New synthesis of tert-butyl peroxycarboxylates

tert-Butyl peroxyacetate, tert-butyl peroxybutyrate, tert-butyl phenylperoxyacetate, and tert-butyl peroxyundecanoate were obtained in nearly quantitative yields by the esterification of the corresponding carboxylic acids with tert-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of trifluoroacetic anhydride and pyridine in nonaqueous medium at 0–5°C. No tert-butyl peroxytrifluoroacetate was formed as a by-product during the process. A possible reaction mechanism is discussed.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the liquid-phase oxidation of tert-butyl phenylacetate

The oxidation of tert-butyl phenylacetate in ortho-dichlorobenzene at 140°C occurs with short chains. The primary nonperoxide reaction products (tert-butyl α-hydroxyphenylacetate, tert-butyl α-oxophenylacetate, and benzaldehyde) are formed by the decomposition of a hydroperoxide (tert-butyl α-hydroperoxyphenylacetate) and (or) by the recombination of peroxy radicals with and without chain termination. Benzaldehyde and tert-butyl α-hydroxyphenylacetate undergo radical chain oxidation in a reaction medium to result in benzoic acid and tert-butyl α-oxophenylacetate. Homolytic hydroperoxide decomposition is responsible for process autoacceleration and results in benzaldehyde, which is also formed from hydroperoxide by a nonradical mechanism, probably, via a dioxetane intermediate. Both of the reactions are catalyzed by benzoic acid. Benzoic acid has no effect on hydroperoxide conversion into tert-butyl α-oxophenylacetate, which most likely occurs as a result of hydroperoxide decomposition induced by peroxy radicals. The rate constants of the main steps of the process and kinetic parameters have been calculated by solving an inverse kinetic problem.     

Ligand-free nickel-catalyzed Kumada couplings of aryl bromides with tert-butyl Grignard reagents

A ligand-free nickel-catalyzed Kumada cross-coupling of aryl bromides and tert-butyl Grignard reagents led to the formation of a series of tert-butyl aryls in moderate to good yields, excellent tBu/iBu ratios, and good functional group compatibility. A radical coupling process is indicated and a mechanism with a Ni(I)-Ni(III) catalytic cycle is proposed.     

Alkylation of acetylene by tert-butyl alcohol

A reaction of acetylene with tert-butyl alcohol in the presence of sulfuric acid leads to tert-butylacetylene.     

Synthesis of phenolic antioxidants with isobornyl and tert-butyl fragments

Hybrid antioxidants, phenols with a terpene and tert-butyl substituents, were synthesized by the alkylation of 2-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol with camphene and 2-isobornylphenol with tert-butyl chloride in the presence of acidic heterogeneous catalysts, montmorillonite KSF and FIBAN K-1. Antioxidant activity of the synthesized terpenophenols was evaluated using spectrophotometry.     

Convenient preparation of tert-butyl esters

A general method is presented for the preparation of tert-butyl esters by the gentle warming of the carboxylic acid in the presence of excess of tert-butyl acetoacetate and a catalytic amount of acid. This method generates only low pressures, and is therefore suitable for laboratory scale pressure glassware.     

Mild propargylic oxidation using a diacetoxyiodobenzene/tert-butyl hydroperoxide protocol

A mild propargylic oxidation of alkynes is reported using a diacetoxyiodobenzene/tert-butyl hydroperoxide (DIB/TBHP) protocol. The reactions proceed smoothly at 0 °C and a number of α,β-unsaturated alkynoic ketones are obtained.     

Novel synthesis of 1,4-thiazin-2-one O-(tert-butyl) oximes and benzo[b][1,4]thiazin-2-one O-(tert-butyl) oximes in the presence of K2CO3/SiO2

A simple and efficient method was developed for the synthesis of 1,4-thiazin-2-one O-(tert-butyl) oximes and benzo[b][1,4]thiazin-2-one O-(tert-butyl) oximes from N-tert-butoxy acyl imidoyl bromides and 2-aminothiols in the presence of K₂CO₃/SiO₂. Twenty five novel compounds were readily synthesized in excellent yields using this procedure. The products possessed Z-stereochemistry with regard to the CN double bond. The reaction proceeded with initial substitution of bromine in the N-tert-butoxy acyl imidoyl bromides by mercapto groups in the presence of K₂CO₃/SiO₂, and subsequent intramolecular Schiff base formation.     

