Selectivity Friedel-Crafts reaction

Olah, G. A. Kuhn, S. J. Selective Friedel-Crafts reactions. I. Boron halide catalyzed haloalkylation of benzene and alkylbenzenes with fluorohaloalkanes. /. Org. Chem. 1964,... 

Akylsilanes are more reactive than vinylskanes in Friedel-Crafts reactions, as shown in the selective acylation of 2,3-disilylalkenes. The akylsilanes, a-skyloxyakyltrialkylsilanes, have been used as enolate equivalents in the preparation of 1,4-diketones (178). The mild reaction conditions required for these reactions tolerate many other functional groups, providing valuable synthetic routes. 

Another important use of BCl is as a Ftiedel-Crafts catalyst ia various polymerisation, alkylation, and acylation reactions, and ia other organic syntheses (see Friedel-Crafts reaction). Examples include conversion of cyclophosphasenes to polymers (81,82) polymerisation of olefins such as ethylene (75,83—88) graft polymerisation of vinyl chloride and isobutylene (89) stereospecific polymerisation of propylene (90) copolymerisation of isobutylene and styrene (91,92), and other unsaturated aromatics with maleic anhydride (93) polymerisation of norhornene (94), butadiene (95) preparation of electrically conducting epoxy resins (96), and polymers containing B and N (97) and selective demethylation of methoxy groups ortho to OH groups (98). 

Absolute rate data for Friedel-Crafts reactions are difficult to obtain. The reaction is complicated by sensitivity to moisture and heterogeneity. For this reason, most of the structure-reactivity trends have been developed using competitive methods, rather than by direct measurements. Relative rates are established by allowing the electrophile to compete for an excess of the two reagents. The product ratio establishes the relative reactivity. These studies reveal low substrate and position selectivity. 

A good deal of experimental care is often required to ensure that the product mixture at the end of a Friedel-Crafts reaction is determined by kinetic control. The strong Lewis acid catalysts can catalyze the isomerization of alkylbenzenes, and if isomerization takes place, the product composition is not informative about the position selectivity of electrophilic attack. Isomerization increases the amount of the meta isomer in the case of dialkylbenzenes, because this isomer is thermodynamically the most stable. ... 

As a demonstration of the complete synthesis of a pharmaceutical in an ionic liquid, Pravadoline was selected, as the synthesis combines a Friedel-Crafts reaction and a nucleophilic displacement reaction (Scheme 5.1-24) [53]. The allcylation of 2-methylindole with l-(N-morpholino)-2-chloroethane occurs readily in [BMIM][PF6] and [BMMIM][PF6] (BMMIM = l-butyl-2,3-dimethylimida2olium), in 95-99 % yields, with potassium hydroxide as the base. The Friedel-Crafts acylation step in [BMIM][PF6] at 150 °C occurs in 95 % yield and requires no catalyst. 

The LAB production process (process 1) is mainly developed and licensed by UOP. The N-paraffins are partially converted to internal /z-olefins by a catalytic dehydrogenation. The resulting mixture of /z-paraffins and n-olefins is selectively hydrogenated to reduce diolefins and then fed into an alkylation reactor, together with an excess benzene and with concentrated hydrofluoric acid (HF) which acts as the catalyst in a Friedel-Crafts reaction. In successive sections of the plant the HF, benzene, and unconverted /z-paraffins are recovered and recycled to the previous reaction stages. In the final stage of distillation, the LAB is separated from the heavy alkylates. 

Furthermore, Jana et al. developed a FeCl3-catalyzed C3-selective Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles, using allylic, benzylic, and propargylic alcohols in nitromethane as solvent at room temperature. This method can also be used for the alkylation of pyrrole (Scheme 4). The reactions were complete within 2-3 h without the need of an inert gas atmosphere leading to the C-3-substitution product exclusively in moderate to good yields [20]. 

Olah et al. (1999) have been able to realize selective cyclisation of o-benzoyl benzoic acid to anthraquinone using dichlorobenzene as a solvent and Nafion-H as a catalyst. This may lead to avoidance of the Friedel-Crafts reaction using a stoichiometric amount of aluminium chloride and resulting in a lot of wa,ste. Many other examples of similar reactions have been reported. 

