Trialkylborane

Synthetic procedures involving other types of intermediates can be based on 2-lithiation. An indirect 2-alkylation can be carried out via indol-2-ylborates which can be prepared by addition of 2-lithioindoles to trialkylboranes. 

Mono-, di-, and trialkylboranes may be obtained from olefins and the trifunctional borane molecule. Simple unhindered alkenes yield trialkylboranes and it is not possible to halt the reaction at the mono- or dialkylborane stage. With more hindered and trisubstituted alkenes the reaction can be controlled to stop at the dialkylborane stage. 

Tetrasubstituted and some hindered trisubstituted alkenes react rapidly only to the monoalkylborane stage. Rarely, when the tetrasubstituted double bond is incorporated in a cycHc stmcture, does hydroboration under normal conditions fail (25—27). However, such double bonds may react under conditions of greater force (25,28—31). Generally, trialkylboranes are stable at normal temperatures, undergoing thermal dissociation at temperatures above 100°C (32—34). In the presence of B—H bonds, trialkylboranes undergo a redistribution reaction (35—38). 

Alkylchloro- and alkylbromoboranes are valuable reagents for the synthesis of di- and trialkylboranes having different alkyl groups. Thexylchloroborane [75050-54-5], ThxBHCl (16) is a very useful reagent. 

Protonolysis. Simple trialkylboranes are resistant to protonolysis by alcohols, water, aqueous bases, and mineral acids. In contrast, carboxyUc acids react readily with trialkylboranes, removing the first alkyl group at room temperature and the third one at elevated temperatures. Acetic and propionic acids are most often used. The reaction proceeds with retention of configuration of the alkyl group via a cycHc, six-membered transition state (206). 

Primary alkyl groups are more reactive than secondary and tertiary. PivaUc acid accelerates the rate of protonolysis of trialkylboranes with water and alcohols (207,208). The reaction can be controlled to give excellent yields of dialkylbotinic acids and esters. 

Usually, organoboranes are sensitive to oxygen. Simple trialkylboranes are spontaneously flammable in contact with air. Nevertheless, under carefully controlled conditions the reaction of organoboranes with oxygen can be used for the preparation of alcohols or alkyl hydroperoxides (228,229). Aldehydes are produced by oxidation of primary alkylboranes with pyridinium chi orochrom ate (188). Chromic acid at pH < 3 transforms secondary alkyl and cycloalkylboranes into ketones pyridinium chi orochrom ate can also be used (230,231). A convenient procedure for the direct conversion of terminal alkenes into carboxyUc acids employs hydroboration with dibromoborane—dimethyl sulfide and oxidation of the intermediate alkyldibromoborane with chromium trioxide in 90% aqueous acetic acid (232,233). 

The reactions of trialkylboranes with bromine and iodine are gready accelerated by bases. The use of sodium methoxide in methanol gives good yields of the corresponding alkyl bromides or iodides. AH three primary alkyl groups are utilized in the bromination reaction and only two in the iodination reaction. Secondary groups are less reactive and the yields are lower. Both Br and I reactions proceed with predominant inversion of configuration thus, for example, tri( X(9-2-norbomyl)borane yields >75% endo product (237,238). In contrast, the dark reaction of bromine with tri( X(9-2-norbomyl)borane yields cleanly X(9-2-norbomyl bromide (239). Consequentiy, the dark bromination complements the base-induced bromination. 

Replacement of Boron by Sulfur and Selenium. Trialkylboranes are cleaved by dialkyl- and diaryldisulfides in an air-catalyzed radical reaction producing mixed thioethers (259). 

Alkylthiocyanates and alkylselenocyanates are obtained by treatment of trialkylboranes with potassium thiocycanate (260) and sodium selenoisocyanate (261), in the presence of iron(III) compounds, respectively. Unsymmetrical trialkylboranes react preferentially at the more highly branched alkyl group. Alkenylphenyl selenides are obtained by the reaction of alkenylboronic acids with phenylselenyl bromide (262). 

Mercuration. Mercury(II) salts react with alkyl-, alkenyl-, and arylboranes to yield organomercurials, which are usehil synthetic intermediates (263). For example, dialkyhnercury and alkyhnercury acetates can be prepared from primary trialkylboranes by treatment with mercury(II) chloride in the presence of sodium hydroxide or with mercury(II) acetate in tetrahydrofuran (3,264). Mercuration of 3 -alkylboranes is sluggish and requires prolonged heating. Alkenyl groups are transferred from boron to mercury with retention of configuration (243,265). 

