Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Condensation of Tertiary Alcohols with Tertiary Amines

sentinel097 - 1-7-2011 at 09:12

I'm wondering if it's possible, or plausible for that matter, to condense a tertiary alcohol with a tertiary amine so that the OH group bonds with an H from one of the alkyl groups. If so, how? If not, is there a less direct route to the same end?

Edit: I was hoping it might be as simple as replacing the OH with a Cl group so that it might react with the amine, perhaps in the presence of a catalyst, in a manner analogous to the alkylation of benzene.

P.S. If this question has already been covered, please direct me to it's whereabouts. A brief search turned up nothing of relevance.

[Edited on 2-7-2011 by sentinel097]

Nicodem - 2-7-2011 at 02:12

Be more specific. There is no general reaction for alpha-alkylation of tertiary amines, especially not with t-alkyl alcohols.
There are several target specific ways to alpha-alkylate tertiary amines, though not with t-alcohols and not necessarily with single step transformation, but you need to specify the exact structures involved. Without being specific, your question is totally unanswerable.

PS: By forum convention, threads with unanswerable and referenceless questions should only be opened in the Beginnings sections (where this is being moved).

sentinel097 - 2-7-2011 at 06:17

You'll have to understand that I never bothered to learn forum convention nor the proper format for asking a question. I assumed, incorrectly I see, that a logical deduction would suffice.

What I really wanted to know was if there was a general procedure that exceeded other established methods in simplicity. Your condescending response provides a sufficient answer. ;)