Synthetic and mechanistic aspects of halo-F-methylphosphonates

The synthesis of a variety of new halo-F-methylphosphonates has been achieved by a Michaelis-Arbuzov type reaction between a halo-F-methane and a trialkyl phosphite. This synthesis has proved to be of wide scope and utility for the high yield preparation of a number of heretofore unknown compounds. The ¹H, ¹⁹F, ¹³C and ³¹P NMR spectroscopic properties are reported in detail. The mechanism for the formation of bromodifluoromethylphosphonates has been shown to proceed through the intermediacy of difluorocarbene:CF₂. The phosphonate products have been shown to react with a wide variety of reagents. Fluoride and alkoxide ions react by attack at phosphorus with cleavage of the carbon-phosphorus bond and formation of [:CF₂] from the bromodifluoromethylphosphonates and the CFBr₂⁻ anion from the dibromofluoromethylphosphonates. Iodide ion and tertiary phosphines react by attack at the ester carbon to give stable phosphonate salts. Hydrolysis of the phosphonate esters with 50% aqueous HCl gives the expected phosphonic acids. Trimethylsilyl bromide attacks phosphoryl oxygen to afford the bis(trimethylsilyl) esters.     

Synthetic and mechanistic aspects of metal-free polymerizations of acrylates

Metal-free initiators are easily prepared from neutral CH- and NH-acidic compounds such as malonic acid esters, nitriles, sulfones, nitro-alkanes, cyclopentadiene, fluorene derivatives, carbazoles and succinimide. These anions have tetrabutylammonium ions as cationic counterions, but they are not completely free “naked” anions as traditionally assumed. Rather, anion and cation are intimately connected to each other via H-bonds. These salts initiate the polymerization of acrylates, methacrylates and acrylonitrile, forming polymers in the MW range of 1500 to 20000 with narrow molecular weight distributions (D = 1.1–1.4) in optimized cases. A completely different approach involves initiators of the type α-iodo malonic acid esters CH₃C(I)(CO₂R)₂ and α- iodo isobutyric acid esters (CH₃)₂C(I)CO₂R in combination with (nBu)₄N⁺I⁻ at 60°C. This novel initiator system is specific for metharcylates, i. e., acrylates are not polymerized.     

Synthetic and mechanistic aspects of metal-catalysed epoxidations with hydroperoxides

Alkyl hydroperoxides in combination with transition metal catalysts (Mo, V, Ti) form a versatile group of reagents for the selective epoxidation of olefins. Reactions are performed in hydrocarbon solvents at moderate temperatures and little byproduct formation is generally observed. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts are available.Functional groups (e.g., hydroxyl) in the olefin can, via coordination to the metal catalyst, promote regio- and stereoselective epoxidation. A few examples taken from the literature serve to illustrate the remarkable potential of these reagents in complex organic synthesis. They often exhibit degrees of regio- and stereoselectivity approaching those of enzymatic reactions.     

Synthetic and mechanistic aspects of anionic polymerization of methyl methacrylate using tetrabutyl ammonium thioimidate

The tetrabutylammonium salts of ionic organo-initiator containing N,N'-diisopropylthiourea (TUA-1) or N,N'-diethylthiourea (TUA-2) serve as inexpensive initiators for the anionic polymerization of methyl methacrylate (MMA) at room temperature. The molecular weights of obtained polymers are in the range of 1500–22,700 g mol⁻¹ and the molecular weight distributions are fairly broad (Đ = 1.9–2.5) in optimized cases. The molar ratio of monomer to initiator can be achieved up to 800. Side-reactions, for example, backbiting, transfer reactions result in the polymerization being a non-living manner, thus leading to broad molecular weight distributions of the resulting polymers. The effects of counterion nature were also studied from the polymerization of MMA using TUA-1 anion with sodium or potassium salts as counterions under identical conditions. Detailed investigation indicates that the polymerization proceeds via a sulfur anion initiated repeated 1,4-Machael addition. In general, thioimidate initiators induced MMA polymerization feature certain induction periods, which is ascribed to slow addition thioimidate to CC double bond of MMA as a result of low initiator efficiency.     

