Sulfur tetrafluoride

We also developed a number of other useful new fluorinating reagents. They ineluded a convenient in situ form of sulfur tetrafluoride in pyridinium polyhydrogen fluoride, selenium tetrafluoride, and ey-anurie fluoride. We introdueed uranium hexafluoride (UFg), depleted from the U-235 isotope, which is an abundant by-product of enrichment plants, as an effective fluorinating agent. 

Nonmeta.ls, Sulfur reacts with fluorine to yield the remarkably stable sulfur hexafluoride, SF. Operating conditions must be controlled because a mixture of the lower fluorides such as disulfur difluoride [13709-35-8] 2 2 disulfur decafluoride [5714-22-7] 2 10 sulfur tetrafluoride [7783-60-0] SF4, may also be formed. When this reaction is carried out between 310 and 340°C, SF is primarily obtained and essentially no SF and only trace amounts of lower fluorides. Below 300°C, and preferably at ca 275°C, SF is the primary product. At 450—500°C, a mixture comprising ca 50% SF and the lower sulfur fluorides is formed (see Fluorine compounds, inorganic-sulfur). 

Physical Properties. Sulfur tetrafluoride has the stmcture of a distorted trigonal bipyramid, the sulfur having hybrid sp d orbitals and an unshared electron pair (93). The FSF bond angles have been found to be 101° and 187°, and the bond distances 0.1646 and 0.1545 nm (94). 

Chemical Properties. Sulfur tetrafluoride reacts rapidly with water to give hydrofluoric acid and thionyl fluoride [7783 2-8] ... 

With alcohols, mixtures of alkyl fluorides and alkyl ethers are obtained (100). Alcohols beating electron-withdrawiag groups can be converted to the corresponding fluorides ia high yield (101). Sulfur tetrafluoride replaces the carboayl oxygea with fluorine (100,102). 

Sulfur tetrafluoride reacts with most inorganic oxides and sulfides to give the corresponding fluorides (103) ... 

Preparation. In the laboratory, sulfur tetrafluoride is made by combining SCI2 and NaF suspended in acetonitrile at ca 77°C (106). For commercial production, SF is made by direct combination of sulfur with elemental fluorine (107). Commercial appHcations of SF are limited. It is available from Air Products and Chemicals. 

Toxicity. Sulfur tetrafluoride has an inhalation toxicity comparable to phosgene. The current OSHA standard maximum allowable concentration for human exposure in air is 0.4 mg/m (TWA) (54). On exposure to moisture, eg, on the surface of skin, sulfur tetrafluoride Hberates hydrofluoric acid and care must be taken to avoid bums. One case of accidental exposure of electrical workers to decomposed SF gas containing SF has been cited (108). 

Sulfur tetrafluoride [7783-60-0] SF, replaces halogen in haloalkanes, haloalkenes, and aryl chlorides, but is only effective (even at elevated temperatures) in the presence of a Lewis acid catalyst. The reagent is most often used in the replacement of carbonyl oxygen with fluorine (15,16). Aldehydes and ketones react readily, particularly if no alpha-hydrogen atoms are present (eg, benzal fluoride [455-31-2] from benzaldehyde), but acids, esters, acid chlorides, and anhydrides are very sluggish. However, these reactions can be catalyzed by Lewis acids (HP, BF, etc). 

Sulfur Tetrafluoride and Aromatic Carboxylic Acids. Ben2otrifluorides also are prepared from aromatic carboxyhc acids and their derivatives with sulfur tetrafluoride (SF (106,107). Hydrogen fluoride is frequently used as a catalyst. Two equivalents of sulfur tetrafluoride are required ... 

Depending on the ring substituent, trifluoromethoxyben2enes can be made by the sequential chlorination—fluorination of anisole(s) (351—354). A one-step process with commercial potential is the BF (or SbF2)-cataly2ed reaction of phenol with carbon tetrachloride/hydrogen fluoride (355). Aryl trifluoromethyl ethers, which may not be accessible by the above routes,may be made by fluorination of aryl fluoroformates or aryl chlorothioformates with sulfur tetrafluoride (348) or molybdenum hexafluoride (356). 