Etherification of glycerol with tert-butyl alcohol catalysed by ion-exchange resins

The reaction of glycerol with tert-butyl alcohol in the liquid phase on acid Amberlyst-type ion-exchange resins was studied. The influence of temperature, mole ratio n(TBA)/n(G), water and swelling of gel, and macroreticular type of polymer catalysts on etherification reaction was investigated. The most favourable reaction temperature is 75°C. The conversion of glycerol and yield of glycerol tert-butyl ethers has increased with the mole ratio n(TBA)/n(G). Dry form of macroreticular catalysts provided the best results. Etherification reaction of glycerol with isobutylene in non-aqueous conditions gives the highest yield of desired ethers. The influence of water was studied. The gel forms of ion-exchange resins have very low catalytic activity. It can be concluded that water has an inhibition effect on ion-exchange resins. By comparing the gel and macroreticular forms of Amberlyst ion-exchange resins it can be concluded that very acid forms of macroreticular ion-exchange resins with a high degree of crosslinking are more active catalysts for the studied reaction due to their pores which are sufficiently large so that the voluminous tert-butyl ethers of glycerol can be formed. It was estimated that tert-butyl alcohol as tert-butylation agent is not suitable for etherification of glycerol with the formation of di-and triethers.     

Controlled free-radical azeotropic copolymerization of styrene and n-butyl acrylate in the presence of tert-butyl dithiobenzoate

The free-radical azeotropic bulk copolymerization of styrene and n-butyl acrylate at 90°C mediated by tert-butyl dithiobenzoate and copoly(strene—n-butyl acrylate) dithiobenzoate as reversible chain-transfer agents has been studied. It has been shown that low-and high-molecular mass chain-transfer agents allow one to efficiently control the molecular-mass characteristics of the copolymers. For all studied systems, the molecular mass linearly increases with conversion, and the copolymers are characterized by low polydispersity indexes. When polystyryl dithiobenzoate and poly(butyl acrylate) dithiobenzoate are used as polymer reversible chain-transfer agents in the azeotropic copolymerization of styrene and n-butyl acrylate, the diblock copolymers with the controlled block lengths are prepared. As evidenced by ESR studies, radical intermediates are formed in the course of the azeotropic copolymerization of styrene and n-butyl acrylate mediated by tert-butyl dithiobenzoate and the copolymer reversible chain-transfer agent; the kinetics of formation of these intermediates has been investigated. It has been demonstrated that the rate of the azeotropic copolymerization mediated by low-and high-molecular-mass reversible chain-transfer agents decreases with an increase in their concentration. The possible causes of this phenomenon are discussed.     

Saccharin sulfonic acid catalyzed N-Boc protection of amines and formation of tert-butyl ethers from alcohols

Saccharin sulfonic acid (SaSA), as a stable reagent is easily prepared by the reaction of saccharin with neat chlorosulfonic acid at room temperature. This compound is able to catalyze conversion of amines to their corresponding N-Boc protected amines with (Boc)₂O. Alcohols were also converted to their corresponding tert-butyl ethers. All reactions took place under mild conditions giving the desired products in good to high yields.     

Di-tert-butyl dicarbonate: a versatile carboxylating reagent

Carbon nucleophiles generated by a non-nucleophilic base (LDA) were effectively trapped with di-tert-butyl dicarbonate (Boc-anhydride) to provide the corresponding tert-butyl aryl acetates, di-tert-butyl aryl malonates, unsymmetrical aryl malonates and tert-butyl benzoates in high yields. This reaction represents another useful way to prepare a variety of tert-butyl carboxylates and highlights the synthetic utility of di-tert-butyl dicarbonate as a versatile carboxylating reagent.     

Synthesis of a C3-symmetric macrocycle with alternating sugar amino acid and tyrosine residues

A C₃-symmetric macrocycle with alternating sugar amino acid and tyrosine residues was synthesized in seven steps from tyrosine tert-butyl ester and a sugar amino acid precursor derived from D-glucosamine. An Fmoc-protected D-glucosamine derivative was oxidized at C-6 to give the sugar amino acid, which was immediately coupled to tyrosine tert-butyl ester to produce an orthogonally protected building block. This building block was subsequently elongated to the trimer via the dimer, and finally cyclized to give the C₃-symmetric macrocycle.     

