Sodium acetylide compounds

The reaction between sodium acetylide in liquid ammonia solution and carbonyl compounds gives a-acetylenyl carbinols (compare Section 111,148), for example ... 

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... 

Reactions in liquid ammonia (cf. Chapter 3, Section III) require a certain amount of care, since the solvent is low boiling (—33 ) and its fumes are noxious. Nevertheless, with reasonable caution, the preparation of an ammonia solution of sodium acetylide can be carried out as described. The reagent so prepared can then be directly used for displacements on alkyl halides or for additions to suitable carbonyl compounds. Examples of both reactions are given. 

Methylsulfinyl carbanion (dimsyl ion) is prepared from 0.10 mole of sodium hydride in 50 ml of dimethyl sulfoxide under a nitrogen atmosphere as described in Chapter 10, Section III. The solution is diluted by the addition of 50 ml of dry THF and a small amount (1-10 mg) of triphenylmethane is added to act as an indicator. (The red color produced by triphenylmethyl carbanion is discharged when the dimsylsodium is consumed.) Acetylene (purified as described in Chapter 14, Section I) is introduced into the system with stirring through a gas inlet tube until the formation of sodium acetylide is complete, as indicated by disappearance of the red color. The gas inlet tube is replaced by a dropping funnel and a solution of 0.10 mole of the substrate in 20 ml of dry THF is added with stirring at room temperature over a period of about 1 hour. In the case of ethynylation of carbonyl compounds (given below), the solution is then cautiously treated with 6 g (0.11 mole) of ammonium chloride. The reaction mixture is then diluted with 500 ml of water, and the aqueous solution is extracted three times with 150-ml portions of ether. The ether solution is dried (sodium sulfate), the ether is removed (rotary evaporator), and the residue is fractionally distilled under reduced pressure to yield the ethynyl alcohol. 

Triphenylmethyl sodium and triphenylmethyl potassium conduct in liquid ammonia although they slowly react with that solvent.887 888 When the liquid ammonia is allowed to evaporate from a solution of triphenylmethyl sodium in ammonia, the residue is a colorless mixture of sodamide and triphenylmethane. The sodium-tin and sodium-germanium compounds analogous to sodium triphenylmethide are also strong electrolytes in liquid ammonia. Sodium acetylide in liquid ammonia is dissociated to about the same extent as sodium acetate in water.889... 

Besides the early preparation by Gilman173 of alkynyllead compounds using sodium acetylides and triorganolead halides, and the following modification of the method174 ... 

In one experiment the checkers used 3-butyn-l-ol available from Aldrich Chemical Company, Inc., and found that it was of satisfactory purity. In other experiments, both the submitters and the checkers prepared the hydroxy compound from sodium acetylide and ethylene oxide in liquid ammonia according to the procedure described by Schulte and Reiss3 and further attempted to maximize the yield by varying the ratio of sodium ethylene oxide liquid ammonia used ip the reaction. Unfortunately, the checkers failed to obtain consistent results in repeated experiments and consequently could not define the optimum conditions for the reaction. Thus, the yield of 3-butyn-l-ol varied from 15 to 45% and 15 to 31% on the basis of sodium and ethylene oxide, respectively. Unknown and apparently subtle experimental factors affect the yield significantly. 

RC = CNa and derived compounds. Sodium acetylides have been used for the synthesis of a large number of organic compounds containing triple bonds. 

The investigations on acetylenic compounds in the thiophene series added to the evidence that in most cases thiophene resembles benzene (78). It has been shown in our laboratories that reactions with sodium amide and sodium acetylide in liquid ammonia could be readily utilized in this series. The introduction of a triple bond in the side chain of a thiophene ring was possible only by employing halogenatcd thiophene derivatives such as ... 

Excellent yields can be obtained when the mixture of RC=CLi and the epoxide in ammonia is allowed to stand for 12 to 24 hours [2]. With sodium acetylides, there is some risk of subsequent attack of the acetylenic alcoholate on the epoxide, especially when the latter compound is used in excess. The reaction of acetylenic magnesium halides, RCsCMgX, with epoxides also leads to homopropargylic alcohols, but this is generally not recommended as a satisfactory method, as impure products are often obtained [62], Coordination of the epoxide-oxygen atom with the Lewis acid may give rise to a Sjql-like attack of RCaC on... 

A stereospecific synthesis for cw-3-hexen-l-ol starts with the ethylation of sodium acetylide to 1 -butyne, which is reacted with ethylene oxide to give 3-hexyn-l-ol. Selective hydrogenation of the triple bond in the presence of palladium catalysts yields cw-3-hexen-l-ol. Biotechnological processes have been developed for its synthesis as a natural flavor compound, e.g., [12]. 

Sodium acetylide Metals See ACETYLENIC COMPOUNDS Metals... 

We have already encountered one type of organometallic compound with a negative charge on carbon sodium acetylides, covered in Section 9-7. Terminal alkynes are weakly acidic, and they are converted to sodium acetylides by treatment with an unusually strong base, sodium amide. These sodium acetylides are useful nucleophiles, reacting with alkyl halides and carbonyl compounds to form new carbon-carbon bonds. 

I, 1,1-trimethyldisilane (1). Compound 1 can be prepared by reaction of l,l,l-trimethyl-2-phenyldisilane [5] with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid to give the corresponding triflate, which on treatment with sodium acetylide yields 1. 

Other difunctional compounds have been made. A few examples are noteworthy. Olefinic carbinols of the types RCH =CHCH,OH and RCHOHCH = CH, on treatment with dry hydrogen bromide or chloride undergo allylic rearrangements to yield equilibrium mixtures of isomeric unsaturated halides. Acetylenic carbinols prepared from sodium acetylide and aldehydes or ketones can be converted to their chlorides by means of anhydrous hydrogen chloride at —5°C. However, it should be noted that, in the reaction of dimethylethynylcarbinol,... 

The method has been of particular value in the preparation of difunctional compounds. For example, the action of elemental halogen on sodium acetylides or alkynylmagnesium halides gives 1-halo-1-alkynes (70-90%). t Also, halo esters, phenols, or acids result when the appropriate aromatic mercurial is treated. Sometimes p-toyl-sulfonyl chloride is substituted for chlorine gas. p-Iododimethylaniline is easily made in 42-54% yield by the reaction of p-dimethylaminophenyl-lithium and iodine. ... 

This method finds commercial application in the production of acetaldehyde from acetylene. Mercuric salts in the presence of dilute sulfuric acid act as the catalyst. The reaction has been extended to higher alkylacetylenes, which are obtained in about 60% yield from sodium acetylide and alkyl halides. These compounds are readily hydrated in aqueous solutions of acetone, methanol, or acetic acid to give 80-90% yields of the corresponding methyl ketones, fot example, methyl butyl, methyl amyl, and methyl hexyl ketones. Hydration has been accomplished by passing the acetylenic hydrocarbon and steam over a phosphoric acid catalyst at 150-204° and atmospheric pressure. ... 

The fluoro compounds could be obtained by halogen exchange reactions from the corresponding chloro compounds with zinc fluoride in diethylether The acetylene-bridged compound 17 was prepared by reaction of di(/er/-butyl)chlorosilane with sodium acetylide in THF (Eq 2). Remarkably, during such reactions gaseous acetylene was formed, so that the acetylene bridged compounds arose in a one-step synthesis. 

Other carbon bases that have been used successfully to convert phosphonium salts into ylides include sodium methylsulfinate and the corresponding potassium compound (prepared from alkali metal hydride and DMSO), tritylsodium, sodium acetylide and other strongly basic ylides. 

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