Substitution Reactions at the Allylic Position

Ally lie carbons are the ones bonded to the doubly bonded C s the H s attached to them are called allylic H s. 

Br + H2OCHCH3H2C=CHCH,Br + HBr The low concentration of Br comes from jV-bromosuccinimide (NBS). 

These halogenations are like free-radical substitutions of alkanes (see Section 4.4). The order of reactivity of H-abstraction is 

Problem 6.42 Use the concepts of (a) resonance and b) extended tt orbital overlap (delocalization) to account for the extraordinary stability of the allyl-type radical. 

Problem 6.43 Designate the typte of each set of H s in CHjCH=CHCH,CHj—CH(CH,)j (e.g. 3°, allylic, etc.) and show their relative reactivity toward a Br- atom, using (1) for the most reactive, (2) for the next, etc. 

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The allylic position of olefins is subject to attack by free radicals with the consequent formation of stable allylic free radicals. This fact is utilized in many substitution reactions at the allylic position (cf. Chapter 6, Section III). The procedure given here employs f-butyl perbenzoate, which reacts with cuprous ion to liberate /-butoxy radical, the chain reaction initiator. The outcome of the reaction, which has general applicability, is the introduction of a benzoyloxy group in the allylic position. 

It should not be surprising that reaction at the allylic position is not restricted to halogenation. Thus, although the carbon-carbon double bond is easily oxidized (Part I of this chapter), an oxidizing agent such as selenium dioxide (Se02) preferentially directs oxidation to the allylic position and the process by which this is thought to occur (Scheme 6.52) is also indicative of the indirect path by which vinylic substitution can be accomplished. 

Chlorobutyl rubber is prepared by chlorination of butyl rubber (chlorine content is about 1 wt%). This is a substitution reaction produced at the allylic position, so little carbon-carbon double unsaturation is lost. Therefore, chlorobutyl rubber has enhanced reactivity of the carbon-carbon double bonds and supplies additional reactive sites for cross-linking. Furthermore, enhanced adhesion is obtained to polar substrates and it can be blended with other, more unsaturated elastomers. 

Another method for preparing alkyl halides from alkenes is by reaction with jV-brotnosuccinimide (abbreviated NBS) in the presence of light to give products resulting from substitution of hydrogen by bromine at the allylic position—the position next to the double bond. Cyclohexene, for example, gives 3-bromo-cyclohexene. 

Pathway A shows the most common reaction where the nucleophilic substitution reaction occurs at the electron-deficient carbon atom due to the strong electron-attracting character of the sulfonyl group. Nucleophilic displacements at the allylic position (SN2 reaction) are shown in pathway B. Pathway C is the formation of a-sulfonyl carbanion by nucleophilic attack on the carbon atom p to the sulfone moiety. There are relatively few reports on substitution reactions where nucleophiles attack the sulfone functionality and displace a carbanion as illustrated in pathway D3. 

That the mechanism of bromination by NBS was a free radical one was first suggested by Goldfinger et al (1953, 1956) and later supported by Dauben and Me Coy in 1959 and also by Tedder et al in 1960 and 1961. The strongest point in favour of the reaction being a free radical one is that it is catalysed by free radical initiators like peroxides and is also promoted by light. Indeed new substitution at the allyl position is often used to detect free radicals. Like free radical reactions, it is also retarded by inhibitors. 

The stereoselective elimination reaction of suitably substituted allylic compounds is a reasonable approach to the construction of the propadiene framework. Central chirality at the allylic position is transferred to axial chirality of the allene by stereoselective /3-elimination (Scheme 4.53). 

Although not in the top 50, it is an important monomer for making epoxy adhesives as well as glycerine (HO-CH2-CHOH-CH2-OH). Propylene is first chlorinated free radically at the allyl position at 500°C to give allyl chloride, which undergoes chlorohydrin chemistry as discussed previously to give epichlorohydrin. The student should review the mechanism of allyl free radical substitution from a basic organic chemistry course and also work out the mechanism for this example of a chlorohydrin reaction. 

When chlorination or bromination of alkenes is carried out in the gas phase at high temperature, addition to the double bond becomes less significant and substitution at the allylic position becomes the dominant reaction.153-155 In chlorination studied more thoroughly a small amount of oxygen and a liquid film enhance substitution, which is a radical process in the transformation of linear alkenes. Branched alkenes such as isobutylene behave exceptionally, since they yield allyl-substituted product even at low temperature. This reaction, however, is an ionic reaction.156 Despite the possibility of significant resonance stabilization of the allylic radical, the reactivity of different hydrogens in alkenes in allylic chlorination is very similar to that of alkanes. This is in accordance with the reactivity of benzylic hydrogens in chlorination. 

The radical mechanism has also been proposed as a general mechanism for oxidation of alkenes and aromatics, but several objections have been raised because of the absence of products typically associated with radical reactions. In classical radical reactions, alkenes should react also at the allylic position and give rise to allyl-substituted products, not exclusively epoxides methyl-substituted aromatics should react at the benzylic position. The products expected from such reactions are absent. Another argument was made against the radical mechanism based on the stereoselectivity of epoxidation. Radical intermediates are free to rotate around the C C bond, with the consequence that both cis- and /rani-epoxides are formed from a single alkene isomer, contrary to the evidence obtained with titanium silicates (Clerici et al., 1993). 

The reaction of olefins with lead tetraacetate has not been a useful method in organic synthesis, because reactions such as addition of an oxygen functional group to the double bond, substitution of hydrogen at the allylic position, and C-C bond cleavage can occur to give complex mixtures of products. With some specific alkenes, however, reaction with lead tetraacetate can afford synthetically important compounds cleanly. For instance, reaction of the diacid with 6 equiv. lead tetraacetate in acetonitrile gave the dilactone in excellent yield (Scheme 13.36) [59]. 

Like allyl- and propargylmagnesium compounds, benzylmagnesium halides when reacted with a substrate give rise in part to products substituted at the allylic, i.e., here at the ortho position THF favors reaction at the benzylic position . 

Bromination of 86a by iV-bromosuccinimide took place at the allylic position rather than on the thiophene rings the resulting bromomethyl compound (86b), on reaction with a variety of secondary amines, gives products (86c) with analgesic and antitussive properties.113 Nucleophilic substitution of chlorine from chloromethyl derivatives has been effected by... 

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