Sodium reaction with alkyl halides

The large rate enhancements observed for bimolecular nucleophilic substitutions m polai aprotic solvents are used to advantage m synthetic applications An example can be seen m the preparation of alkyl cyanides (mtiiles) by the reaction of sodium cyanide with alkyl halides... 

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... 

Mechanistically the reaction can be divided into two steps. Initially the alkyl halide 1 reacts with sodium to give an organometallic species 3, that can be isolated in many cases. In a second step the carbanionic R of the organometallic compound 3 acts as nucleophile in a substitution reaction with alkyl halide 1 to replace the halide ... 

Reaction with Alkyl Halides The gas inlet tube is replaced by an addition funnel, and 10 ml of HMPT is added rapidly with stirring. The mixture is cooled to 10-15°, and a solution of the alkyl halide (0.1 mole) in 20 ml of THF is added dropwise over a period of 30-40 minutes. The mixture is then heated to 40° for 2-3 hours. The thick white suspension of the sodium halide is cooled and dilute cold hydrochloric acid is carefully added until the mixture is clear. The organic layer is separated, and the aqueous layer is extracted three times with 20-ml portions of ether, the ethereal extracts then being combined with the organic material. The ethereal solution is washed twice with saturated sodium chloride solution and dried. The ether and THF are removed under reduced pressure (rotary evaporator), and the alkyne is distilled. 

Reaction time is extremely important in avoiding the side reaction illustrated in Eq. (1.1), where the nitroalkane product reacts with nitrite anion and any nitrite ester, formed as byproduct, to give a pseudonitrole. The reaction of sodium nitrite with alkyl halides is much faster than this competing nitrosation side reaction, even so, prompt work-up on reaction completion is essential for obtaining good yields. 

Substrate selectivities in reactions of aqueous sodium cyanide with alkyl halides in toluene and 17% RS onium ion catalysts are shown in Table 1 84). The data are particularly instructive about how intraparticle diffusion affects reactions that occur... 

Sulfonylation of aromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of a Lewis acid and the reaction of sodium benzenesulfinate with alkyl halides proved to be particularly easy and useful to prepare starting materials for the Julia olefination procedure (see Section 4.3.2). 

Phenols can be converted into esters by reaction with acid chlorides or acid anhydrides and into ethers by reaction with alkyl halides in the presence of base (Following fig.). These reactions can be done under milder conditions than those used for alcohols due to the greater acidity of phenols. Thus phenols can be converted to phenoxide ions with sodium hydroxide rather than metallic sodium. 

Esterification. Carboxylic acids can be esterified by reaction with alkyl halides and DBU in benzene at 25 or 80° (equation I). The reaction is widely applicable to hindered or unstable acids and to BOC- or CBZ-protected amino atids. Yields are invariably high. Triethylamine is of less value as the base. Presumably the hydrogen-bonded complex of DBU and the acid plays a significant role in the reaction. The DBU can be recovered by treatment of the hydrohalide with sodium hydroxide. ... 

Alkylahn of ketones. Ketones are readily alkylated in the z-position on reaction with alkyl halides in the presence of 50% aqueous sodium hydroxide and catalytic amounts of bcnzyltricthylammonium chloride. The catalytic effect of the salt if particularly marked in the case of weakly active alkyl halides. Thus the reaction o phenylacctone with n-butyl bromide in the ab.sence of catalyst gives 3-phenyl-2-heptanonc in 5% yield the yield is 90% in the presence of Ihe catalyst. Highest yields are obtained with ketones bearing an aromatic substituent at the Z-CH2 group. 

Arsonic acids have been prepared from readily available compounds such as arsenic(III) oxide and arsenic trichloride. Reaction of sodium arsenite with alkyl halides has been named the Meyer reaction, and reaction with arenediazonium salts the Bart reaction. In addition, some modifications have been made for the preparation of arsonic acids. Some examples are shown in equations 326 and 327. ... 

