The Vespiary

The Hive => Novel Discourse => Topic started by: Captain_Mission on January 05, 2003, 02:07:00 AM

Title: lithiation of nitrosamines idea/question
Post by: Captain_Mission on January 05, 2003, 02:07:00 AM
Recently I was having some fun by reading

http://www.orgsyn.org/orgsyn/prep.asp?prep=cv6p0542 (http://www.orgsyn.org/orgsyn/prep.asp?prep=cv6p0542)

, linked from

https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/pyrrolidinyl.html (https://www.thevespiary.org/rhodium/Rhodium/chemistry/pyrrolidinyl.html)

.
I you scroll down to the discussion and have a look at the table you will see a number of examples were benzaldehydes and a benzyl bromide are reacted with various lithiated nitrosamines, yielding, in the case of the benzaldehydes, N-substituted alpha-hydroxyphenethylamines and, of benzyl bromide a N-substituted phenethylamine.

One of the most interesting reactions is where benzaldehyde is reacted with the lithiated nitroso-diethylamine, to give n-ethyl ephedrine.
Well, it looks to me that if one were to use benzyl bromide or piperonyl bromideĀ  in that reaction the product would be the n-ethylamphetamine.

Now, What I want to ask you people is: what if methylethylamine is used? Will the lithium atom attatch itself to the methyl or to the alpha carbon of the ethyl chain.
I guess you can see where I am getting at.

Title: At thermodynamical equilibrium, the lithiation
Post by: Rhodium on January 05, 2003, 03:36:00 AM
At thermodynamical equilibrium, the lithiation should preferentially take place at the alpha-position of the N-ethyl chain. Being secondary, the hydrogens in that position should be significantly more acidic than on the N-methyl.