 and P/I2. 

Mechanism of the Reaction with Phosphorus Trihalides The mechanism of the reaction of alcohols with phosphorus trihalides explains why rearrangements are uncommon and why phosphorus halides work poorly with tertiary alcohols. The mechanism is shown here using PBr3 as the reagent PCI3 and PI3 (generated from phosphorus and iodine) react in a similar manner. 

Step I PBr3 is a strong electrophile. An alcohol displaces bromide ion from PBr3 to give an excellent leaving group. 

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Reactions of Alcohols with Phosphorus Halides 484 Reactions of Alcohols with Thionyl Chloride 485 11-9 Mechanism 11-3 Reaction of Alcohols with PBr3 485 11-10 Dehydration Reactions of Alcohols 487... 

The reaction of alcohols with phosphorus tribromide produces an alkyl halide plus phosphorous acid, which has a high boiling point and is water soluble. Therefore, the bromoalkane can be separated from the reaction mixture by distillation or by adding water. 

Another general method for converting alcohols to halides involves reactions with halides of certain nonmetallic elements. Thionyl chloride, phosphorus trichloride, and phosphorus tribromide are the most common examples of this group of reagents. These reagents are suitable for alcohols that are neither acid sensitive nor prone to structural rearrangement. The reaction of alcohols with thionyl chloride initially results in the formation of a chlorosulfite ester. There are two mechanisms by which the chlorosulfite can be converted to a chloride. In aprotic nucleophilic solvents, such as dioxane, solvent participation can lead to overall retention of configuration.7... 

Alkyl halides are almost always prepared from corresponding alcohols by the use of hydrogen halides (HX) or phosphorus halides (PX3) in ether (see Section 5.5.3). Alkyl chlorides are also obtained by the reaction of alcohols with thionyl chloride (SOCI2) in triethylamine (Et3N) or pyridine (see Section 5.5.3). 

Many of the convenient methods of preparing alkyl halides are based on the reactions of alcohols with reagents such as thionyl chloride and phosphorus pentachloride. These are dealt with in more detail in Section 2.3 on alcohols. The nucleophilic substitution of an alkyl methanesul-fonate or toluene-4-sulfonate with a sodium or potassium halide is a useful method. 

Several related reactions involve the use of phosphorus reagents. Alkyl halides can be made from the treatment of an alcohol with phosphorus halides, PX3 or PX5, as shown in Figure 7.44. Many of these phosphorus-containing reagents cause rearrangement, especially in secondary systems, and the stereochemical outcome, retention or inversion, depends on solvent and other reaction conditions. Accordingly, modifications have been worked out in recent years in order to avoid such stereochemical problems. 

The mechanism for the reactions with phosphorus halides can be illustrated using phosphorus tribromide. Initial reaction between the alcohol and phosphorus tribromide leads to a trialkyl phosphite ester by successive displacements of bromide. The reaction stops at this stage if it is run in the presence of an amine which neutralizes the hydrogen bromide that is formed.9 If the hydrogen bromide is not neutralized the phosphite ester is protonated and each alkyl group is successively converted to the halide by nucleophilic substitution by bromide ion. The driving force for cleavage of the C—O bond is the... 

Phosphorus halides react with alcohols to yield alkyl halides at low temperature (0 °C). Primary and secondary alcohols undergo Sn2 reactions with PX3. This type of reaction does not lead to rearranged products, and does not work well with 3° alcohols. PI3 has to be generated in situ via reaction of iodine and phosphorus. 

Replacement of the hydroxyl group in a phenol by halogen cannot be accomplished by reaction with the hydrogen halides as in the case of alcohols, and reaction with phosphorus halides gives only low yields of halogenobenzenes (except in the case of nitrophenols), the main product being a phosphite or phosphate ester. 

Alcohols and phenols are also weak bases. They can be protonated on the oxygen by strong acids. This reaction is the first step in the acid-catalyzed dehydration of alcohols to alkenes and in the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides by reaction with hydrogen halides. Alkyl halides can also be prepared from alcohols to alkyl halides by reaction with hydrogen halides. Alkyl halides can also be prepared from alcohols by reaction with thionyl chloride or phosphorus halides. 

The combination of triphenylphosphine with esters of trihaloacetic acids provides a reagent system for the stereo- and regio-selective conversion of alcohols into alkyl halides.The bromine-triphenylphosphine adduct has been used at low temperatures (-50 C in dichloromethane) for the removal of the tetrahydropyranyl protecting group from tetrahydropyranyl ethers derived from secondary and tertiary alcohols.The reactions of tertiary phosphines (and other trivalent phosphorus compounds) with iodine in aprotic solvents have received further study, a range of species being identified.The first reported study of the reactions of trivalent phosphorus compounds with monopositive astatine has led to the identification of stable complexes with triphenylphosphine, trioctylphosphine, and triethylphosphite. 

Reaction of an alcohol with the halogen acid (e.g. from NaBr + H2SO4) or with phosphorus halides (red phosphorus and iodine can be used) ... 

Both reactants m the Williamson ether synthesis usually originate m alcohol pre cursors Sodium and potassium alkoxides are prepared by reaction of an alcohol with the appropriate metal and alkyl halides are most commonly made from alcohols by reaction with a hydrogen halide (Section 4 7) thionyl chloride (Section 4 13) or phosphorus tri bromide (Section 4 13) Alternatively alkyl p toluenesulfonates may be used m place of alkyl halides alkyl p toluenesulfonates are also prepared from alcohols as their imme diate precursors (Section 8 14)... 

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