Toluenes, benzylic metallation

According to the principle of least nuclear motion [45] aromatic deprotonation should be faster than benzylic metalation, because the benzylic carbanion is expected to rehybridize slightly toward sp2 to achieve stabilization by conjugation with the aromatic n system. This is, in fact, often observed [217, 401, 423-425], but with some substrates benzylic metalation can effectively compete with aromatic metalation[181, 425, 426] (Scheme 5.47). Thus, treatment of toluene with BuLi/TMEDA or BuLi/DABCO at 80 °C for 0.5 h or with BuLi/KOtBu in Et20 at -20 °C for 4 h leads to clean formation of benzyllithium [85, 427, 428], The kinetic preference for aromatic deprotonation, because of the principle of least nuclear motion, thus seems to be too weak to control the regioselectivity of deprotonations in all instances. 

Wolczanski also investigated the chemistry of a tantalum imido system. In this system, elimination of hydrocarbon from the bis-amido imido complex occurs with difficulty at 183°C to give an amido bis-imido complex. The elimination is reversible, with the bis-imido species not being directly observed (Scheme 10). Under methane pressure, the phenyl complex loses benzene and adds methane. Neopentane, benzene, and toluene (benzylic activation) were also found to undergo activation, but not cyclohexane. The authors conclude from their equilibrium studies that the differences in metal-carbon bond strengths are approximately equal to the differences in carbon-hydrogen bond... 

The catalytic oxidation of toluene over metal oxides to benzaldehyde and benzoic acid are well-known industrial processes and minor amounts of coupling products are detected among the products. It is shown that the oxidative coupling of toluene is favoured under anaerobic conditions and that metal oxides of the groups III to V of the periodic table catalyse methyl-methyl coupling [1]. Pb/Li/MgO is chosen for this study because it is known as a selective catalyst for the oxidative methylation of toluene with methane [2-4] and as good benzyl radical producer [1]. 

A selective method for benzylic metalation of o-, m-, and p-substituted toluenes has been reported using BuLi/f-BuOKVTMP and rationalized by the ability of the mixed metal amide base to facilitate an anion migration from the kinetic (o-aryl) to the benzylic metalation site. Reaction of 2-(l-phenylethylidene)malononitrile and 2,2,2-trifluoro-1 -phenylethanone gives (2 ,4 )-2-cyano-6,6,6-trifluoro-3,5-diphenyl-hexa-2,4-dienamide via a vinylogous aldol reaction followed by rearrangement of the 2/f-pyran intermediate (Scheme 52). °°... 

In the second, a trace of toluene (possibly formed by hydrolysis) is metalated by the p-tolyl-sodium to give benzyl-sodium and toluene. Since the toluene is regenerated in the reaction, a small quantity would be adequate as a sort of catalyst. 

Benzyl chloride is manufactured by the thermal or photochemical chlorination of toluene at 65—100°C (37). At lower temperatures the amount of ring-chlorinated by-products is increased. The chlorination is usually carried to no more than about 50% toluene conversion in order to minimize the amount of benzal chloride formed. Overall yield based on toluene is more than 90%. Various materials, including phosphoms pentachloride, have been reported to catalyze the side-chain chlorination. These compounds and others such as amides also reduce ring chlorination by complexing metallic impurities (38). 

NOTE - Petrochemical plants also generate significant amounts of solid wastes and sludges, some of which may be considered hazardous because of the presence of toxic organics and heavy metals. Spent caustic and other hazardous wastes may be generated in significant quantities examples are distillation residues associated with units handling acetaldehyde, acetonitrile, benzyl chloride, carbon tetrachloride, cumene, phthallic anhydride, nitrobenzene, methyl ethyl pyridine, toluene diisocyanate, trichloroethane, trichloroethylene, perchloro-ethylene, aniline, chlorobenzenes, dimethyl hydrazine, ethylene dibromide, toluenediamine, epichlorohydrin, ethyl chloride, ethylene dichloride, and vinyl chloride. 