Arsinic acids have been prepared by similar methods as for the preparation of arsonic acids. Thus, reaction of sodium organoarsenites with alkyl halides (Meyer reaction) and reaction of sodium organoarsenite with arenediazonium salts (Bart reaction) are available for the preparation of arsinic acids. Several examples are shown in equations 333 and 334. ... 

Reaction of sodium acetylides with alkyl halides permits conversion of smaller alkynes into larger ones. Practically, the reaction is limited to the use of primary halides because of the great tendency for secondary and tertiary halides to undergo a side reaction, elimination this point will be discussed further (Sec. 8.12) after we have learned something about the nature of acetylides. 

Reaction of sodium acetylides with alkyl halides. Substitution vs, elimination... 

Sodium hydrogen sulfide can be used for the preparation of thiols (19) by reaction with alkyl halides. A large excess of sodium hydrogen sulfide must be employed to avoid formation of the dialkyl sulfide (Scheme 17) (see Chapter 4, p. 41). 

In the presence of sodium hydroxide, thiols react with alkyl halides to form the sulfides (20) the reaction occurs via the sodium thiolate and is analogous to the well-known Williamson synthesis of ethers and can also be applied to obtain unsymmetrical sulfides (Scheme 18). Symmetrical sulfides may be prepared directly by condensation of sodium sulfide with alkyl halides (Scheme 18). These reactions are of the SN2 type, and consequently the optimum yields of sulfides are realised using primary alkyl halides. 

Reduction of Co2(CO)g with sodium-amalgam in THF solution gives Na[Co(CO)4]. Na[Co(CO)4] has high nucleophilicity, and the reaction with alkyl halides gives alkyl-cobalt complexes. It is generally difficult to isolate the alkylcobalt complexes, but in the presence of alkenes and alkynes, acylated compounds are obtained in good yields (eq (10)) [13]. 

Brinchi L, German R, SaveUi G (2003) Ionic liquids as reaction media for esterification of carboxylate sodium salts with alkyl halides. Tetrahedron Lett 44 2027-2029... 

With /V-acylthioamides the reaction proceeds very slowly and the products are difficult to purify. Therefore, the Af-acylthioamides 32 are first converted into the S -alkyl derivatives 33 by the reaction with alkyl halides under strongly basic conditions. The resulting A -acylthioimi-dates 33 react with amidines and guanidines in alcoholic solution in the presence of sodium alkoxide to form 2,4,6-trisubstituted 1,3,5-triazines 34 in moderate to good yields.438,439 This procedure is an extension of the synthesis of trisubstituted 1,3,5-triazines from A -acylimidates 17 and amidines (vide supra).325... 

By reaction with alkyl halides, esters of sulfonic and carbonic acids, trimethy-loxonium tetrafluoroborate, diazo compounds, Mannich or Mitsunobu conditions or miscellaneous reagents. Methyl iodide is a versatile and effective methylating reagent that can be used at room temperature, at moderate temperatures in a tightly closed vessel or at high temperatures in an autoclave. 2,4-Dihydropyrazol-3-one 1 was methylated at N1 with sodium hydride in boiling 1,4-dioxane followed by methyl iodide at room temperature. l,2-Dihydropyrazol-3-one 2 was obtained in 59% yield (79AP853) (Scheme 1). 

Metalation of phenylhydrazine with sodium in liquid ammonia and then reaction with alkyl halides occur readily and give good yields of 1-alkyl-1-phenylhydrazines.529 1,2-Dialkylhydrazines cannot be obtained at all by direct alkylation of hydrazine, but they are quite smoothly prepared by alkylation of 1,2-diacylhydrazines and subsequent hydrolysis.530-533 Alkylation of monoacylhydrazines has been discussed by Hinman and Flores.534... 

By considering the shapes of the potential energy curves for the reactions of sodium atoms with alkyl halides, Evans and Polanyi [384] deduced, for a series of related reactions, that... 

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