Switchable selectivity during oxidation of anilines in a ball mill

A solvent-free method for the direct oxidation of anilines to the corresponding azo and azoxy homocoupling products by using a planetary ball mill was developed. Various oxidants and grinding auxiliaries were tested and a variety of substituted anilines were investigated. It was possible to form chemoselectively either azo, azoxy, or the nitro compounds from reaction of aromatic anilines. The selectivity of the solvent-free reaction is switchable by applying a combination of oxidant and grinding auxiliary. Furthermore, a comparison with other methods of energy input (microwave, classical heating, and ultrasound) highlighted the advantages of the ball mill approach and its high energy efficiency.     

The synthesis of azo compounds from nitro compounds using lead and triethylammonium formate

Aromatic nitro compounds were reduced to the corresponding symmetrically substituted azo compounds using lead as catalyst and triethylammonium formate as hydrogen donor. Various azo compounds containing additional reducible substituents including halogens, nitrile, acid, phenol, ester, methoxy functions, etc, have been synthesized in a single step by the use of this reagent. The conversion is reasonably fast, clean, high yielding and occurs at room temperature in methanol.     

Lead-Catalyzed Synthesis of Azo Compounds by Ammonium Acetate Reduction of Aromatic Nitro Compounds

Abstract

Lead/ammonium acetate is a convenient reagent for the reduction of aromatic nitro compounds to the corresponding symmetrically substituted azo compounds. Various azo compounds containing additional reducible substituents such as halogen, nitrile, acid, phenol, ester, methoxy, etc., functions have been synthesized in a single step by the use of this reagent. The conversion is reasonably fast, clean, high yielding and occurs at room temperature in methanol.     

Synthesis of azobenzenes: the coloured pieces of molecular materials

Azobenzenes are ubiquitous motifs very important in many areas of science. Azo compounds display crucial properties for important applications, mainly for the chemical industry. Because of their discovery, the main application of aromatic azo compounds has been their use as dyes. These compounds are excellent candidates to function as molecular switches because of their efficient cis-trans isomerization in the presence of appropriate radiation. The classical methods for the synthesis of azo compounds are the azo coupling reaction (coupling of diazonium salts with activated aromatic compounds), the Mills reaction (reaction between aromatic nitroso derivatives and anilines) and the Wallach reaction (transformation of azoxybenzenes into 4-hydroxy substituted azoderivatives in acid media). More recently, other preparative methods have been reported. This critical review covers the various synthetic methods reported on azo compounds with special emphasis on the more recent ones and their mechanistic aspects (170 references).     

In(OTf)3 catalysed simple one-pot synthesis of α-amino phosphonates

A new efficient one-pot synthesis of α-amino phosphonates derived from nitro substituted anilines, aldehydes and diethyl phosphite has been carried out by employing 5 mol% of In(OTf)₃. The method is equally effective for the generation of α-amino phosphonates from various carbonyl compounds and other amines.     

A convenient and general ruthenium-catalyzed transfer hydrogenation of nitro- and azobenzenes

An easily accessible in situ catalyst composed of [{RuCl(2)(p-cymene)}(2)] and terpyridine has been developed for the selective transfer hydrogenation of aromatic nitro and azo compounds. The procedure is general and the selectivity of the catalyst has been demonstrated by applying a series of structurally diverse nitro and azo compounds (see scheme).     

Synthesis and electrochemical studies of phenylazo substituted tetraaza macrocyclic complexes of Ni(II)

Synthesis and characterization of some phenyl azo substituted tetraaza macrocyclic complexes of Ni(II) are reported. Electrochemical behaviour of these macrocyclic complexes has been examined using polarographic, voltammetric and spectroscopic techniques. These studies show that both the ligand and the metal are electrochemically active. The electrochemical behaviour of the azo function has been shown to occur through a single four-electron process. When a nitro group is also present, the nitro function of the azo moiety is reduced in a six-electron cathodic wave.     

