Sodium reaction with aliphatic esters

The Reaction of Aliphatic Esters with Sodium. J. Amer. chem. Soc. S3. 

The formation of acyloins (a-hydroxyketones of the general formula RCH(OH)COR, where R is an aliphatic residue) proceeds best by reaction between finely-divided sodium (2 atoms) and esters of aliphatic acids (1 mol) in anhydrous ether or in anhydrous benzene with exclusion of oxygen salts of enediols are produced, which are converted by hydrolysis into acyloins. The yield of acetoin from ethyl acetate is low (ca. 23 per cent, in ether) owing to the accompanying acetoacetic ester condensation the latter reaction is favoured when the ester is used as the solvent. Ethyl propionate and ethyl ji-butyrate give yields of 52 per cent, of propionoin and 72 per cent, of butyroin respectively in ether. 

Esters of arenesulfonic acids are prepared by reaction of the corresponding alcohol with the arenesulfonyl chloride in the presence of a basic reagent, which has the function of activating the alcohol and binding the hydrogen chloride. The reaction is often carried out with pyridine, which is used as solvent. In the procedure for tosylates of primary aliphatic alcohols, described in A.l. Vogel, A Textbook of Practical Organic Chemistry, an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide is used. Esters of primary alcohols are formed more easily than secondary-alkyl esters, while tertiary alcohols cannot be esterified under the usual conditions. 

Salicylic acid, upon reaction with amyl alcohol and sodium, reduces to a ring-opened aliphatic dicarboxylic acid, ie, pimelic acid (eq. 5). The reaction proceeds through the intermediate cyclohexanone-2-carboxylic acid. This novel reaction involves the fission of the aromatic ring to tfj-hexahydrosalicylic acid when salicylic acid is heated to 310°C in an autoclave with strong alkali. Pimelic acid is formed in 35—38% yield and is isolated as the diethyl ester. 

The best known example of the treatment of a primary aliphatic amine with nitrous acid involves the reaction of esters of glycine hydrochloride with sodium nitrite to form esters of diazoacetic acid. This reaction is carried out at low temperatures and under such reaction conditions that any IV-nitroso primary amine which might have been formed is immediately converted to the diazoacetate [15, 16]. Treatment of 1-methyl-2,2,2-trifluoroethylamine hydrochloride, another primary amine, with sodium nitrite in an aqueous system also evidently leads to the corresponding diazoalkane [17]. 

The reaction of aliphatic, alicyclic, and aromatic aldehydes and ketones with cyanoacetic ester, NCCHjCOjCjH, is general. The products are 0L,/3-olefinic cyanoacetates. The aldehydes are condensed with the ester in the presence of amines or with sodium cyanoacetate in the presence of sodium hydroxide, Similarly, cyanoacetic ester is condensed with ketones by catalysts such as acetamide or the acetates... 

Aliphatic esters have been condensed with benzaldehyde by means of sodium triphenylmethide. The reaction has been stopped at the aldol stage to give low yields (26-30%) of /3-hydroxy esters. ... 

Reactive halogen compounds such as benzyl chloride, 2-thenyl chloride, 2-bromoacetylthiophene, (C HjS)COCH,Br , and 2-chloromethyl-thianaphthene (C,H5S)CHjCl are readily converted to esters by treatment with the sodium salts of carboxylic acids. A small amount of tri-ethylamine has proved to be an effective catalyst. Acetates are oftentimes made by heating halides with fused sodium acetate in glacial acetic acid, e.g., p-ethylbenzyl acetate (93%). The reaction is of little value for the preparation of simple aliphatic esters. Secondary and tertiary halides give increasing amounts of olefin by dehydro-halogenation. 

Homoeyelic ring closures. Bunnett and Skorcz31 found that several aliphatic esters, nitriles, sulfones, and ketones bearing an m-o-chlorophenyl group react with potassium amide in liquid ammonia to form homocyclic products of ring closure by way of a benzyne intermediate. The procedure has since been modified to use sodium amide (commercially available).32 The reaction is probably the method of choice for synthesis of 1 -substituted benzcyclobutenes. 

BENZENEDICARBOXYLIC ACID, DIISONONYL ESTER (88-99-3) C,H 04 C4H4(C00H)2 Combustible solid.Dustmay form explosive mixture with air (flash point 334°F/168°C Fire Rating 1). Violent reaction with nitric acid forms explosive nitro materials in the presence of sulfuric acid. Dust and powder forms explosive mixture with air. Incompatible with strong acids, alkalis, aliphatic amines, alkanolamines, alkylene oxides, ammonia, epichlorohydrin, isocyanates, nitrates, nitromethane, sodium nitrite, strong oxidizers. On small fires, use dry chemical powder (such as Purple-K-Powder), Halon , alcohol-resistant foam, water spray, or COj... 

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