Metal complex and phase transfer catalysed nitric oxide reactions

Abstract

Benzyl bromides are converted into oxime ethers by bubbling nitric oxide through a solution of the bromide in t-pentyl alcohol–3-M aqueous sodium hydroxide containing a palladium or ruthenium complex as catalyst and a quaternary ammonium salt as phase transfer agent; this provides the first example of a catalytic reaction of halides which involves free or co-ordinated nitric oxide and is also the first report of a phase transfer reaction utilizing nitric oxide as a reactant.