Addition to Carbonyl Compounds. Unlike Grignard and alkykitliium compounds, trialkylboranes are inert to carbonyl compounds. The air-catalyzed addition to formaldehyde is exceptional (373). Alkylborates are more reactive and can transfer alkyl groups to acyl halides. The reaction provides a highly chemoselective method for the synthesis of ketones (374). 

The N-oxides of isoquinolines have proved to be excellent intermediates for the preparation of many compounds. Trialkylboranes give 1-alkyl derivatives (147). With cyanogen bromide in ethanol, ethyl N-(l- and 4-isoquinolyl)carbamates are formed (148). A compHcated but potentially important reaction is the formation of 1-acetonyLisoquinoline and 1-cyanoisoquinoline [1198-30-7] when isoquinoline N-oxide reacts with metbacrylonitrile in the presence of hydroquinone (149). Isoquinoline N-oxide undergoes direct acylamination with /V-benzoylanilinoisoquinoline salts to form 1-/V-benzoylanilinoisoquinoline [53112-20-4] in 55% yield (150). A similar reaction of AJ-sulfinyl- -toluenesulfonamide leads to l-(tos5larriino)isoquinoline [25770-51-8] which is readily hydrolyzed to 1-aminoisoquinoline (151). 

The reaction of lithio derivatives with appropriate electrophiles has been utilized in the preparation of alkyl, aryl, acyl and carboxylic acid derivatives. Representative examples of these conversions are given in Scheme 79. Noteworthy is the two-step method of alkylation involving reaction with trialkylborane followed by treatment with iodine (78JOC4684). 

An ingenious application of Corey s ylide (1) was discovered by the Shea group in 199 7 51,52 ugjj g trialkylboranes as initiator/catalyst and 1 as the monomer, a living... 

H2O2 is found to result in formation of 2-ethylindole (75, 90%). Similarly, other trialkylboranes are successfully employed for the synthesis of 2-alkylindoles. A reaction mechanism through 74 as an intermediate is proposed. 

In the next step, one of the borane-hydrogens is transferred to a sp -carbon center of the alkene and a carbon-boron bond is formed, via a four-membered cyclic transition state 6. A mono-alkyIborane R-BH2 molecule thus formed can react the same way with two other alkene molecules, to yield a trialkylborane R3B. In case of tri- and tctra-substituted alkenes—e.g. 2-methylbut-2-ene 7 and 2,3-dimethylbut-2-ene 9—which lead to sterically demanding alkyl-substituents at the boron center, borane will react with only two or even only one equivalent of alkene, to yield a alkylborane or mono alky Iborane respectively ... 

The trialkylborane is oxidized by the addition to the stirred reaction mixture of 32 ml of a 3 solution of sodium hydroxide, followed by the dropwise addition of 32 ml of 30 % hydrogen peroxide at a temperature of 30-32° (water bath). The reaction mixture is saturated with sodium chloride and the tetrahydrofuran layer formed is separated and washed with saturated sodium chloride solution. The organic solution is dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and the THF is removed. Distillation affords 24.5 g (80%) of 4-methyl-1-pentanol, bp I51-153°/735 mm. 

Diborane reacts with unhindered olefins to form trialkylboranes (the so-called hydroboration reaction, cf. Chapter 4). In this Chapter, several of the recently discovered carbon-carbon bond forming reactions of trialkylboranes are presented. 

Carbon monoxide at atmospheric pressure reacts readily with trialkylboranes at 100-125° to give products that can be oxidized conveniently to trialkylcarbinols (/). 

Dialkylketones from Trialkylboranes and Carbon Monoxide-Water... 

As mentioned in the preceding section, the presence of water during the reaction of trialkylboranes with carbon monoxide inhibits the migration of the third alkyl group and leads to production of dialkyl ketones (i). This fact can be employed to advantage for the preparation of dialkyl ketones as shown in the scheme. 

Trialkylboranes react with ethyl bromoacetate to give ethyl alkylacetates in good yields (6). As in other reactions of boranes, only one of the three alkyl groups is utilized... 

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