Reactions phase-transfer benzylation

Other ways to obtain 3-OH acceptors are the use of mannose precursors with a temporary 3-0-allyl protecting group in the Grignard reaction [16,18,20], or phase transfer benzylation [42] of a heptopyranosyl 2,3-diol, or benzylation of a tin-activated [43] heptofuranosyl 2,3-diol, both last methods giving preferentially the 2-0-benzyl derivative [27,15]. However, if the tin-assisted alkylation is performed on a heptopyranosyl 2,3-diol, the 3-0-alkyl derivative is the main product [5,28]. 

It has also been found that the 3-OH group is the least reactive of the hydroxyl groups in lactose under many reaction conditions (Scheme 3.33). Accordingly, direct benzoylation of lactose yielded the 3-OH derivative in 24% crystalline yield [7], tin activated benzoylation of TMSE (3-lactoside gave 85% of the 3-OH lactoside [57] and phase-transfer benzylation of benzyl lactoside produced 26% of the corresponding 3-OH compound [39]. 

Figure 7.25 The phase transfer benzylation reaction of ethyl 2-oxocyclopentanecarboxylate (1) with benzyl bromide (2).

Reactions of the Side Chain. Benzyl chloride is hydrolyzed slowly by boiling water and more rapidly at elevated temperature and pressure in the presence of alkaHes (11). Reaction with aqueous sodium cyanide, preferably in the presence of a quaternary ammonium chloride, produces phenylacetonitrile [140-29-4] in high yield (12). The presence of a lower molecular-weight alcohol gives faster rates and higher yields. In the presence of suitable catalysts benzyl chloride reacts with carbon monoxide to produce phenylacetic acid [103-82-2] (13—15). With different catalyst systems in the presence of calcium hydroxide, double carbonylation to phenylpymvic acid [156-06-9] occurs (16). Benzyl esters are formed by heating benzyl chloride with the sodium salts of acids benzyl ethers by reaction with sodium alkoxides. The ease of ether formation is improved by the use of phase-transfer catalysts (17) (see Catalysis, phase-thansfer). 

In specific applications to phase transfer catalysis, Knbchel and his coworkers compared crown ethers, aminopolyethers, cryptands, octopus molecules ( krakenmole-kiile , see below) and open-chained polyether compounds. They determined yields per unit time for reactions such as that between potassium acetate and benzyl chloride in acetonitrile solution. As expected, the open-chained polyethers were inferior to their cyclic counterparts, although a surprising finding was that certain aminopolyethers were superior to the corresponding crowns. 

Reaction of 2-chloromethyl-4//-pyrido[l,2-u]pyrimidine-4-one 162 with various nitronate anions (4 equiv) under phase-transfer conditions with BU4NOH in H2O and CH2CI2 under photo-stimulation gave 2-ethylenic derivatives 164 (01H(55)535). These alkenes 164 were formed by single electron transfer C-alkylation and base-promoted HNO2 elimination from 163. When the ethylenic derivative 164 (R = R ) was unsymmetrical, only the E isomer was isolated. Compound 162 was treated with S-nucleophiles (sodium salt of benzyl mercaptan and benzenesulfinic acid) and the lithium salt of 4-hydroxycoumarin to give compounds 165-167, respectively. 

A convenient way of obtaining secondary amines without contamination by primary or tertiary amines involves treatment of alkyl halides with the sodium or calcium salt of cyanamide NH2—CN to give disubstituted cyanamides, which are then hydrolyzed and decarboxylated to secondary amines. Good yields are obtained when the reaction is carried out under phase-transfer conditions. The R group may be primary, secondary, allylic, or benzylic. 1, co-Dihalides give cyclic secondary amines. 

Palladium complexes also catalyze the carbonylation of halides. Aryl (see 13-13), vinylic, benzylic, and allylic halides (especially iodides) can be converted to carboxylic esters with CO, an alcohol or alkoxide, and a palladium complex. Similar reactivity was reported with vinyl triflates. Use of an amine instead of the alcohol or alkoxide leads to an amide. Reaction with an amine, AJBN, CO, and a tetraalkyltin catalyst also leads to an amide. Similar reaction with an alcohol, under Xe irradiation, leads to the ester. Benzylic and allylic halides were converted to carboxylic acids electrocatalytically, with CO and a cobalt imine complex. Vinylic halides were similarly converted with CO and nickel cyanide, under phase-transfer conditions. ... 