The large scale preparation of the drug candidate 2 was accomplished via the Sugasawa reaction (an ortho-selective Friedel-Craft acylation on anilines) and the asymmetric addition to ketimines. Understanding the reaction mechanism and reaction parameters is the only way to gain confidence that the reactions will perform as required upon scale up. Below we discuss both subjects in detail. 

In 1978, Sugasawa et al., at Shionogi Pharmaceutical Co. reported ortho-selective Friedel-Craft acylation with free anilines with nitrile derivatives [4]. Sugasawa reported that the reaction requires two different Lewis acids (BC13 and A1C13) and does not proceed when N,N-dialkyl anilines are used. He proposed that boron bridging between nitriles and anilines led to exclusive ortho-acylation but a conclusive mechanism was not elucidated. The report did not offer any reason why two different Lewis acids were required and why the reaction did not progress with N,N-dialkyl anilines. Therefore, we initiated mechanistic studies. 

Friedel-Crafts reactions in the ionic liquid system l-methyl-3-ethylimidazolium chlo-ride-aluminium(ni) chloride can be performed with excellent yields and selectivities, and in the case of anthracene, have been found to be reversible. This ionic liquid has been shown to demonstrate catalytic activity in reactions such as Friedel-Crafts acylations (Surette et al., 1996 Boon et al., 1986) alkylation reactions (Koch et al., 1976),... 

Solid Lewis acid halide catalysts seem to have advantages in some Friedel-Crafts reactions. ZnCl2 and NiCl2, supported on K10 montmorillonite exhibit high activity and selectivity in benzylation 140... 

The reactions of nitrones with indoles have been applied to die formation of several A -hydroxylamines and symmetrical and unsymmetrical diindolylalkanes.56 Chiral auxiliaries, alcohols derived from (15)-(—)-/ -pinene (R OH), lead to an enantio-selective synthesis when R acetoacetate reacts with 3-(2-hydroxyethyl)mdole in the presence of, for example, BF3.Et20, forming (27).57 Methyl migration follows Friedel-Crafts reaction of (CH3)3SiCCl3 with benzene in the present of A1C13 and (28) is formed.58... 

The synthesis of fluotrimazole starts from m-xylene. Peroxide catalyzed perchlorination converts this to m-trichloromethyl-benzo-trichloride. m-Trichloromethyl-benzotrifluoride is then obtained by selective chlorine/fluorine exchange. This key product is also readily accessible on a technical scale by conproportionation of the two corresponding m-trihalomethyl-benzotrihalogenides. Friedel-Crafts reaction with benzene leads to trifluoromethyl-tritylchloride, which reacts smoothly with 1,2,4-triazole in polar solvents to give fluotrimazole. 

Acidic chloroaluminate ionic liquids were used as reaction media for Friedel-Crafts reactions as early as 1976 [34], Systematic investigations into Friedel-Crafts alkylations of benzene with the same acidic systems followed in 1986 by Wilkes et al. [35]. The alkylation of benzene with alkenes in acidic imidazolium chloroaluminate melts was disclosed in a patent by BP Chemicals in 1994 [36]. Here, as advantages over the reaction with aluminum trichloride in organic solvents, claims are made regarding the easy isolation of the product, the practically total reusability of the liquid catalyst and the better selectivity to the desired products. 

The parallelism with the Friedel-Crafts aromatic substitution arises because the more stable the carbocation, the more nucleophilic the corresponding radical will usually be. Thus, in principle, all the electrophilic species employed in the Friedel-Crafts reaction, when used as the corresponding radicals, should behave as nucleophiles in the selective substitution of heteroaromatic bases. 

The heteroaromatic substitution reflects the Friedel-Crafts reaction with the opposite reactivity and selectivity. The synthetic advantages and disadvantages are also opposite to those of concern for the selectivity of monosubstitution - whereas introduction of a carbonyl group deactivates the aromatic ring toward further substitution in the electrophilic process, in contrast it activates the heteroaromatic... 