Some new aspects related to the synthesis of meso-substituted porphyrins

A general analysis of the steps of the Rothemund reaction, allowed for a better understanding and a significant improvement of this reaction as a synthetic method in some of the previously known difficult syntheses.     

Synthetic and mechanistic aspects of the reactions between bromodifluoromethyltriphenylphosphonium bromide and dibromofluoromethyltriphenylphosphonium bromide and trialkylphosphites

Bromofluoromethyltriphenylphosphonium bromides react with trialkylphosphites in two distinct ways. Bromodifluoromethyltriphenylphosphonium bromide undergoes a rapid exchange reaction with trialkylphosphites to give the corresponding bromodifluoromethylphosphonates in good to excellent yields. A similar exchange reaction also occurred with an analogous diethoxyphenylphosphonite to give the corresponding ethoxyphenylphosphinate. Mechanistically, the exchange process involves the formation of difluorocarbene via dissociation of the intermediate difluoromethylene ylide, capture of the difluorocarbene by the trialkylphosphite to give , which captures bromine followed by dealkylation to the product, bromodifluoromethylphosphonate. The equilibria involved in the multi-step mechanism are all shifted to the phosphonate product by the final dealkylation step. In contrast, the dibromofluoromethyltriphenylphosphonium bromide does not under exchange reactions with trialkylphosphite. The phosphite serves as a halophilic reagent to abstract Br from the dibromofluoromethylphosphonium salt to generate the bromofluoromethylene ylide, which can easily be trapped in situ with aldehydes or ketones to give good yields of the E/Z-bromofluoroalkenes. No dissociation of the bromofluoromethylene ylide was observed.     

Synthetic and mechanistic aspects of preparation of phosphinito‐ and phosphito‐mercuries

A >P O⁻ ( 1 ) type of anion has been used as an efficient synthetic precursor of four‐coordinated compounds: R₂P(O) Hg (O)PR₂ ( 5 ) and R₂P(O) Hg Bz ( 3 ) (R = alkoxy, alkyl, aryl). They were obtained in good yield. Bis(t‐butyl‐phenylphosphinito‐P)mercury (meso and rac) ( 5c,d ) selectively decomposed into 1,2‐di‐t‐butyl‐1,2‐diphenyldiphosphane 1,2‐dioxide (meso and rac) ( 6c,d) . Furthermore, some mechanistic aspects of the synthesis of mentioned compounds are elaborated.© 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 19:234–237, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/hc.20409     

Synthetic and mechanistic aspects of cross-coupling of nitroxyl radicals of 3-imidazoline series with terminal alkynes

Practical synthetic approaches to the new class of acetylenic derivatives of 3-imidazolyl-3-oxide-1-oxyls, including biradicals, were developed through cross-coupling reactions of 3-imidazolyl halides with either terminal alkynes or their copper salts. The presence of nitroxyl functional group as an internal oxidant leads to a competition between the formation of cross-coupling products and the products of oxidative homocoupling. The balance in this competition can be shifted toward the cross-coupling products through the combination of factors that includes nature of the catalyst, reactivity of the halides, and reaction conditions.     

β-substituted alkyltin halides : I. Monoalkyltin trihalides: Synthetic,mechanistic and spectroscopic aspects

HSnCl₃(Et₂O)₂ reacts with a variety of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds to give high yields of β-substituted organotin compounds. The hydrostannation proceeds under a wide variety of conditions. Temperatures between approximately ?30 and 120°C can be employed. Ethereal solvents can be used but are not essential, since monomer solvation of HSnCl₃ (M → HSnCl₃) can occur in non-ethereal media. Intramolecular carbonyl coordination to tin occurs in these β-substituted organotin compounds.     