Mechanistic study of trans⇆cis isomerization of the substituted azobenzene moiety bound on a liquid‐crystalline polymer

A mechanistic study of the trans?cis isomerization of the azobenzene moiety in a side‐chain liquid‐crystal polymer system was carried out with six liquid‐crystalline polymethacrylates in which different electron‐withdrawing substituents were attached to the para‐positions of the azobenzene chromophores. Compared to the non‐nitro‐substituted azo polymers, the nitro‐substituted azo polymers exhibited two quite different behaviors: an extraordinarily high reaction rate of the thermal cis–trans isomerization and an unexpected composition of cis–trans isomers obtained from the photochemical trans–cis isomerization process. A potential energy profile for the isomerization process was established on basis of the structures of the proposed transition states and was employed to elucidate the reaction mechanism. The results confirmed that the nitro‐substituted azo polymer system proceeded via a rotation mechanism in either direction of the trans?cis isomerization reaction, whereas the non‐nitro‐substituted species were more likely to follow an inversion mechanism. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 39: 2296–2307, 2001     

Selective reduction of alkenes, α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, nitroarenes, nitroso compounds, N,N-hydrogenolysis of azo and hydrazo functions as well as simultaneous hydrodehalogenation and reduction of substituted aryl halides over PdMCM-41 catalyst under transfer hydrogen conditions

Chemoselective reductions of alkenes, α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, nitro and nitroso compounds, N,N-hydrogenolysis of azo and hydrazo functions as well as simultaneous reduction and hydrodehalogenation of substituted aryl halides, including bulkier substrates, were achieved by catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) using mesoporous PdMCM-41 catalyst. The yields were practically unaffected upon recycling of the catalyst. Further, the CTH process is accomplished without affecting the reduction of any other reducible functional group.     

Chemoselective Synthesis of Substituted Imines,Secondary Amines,and β‐Amino Carbonyl Compounds from Nitroaromatics through Cascade Reactions on Gold Catalysts

Substituted imines, α,β‐unsaturated imines, substituted secondary amines, and β‐amino carbonyl compounds have been synthesized by means of new cascade reactions with mono‐ or bifunctional gold‐based solid catalysts under mild reaction conditions. The related synthetic route involves the hydrogenation of a nitroaromatic compound in the presence of a second reactant such as an aldehyde, α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl compound, or alkyne, which circumvents an ex situ reduction process for producing the aromatic amine. The process is shown to be highly selective towards other competing groups, such as double bonds, carbonyls, halogens, nitriles, or cinnamates, and thereby allows the synthesis of different substituted nitrogenated compounds. For the preparation of imines, substituted anilines are formed and condensed in situ with aldehydes to provide the final product through two tandem reactions. High chemoselectivity is observed, for instance, when double bonds or halides are present within the reactants. In addition, we show that the Au/TiO₂ system is also able to catalyze the chemoselective hydrogenation of imines, so that secondary amines can be prepared directly through a three‐step cascade reaction by starting from nitroaromatic compounds and aldehydes. On the other hand, Au/TiO₂ can also be used as a bifunctional catalyst to obtain substituted β‐amino carbonyl compounds from nitroaromatics and α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl compounds. Whereas gold sites promote the in situ formation of anilines, the intrinsic acidity of Ti species on the support surface accelerates the subsequent Michael addition. Finally, two gold‐catalyzed reactions, that is, the hydrogenation of nitro groups and a hydroamination, have been coupled to synthesize additional substituted imines from nitroaromatic compounds and alkynes.     

Synthesis,Characterization and Investigation of Side Chain Length and/or Substituents Effect on the Liquid Crystal Properties of New Mesogens

New substituted and unsubstituted phenol based mesogene series having an azo central linkage was synthesized by fixing phenol as rigid core unit with aromatic amine. The terminal –OH group was esterified successively by long alkyl chain acid chloride of variable length (n=2, 6, 11, 15, 17). All 25 synthesized compounds exhibit mesomorphism. The effect of side chain length and substituents on the stability of liquid crystals was studied. The study reveals that nitro substituent destabilizes nematic and smectic phases more than floro substituent. Furthermore, the transition temperature decreases as the length of side chain increases.     

Electronic spectra, solvatochromic behavior and acid-base properties of some azo cinnoline compounds

The electronic spectra of three azo cinnoline derivatives have been studied in pure and mixed organic solvents of different characteristics as well as the effect of concentration of the compounds in the different solvents. The different bands observed have been assigned to the proper electronic transition. The longer wavelength band displayed by the para nitro cinnoline derivative in dimethylformamide (DMF) solution is assigned to an intermolecular CT transition. The solvated H-bonding complexes formed between DMF and the para nitro derivative were investigated. DeltaG and K(f) values of these complexes have been determined. The acidity constants of the para nitro compound were determined from the spectra in aquous-methanolic solution of varying pH values. The effect of temperature on the longer wavelength visible band of p-NO(2) has been investigated.     

