Sulfones, alkylation from aryl halides

The Grignard reagents used in the reaction may be either those derived from aryl halides or those formed from alkyl halides. Phenyllithium reacted with the tosylate to give sulfones rather than azoxy compounds. 

The at complex from DIB AH and butyllithium is a selective reducing agent.16 It is used tor the 1,2-reduction of acyclic and cyclic enones. Esters and lactones are reduced at room temperature to alcohols, and at -78 C to alcohols and aldehydes. Acid chlorides are rapidly reduced with excess reagent at -78 C to alcohols, but a mixture of alcohols, aldehydes, and acid chlorides results from use of an equimolar amount of reagent at -78 C. Acid anhydrides are reduced at -78 C to alcohols and carboxylic acids. Carboxylic acids and both primary and secondary amides are inert at room temperature, whereas tertiary amides (as in the present case) are reduced between 0 C and room temperature to aldehydes. The at complex rapidly reduces primary alkyl, benzylic, and allylic bromides, while tertiary alkyl and aryl halides are inert. Epoxides are reduced exclusively to the more highly substituted alcohols. Disulfides lead to thiols, but both sulfoxides and sulfones are inert. Moreover, this at complex from DIBAH and butyllithium is able to reduce ketones selectively in the presence of esters. 

Review. Bergbreiter and Killough have discussed the various uses of CsK, particularly in comparison with the reactions of the soluble analog sodium naphthalenide. Perhaps the most useful role of CsK is for the rapid formation of alkoxides from alcohols and of stabilized carbanions from carbonyl compounds. In these two reactions, it reacts more readily than potassium itself and can be separated from the products by filtration. The authors conclude that it has only limited value for reduction of alkyl and aryl halides and sulfonates, reactions accomplished more readily by other reagents. They also note that CeK can be regarded as a suitable reagent for reactions in which sodium naphthalenide is useful. 

Cobalt has attracted attention in recent years as a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to palladium or nickel. As indicated earlier, functionalized arylzinc reagents can be prepared from aryl halides and sulfonates by zinc insertion in the presence of catalytic amounts of CoBtj [50, 51, 210). Interestingly, the presence of this cobalt salt suffices to catalyze in situ the cross-coupling of the arylzincs thus produced with aryl, alkyl, and heteroaryl electrophiles such as organic halides [211-214] or thioethers, as exemplified with the formation of 286 [214] (Scheme 4.63). 

The replacement of halogen by alkyl or aryl groups is included in this section. For the conversion of RX RH (X = halogen) see Section 160 (Hydrides from Halides and Sulfonates). 

Salts of sulfinic acids ace converted to sulfones by the action of pri-lary/ secondary, and benzyl halides, alkyl sulfates, and aryl halides in which the halogen atoms are activated by nitro groups in the ortbo or para positions. The reaction fails with t-amyl halide. The yields vary widely, depending upon the nature of the reactants. From salts of benzenesulfinic acid and simple alkylating agents, sulfones are produced in 50-90% yields. Satisfactory results have been obtained when the aryl sulfinic acid contains nitro, cyano, and acetamido groups. Keto sulfones are made in 48-62% yields by alkylation with a-halo ketones. ... 

Tosylates and other sulfonates and sulfates couple with Grignard reagents, most often those prepared from aryl or benzylic halides.Alkyl sulfates and sulfonates generally make better substrates in reactions with Grignard reagents than the corresponding halides (10-57). The method is useful for primary and secondary R. 

Chlorobenzene is employed in the synthesis of certain amino-containing vat dye intermediates. When reacted with phthalic anhydride, the product is 2-chloroanthraquinone, which, with ammonia, is converted readily into 2-aminoanthraquinone (61). Other routes include replacement of halogen by amino groups, with ammonia or ammonium salts of urea, and alkyl- and aryl amines to afford secondary amines. Modification of the amino group by alkylation, with dimethyl sulfate, alkyl halides or esters of toluenesul-fonic acids, is of synthetic value. Arylation of the amino groups is of importance only in the reaction between aminoanthraquinones and nitro- or chloroanthraquinones to yield dianthraquinonylamines, or anthrimides48. For example, the reaction between 62 and 63 yields 64, which can then be converted into carbazole 65, Cl Vat Brown R (Scheme 14). Amination of haloanthraquinones such as l-amino-4-bromoanthraquinone-2-sulfonic acid (bromamine acid) (66), prepared from 1-aminoanthraquinone, is of industrial use. 

---