Synthetic and mechanistic aspects of the immortal ring-opening polymerization of lactide and trimethylene carbonate with new homo- and heteroleptic tin(II)-phenolate catalysts

Several new heteroleptic Sn(II) complexes supported by amino-ether phenolate ligands [Sn{LO(n)}(Nu)] (LO(1)=2-[(1,4,7,10-tetraoxa-13-azacyclopentadecan-13-yl)methyl]-4,6-di-tert-butylphenolate, Nu=NMe(2) (1), N(SiMe(3))(2) (3), OSiPh(3) (6); LO(2)=2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-(morpholinomethyl)phenolate, Nu=N(SiMe(3))(2) (7), OSiPh(3) (8)) and the homoleptic Sn{LO(1)}(2) (2) have been synthesized. The alkoxy derivatives [Sn{LO(1)}(OR)] (OR=OiPr (4), (S)-OCH(CH(3))CO(2)iPr (5)), which were generated by alcoholysis of the parent amido precursor, were stable in solution but could not be isolated. [Sn{LO(1)}](+)[H(2)N{B(C(6)F(5))(3)}(2)](-) (9), a rare well-defined, solvent-free tin cation, was prepared in high yield. The X-ray crystal structures of compounds 3, 6, and 8 were elucidated, and compounds 3, 6, 8, and 9 were further characterized by (119)Sn M?ssbauer spectroscopy. In the presence of iPrOH, compounds 1-5, 7, and 9 catalyzed the well-controlled, immortal ring-opening polymerization (iROP) of L-lactide (L-LA) with high activities (ca. 150-550 mol(L-LA) mol(Sn)(-1) h(-1)) for tin(II) complexes. The cationic compound 9 required a higher temperature (100 °C) than the neutral species (60 °C); monodisperse poly(L-LA)s were obtained in all cases. The activities of the heteroleptic pre-catalysts 1, 3, and 7 were virtually independent of the nature of the ancillary ligand, and, most strikingly, the homoleptic complex 2 was equally competent as a pre-catalyst. Polymerization of trimethylene carbonate (TMC) occurs much more slowly, and not at all in the presence of LA; therefore, the generation of PLA-PTMC copolymers is only possible if TMC is polymerized first. Mechanistic studies based on (1)H and (119)Sn{(1)H} NMR spectroscopy showed that the addition of an excess of iPrOH to compound 3 yielded a mixture of compound 4, compound [Sn(OiPr)(2)](n) 10, and free {LO(1)}H in a dynamic temperature-dependent and concentration-dependent equilibrium. Upon further addition of L-LA, two active species were detected, [Sn{LO(1)}(OPLLA)] (12) and [Sn(OPLLA)(2)] (14), which were also in fast equilibrium. Based on assignment of the (119)Sn{(1)H} NMR spectrum, all of the species present in the ROP reaction were identified; starting from either the heteroleptic (1, 3, 7) or homoleptic (2) pre-catalysts, both types of pre-catalysts yielded the same active species. The catalytic inactivity of the siloxy derivative 6 confirmed that ROP catalysts of the type 1-5 could not operate according to an activated-monomer mechanism. These mechanistic studies removed a number of ambiguities regarding the mechanism of the (i)ROPs of L-LA and TMC promoted by industrially relevant homoleptic or heteroleptic Sn(II) species.     

Synthetic and mechanistic aspects of α-alkylation and α-arylation of β-dicarbonyl compoundsvia their transition metal complexes

Some transition metal complexes of β-dicarbonyl compounds react with electrophiles at α-C. These reactions, carried out under neutral conditions, offer a broader scope than their conventional counterparts, and are generally performed in the presence of stoichiometric or catalytic amounts of strong bases. Mechanistic observations using different reaction conditions are also relevant from a synthetic point of view. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 3, pp. 418–427, March, 1997.     