The standard synthesis method features side-chain chlorination of a methylpyridine (picoline), followed by exchange-fluoriaation with hydrogen fluoride or antimony fluorides (432,433). The fluoriaation of pyridinecarboxyHc acids by sulfur tetrafluoride (434) or molybdenum hexafluoride (435) is of limited value for high volume production operations due to high cost of fluorinating agent. 

Trifluoromethylpyridine can be prepared ia 54% yield from picolinic acid and sulfur tetrafluoride—hydrogen fluoride (434). 2-Trifluoromethylpyridine is a weak base no hydrochloride salt is formed. However, 2-trifluoromethylpyridine 1-oxide [22253-71-0] (bp 132—133°C/2.7 kPa (20 mm Hg)) is prepared ia 81% yield usiag 30% hydrogen peroxide—acetic acid (438). 

Trifluoromethylpyridine can be prepared ia 25—65% yield from nicotinic acid and sulfur tetrafluoride (434,439). An alternative method is the passage of chlorine iato a mixture of ( -picoline and hydrogen fluoride ia an autoclave (190°C, 3 MPa) (440). 4-Trifluoromethylpyridine is prepared ia 57% yield from isonicotinic acid and sulfur tetrafluoride. 

The main preparative techniques used to make all seven trifluoromethyl-quiaoline isomers iaclude copper-assisted coupliag of the haloquiaoliae with trifluoromethyl iodide (112) quiaoliaecarboxyhc acid with sulfur tetrafluoride—hydrogea fluoride (434,445) and aminoben2otrifluoride and glycerol... 

Sulfur tetrafluoride is available from Air Products and Chemicals, Inc., or Matheson Gas Products. 

If it is inconvenient to add sulfur tetrafluoride directly from a cylinder, it may first be condensed in a calibrated trap containing a boiling chip and cooled in a acetone-dry ice bath. When cooled to — 78°, 119 g. of sulfur tetrafluoride is about 62 ml. The sulfur tetrafluoride can be added to the cooled flask by allowing it to distil slowly from the trap. 

Reaction of Carbonyl Compounds with Sulfur Tetrafluoride... 

The recent discovery of a convenient synthesis of sulfur tetrafluoride from sulfur dichloride and sodium fluoride in acetonitrile invited the application of this reagent in fluorination reactions. Hasek, Smith and Engelhardt showed that carboxylic acids and their derivatives can be converted into trifluoromethyl derivatives and that aldehydes and ketones are converted into 5 em-difluoro compounds. They also observed that the reaction was acid... 

Mechanism Several possible pathways for the reaction have been proposed by Hasek et alP and by Martin and Kagan, one of which is presented here. It takes cognizance of the fact that a significant concentration of hydrogen fluoride is essential for the reaction. Since definite interaction or compound formation between covalent fluorides and sulfur tetrafluoride is known to... 

Replacement of ketones with fluorine by reaction with sulfur tetrafluoride-hy-drogen fluoride, 471... 

Sulfur and Sulfur Compounds, 123 Sulfur chloride, 123 Sulfur dioxide, 123 Sulfur hexafluoride, 123 Sulfur tetrafluoride, 124 Sulfur trioxide, 124 Sulfuric acid, 123 Sulfurous acid, 124 Sulfuryl fluoride, 124 Sulphamic acid, 124 Sulprofos, 124... 

Perfluorodimethyladamantane is prepared from adamantane dicarboxylic acid by treatment with sulfur tetrafluoride followed by energetic fluorination with cobalt trifluoride over two temperature ranges [S] (equation 15)... 

A nonconventional synthesis of the known inhalation anaesthetic, 2-bromo-2 chloro-l,l,l-trifluoroethane (Halothane), based on the reaction of ethyl 1,2 di bromo-1,2-dicliloroethyl ether with anhydrous hydrogen fluoride and sulfur tetrafluoride, has been patented The reaction presumably involves cleavage of the ether linkage, followed by fluorination of the intermediate bromochloroacetyl halide with sulfur tetrafluoride, ethyl halides are the by-products [2] (equation 2)... 

Reactions of alcohols with sulfur tetrafluoride, because of decomposition and/or polymerization, usually do not give fluorinated products However, in the presence of a hydrogen fluoride scavenger like triethylamine or pyridine, even such sensitive substrates as benzylic alcohols [555], 2-phenylethanol, and 2-furylmethanol [554] can be fluorinated to give the expected fluoro derivatives (equation 73)... 

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