Reactions of 3,5-di(tert-butyl)-1,2-benzoquinone with terminal acetylenes in the presence of phosphorus trichloride. ipso-Substitution of the tert-butyl group

The reactions of 3,5-di(tert-butyl)-1,2-benzoquinone with aryl-and alkylacetylenes in the presence of phosphorus trichloride afford 4-aryl(alkyl)-8-tert-butyl-2,6-dichloro-2-oxo-2H-benzo[e][1,2]oxaphosphinines as the major ipso-substitution products of the tert-butyl group by the chlorine atom. 4-Aryl(alkyl)-6,8-di(tert-butyl)-2,5-dichloro-2-oxo-and 4-aryl(alkyl)-6-tert-butyl-2,8-dichloro-2-oxo-2H-benzo[e][1,2]oxaphosphinines were obtained as the minor products. The structures of the stable representatives of this series were confirmed by X-ray diffraction. Dedicated to Academician G. A. Abakumov on the occasion of his 70th birthday. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1836–1845, September, 2007.     

An efficient method for the conversion of aromatic and aliphatic nitriles to the corresponding N-tert-butyl amides: a modified Ritter reaction

Aromatic and aliphatic nitriles react with tert-butyl acetate in the presence of a catalytic amount of sulfuric acid to give the corresponding N-tert-butyl amides in excellent yields.     

Aerobic oxidation of secondary alcohols in water with ABNO/tert-butyl nitrite/KPF6 catalytic system

A green and efficient transition-metal free ABNO/tert-butyl nitrite/KPF₆-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of secondary alcohols in water has been achieved. Under the optimal reaction conditions, a number of secondary aliphatic alcohols and secondary benzylic alcohols can be converted to their corresponding ketones in excellent yields (up to 99%).     

Facile synthesis of enantiomerically pure tert-butyl(methyl)phenylsilanes

A method for the preparation of both enantiomers of tert-butyl(methyl)phenylsilane 2 is presented. Racemic tert-butyl(methyl)phenylsilyl chloride 3 was allowed to react with (R)-(−)-2-amino-1-butanol 4 to give hydrochloride 5. Diastereomer separation via treatment of the respective free amine 6 with 0.5 mol equivalent of HCl in hexane-2-propanol yielded crystalline diastereomerically pure hydrochloride (R)Si-5. The corresponding free amine (R)Si-6 was reduced with LiAlH₄ to give (S)-2. The mother liquors obtained after separation of (R)Si-5 on treatment with oxalic acid provided a crystalline salt that eventually afforded (R)-2. The optical purity of (S)-2 (98% ee) was documented by its reaction (hydrosilylation) with propargylic alcohol derivative 10 and HPLC analysis of product 11 using a chiral column.     

Boron trichloride as an efficient and selective agent for deprotection of tert-butyl aryl sulfonamides

A fast, mild and selective method for deprotection of tert-butyl aryl sulfonamides utilizing BCl₃ as deprotection reagent has been developed. A variety of tert-butyl aryl sulfonamides used under these conditions gave the corresponding primary sulfonamides in high yields. The method does not cleave methoxy groups and prevents incorporation of tert-butyl groups onto electron-rich aromatic rings.     

Influence of cobalt(III) dimethyldithiocarbamate complexes on styrene polymerization initiated by tert-butyl perbenzoate

Kinetic features of radical polymerization of styrene initiated by tert-butyl perbenzoate in the presence of tris(N,N-dimethyldithiocarbamato)cobalt(III) (CoL₃) and its adduct with iodine (CoL₃ · 2I₂) were studied. The optimal concentration ratios of the activators and tert-butyl perbenzoate, providing fast styrene polymerization at 338–368 K, were determined.     

Di(tert-butylperoxy)triphenylbismuth and the triphenylbismuth—tert-butyl hydroperoxide system as efficient oxidants of alcohols

Di(tert-butylperoxy)triphenylbismuth and the triphenylbismuth—tert-butyl hydroperoxide system react with aliphatic alcohols and cyclohexanol to give carbonyl compounds in high yields. The oxidation occurs as the radical dehydrogenation of alcohols; Bi derivatives serve as the sources of free radicals.