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Alkylation Chemistry: History
Please note this is an old version of this entry, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Subjects: Chemistry, Organic
Contributor: Helena Kang

Alkylation chemistry comprises reactions that form a bond between an alkyl fragment and a nucleophilic atom or carbon centre. In its classical organic-chemical sense, an electron-rich substrate displaces a leaving group from, or otherwise reacts with, an alkylating agent; the outcome is governed by the structures and electronic properties of both partners and by the reaction mechanism. The term therefore encompasses carbon alkylation as well as N-, O-, S-, and related heteroatom alkylations. Alkylation is distinguished from arylation by transfer of an alkyl, rather than an aryl, group, and its mechanistic description commonly involves polar substitution or addition pathways [1]. O-Alkylation is a defined subclass in which an oxygen nucleophile becomes bonded to the transferred alkyl group [2].

  • alkylating agent
  • nucleophile
  • alkyl group
  • substitution reaction

DNA and Nucleic Acid Chemistry • Molecular Biology • Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology • Life Sciences

References

  1. Lyle F. Albright. Alkylation—Chemistry and Fundamentals; Wiley: Hoboken, NJ, United States, 2010. [CrossRef]
  2. Yongchun Hou; Wenhua Xie; Niroshan Ramachandran; Bulent Mutus; Adam J. Janczuk; Peng George Wang; O-Alkylation chemistry of neocupferron. Tetrahedron Lett. 2000, 41, 451-456, 10.1016/s0040-4039(99)02091-2.
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