Synthetic, structural, and mechanistic aspects of an amine activation process mediated at a zwitterionic Pd(II) center

A zwitterionic palladium complex [[Ph(2)BP(2)]Pd(THF)(2)][OTf] (1) (where [Ph(2)BP(2)] = [Ph(2)B(CH(2)PPh(2))(2)](-)) reacts with trialkylamines to activate a C-H bond adjacent to the amine N atom, thereby producing iminium adduct complexes [Ph(2)BP(2)]Pd(N,C:eta(2)-NR(2)CHR'). In all cases examined the amine activation process is selective for the secondary C-H bond position adjacent to the N atom. These palladacycles undergo facile beta-hydride elimination/olefin reinsertion processes as evident from deuterium scrambling studies and chemical trap studies. The kinetics of the amine activation process was explored, and beta-hydride elimination appears to be the rate-limiting step. A large kinetic deuterium isotope effect for the amine activation process is evident. The reaction profile in less polar solvents such as benzene and toluene is different at room temperature and leads to dimeric [[Ph(2)BP(2)]Pd](2) (4) as the dominant palladium product. Low-temperature toluene-d(8) experiments proceed more cleanly, and intermediates assigned as [Ph(2)BP(2)]Pd(NEt(3))(OTf) and the iminium hydride species [[Ph(2)BP(2)]Pd(H)(Et(2)N=CHCH(3))][OTf] are directly observed. The complex (Ph(2)SiP(2))Pd(OTf)(2) (14) was also studied for amine activation and generates dimeric [(Ph(2)SiP(2))Pd](2)[OTf](2) (16) as the dominant palladium product. These collective data are discussed with respect to the mechanism of the amine activation and, in particular, the influence that solvent polarity and charge have on the overall reaction profile.     

Silylated cyclohexadienes as new radical chain reducing reagents: preparative and mechanistic aspects

Various silylated 1,4-cyclohexadienes are presented as superior tin hydride substitutes for the conduction of various radical chain reductions. Debrominations, deiodinations, and deselenations can be performed using these environmentally benign reagents. Furthermore, Barton-McCombie-type deoxygenations using silylated cyclohexadienes are described. Radical cyclizations, ring expansions, and Giese-type addition reactions with the new tin hydride substitutes are presented. The polymerization of styrene can be regulated using silylated cyclohexadienes. Rate constants for hydrogen atom abstraction from two 1-silyl-cyclohexadienes by primary C-radicals were determined. The effects of the cyclohexadiene substituents on the reaction outcomes are discussed. Finally, qualitative EPR experiments on silyl radical expulsion from silylated cyclohexadienyl radicals are presented.     

Synthetic and mechanistic investigation of piperonyl butoxide from dihydrosafrole

Piperonyl butoxide (PBO) 1 was prepared via the successive chloromethylation and etherification of dihydrosafrole 3. In this work, during the chloromethylation of 3, several by-products such as 5 (the isomer of chloromethyldihydrosafrole 4), 6-propylpiperonyl alcohol 6, bis(chloromethyl)-dihydrosafrole 7 and 8, bis(2-propyl-4,5-methylenedioxyphenyl)methane 9 and di(2-propyl-4,5-methy lene-dioxybenzyl)ether 10 were found. However, it was found that 5, 6, 7, and 8 could undergo a further reaction to the final product (PBO), rather than its derivatives, though the by-products 9 and 10 still existed. Based on these results, the plausible mechanism of the chloromethylation and etherification of 3 was proposed. Furthermore, the reliability of the plausible mechanism was verified by quantum chemical calculations using DFT. In addition, the final product (PBO) was produced with a high selectivity and yield by reducing the by-products 9 and 10.     

Kinetic and mechanistic aspects of metallocene polymerisation catalysts

The nature of the counteranion is an essential component of metallocene polymerisation catalysts. Detailed mechanistic investigations show how the anion is able to determine the activity and, in many cases, also the stereoselectivity of the catalyst. This review summarises recent advances in mechanistic understanding of well defined metallocene catalysts based on ion pairs [L₂ZrR⁺ ?X⁻] and describes recent insights in ion mobility and kinetics of alkene polymerisation processes. The interplay of ligand structure and nature of the counteranions demonstrates a fascinating versatility and subtlety that continually challenge our ability to rationalise and predict catalyst performance.     

