The alkylation of aromatic compounds accompanying the demercuration of organomercury salts

Conclusions The possibility of using the demercuration of organomercury salts for alkylating certain aromatic hydrocarbons has been shown.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 2083–2084, September, 1967.     

Silica-alumina supported transition metal oxide catalyst for alkylation of aromatic compounds

Titanium oxide on silica-alumina support is described to be an efficient regenerable catalyst for alkylation of aromatic compounds with alkyl halides, alcohols and olefins, and the reaction is proposed to be initiated by the protonated metal active species present in the catalyst.     

Gold-catalysed allylic alkylation of aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds with allylic alcohols

Friedel-Crafts allylic alkylation of a wide variety of aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds with allylic alcohols catalysed by AuCl(3) (5 mol%) under mild conditions at room temperature was accomplished in good to excellent yields (up to 99%) and regioselectivity.     

α-Polyfluroalkylbenzyl dichlorophosphates as alkylating agents in alkylation of aromatic compounds

On heating, α-polyfluoroalkylbenzyl dichlorophosphates alkylate mesitylene, durene, and naphthalene to give the corresponding aromatic compounds containing the α-polyfluoro-alkylbenzyl fragment as a substituent. Deceased. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1866–1869, September, 1998.     

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.     

Synthesis of aromatic trifluoromethyl compounds by ring expansion of cyclodienes

Chlorotrifluoromethyl-1-diazirine was used for a source of chlorotrifluoromethyl carbene. The carbene added to cyclic dienes to give trifluoromethylated six-membered aromatic compounds. Thus, pyrrole gave 3-(trifluoromethyl)pyridine and cyclopentadiene gave benzotrifluoride.In the course of out research to develop a new synthetic method for aromatic trifluoromethyl compounds [1], we planned to use the reaction of chlorotrifluoromethyl carbene (1) with a five-membered cyclic diene. The reaction of pyrrole with dichlorocarbene was reported to give 3-chloropyridine [2]. Therefore, we expected that the similar type of reaction of 1 with a five-membered cyclic diene would provide a new method for the syntheses of aromatic trifluoromethyl compounds. We chose chlorotrifluoromethyl-1-diazirine (2) [3] as the precursor of 1.First, we examined the reaction of 2 with cyclohexene to learn the reactivity of 1. Heating the solution of 2 in cyclohexene at 120° for 3 h gave two adducts (3 and 4). Both products were separated by the preparative g.l.c. using a DEGS column of 7 m at 60°C. 3: 36%; m/e 198 (M⁺); ¹H-NMR δ(CDCl₃) 0.88?2.60 (m); ¹⁹F-NMR δ [4] 10.2. 4: 10% m/e 198; ¹H-NMR δ(CDCl₃) 0.80?2.60; ¹⁹F-NMR δ ?1.2. Compound 3 reacted with silver trifluoroacetate to give 2-(trifluoromethyl)cyclohepten-3-yl trifluoroacetate, while 4 did not. This result established the Stereochemistry of both products as shown in Chart 1. This reaction showed that 2 was a good precursor of 1 and that 1 had a high reactivity to a double bond.To utilized this reaction for the synthesis of an aromatic trifluoromethyl compound, thermolysis of 2 with five-membered cyclic dienes was investigated. A solution of 2 (230 mg) in pyrrole (500 mg) was sealed in a Pyrex tube under vacuum and heated at 120°C for 2 h. The reaction mixture was purified by a trap-to-trap distillation. Analysis of the distillate by g.l.c. showed that 3-(trifluoromethyl)pyridine (5) was obtained in 35% yield based on 2. The g.l.c-mass spectrum and ¹⁹F-NMR of 5 were identical with those of the authentic sample [5]. Similar thermolysis and work-up of a solution of 2 (160 mg) in cyclopentadiene (550 mg) at 140°C for 3 h gave benzotrifluoride in 23% yield. All the results are summarized in Chart 1.The characteristic point of this procedure is that a trifluoromethyl group was introduced to a five membered ring with one carbon atom under ring expansion. Yields shown above were not optimized and this method can be used for synthesis of some aromatic trifluoromethyl compounds, which are difficult to synthesize by the usual methods.     

