Wittig reactions phase transfer catalysts

The Witting reaction has been investigated in aqueous conditions.305 Wittig olefination reactions with stabilized ylides (known as the Wittig-Homer or Homer-Wadsworth-Emmons reaction) are sometimes performed in an organic/water biphase system.306 Very often, a phase-transfer catalyst is used. Recently, the use of water alone as solvent... 

Catalyzed Wittig reactions. Wittig reactions of cyclopropylidenetriphenyl-phosphorane with carbonyl compounds proceed in low yield under standard conditions. Reactions conducted at 62° in THF with 1 (10 mole %) as the phase-transfer catalyst result in alkylidenecyclopropanes in 60-95% yield. ... 

Wittig reactions. Dehmlow and Barahona-Naranjo2 have examined use of phase-transfer catalysts in addition to a base in Wittig reactions and conclude that best results are obtained with solid potassium r-butoxide in benzene without an extra catalyst. Solid NaOH is superior to aqueous NaOH. KF and K2C03 are not generally useful. 

Quaternary phosphonium salts are organophosphorous compounds used as Wittig olefination reagents, phase transfer catalysts, electrolytes, ionic liquids, and as surface active reagents. Their preparation involves the C-P bond formation in tertiary phosphines. We envisaged that addition of phosphines to unsaturated compounds should be preferable as compared to the conventional method using a substitution reaction of organohalogen compounds (Scheme 1). In this chapter, we describe our recent study on this subject. 

Various carbonyl compounds, such as ( )-3-(benzyloxy)propenal (30), do not react with cyclo-propylidenetriphenylphosphorane. However, the addition of a phase-transfer catalyst can greatly influence the progress of a reaction. Thus, yields obtained from Wittig-type reactions with cyclopropylidenetriphenylphosphoranes are greatly improved by the addition of tris[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl]amine (TDA-l). The failure of ( )-3-(benzyloxy)propenal to react with cyclopropylidenetriphenylphosphorane was converted into a useful reaction when 10 mol % of TDA-1 was utilized. ... 

Potassium fluoride in a two-phase system was also efficient when 18-crown-6 was present as a phase-transfer catalyst. The desilylation by fluoride produced a 7-0x0 enolate which could be reacted with various electrophiles. Appropriately substituted bicyclo[3.1.0]hexane derivatives 42 and 44 have been used to study this reaction.a,/l-Unsaturated carbonyl compounds gave rise to the formation of Michael adducts, while treatment with triphenylvinylphos-phonium salts gave bicyclo[3.3.0]octenes 46 as the result of a subsequent intramolecular Wittig reaction. 

For a discussion of the Wittig reaction and a list of references, including the mechanism and modifications, see Experiment [19]. The role of the phase-transfer catalyst in the Homer-Wadsworth-Emmons modification of the Wttig reaction is also discussed in some detail in that experiment. 

Phase-transfer catalysis. A Polish group reported that the Wittig-Horner reaction with a-phosphoryl sulfoxides, sulfones, and sulfides could be conducted in a two-phase system (aqueous NaOH-methylene chloride) with benzyltriethyl-ammonium chloride as catalyst. Later work showed that a catalyst was not necessary because these sulfur compounds themselves can function as catalysts for phase-transfer reactions. Thus (1) is an effective catalyst for alkylation of ketones by alkyl halides in the presence of 50% aqueous NaOH. Related, but somewhat less active, catalysts are sulfones such as (2), a-disulfoxides (3), and bisphosphonates (4). 

An interesting feature of the phase transfer Wittig reaction is that it succeeds in the absence of any added catalyst. Apparently, the phosphonium salts which are reactants in this system are also effective as phase transfer agents. It is less apparent why certain phosphonates should show the ability to catalyze these reactions and this is discussed in Sect. 1.3. In the phosphonium salt case, proton transfer must occur at the interface followed by dissolution of the ylid in the organic medium where it then undergoes the normal Wittig reaction. 

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