Lawesson's reagent (LR) is a
chemical compound
A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...
used in
organic synthesis
Organic synthesis is a special branch of chemical synthesis and is concerned with the intentional construction of organic compounds. Organic molecules are often more complex than inorganic compounds, and their synthesis has developed into one o ...
as a
thiation agent. Lawesson's reagent was first made popular by
Sven-Olov Lawesson
Sven-Olov Lawesson (9 September 1926, in Bräcke, Sweden – 5 March 1985) was a Sweden, Swedish chemist known for his popularization of Lawesson's reagent within the chemical community.
He is also known for his 1982 work exploring the possibility ...
, who did not, however, invent it. Lawesson's reagent was first made in 1956 during a systematic study of the reactions of arenes with
P4S10.
Preparation
Lawesson's reagent is commercially available. It can also be conveniently prepared in the laboratory by heating a mixture of
anisole
Anisole, or methoxybenzene, is an organic compound with the formula CH3OC6H5. It is a colorless liquid with a smell reminiscent of anise seed, and in fact many of its derivatives are found in natural and artificial fragrances. The compound is ...
with
phosphorus pentasulfide
Phosphorus pentasulfide is the inorganic compound with the formula (monomer) or (dimer). This yellow solid is the one of two phosphorus sulfides of commercial value. Samples often appear greenish-gray due to impurities. It is soluble in carbon d ...
until the mixture is clear and no more
hydrogen sulfide
Hydrogen sulfide is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless chalcogen-hydride gas, and is poisonous, corrosive, and flammable, with trace amounts in ambient atmosphere having a characteristic foul odor of rotten eggs. The unde ...
is formed, then
recrystallized from
toluene
Toluene (), also known as toluol (), is a substituted aromatic hydrocarbon. It is a colorless, water-insoluble liquid with the smell associated with paint thinners. It is a mono-substituted benzene derivative, consisting of a methyl group (CH3) at ...
or
xylene
In organic chemistry, xylene or xylol (; IUPAC name: dimethylbenzene) are any of three organic compounds with the formula . They are derived from the substitution of two hydrogen atoms with methyl groups in a benzene ring; which hydrogens are sub ...
.
Samples give a strong odor of hydrogen sulfide owing to partial hydrolysis. One common and effective method of destroying the foul smelling residues is to use an excess of
sodium hypochlorite
Sodium hypochlorite (commonly known in a dilute solution as bleach) is an Inorganic chemistry, inorganic chemical compound with the chemical formula, formula NaOCl (or NaClO), comprising a sodium cation () and a hypochlorite anion (or ). It may ...
(
chlorine bleach
Bleach is the generic name for any chemical product that is used industrially or domestically to remove color (whitening) from a fabric or fiber or to clean or to remove stains in a process called bleaching. It often refers specifically, to ...
).
Mechanism of action
Lawesson's reagent has a four membered ring of alternating
sulfur
Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...
and
phosphorus
Phosphorus is a chemical element with the symbol P and atomic number 15. Elemental phosphorus exists in two major forms, white phosphorus and red phosphorus, but because it is highly reactive, phosphorus is never found as a free element on Ear ...
atoms. The central phosphorus/sulfur four-membered ring dissociates to form two reactive dithiophosphine
ylide An ylide or ylid () is a neutral dipolar molecule containing a formally negatively charged atom (usually a carbanion) directly attached to a heteroatom with a formal positive charge (usually nitrogen, phosphorus or sulfur), and in which both atoms ...
s (R-PS
2). Much of the chemistry of Lawessons's reagent is in fact the chemistry of this reactive intermediate.
:
In general, the more
electron
The electron ( or ) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary electric charge. Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family,
and are generally thought to be elementary particles because they have no kn ...
rich a carbonyl is, the faster the carbonyl group will be converted into the corresponding thiocarbonyl by Lawesson's reagent.
Applications
The chemistry of Lawesson's reagent and related substances has been reviewed by several times.
The main use of Lawesson's reagent is the thionation of carbonyl compounds. For instance, Lawesson's reagent will convert a
carbonyl
In organic chemistry, a carbonyl group is a functional group composed of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom: C=O. It is common to several classes of organic compounds, as part of many larger functional groups. A compound containing a ...
into a
thiocarbonyl
In organic chemistry, thioketones (; also known as thiones or thiocarbonyls) are organosulfur compounds related to conventional ketones in which the oxygen has been replaced by a sulfur. Instead of a structure of , thioketones have the structu ...