Electrochemical cleavage of a benzylic C-C bond in arylaliphatic compounds

Electrochemical cleavage of a benzylic C-C bond in arylaliphatic compounds and the effect of the structure of their alkyl and aryl fragments on the process are studied. Cleavage was found to be the most effective for substituted benzenes and anisoles with side chains bearing vicinal methoxy- and hydroxy-groups in the a- and -positions. Cleavage was moderate for cior -methoxy(hydroxy)- and (,-dialkoxyalkyl)arenes. Electrolysis carried out in methanol results in formation of PhCH₂OMe and PhCH(OMe)₂ from PhCH₂R and PhCH(OMe)R, benzaldehyde from (1,2-dihydroxypropyl)benzene, acetophenone from 2-phenylhexan-2-ol, 4-MeOC₆H₄CH(OMe)₂ from 4-(1,2-dimethoxypropyl)anisole, and 2-(MeO)₂CHC₆H₄CH(OMe)₂ from 1,2-dimethoxyindan.Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya KMmicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 140–143, January, 1993.     

Uncatalyzed Friedel-Crafts alkylation of aromatic compounds through reactive benzyl cations generated from N-sulfamoylcarbamates

[reaction: see text] A new method for the generation of highly reactive benzyl cations by thermal decomposition of aryl-benzyl-sulfamoylcarbamates, obtained in a one-pot reaction from chlorosulfonyl isocyanate, is described. The generated cations alkylate aromatic compounds efficiently in the absence of catalysts.     

Biocatalytic racemization of aliphatic, arylaliphatic, and aromatic alpha-hydroxycarboxylic acids

[reaction: see text] Biocatalytic racemization of a range of aliphatic, (aryl)aliphatic, and aromatic alpha-hydroxycarboxylic acids was accomplished by using whole resting cells of a range of Lactobacillus spp. The mild (physiological) reaction conditions ensured an essentially "clean" isomerization in the absence of side reactions, such as elimination or decomposition. Whereas straight-chain aliphatic 2-hydroxycarboxylic acids were racemized with excellent rates (up to 85% relative to lactate), steric hindrance was observed for branched-chain analogues. Good rates were observed for aryl-alkyl derivatives, such as 3-phenyllactic acid (up to 59%) and 4-phenyl-2-hydroxybutanoic acid (up to 47%). In addition, also mandelate and its o-chloro analogue were accepted at a fair rate (45%). This biocatalytic racemization represents an important tool for the deracemization of a number of pharmaceutically important building blocks.     

Synthesis of new ethynylene-containing aromatic polyamides by palladium-catalyzed polycondensation of aromatic diiodides with aromatic diethynyl compounds having amide units

New ethynylene-containing aromatic polymides were synthesized by the carbon–carbon crosscoupling polycondensation of aromatic diiodides with aromatic amide-bearing diethynyl compounds in the presence of a palladium catalyst, cuprous iodide, and an organic base. The polymers having sulfone linkages were soluble in various organic solvents and their weight average molecular weights were in the range of 12,500 and 26,500. The polymers with the highest inherent viscosity were obtained, when the monomer ratio of a diethynyl compound to a diiodide was 1.01. The polymers showed no detectable glass transition temperature and no weight loss up to around 300° C in nitrogen. The thermal crosslinking of the polymers occurred at 280°C through the existing internal ethynylene group. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A one-pot alkylation of aromatic aldehydes

The addition of aromatic aldehydes to lithium N-methylpiperazide in benzene gave α-amino alkoxides which were ortho-lithiated with excess $\text{n}$-butyllithium. Subsequent alkylation and hydrolysis provided ortho-substituted aromatic aldehydes via a one-pot reaction.     

Synthesis of functionalized heterocycles by alkylation of β-dicarbonyl compounds with 2,3-dibromopropan-1-ol

Alkylation of β-dicarbonyl compounds with 2,3-dibromopropan-1-ol in the K₂CO₃-dibenzo-18-crown-6 system in toluene leads to products of C,O- or C,C-cycloalkylation. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1695–1697, September, 1997.     

Synthesis and hydrolysis of fluoropyridinyl containing chlorosilanes

2-Fluoro-3-dimethylchlorosilylpyridine (A) and 3-fluoro-4-dimethylchlorosilylpyridine (B) were synthesized from the corresponding fluoro-lithio-pyridines and dimethyldichlorosilane at −76°C. The liquid products were unstable on standing. A and B were hydrolyzed in aqueous ammonia at room temperature to give disiloxanes which are stable crystalline solids. The new compounds were characterized by IR, ¹H NMR and MS.