Stilbene, from decomposition

As a preparative method the direct decarboxylation of olefinic acids is almost limited to the formation of styrenes and stilbenes from substituted cinnamic acids. Thermal decomposition of cinnamic acid gives styrene (41%). The yield is nearly quantitative if the reaction is carried out in quinoline at 220° in the presence of a copper catalyst. The yields of substituted styrenes where the aryl radical contains halo, methoxyl, aldehyde, cyano, and nitro groups are in the range of 30-76%. cis-Stilbene and cis-p-nitrostilbene are prepared in this way from the corresponding a-phenylcinnamic acids (65%). One aliphatic compound worthy of mention is 2-ethoxypropene, prepared by heating -ethoxycro-tonic acid at 165° (91% yield). The mechanism of acid-catalyzed decarboxylations of this type has been studied. Isomerization of the double bond from the a,/5- to the /5, y-position before decarboxylation very likely occurs in many instances. ... 

Esters derived from the primary alcohols are the most stable and those derived from the tertiary alcohols are the least stable. The decomposition temperature is lower in polar solvents, eg, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), with decomposition occurring at 20°C for esters derived from the tertiary alcohols (38). Esters of benzyl xanthic acid yield stilbenes on heating, and those from neopentyl alcohols thermally rearrange to the corresponding dithiol esters (39,40). The dialkyl xanthate esters catalytically rearrange to the dithiol esters with conventional Lewis acids or trifluoroacetic acid (41,42). The esters are also catalytically rearranged to the dithiolesters by pyridine Ai-oxide catalysts (43) ... 

Preparation of 2-Hydroxy-4,4 -Diamidinostilbene Dihydrochloride 10 grams of 2-hydroxy-4,4 -dicyanostilbene were suspended in 250 cc of absolute ethyl alcohol and the mixture saturated with dry hydrogen chloride at 0°C. The whole was left for eight days at room temperature. The imino-ether hydrochloride formed was filtered off, washed with dry ether and dried in the air for a short time. It was then added to 250 cc of 10% ethyl alcoholic ammonia and the whole heated for 5 hours at 45°C. The 2-hydroxy-4,4 -diamidino-stilbene dihydrochloride which separated was crystallized from 10% hydrochloric acid. It forms pale yellow needles, MP 357°C (decomposition). 

The EfZ ratio of stilbenes obtained in the Rh2(OAc)4-catalyzed reaction was independent of catalyst concentration in the range given in Table 22 357). This fact differs from the copper-catalyzed decomposition of ethyl diazoacetate, where the ratio diethyl fumarate diethyl maleate was found to depend on the concentration of the catalyst, requiring two competing mechanistic pathways to be taken into account 365), The preference for the Z-stilbene upon C ClO -or rhodium-catalyzed decomposition of aryldiazomethanes may be explained by the mechanism given in Scheme 39. Nucleophilic attack of the diazoalkane at the presumed metal carbene leads to two epimeric diazonium intermediates 385, the sterically less encumbered of which yields the Z-stilbene after C/C rotation 357,358). Thus, steric effects, favoring 385a over 385 b, ultimately cause the preferred formation of the thermodynamically less stable cis-stilbene. 

Photoinduced ring cleavage also occurs readily in heterocyclic systems containing both oxygen and nitrogen. A series of dihydro-oxadiazinones, for example, undergo decomposition, and the results obtained parallel those observed on thermal decomposition cis- and Jraras-stilbene are obtained from the diphenyl derivative (71), whereas cis-cyclooctene is the major product of photolysis of the fused cyclooctane (72).62... 

Other reactions involving the cleavage of a carbon heteroatom bond include a promising method for the deprotection of benzyl ethers by irradiation in the presence of acceptors (Scheme 46) [240-241] and the liberation of alkyl radicals (capable of initiating a polymerization) from alkyltriarylborate salts [242-243], The PET induced decomposition of phenyldiazomethane leads to cis-stilbene the reaction however appears to involve addition of the radical cation to a neutral molecule prior to nitrogen loss [244]. The detachment of a halogen after intramolecular electron transfer from the a C-X bond to an electron-rich... 

The reaction of RhCl(PPh)3 with pentane-2,4-dione (equation 183) is more complex, some rra s-[RhCl(CO)(PPh3)2] is formed as a result of carbonyl abstraction in a side reaction.920 An even more complex reaction results from the trapping by RhX(PPh3)3 (X = Cl, Br) of the SO moiety produced in the decomposition of stilbene episulfoxide (65 equations 184). The dimeric product is unstable in the presence of PPh3 and is reduced to the starting material (equation 185).921... 

The 4,5-corane (84) is obtained in SOX yield on photo-decarbonylation of the pentacyclic ketone (85). Photochemical decomposition of the carbonate (86), by the loss of carbon dioxide, affords a mixture of products containing oxirane. styrene oxide, bibenzyl and phenylacetaldehyde. Triplet sensitized irradiation yields products solely from benzyl radicals. - An earlier study of the irradiation (at 254 nm) of the carbonate (87) reported that benzaldehyde, phenyl carbene, and carbon dioxide were produced. A reinvestigation of the irradiation of this compound (at 254 nm in acetonitrile) has provided evidence that the cis- and trans-stilbene oxides (88) and (89) are formed as well as deoxybenzoin and smaller amounts of diphenylacetaldehyde and bibenzyl. When methanol is used as the solvent the same products are produced accompanied by benzylmethyl ether, 1,2-diphenylethanol, and 2,2-diphenylethanol. These authors suggest that the oxiranes (88) and (89) are formed by way of... 

Some information regarding thermal stability of this type of polymer is available in literature. These polymers typically generate CO2, some maleic anhydride, and fragments related to the olefin. For example, poly(maleic anhydride-co-frans-stilbene) (alternating), when heated from ambient to 500° C, generates CO2, styrene, maleic anhydride small amounts of benzene, cyclohexadiene, dimethylbutene, ethylcyclobutanol, and 4-methoxystyrene. Major decomposition products for this polymer are chain fragments (79%), including aromatic, ketonic and unsaturated structures [5],... 

Radical epoxidation. In the presence of this radical cation, iodosylbcnzcnc can effect epoxidation of stilbene, but only in low yield because of decomposition of the catalyst. Selenium dioxide (Se02) is a suitable oxidant for this catalyzed epoxidation, but suffers from low solubility in CH2CI2 at 0°. The most useful... 

The addition of aldehydes to carbenoids derived from the Cu-catalyzed decomposition of ArCHNj to form stilbene epoxides is subject to asymmetric induction by 1,3-oxathiane 47 prepared from 10-mercaptoisobomeol and acetaldehyde. The attack of sulfonium ylides derived from 48 on aldehydes also affords epoxides of high optical purity. The same principle underlies a synthesis of chiral aziridines. ... 

Other phosphonmm salts which may be obtained from the chloride in the usual manner are as follows, the compounds in brackets being the decomposition products formed when the salts are heated to a high temperature bromide (almost totally decomposed only resembles the chloride to a slight extent) hydroxide (triethylphosphine oxide, toluene), carbonate and acid carbonate (triethylphosphine oxide, toluene, carbon dioxide) sulphate (2 mols. trietfylphosphine oxide, stilbene, carbon dioxide) acetate (triethylphosphine oxide and methyl tolyl ketone, and to a smaller extent triethylphosphine and the methyl ester of toluic acid) oxalate (triethylphosphine oxide, toluene, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide). 

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