. Additionally, Lawesson's reagent has been used to thionate
enones,
ester
In chemistry, an ester is a compound derived from an oxoacid (organic or inorganic) in which at least one hydroxyl group () is replaced by an alkoxy group (), as in the substitution reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol. Glycerides ar ...
s,
lactone
Lactones are cyclic carboxylic esters, containing a 1-oxacycloalkan-2-one structure (), or analogues having unsaturation or heteroatoms replacing one or more carbon atoms of the ring.
Lactones are formed by intramolecular esterification of the co ...
s,
amide
In organic chemistry, an amide, also known as an organic amide or a carboxamide, is a compound with the general formula , where R, R', and R″ represent organic groups or hydrogen atoms. The amide group is called a peptide bond when it is ...
s,
lactam
A lactam is a cyclic amide, formally derived from an amino alkanoic acid. The term is a portmanteau of the words ''lactone'' + ''amide''.
Nomenclature
Greek prefixes in alphabetical order indicate ring size:
* α-Lactam (3-atom rings)
* β-Lacta ...
s, and
quinone
The quinones are a class of organic compounds that are formally "derived from aromatic compounds uch as benzene or naphthalene
Uch ( pa, ;
ur, ), frequently referred to as Uch Sharīf ( pa, ;
ur, ; ''"Noble Uch"''), is a historic city in the southern part of Pakistan's Punjab province. Uch may have been founded as Alexandria on the Indus, a town founded by Alexand ...
by conversion of an even number of –CH= groups into –C(=O)– groups with any necessary rearrangement of double ...
s.
:
In one study, reaction of
maltol
Maltol is a naturally occurring organic compound that is used primarily as a flavor enhancer. It is found in the bark of larch tree, in pine needles, and in roasted malt (from which it gets its name). It is a white crystalline powder that is ...
with LR results in a selective oxygen replacement in two positions.
:
A combination of
silver perchlorate
Silver perchlorate is the chemical compound with the formula AgClO4. This white solid forms a monohydrate and is mildly deliquescent. It is a useful source of the Ag+ ion, although the presence of perchlorate presents risks. It is used as a cata ...
and Lawesson's reagent is able to act as an
oxophilic
Oxophilicity is the tendency of certain chemical compounds to form oxides by hydrolysis or abstraction of an oxygen atom from another molecule, often from organic compounds. The term is often used to describe metal centers, commonly the early trans ...
Lewis acid
A Lewis acid (named for the American physical chemist Gilbert N. Lewis) is a chemical species that contains an empty orbital which is capable of accepting an electron pair from a Lewis base to form a Lewis adduct. A Lewis base, then, is any sp ...
with the ability to catalyze the
Diels–Alder reaction
In organic chemistry, the Diels–Alder reaction is a chemical reaction between a conjugated diene and a substituted alkene, commonly termed the dienophile, to form a substituted cyclohexene derivative. It is the prototypical example of a peric ...
of
diene
In organic chemistry a diene ( ) (diolefin ( ) or alkadiene) is a covalent compound that contains two double bonds, usually among carbon atoms. They thus contain two alk''ene'' units, with the standard prefix ''di'' of systematic nomenclature. ...
s with α,β-unsaturated
aldehyde
In organic chemistry, an aldehyde () is an organic compound containing a functional group with the structure . The functional group itself (without the "R" side chain) can be referred to as an aldehyde but can also be classified as a formyl grou ...
s.
in some cases, alcohols may be converted to thiols by treatment with Lawesson's reagent.
Lawesson's reagent reacts with sulfoxides to form thioethers.
[
]
See also
* Woollins' reagent
References
External links
* {{cite web , url = https://www.organic-chemistry.org/namedreactions/lawessons-reagent.shtm , title = Lawesson's Reagent , publisher = Organic Chemistry Portal , accessdate = 2007-10-16
Reagents for organic chemistry
Sulfur heterocycles
Phosphorus heterocycles
Four-membered rings
Foul-smelling chemicals
Heterocyclic compounds with 1 ring