18-Crown-6 is used as an efficient phase transfer catalyst and as a complexing agent with a variety of small cation. It is involved in the synthesis of diaryl ethers, diaryl thioethers, and diarylamines mediated by potassium fluoride-alumina and 18-crown-6. It facilitates the solubility of potassium permanganate in benzene, which is used for oxidizing the organic compounds. It is used to accelerate various substitution reactions as well as enhances the power of nucleophiles such as potassium acetate. It is utilized in the alkylation reactions in the presence of potassium carbonate, N-alkylation of glutarimide and succinimide with dimethylcarbonate. The complex formed by its reaction with potassium cyanide acts as a catalyst in the cyanosilylation of aldehydes, ketones and quinines with trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN).
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Applications
18-Crown-6 is used as an efficient phase transfer catalyst and as a complexing agent with a variety of small cation. It is involved in the synthesis of diaryl ethers, diaryl thioethers, and diarylamines mediated by potassium fluoride-alumina and 18-crown-6. It facilitates the solubility of potassium permanganate in benzene, which is used for oxidizing the organic compounds. It is used to accelerate various substitution reactions as well as enhances the power of nucleophiles such as potassium acetate. It is utilized in the alkylation reactions in the presence of potassium carbonate, N-alkylation of glutarimide and succinimide with dimethylcarbonate. The complex formed by its reaction with potassium cyanide acts as a catalyst in the cyanosilylation of aldehydes, ketones and quinines with trimethylsilyl cyanide (TMSCN).
Solubility
Soluble in water.
Notes
Hygroscopic. Incompatible with strong oxidizing agents and strong acids.
RUO – Research Use Only
General References:
- Crown ether (see Appendix 2) mainly used to complex potassium ions. For a comprehensive study of solvent effects on complexation with K ions in a wide range of solvents, see: J. Org. Chem., 61, 5221 (1996).
- Has been widely used in alkylation reactions with, e.g. K2CO3 as base:
- Promotes methylation reactions with Dimethyl carbonate, A13104: Synthesis, 382 (1986). N-Alkylation of Glutarimide, L00968, and Succinimide, A13503: Bull. Soc. Chim. Fr., 227 (1992).
- Enables KH to metallate aryl-substituted methanes directly: J. Am. Chem. Soc., 99, 4457 (1977). In the presence of KOH in DME, various arylmethanes, benzyl alcohols and aldehydes are oxidized to carboxylic acids by molecular oxygen: Tetrahedron Lett., 25, 4989 (1984).
- Has been used with KF to enhance the reactivity of F- as a base or a nucleophile, e.g. to promote Michael additions in aprotic solvents: J. Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun., 237 (1977), the condensation of nitromethane with aldehydes: Tetrahedron Lett., 3219 (1978), and the transesterification of diaryl to dialkyl phosphonates: Synthesis, 409, 412 (1982).
- Crown ether catalysis can be used in the reaction of KCN with alkyl halides to give nitriles: Tetrahedron Lett., 71 (1975), and for the preparation of acyl cyanides from acid chlorides: Tetrahedron Lett., 21, 2959 (1980). The 1:1 complex between 18-crown-6 and KCN has been used catalytically in the cyanosilylation of aldehydes, ketones and quinones with TMSCN; for examples, see: Org. Synth. Coll., 7, 517 (1990).