Kinetics and mechanistic aspects of the Heck reaction promoted by a CN-palladacycle

In the Heck reaction between aryl halides and n-butyl acrylate, the palladacycle {Pd[kappa(1)-C, kappa(1)-N-C=(C(6)H(5))C(Cl)CH(2)NMe(2)](mu-Cl)}(2), 1, is merely a reservoir of the catalytically active Pd(0) species [1](Pd colloids or highly active forms of low ligated Pd(0) species) that undergoes oxidative addition of the aryl halide on the surface with subsequent detachment, generating homogeneous Pd(II) species. The main catalytic cycle is initiated by oxidative addition of iodobenzene to [1], followed by the reversible coordination of the olefin to the oxidative addition product. All the unimolecular subsequent steps are indistinguishable kinetically and can be combined in a single step. This kinetic model predicts that a slight excess of alkene relative to iodobenzene leads to a rapid rise in the Pd(0) concentration while when using a slight excess of iodobenzene, relative to alkene, the oxidative addition product is the resting state of the catalytic cycle. Competitive experiments of various bromoarenes and iodoarenes with n-butyl acrylate catalyzed by 1 and CS, CP, and NCN palladacycles gave the same rho value (2.4-2.5 for Ar-Br and 1.7-1.8 for Ar-I) for all palladacycles employed, indicating that they generate the same species in the oxidative addition step. The excellent fit of the slope with the sigma(0) Hammett parameter and the entropy of activation of -43 +/- 8 J mol(-1) K(-1) are consistent with an associative process involving the development of only a partial charge in the transition state for the oxidative step of iodobenzene.     

Synthetic, mechanistic, and computational investigations of nitrile-alkyne cross-metathesis

The terminal nitride complexes NW(OC(CF 3) 2Me) 3(DME) ( 1-DME), [Li(DME) 2][NW(OC(CF 3) 2Me) 4] ( 2), and [NW(OCMe 2CF 3) 3] 3 ( 3) were prepared in good yield by salt elimination from [NWCl 3] 4. X-ray structures revealed that 1-DME and 2 are monomeric in the solid state. All three complexes catalyze the cross-metathesis of 3-hexyne with assorted nitriles to form propionitrile and the corresponding alkyne. Propylidyne and substituted benzylidyne complexes RCW(OC(CF 3) 2Me) 3 were isolated in good yield upon reaction of 1-DME with 3-hexyne or 1-aryl-1-butyne. The corresponding reactions failed for 3. Instead, EtCW(OC(CF 3)Me 2) 3 ( 6) was prepared via the reaction of W 2(OC(CF 3)Me 2) 6 with 3-hexyne at 95 degrees C. Benzylidyne complexes of the form ArCW(OC(CF 3)Me 2) 3 (Ar = aryl) then were prepared by treatment of 6 with the appropriate symmetrical alkyne ArCCAr. Three coupled cycles for the interconversion of 1-DME with the corresponding propylidyne and benzylidyne complexes via [2 + 2] cycloaddition-cycloreversion were examined for reversibility. Stoichiometric reactions revealed that both nitrile-alkyne cross-metathesis (NACM) cycles as well as the alkyne cross-metathesis (ACM) cycle operated reversibly in this system. With catalyst 3, depending on the aryl group used, at least one step in one of the NACM cycles was irreversible. In general, catalyst 1-DME afforded more rapid reaction than did 3 under comparable conditions. However, 3 displayed a slightly improved tolerance of polar functional groups than did 1-DME. For both 1-DME and 3, ACM is more rapid than NACM under typical conditions. Alkyne polymerization (AP) is a competing reaction with both 1-DME and 3. It can be suppressed but not entirely eliminated via manipulation of the catalyst concentration. As AP selectively removes 3-hexyne from the system, tandem NACM-ACM-AP can be used to prepare symmetrically substituted alkynes with good selectivity, including an arylene-ethynylene macrocycle. Alternatively, unsymmetrical alkynes of the form EtCCR (R variable) can be prepared with good selectivity via the reaction of RCN with excess 3-hexyne under conditions that suppress AP. DFT calculations support a [2 + 2] cycloaddition-cycloreversion mechanism analogous to that of alkyne metathesis. The barrier to azametalacyclobutadiene ring formation/breakup is greater than that for the corresponding metalacyclobutadiene. Two distinct high-energy azametalacyclobutadiene intermediates were found. These adopted a distorted square pyramidal geometry with significant bond localization.