As mentioned before, alkyl radicals and acyl radicals have a nucleophilic character therefore, radical alkylation and acylation of aromatics shows the opposite reactivity and selectivity to polar alkylation and acylation with the Friedel-Crafts reaction. Thus, alkyl radicals and acyl radicals do not react with anisole, but may react with pyridine. Eq. 5.1 shows the reaction of an alkyl radical with y-picoline (1). The nucleophilic alkyl radical reacts at the 2-position of y-picoline (1), where electron density is lower than that of the 3-position. So, 2-alkyl-4-methylpyridine (2) is obtained with complete regioselectivity. When pyridine is used instead of y-picoline, a mixture of 2-alkylpyridine and 4-alkylpyridine is obtained. Generally, radical alkylation or radical acylation onto aromatics is not a radical chain reaction, since it is just a substitution reaction of a hydrogen atom of aromatics by an alkyl radical or an acyl radical through the addition-elimination reaction. Therefore, the intermediate adduct radical (a complex) must be rearomatized to form a product and a hydrogen atom (or H+ and e ). Thus, this type of reactions proceeds effectively under oxidative conditions [1-6]. 

BTMSBD 1s a very convenient source of butadiyne, an extremely useful, but dangerously explosive chemical. It 1s also a synthon for the vlnylacetylene anion. A single trimethylsilyl group can selectively be replaced by reaction with electrophiles (Friedel-Crafts reaction) to give trimethylsilylbutadiynyl ketones. 2... 

One characteristic of Friedel-Crafts reactions in ionic liquids is their pronounced solvent dependence in that different anion-cation combinations can determine complete and fast conversion and total inactivity of a given catalyst. It is somewhat striking that the catalytic activity is often lowest in hydrophilic ionic liquids from which halide impurities are harder to remove. In any case, screening of a selection of cations and anions appears to be necessary in order to evaluate the suitability of any potential catalyst. 

H. Mayr, Control of electrophilicity in aliphatic Friedel-Crafts reactions, Selectivities in Lewis Acid Promoted Reactions (D. Schinzer, ed.), NATO ASI Series C, Vol. 289, 1989, pp. 21-36. 

One exception to the amorphous structure has been reported [30]. Crystalline polybenzyl was obtained from the low temperature (- 125° C) polymerization of benzyl chloride. However, the reaction was difficult to reproduce [31,32]. Consequently this procedure is not an effective method for the synthesis of linear polybenzyls. The usual amorphous, highly branched structure is formed as a result of a lack of positional selectivity and multiple substitution of the arene rings. Similar polymeric structures are obtained upon the polymerization of other nonsubstituted benzyl halides and benzyl alcohol [29]. The highly branched structure is a consequence of the involvement of benzyl carbenium ions in the Friedel-Crafts reaction. Benzyl substituents activate the monosubstituted phenyl groups toward further benzylation reaction. However, monomers containing alkyl substituents that sterically hinder substitution at the ortho position have been polymerized to linear polybenzyls. For example, the following... 

MF5 and MCI5 are strongly electrophilic see Electrophile and Electrophilic Reaction) and catalyze Friedel-Crafts reactions. The HF/TaFs system is a superacid catalyst and has been used in the selective acid-catalyzed isomerization and hydrogenolysis of cycloalkanes. Oligomerization and polymerization of alkynes with Nb and Ta halides as catalysts have been reported see Oligomerization Polymerization by Homogeneous Catalysis) ... 

Because of the extensive amount of waste generated in traditional Friedel-Crafts reactions, it is not surprising that this reaction has been studied in RTIL. Early examples included the use of catalytic chloroaluminate ionic liquids. However, the moisture sensitivity of such systems was a drawback. Therefore, water-stable rare-earth Lewis acids, such as Sc(CF3S03)3, have come to be used for these reactions.The same Lewis acid has also been used to catalyse Diels-Alder reactions in RTILs.Interestingly, in this example, the RTIL not only provided a means for recycling the catalyst but also accelerated the rate and improved selectivity. It has also been demonstrated that a moisture stable, Lewis acidic, catalytic ionic liquid could be prepared from choline chloride and zinc dichloride, and that this was an excellent medium for the Diels-Alder reaction. Yields of 90% or more were achieved in reaction times of between 8 min and 5h for a range of dienes and dienophiles. 

---