Uses of Open-chained Equivalents in PTC

It was noted early by Smid and his coworkers that open-chained polyethylene glycol type compounds bind alkali metals much as the crowns do, but with considerably lower binding constants. This suggested that such materials could be substituted for crown ethers in phase transfer catalytic reactions where a larger amount of the more economical material could effect the transformation just as effectively as more expensive cyclic ethers. Knbchel and coworkers demonstrated the application of open-chained crown ether equivalents in 1975 . Recently, a number of applications have been published in which simple polyethylene glycols are substituted for crowns . These include nucleophilic substitution reactions, as well as solubilization of arenediazonium cations . Glymes have also been bound into polymer backbones for use as catalysts . 

Chaput, Jeminet and Juillard measured the association constants of several simple polyethylene glycols with Na , K , Cs , and Tl . Phase transfer catalytic processes and most biological processes are more likely to involve the first two cations rather than the latter two, so we will confine the discussion to these. Stability constants for the dimethyl ethers of tetra-, penta-, hexa-, and heptaethylene glycols were determined poten-tiometrically in anhydrous methanol solution and are shown in Table 7.1. In the third column of the table, the ratio of binding constants (Ks/K s) is calculated. Note that Simon and his coworkers have referred to this ratio as the selectivity constant.  

In specific applications to phase transfer catalysis, Knbchel and his coworkers compared crown ethers, aminopolyethers, cryptands, octopus molecules ( krakenmole-kiile , see below) and open-chained polyether compounds. They determined yields per unit time for reactions such as that between potassium acetate and benzyl chloride in acetonitrile solution. As expected, the open-chained polyethers were inferior to their cyclic counterparts, although a surprising finding was that certain aminopolyethers were superior to the corresponding crowns. 

discrete diethylene, triethylene and tetraethylene glycols are all commercially available from a variety of sources. Pentaethylene glycol and longer polyoxyethylene glycols are generally prepared by condensation of two equivalents of a shorter glycol with a diol dichloride or ditosylate. Such methods have been reported by Pedersen , Cornforth , and Krespan . The approach is illustrated in Eq. (7.1), below. 

A number of polyethylene glycols are also available in molecular weight ranges from commercial suppliers. These are made by initiating the polymerization of ethylene oxide by hydroxide ion. The corresponding monomethyl (or monoalkyl ethers) can be made in a similar fashion by initiating the polymerization with an alcohol. The general reaction is shown below in Eq. (7.2). 

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