Efficient preparation of nitrosoarenes for the synthesis of azobenzenes

[reaction: see text] Reaction conditions are described for the oxidation of anilines furnishing nitrosoarenes and the synthesis of unsymmetrically substituted azobenzenes. In a comparative study, the catalytic oxidation of methyl 4-aminobenzoate by hydrogen peroxide was investigated, and SeO(2) proved to be superior or equal to methyl trioxorhenium (MTO) and Na(2)WO(4), respectively. Nevertheless, the application of the inexpensive, environmentally friendly, Oxone in a biphasic system proved to be more efficient, and a variety of useful nitrosoarenes for the synthesis of azo compounds were prepared in high yield and purity on a large scale.     

Orientation and mechanism of reactions of aromatic amines with sulfur monochloride

The reaction of m-substituted anilines with sulfur monochloride has been studied. It has been shown that cyclization with the formation of 1, 3, 2-benzothiazathiolium compounds takes place in the position para to the substituent. The introduction of methoxy groups into o-nitroanilines interferes with the displacement of the nitro group by the chlorine atom. A nucleophilic reaction mechanism has been proposed according to which the nitro group is displaced after the formation of the thiathioniaazine ring.     

N,2-二芳基二氮亚烯甲酰胺合成的新方法

偶氮化合物可用作非线性光学材料、激光盘信息存贮材料和现代科技中的油溶性染料［１］．传统偶氮化合物的制备有重氮盐偶合和取代肼氧化等许多方法［２～４］,其偶氮基两端一般联有烃基或芳环,而联有羰基的偶氮类化合物用通常方法难以制备．本文首次用Ｎ－溴代丁二酰亚...     

The determination of organic nitro,nitroso and azo compounds with copper

An indirect gravimetric method for the determination of organic nitro, nitroso and azo compounds has been investigated. The amount of nitro, nitroso, and azo compound present is calculated from the loss in weight of copper metal during the reduction of the compound to the amine. Interferences are discussed in detail. No standard solutions are required and only commonly available equipment is used Accuracy is of the order of ± 0 5%     

The Reduction of Nitrobenzenes by Triethylsilane Using Wilkinson's Catalyst

Aromatic nitro compounds are effectively reduced to anilines by triethylsilane using Wilkinson's catalyst.     

Correlation of the acidity of substituted phenols,anilines, and benzoic acids calculated by MNDO,AM1, and PM3 with Hammett-type substituent constants

Heats of formation and net atomic charges of some 120 structures involving substituted phenols, anilines, and benzoic acids and the corresponding anions were calculated by MNDO, AM1, and PM3 semiempirical methods. The gas phase acidities of substituted phenols and anilines and the net atomic charges on the anionic heteroatoms of the corresponding anions have been successfully correlated with σ^? constants. Moreover, good correlations with σ were found for the charges on the acidic hydrogens of substituted phenols and anilines. In contrast, the gas phase acidities of substituted benzoic acids and the charges on the anionic oxygens of the corresponding anions are better correlated with Taft σ° constants. Comparisons of these results with experimental data and ab initio theoretical calculations indicate that AM1 and PM3 methods are much better than MNDO in predicting the acidity of aromatic compounds.     

A practical and selective reduction of nitroarenes using elemental sulfur and mild base

A method was developed to reduce aromatic nitro compounds to the corresponding anilines using sulfur and base. The method tolerates a range of functional groups on the benzene ring, avoids the use of hydrogen and transition metals and provides the anilines in moderate to high yields.     

Synthesis of azo compounds by nanosized iron-promoted reductive coupling of aromatic nitro compounds

Treatment of a variety of aromatic nitro compounds with the active-iron based reducing system composed of FeCl₂·4H₂O, an excess of lithium powder and a catalytic amount of 4,4′-di-tert-butylbiphenyl (DTBB, 5 mol %) in THF at room temperature, led to the formation of the corresponding symmetrically substituted azo compounds in good yield, resulting from a reductive coupling process. Some other functionalities including carbonyl, halogen, amino and hydroxyl groups, demonstrated to be compatible with the reaction conditions, giving none reduced or coupled by-products. In all cases, the azo compounds formed have not experienced over-reduction to the corresponding hydrazo or amino derivatives even upon prolonged heating or using an excess of the reducing system.