With Raney

P-Phenylethylamine is conveniently prepared by the hydrogenation under pressure of benzyl cyanide with Raney nickel catalyst (see Section VI,5) in the presence of either a saturated solution of dry ammonia in anhydrous methyl alcohol or of liquid ammonia the latter are added to suppress the formation of the secondary amine, di- P phenylethylamine ... 

Catalytic hydrogenation is mostly used to convert C—C triple bonds into C C double bonds and alkenes into alkanes or to replace allylic or benzylic hetero atoms by hydrogen (H. Kropf, 1980). Simple theory postulates cis- or syn-addition of hydrogen to the C—C triple or double bond with heterogeneous (R. L. Augustine, 1965, 1968, 1976 P. N. Rylander, 1979) and homogeneous (A. J. Birch, 1976) catalysts. Sulfur functions can be removed with reducing metals, e. g. with Raney nickel (G. R. Pettit, 1962 A). Heteroaromatic systems may be reduced with the aid of ruthenium on carbon. 

Single-bond cleavage with molecular hydrogen is termed hydrogenolysis. Palladium is the best catalyst for this purpose, platinum is not useful. Desulfurizations are most efficiently per-formed with Raney nickel (with or without hydrogen G.R. Pettit, 1962 A or with alkali metals in liquid ammonia or amines. The scheme below summarizes some classes of compounds most susceptible to hydrogenolysis. 

Gassman and co-workers developed a synthetic route from anilines to indoles and oxindoles which involves [2.3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of anilinosul-fonium ylides. These can be prepared from Ai-chloroanilines and ot-thiomcthyl-ketones or from an aniline and a chlorosulfonium salt[l]. The latter sequence is preferable for anilines with ER substituents. Rearrangement and cyclizalion occurs on treatment of the anilinosulfonium salts with EtjN. The initial cyclization product is a 3-(methylthio)indole and these can be desulfurized with Raney nickel. Use of 2-(methylthio)acetaldehyde generates 2,3-unsubstituled indoles after desulfurization[2]. Treatment of 3-methylthioindoles with tri-fiuoroacetic acid/thiosalieylie acid is a possible alternative to Raney nickel for desulfurization[3]. 

The Gassman synthesis has been a particularly useful method for the synthesis of oxindolcs[lb,8]. Use of methylthioacetate esters in the reactions leads to 3-(methylthio)oxindoles which can be desulfurized with Raney nickel. Desulfurization can also be done by reduction with zinc or tin[10,ll]. 

The above intermediate (8 g, 0.03 mol) in THF (80 ml) was stirred with Raney nickel (40g) for 2h and then carefully filtered. [CAUTION Raney nickel can ignite during filtrationf Cone. HCl (2 drops) was added to the filtrate and it was evaporated in vacuo. Recrystallization of the residue from 2-propanol gave the product (6,0 g) in 89% yield. 

Amino-4-phenylthiazole when heated with Raney Ni is reported to yield acetophenone (469). In the course of a general study on reductive cleavage in heterocyclic systems Hoff et al. studied the reaction of 2-amino-4-methylthiazole with Na in liquid ammonia. Two equivalents of Na are necessary to obtain a mixture of 4-methyl-3-thiazoline (240) and... 

Only the 2.4-dinitrothiazole is known, being prepared by nitration of 2-nitrothiazoJe by N204-N02/BF3, The yield is 80% (90). The reduction with Raney Ni/Ac20 of 2,4 dinitrothiazole proceeded smoothly, yielding the corresponding 2.4-diacetamidothiazole,... 

Reduction. Just as aromatic amine oxides are resistant to the foregoing decomposition reactions, they are more resistant than ahphatic amine oxides to reduction. Ahphatic amine oxides are readily reduced to tertiary amines by sulfurous acid at room temperature in contrast, few aromatic amine oxides can be reduced under these conditions. The ahphatic amine oxides can also be reduced by catalytic hydrogenation (27), with 2inc in acid, or with staimous chloride (28). For the aromatic amine oxides, catalytic hydrogenation with Raney nickel is a fairly general means of deoxygenation (29). Iron in acetic acid (30), phosphoms trichloride (31), and titanium trichloride (32) are also widely used systems for deoxygenation of aromatic amine oxides. 

