Thiophene halogenation

Halogenated thiophenes are undoubtedly the most often used thiophene derivatives. They can be further converted into various substituted thiophenes through metal-halogen exchange reactions, electrophilic or nucleophilic substitutions or any of several types of palladium(0)-catalysed chemistry [21, 22, 74-76]. 

Soon after thiophene was discovered by Victor Meyer, reports from his group gave the first examples of halogenated thiophenes - dibromothiophene (now known to be 2,5-dibromothiophene) and monoiodothiophene [77]. Monoiodothiophene (now known to be 2-iodothiophene) was synthesised from a mixture with benzene isolated from coal tar containing 50-60% of thiophene ( raw thiophene ). Here the higher reactivity of thiophene in comparison to benzene in halogenations was observed and used. Thus for benzene, iodination requires elevated temperatures, but thiophene was iodinated at room temperature. It was found that 2-iodothiophene can be synthesised either by the treatment with a mixture of iodine and iodic acid or 

Equation 1 Treatment of thiophene with iodine in the presence of mercuric oxide [77], 

It was reported [77] that thiophene should not be left in the mixture with iodine without the presence of mercuric oxide on account of a resulting exothermic reaction which led to the formation of polymer and hydrogen sulfide. 

The apphcation of monoiodothiophene for the synthesis of alkylthiophenes by Wurtz-Fittig reaction was later described, again by Meyer [77] thus treatment of iodothiophene with alkyl bromides in dry ether in the presence of sodium led to the synthesis of 2-methylthiophene (already isolated from coal tar) and 2-ethyl-, 2-n-propyl and 2- -butylthiophenes. The synthesis of diiodothiophene was also described in the same paper, albeit without any applications. 

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Benzo(6]thiophene halogenation, 57, 294 iodination, 59, 254 resonance energy, 56, 352 Ru, Ir complexes, 58, 150 Benzo[6]thiophene, 3-benzoyl-, reaction with hydrazine, 56, 128 Benzo[l)]thiophene, 3-bromo-, chlorination, 57, 293 Benzo[6]thiophene, 4-fluoro-, 60, 17 Benzo[/>)thiophene, 4,5,6,7-tetrafluoro-2,3-dihydro-2-methyl-, 60, 28 Benzo(e]thiophenes, resonance energy,... 

Heteroatoms such as nitrogen or sulfur are oxidized on their free peripheric electrons (Fig. 32.12) as described for thiophene. Halogenated aromatic compounds, may also be oxidized by cytochrome P-450 monooxygenases, yielding hypervalent halogenated compounds. 

For the bromination of thiophene, bromine and A-bromosuccinimide (NBS) are the most useful reagents [90], As in any electrophilic substitutiOTi of thiophene, halogenations take place preferentially at a-positions. 2-Substituted thiophenes are usually halogenated at C-5, and 3-substituted thiophenes are halogenated either at C-2 or at C-5 depending on the substituent. 

As a conclusion to this thiophene halogenation section, we cite Scheme 82 demonstrating practical syntheses of a whole array of bromo- and iodothiophenes [124]. These compounds were applied for photochemical coupling with 2-acetyl-5-iodothiophene [124] (Scheme 83). 

Introduction of a 3-bromosubstituent onto thiophene is accompHshed by initial tribromination, followed by reduction of the a-bromines by treatment with zinc/acetic acid, thereby utilizing only one of three bromines introduced. The so-called halogen dance sequence of reactions, whereby bromothiophenes are treated with base, causing proton abstraction and rearrangement of bromine to the produce the most-stable anion, has also been used to introduce a bromine atom at position 3. The formation of 3-bromotbiopbene [872-31-1] from this sequence of reactions (17) is an efficient use of bromine. Vapor-phase techniques have also been proposed to achieve this halogen migration (18), but with less specificity. Table 3 summarizes properties of some brominated thiophenes. 

Side-Chain Derivatization. Reaction of thiophene with aqueous formaldehyde solution in concentrated hydrochloric acid gives 2-chloromethylthiophene [765-50-4]. This relatively unstable, lachrymatory material has been used as a commercial source of further derivatives such as 2-thiopheneacetonitrile [20893-30-5] and 2-thiopheneacetic acid [1918-77-0] (24). Similar derivatives can be obtained by peroxide, or light-catalyzed (25) halogenation of methylthiophenes, eg, Ai-bromosuccinimide/benzoylperoxide on 2-, and 3-methylthiophenes gives the corresponding bromomethylthiophenes. 

The route to 3-bromothiophene utilises a variation of the halogen dance technology (17). Preferably, 2,5-dibromothiophene [3141-27-3] is added to a solution of sodamide in thiophene containing the catalyst tris(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl)amine (l DA-1) (33) at temperatures marginally below reflux. On completion, quenching exothermically Hberates ammonia gas the organic phase is separated, washed, and distilled, and foremnning thiophene is recycled. Material of 97—98% purity is isolated. 

The halogenation of thiophene follows a similar pattern in that (a) chlorination is the most difficult to control and (b) substitution occurs preferentially in the a-positions. With... 

Halogens react with benzo[6]furan by an addition-elimination mechanism to give 2- and 3-substituted products (76JCS(P2)266). Treatment of benzo[6]thiophene with chlorine or bromine in acetic acid gives predominantly 3-substituted products (71JCS(B)79). 2,2,3,3,4,5,6,7-Octachloro-2,3-dihydrobenzothiophene is obtained when benzo[6]thio-phene is treated with chlorine in the presence of 1 mole of iodine (80JOC2l5l). 