The acidity of benzylic protons of aromatics complexed to transition-metal groups was first disclosed by Trakanosky and Card with (indane)Cr(CO)3 [61]. Other cases are known with Cr(CO)3 [62], Mn(CO)3 [63], FeCp+ [64, 65], and Fe(arene)2+ [31, 66] but none reported the isolation of deprotonated methyl-substituted complexes. We found that deprotonation of the toluene complex gives an unstable red complex which could be characterized by 13C NMR ( Ch2 = 4.86 ppm vs TMS in CD5CD3) and alkylated by CH3I [58] Eq. (13) ... 

A similar steric effect was observed in the reaction of benzyl carboxylate (44). When 44a-d were treated with Bu OK under solvent-free conditions at around 100 °C for 30 min, the corresponding condensation products 45a (75%), 45b (66%), 45c (64%), and 45d (84%) were obtained in the yields indicated [9] (Scheme 6). When the same reactions of 44a-d and Bu OH were carried out in toluene under reflux for 16 h, no condensation product was obtained and 44a-d were recovered unchanged. In solution reactions, exchange of the alkoxy group occurs among the substrate, reagent, and solvent. Therefore, the alkoxy groups of the ester, metal alkoxide, and alcohol used as a solvent should be identical. 

Polymerization of Ethylene in the Dark by Transition Metal Benzyl Compounds in Toluene at 80°C Ethylene Partial Pressure 10 aim... 

A detailed study of the mechanism of the insertion reaction of monomer between the metal-carbon bond requires quantitative information on the kinetics of the process. For this information to be meaningful, studies should be carried out on a homogeneous system. Whereas olefins and compounds such as Zr(benzyl)4 and Cr(2-Me-allyl)3, etc. are very soluble in hydrocarbon solvents, the polymers formed are crystalline and therefore insoluble below the melting temperature of the polyolefine formed. It is therefore not possible to use olefins for kinetic studies. Two completely homogeneous systems have been identified that can be used to study the polymerization quantitatively. These are the polymerization of styrene by Zr(benzyl)4 in toluene (16, 25) and the polymerization of methyl methacrylate by Cr(allyl)3 and Cr(2-Me-allyl)3 (12)- The latter system is unusual since esters normally react with transition metal allyl compounds (10) but a-methyl esters such as methyl methacrylate do not (p. 270) and the only product of reaction is polymethylmethacrylate. Also it has been shown with both systems that polymerization occurs without a change in the oxidation state of the metal. 

It follows that each molecule of HD formed corresponds to a molecule of metal hydride. Measurements of HD showed that one percent of metal hydride was present as an impurity in the Zr (benzyl)4 solution in toluene catalyst. On adding styrene monomer the hydride did not disappear from the reaction mixture, but progressively increased as the polymerization proceeded. It was estimated that if the hydride had the empirical formula (CeH6CH2) 3ZrH] , the amount formed corresponded to one molecule per chain. The persistence of this hydride in solution probably results from dimerization giving species of the type (XXVIII). 

L-(+)-Tartaric acid, benzyl alcohol, and p-toluenesulfon.io acid monohydrate were purchased from Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd. (Japan). Guaranteed-grade toluene was dried and stored over sodium metal. 

Catalysts and reaction conditions used are generally similar to those used for olefin isomerization. Catalysts reported are sodium-organosodium catalysts prepared in situ by reaction of a promoter such as o-chloro-toluene or anthracene with sodium 19-24), alkali metal hydrides 20,21), alkali metals 22), benzylsodium 26), and potassium-graphite 26). These catalysts are strong bases that can react with alkylaromatics to replace a benzylic hydrogen [Reaction (2)]. 

The production of n-butylbenzene may be attributed to an inherent lack of complete selectivity in carbanion reactions, because the greater stability of an intermediate does not exclude the formation of the less stable product. This stability is only important when the step in forming intermediates is slow or when energy differences are large. On the other hand, the formation of n-butylbenzene from toluene and propylene may be due to a partial radical character of benzyl alkali metals. The latter would not seem to be the case because the potassium compounds should have greater ionic character, but they yield more n-butylbenzene. This agrees with the idea that lack of selectivity may be due to greater rate of reaction of potassium compounds with olefins. 

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