If one of the species is anionic and we need to transport it to the organic phase, then a phase-transfer catalyst may be employed. Consider the example of benzyl penicillin where the reaction between phenyl acetic acid and the penicillin carboxylate ion, with penicillin amidase as a catalyst, is relevant, and which at pH 4.5 - 5.0 is shifted in the desired direction. Here a catalyst like tetrabutylammonium halide works, and with chloroform as a solvent 60% yield can be realized in contrast to a yield of only 5 - 10 % in water. 

A simple, rapid and efficient method has been reported for the synthesis of dibenzyl diselenides under the action of MW irradiation. Benzyl halides are reacted with selenium powder in the presence of a base and phase-transfer agent (Eq. 57 and Tab. 5.29) [80]. The reactions were performed either in THF or in C6H6-H20. 

For example, direct treatment of red phosphorus with potassium hydroxide in a mixture of dioxane and water with a phase-transfer catalyst (benzyltriethylammonium chloride) allows direct reaction with primary haloalkanes to form the trialkylphosphine oxide in moderate (60-65%) yield.1415 Allylic and benzylic halides are similarly reported to generate the corresponding tertiary phosphine oxides. When the reaction is performed with a,(o-dihalides, cyclic products are generated only with four- and five-carbon chains the third site... 

Times (h) needed to reach 50% conversion in the reaction of benzyl chloride with metal acetates in acetonitrile at ca. 25 °C under solid-liquid phase-transfer conditions ... 

It is worth mentioning at this point that according to Normant et al. (1975) simple polyamines such as tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) are even more active than [2.2.2]-cryptand in the benzylation of acetates in acetonitrile under liquid-solid conditions. These authors suggested that the activity was due to salt solubilization by cation complexation and not to formation of a quaternary ammonium ion since the latter showed no activity. This statement, however, is not in line with the results of Cote and Bauer (1977), who were unable to detect any interaction between K+ and TMEDA in acetonitrile. Furthermore, Vander Zwan and Hartner (1978) found Aliquat 336 (tricaprylylmethylammonium chloride) to be almost as effective as TMEDA in this reaction (Table 30). It might well be, however, that in amine-catalysed benzylation reactions the quaternary salt formed in situ acts both as a reactant and as a phase-transfer catalyst, since Dou et al. (1977) have shown that the benzyltriethylammonium ion is a powerful benzylation agent. 

There are relatively few reports of phase-transfer catalysed syntheses of phenols from activated haloarenes using quaternary ammonium salts, presumably because of the instability of the ammonium salts under the reaction conditions. A patented procedure for the conversion of, for example, 2,6-dichloropyridine into 6-chloropyrid-2-one (98%) using aqueous sodium hydroxide in the presence of benzyl-triethylammonium chloride at 120-150°C has been filed [32], A possible route to the phenols, however, comes from the observed reaction of phenols with potassium carbonateipotassium hydrogen carbonate to yield the aryl carbonates (80-85%) using the procedure described for the preparation of dialkyl carbonates (3.3.13) [50]. 

The application of phase-transfer catalysis to the Williamson synthesis of ethers has been exploited widely and is far superior to any classical method for the synthesis of aliphatic ethers. Probably the first example of the use of a quaternary ammonium salt to promote a nucleophilic substitution reaction is the formation of a benzyl ether using a stoichiometric amount of tetraethylammonium hydroxide [1]. Starks mentions the potential value of the quaternary ammonium catalyst for Williamson synthesis of ethers [2] and its versatility in the synthesis of methyl ethers and other alkyl ethers was soon established [3-5]. The procedure has considerable advantages over the classical Williamson synthesis both in reaction time and yields and is certainly more convenient than the use of diazomethane for the preparation of methyl ethers. Under liquidrliquid two-phase conditions, tertiary and secondary alcohols react less readily than do primary alcohols, and secondary alkyl halides tend to be ineffective. However, reactions which one might expect to be sterically inhibited are successful under phase-transfer catalytic conditions [e.g. 6]. Microwave irradiation and solidrliquid phase-transfer catalytic conditions reduce reaction times considerably [7]. 

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