Rigorous hydrogenating conditions, particularly with Raney Nickel, remove the sulfur atom of thiophenes. With vapor-phase catalysis, hydrodesulfurization is the technique used to remove sulfur materials from cmde oil. Chemically hydrodesulfurization can be a valuable route to alkanes otherwise difficult to access. 

The thiones are readily desulfurized with Raney nickel to give the corresponding unsubstituted compounds in bicyclic systems in the 2-, 4- and 7-positions, and in tricyclic systems such as (95). The 2-methylthio derivatives may be similarly desulfurized. Thione groups in the 4-position, but not the 2-position, in pyrido-[2,3- f ]- and -[3,2- f]-pyrimidines may be replaced directly with ammonia or amines. 

Thiol groups in the 2-, 3- and 6-positions have been desulfurized with Raney nickel under the usual conditions to give the corresponding unsubstituted compounds. 

Alkylthio groups are oxidized to sulfoxides by H2O2 and readily by various oxidizing reagents to sulfones, e.g. in the imidazole series. The SR group is replaced by hydrogen with Raney nickel, and dealkylation is possible, e.g. of 3-alkylthio-l,2-dithiolyliums to give... 

The hydrogenation of (169) with Pd/C produced (170), with Raney Ni (171) was obtained, and with PtOi compound (172) was formed. 

Substances that have been hydrogenated in slurry reactors include nitrobenzene with Pd-C, butynediol with Pd-CaCO,3, chlorobenzene with Pt-C, toluene with Raney Ni, and acetone with Raney Ni. 

The introduction of the BDT group proceeds under these rather neutral conditions, and this may prove advantageous for acid-sensitive substrates. The BDT group can also be reduced with Raney nickel to a methyl group or with Bu3SnH to a 2-[(methylthio)phenylthio]methyl ether (MTPM ether)... 

Deuteration at C-12 by Desulfurization of a 12-Thioketa with Raney Nickel... 

An older method,which also retains the double bond in its original location, utilizes the fact that thioketal formation from A" -3-ketones does not induce bond migration. Subsequent desulfurization with Raney nickel gives the A" -olefin (see section XI-D). 

The thioketal (155) is formed from 3jS-hydroxypregn-5-en-20-one acetate (154) and is desulfurized by treatment with Raney nickel. ... 

Dimethyl ketals and enol ethers are stable to the conditions of oxime formation (hydroxylamine acetate or hydroxylamine hydrochloride-pyridine). Thioketals and hemithioketals are cleaved to the parent ketones by cadmium carbonate and mercuric chloride. Desulfurization of thioketals with Raney nickel leads to the corresponding methylene compounds, while thioenol ethers give the corresponding olefin. In contrast, desulfurization of hemithioketals regenerates the parent ketone. ... 

Deuteration at C-12 by desulfurization of 12-thioketals with Raney Nickel preparation of the ethylene thioketal, 172 desulfurization of the mercaptal, 173... 

This ester is converted in high yield to the y -ketosulfoxide by means of the dimethyl sulfoxide anion. Heating in acetic acid then produces a hemi-mercaptal acetate, which on treatment with Raney nickel gives the desired 21-acetoxy-20-ketone in a 50-70% overall yield from the -ketosulfoxide. A 17a-hydroxyl may also be present during the sequence. 

In the course of synthesis of B-homo-progesterone (66) Himizu and Schichita utilized the Ringold procedure to convert 3j5,20 -dihydroxy-5a-pregnan-7-one diacetate (63) to 3/3,20yS-dihydroxy-B-homo-5a-pregnan-7-one diacetate (64). The latter is desulfurized with Raney nickel after prior... 

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