Sulfonic acids from alcohols

Sodium hydrogen sulfite Sulfonic acids from alcohols s. 17,661... 

Fig. 1. Sulfonated and sulfated acid products viscosities after 98% conversions at varying temperatures where the vertical line indicates the maximum temperature for batch sulfonation using SO to minimi2e color deterioration lines A—C represent branched C 2 alkyl ben2ene (BAB) sulfonic acid from SO, oleum (settied), and oleum (whole mixture), respectively lines D and E, lauryl alcohol 3-ethoxylate sulfuric ester (SO ) and lauryl alcohol sulfuric ester...

Two general methods are applied for the recovery of sulfonic acids from sul-fonated oils and their sludge (1) the acids are removed selectively by adsorbents or by solvents (generally low-molecular-weight alcohols), and (2) the acids are obtained by salting out with organic salts or bases. 

Direct sulfonation of toluene with concentrated sulfuric acid gives a mixture of ortho and para sulfonic acids from which about 40% of toluene para sulfonic acid can be isolated as the sodium salt. The free acid is important as a convenient solid acid, useful when a strong acid is needed to catalyse a reaction. Being much more easily handled than oily and corrosive sulfuric acid or syrupy phosphoric acid, it is useful for acetal formation (Chapter 14) and eliminations by the El mechanism on alcohols (Chapter 19). It is usually called tosic add, TsOH, or PTSA (para toluene sulfonic acid). 

The structure and nomenclature of sulfonate esters (see 113, 114, or 115) are described in Chapter 20 (Section 20.11.2). It is also true that sulfonate esters are good leaving groups in the substitution reactions described in this chapter (see Section 11.2.4). Sulfonate esters are prepared by the reaction of sulfonic acids with alcohols—much the way that carboxylic acid esters are prepared from carboxylic acids and alcohols (described in Chapter 20, Section 20.11.2). More commonly, sulfonate esters are prepared by the reaction of a sulfonyl chloride (see 112) with an alcohol. This reaction is also described in Chapter 20. This section presents only a simple preview of that chemistry, with the goal of showing that it is easy to convert alcohols into sulfonate esters, which are then useful as leaving groups in substitution reactions. The formal mechanism of these reactions will be discussed in Chapter 20. 

Methanesulfonates. The most common use of methanesulfonyl chloride is for the synthesis of sulfonate esters from alcohols. This can be readily accomplished by treatment of an alcohol with mesyl chloride in the presence of a base (usually Triethy-lamine or Pyridine). The methanesulfonates formed are functional equivalents of halides. As such they are frequently employed as intermediates for reactions such as displacements, eliminations, reductions, and rearrangements. Selective mesylation of a vicinal diol is a common method of preparation of epoxides." Alkynyl mesylates can be used for the synthesis of trimethylsilyl allenes. Oxime mesylates undergo a Beckmann rearrangement upon treatment with a Lewis acid. Aromatic mesylates have been used as substrates for nucleophilic aromatic substitution. Mesylates are more reactive than tosylates toward nucleophilic substitution, but less reactive toward solvolysis. 

Direct, acid catalyzed esterification of acryhc acid is the main route for the manufacture of higher alkyl esters. The most important higher alkyl acrylate is 2-ethyIhexyi acrylate prepared from the available 0x0 alcohol 2-ethyl-1-hexanol (see Alcohols, higher aliphatic). The most common catalysts are sulfuric or toluenesulfonic acid and sulfonic acid functional cation-exchange resins. Solvents are used as entraining agents for the removal of water of reaction. The product is washed with base to remove unreacted acryhc acid and catalyst and then purified by distillation. The esters are obtained in 80—90% yield and in exceUent purity. 

Catalysts used are usually acids such as sulfuric acid, -toluenesulfonic acid, sulfonic acid ion-exchange resins, and others. The water from the reaction of the citric acid and the alcohol is continuously removed as the azeotrope until no more water is formed. At this point, the reaction is usually complete and the solvent and any excess alcohol is distilled off under mild vacuum. The catalyst is neutralized using carbonate or sodium hydroxide, leaving a cmde product. If a pure product is desired, the ester can be distilled under high vacuum. 

Acidic Hydrolysis. Hydrolysis of esters by use of water and a mineral acid leads to an equiUbrium mixture of ester, alcohol, and free carboxyHc acid. Complete reaction can only be achieved by removal of alcohol or acid from the equiUbrium. Because esters have poor solubiUty in water, the reaction rate in dilute acids is fairly low. Therefore, emulsifiers such as sulfonated oleic acid or sulfonated aromatic compounds (TwitcheU reagent) are added to facihtate the reaction. 

These acids are less stable, less soluble and less acidic than the corresponding sulfonic acids. The common impurities are the respective sulfonyl chlorides from which they have been prepared, and the thiolsulfonates (neutral) and sulfonic acids into which they decompose. The first two of these can be removed by solvent extraction from an alkaline solution of the acid. On acidification of an alkaline solution, the sulfinic acid crystallises out leaving the sulfonic acid behind. The lower molecular weight members are isolated as their metal (e.g. ferric) salts, but the higher members can be crystallised from water (made slightly acidic), or alcohol. 

The C2-symmetric epoxide 23 (Scheme 7) reacts smoothly with carbon nucleophiles. For example, treatment of 23 with lithium dimethylcuprate proceeds with inversion of configuration, resulting in the formation of alcohol 28. An important consequence of the C2 symmetry of 23 is that the attack of the organometallic reagent upon either one of the two epoxide carbons produces the same product. After simultaneous hydrogenolysis of the two benzyl ethers in 28, protection of the 1,2-diol as an acetonide ring can be easily achieved by the use of 2,2-dimethoxypropane and camphor-sulfonic acid (CSA). It is necessary to briefly expose the crude product from the latter reaction to methanol and CSA so that the mixed acyclic ketal can be cleaved (see 29—>30). Oxidation of alcohol 30 with pyridinium chlorochromate (PCC) provides alde-... 

A dispersant that can be used in drilling fluids, spacer fluids, cement slurries, completion fluids, and mixtures of drilling fluids and cement slurries controls the rheologic properties of and enhances the filtrate control in these fluids. The dispersant consists of polymers derived from monomeric residues, including low-molecular-weight olefins that may be sulfonated or phosphonated, unsaturated dicarboxylic acids, ethylenically unsaturated anhydrides, unsaturated aliphatic monocarboxylic acids, vinyl alcohols and diols, and sulfonated or phosphonated styrene. The sulfonic acid, phosphonic acid, and carboxylic acid groups on the polymers may be present in neutralized form as alkali metal or ammonium salts [192,193]. 

Ester formation from polysaccharides can be achieved in several ways First by acylation of the OH groups with carboxylic or sulfonic acid azolides, second by converting the OH groups with imidazole carboxylates into carbonates, and third by reaction of an acid leash on the polysaccharide with an alcohol by means of CDI or analogous azolides. The acid leash might, for example, be a succinate attached to the polysaccharide. 

Apart from complex formation involving metal ions (as discussed in Chapter 4), crown ethers have been shown to associate with a variety of both charged and uncharged guest molecules. Typical guests include ammonium salts, the guanidinium ion, diazonium salts, water, alcohols, amines, molecular halogens, substituted hydrazines, p-toluene sulfonic acid, phenols, thiols and nitriles. 

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