In many cases, substituents linked to a pyrrole, furan or thiophene ring show similar reactivity to those linked to a benzenoid nucleus. This generalization is not true for amino or hydroxyl groups. Hydroxy compounds exist largely, or entirely, in an alternative nonaromatic tautomeric form. Derivatives of this type show little resemblance in their reactions to anilines or phenols. Thienyl- and especially pyrryl- and furyl-methyl halides show enhanced reactivity compared with benzyl halides because the halogen is made more labile by electron release of the type shown below. Hydroxymethyl and aminomethyl groups on heteroaromatic nuclei are activated to nucleophilic attack by a similar effect. 

In the thiophene and selenophene series, a-halogens are preferentially removed by reduction with zinc and acetic acid, as is illustrated by the preparation of 3-bromothiophene... 

Thiophene-2-carbaldehyde, 3-bromo-synthesis, 4, 81 Thiophenecarbaldehydes benzothiophene synthesis from, 4, 906 reactions, 4, 807 synthesis, 4, 148 Wittig reactions, 4, 807 Thiophene-2-carb aldehydes bromination, 4, 753 conformation, 4, 33 halogenation, 4, 753 reactions, 4, 72-73 reactivity, 4, 72-73 reduction, 4, 776 Thiophene-3-carb aldehydes conformation, 4, 33 reactivity, 4, 72... 

The SH, SCHs, and weakly directing halogens cause small shifts, which to a large extent are determined by magnetic anisotropy effects, especially in the case of the halogens. Attempts have been made to estimate these effects for the other thiophenes. Except for orthohydrogens, these effects are usually very small. 

Thiophenes substituted with groups such as alkyl, halogens, OCH3, and SCH3 show small but characteristic differences between 2- and 3-substituted compounds. In these cases, however, it is the 2-isomer which shows the less complex spectrum. Thus, 2-substituted alkylthio-phenes and halothiophenes show a single band with greater extinction than the 3-isomers whose spectra exhibit two peaks in a broadened absorption band. These differences are also present in the spectra of 2,5- and 3,4-dihalosubstituted compounds. In 2-substituted thiophenes, the intensity of the band varies inversely as the electronega-... 

Campaigne et al. have used 3-thenyl bromide obtained by benzoyl peroxide-catalyzed, side-chain bromination of 3-methylthiophene with A -bromosuccinimide, as a starting material for 3-substituted thiophenes. - 22 3-Methylthiophene is now prepared commercially from itaconic acid. The reactive halogen in 3-thenyl bromide could be directly reacted with a variety of nucleophiles, such as cyanide, or malonate, to give more complex 3-substituted compounds. 3-Thenyl bromide was converted by the Sommelet reaction to 3-thio-phenealdehyde which, with silver oxide, was oxidized to 3-thio-... 

Dichlorothiophene can also be used for the synthesis of 3-substituted thiophenes, since it can be smoothly acylated and chloro-methylated in the 3-position, and the halogens can then be readily removed at the appropriate stage. 3-Thenylsuccinic acid (28) has thus been obtained by treating 2,6-dichloro-3-thenylsuccinic acid with sodium amalgam. 2-Bromo-3-thenylbromide can be utilized in a similar way. ... 

With weakly directing — I + M-substituents such as the halogens, the a-directing power of the ring sulfur dominates and substitution appears to occur exclusively in the 5-position. 2-Chloro-, 2-bromo-, and 2-iodo-thiophene are sulfonated both with chlorosulfonic aeid and in the 5-position. In the chlorination of chloro-... 

From resonance structure (12) it is obvious that a —I—M-substit-uent strongly deactivates the 2-position toward electrophilic substitution, and one would thus expect that monosubstitution occurs exclusively in the 5-position. This has also been found to be the case in the chlorination, bromination, and nitration of 3-thiophenecarboxylic acid. Upon chlorination and bromination a second halogen could be introduced in the 2-position, although further nitration of 5-nitro-3-thiopheneearboxylic acid could not be achieved. Similarly, 3-thiophene aldehyde has been nitrated to 5-nitro-3-thiophene aldehyde, and it is further claimed that 5-bromo-3-thiopheneboronic acid is obtained upon bromination of 3-thiopheneboronic acid. ... 

The ease with which electrophilic substitution occurs in position 4 in thiophenes containing a —I—M-substituent in position 3, if the reactive a-positions are blocked with halogens or methyl groups, in contrast to the difiiculty of achieving such substitution in the 3-position of a —I—M 2-substituted thiophene was noticed already by Steinkopf et They easily dinitrated and disulfonated 2,5-di-... 

The halogens of halothiophenes are more labile than those of the corresponding benzenes in accordance with theoretical considera-tions which indicate that thiophenes should also undergo nucleophilic substitutions more rapidly than benzenes. Hurd and Kreuz" found that in qualitative experiments 3,5-dinitro-2-chlorothiophene was more reactive toward piperidine and methanolic potassium hydroxide than 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene. A quantitative study on the reaction of the six isomeric bromonitrothiophenes with piperidine (Table V) shows that the thiophenes react about one thousand times... 

Nucleophilic substitution has been used for the preparation of many thiophenes. For instance, 2-phenylthio-3,4-dinitro-5-piperidino-thiophene (155) has been prepared " through stepwise reaction of (150) with different nucleophiles. Nitrothienols and derivatives of them have been obtained from halogenated nitrothiophenes. " Allyl ethers have been prepared by the reaction of 5-chJoro-4-nitro-2-acetylthiophene, 3-nitro-2-chlorothiophene, and 2-nitro-3-bromothio-... 

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