Acetic acid resonance stabilization

B. Compound A is less acidic, because acetate is resonance stabilized. 

Unsymmetrically substituted dipyrromethanes are obtained from n-unsubstitued pyrroles and fl(-(bromomethyl)pyiToIes in hot acetic acid within a few minutes. These reaction conditions are relatively mild and the o-unsubstituted pyrrole may even bear an electron withdrawing carboxylic ester function. It is still sufficiently nucleophilic to substitute bromine or acetoxy groups on an a-pyrrolic methyl group. Hetero atoms in this position are extremely reactive leaving groups since the a-pyrrolylmethenium( = azafulvenium ) cation formed as an intermediate is highly resonance-stabilized. 

N-Aminobenzoxazolin-2-one (4), which was readily prepared by animation of benzoxazolin-2-one with hydroxylamine-O-sulfonic acid, is also a useful nitrene precursor (Scheme 2.2). Oxidation of 4 with lead(iv) acetate in the presence of a conjugated diene resulted in exclusive 1,2-addition of nitrene 5, to yield vinylazir-idine (6) in 71 % yield [6]. The formation of vinylaziridines through 1,2-additions of methoxycarbonylnitrene (2) or amino nitrene 5 contrasts with the claimed 1,4-ad-dition of nitrene itself to butadiene [7]. Since the reaction proceeded stereospecif-ically even at high dilution, the nitrene 5 appears to be generated in a resonance-stabilized singlet state, which is probably the ground state [8]. 

Oxidation of the steroidal olefin (XXVII) with thallium(III) acetate gives mainly the allylic acetates (XXXI)-(XXXIII) (Scheme 15), again indicating that trans oxythallation is the preferred reaction course (19). Addition of the electrophile takes place from the less-hindered a-side of the molecule to give the thallinium ion (XXVIII), which by loss of a proton from C-4 would give the alkylthallium diacetate (XXIX). Decomposition of this intermediate by a Type 5 process is probably favorable, as it leads to the resonance-stabilized allylic carbonium ion (XXX), from which the observed products can be derived. Evidence in support of the decomposition process shown in Scheme 15 has been obtained from a study of the exchange reaction between frawr-crotylmercuric acetate and thallium(III) acetate in acetic acid (Scheme 16) (142). 

The most frequently encountered hydrolysis reaction in drug instability is that of the ester, but curtain esters can be stable for many years when properly formulated. Substituents can have a dramatic effect on reaction rates. For example, the tert-butyl ester of acetic acid is about 120 times more stable than the methyl ester, which, in turn, is approximately 60 times more stable than the vinyl analog [16]. Structure-reactivity relationships are dealt with in the discipline of physical organic chemistry. Substituent groups may exert electronic (inductive and resonance), steric, and/or hydrogen-bonding effects that can drastically affect the stability of compounds. A detailed treatment of substituent effects can be found in a review by Hansch et al. [17] and in the classical reference text by Hammett [18]. 

Figure 3.8 Two resonance structures that can be written for acetic acid and two that can be written for acetate ion. According to a resonance explanation of the greater acidity of acetic acid, the equivalent resonance structures for the acetate ion provide it greater resonance stabilization and reduce the positive free-energy change for the ionization.

Still another possibility in the base-catalyzed reactions of carbonyl compounds is alkylation or similar reaction at the oxygen atom. This is the predominant reaction of phenoxide ion, of course, but for enolates with less resonance stabilization it is exceptional and requires special conditions. Even phenolates react at carbon when the reagent is carbon dioxide, but this may be due merely to the instability of the alternative carbonic half ester. The association of enolate ions with a proton is evidently not very different from the association with metallic cations. Although the equilibrium mixture is about 92 % ketone, the sodium derivative of acetoacetic ester reacts with acetic acid in cold petroleum ether to give the enol. The Perkin ring closure reaction, which depends on C-alkylation, gives the alternative O-alkylation only when it is applied to the synthesis of a four membered ring ... 

Prior to 1967 acetal hydrolysis had been found to be a specific-acid catalysed reaction with the accepted mechanism [equation (46)] involving fast pre-equilibrium protonation of the acetal by hydronium ion, followed by unimolecular rate-determining decomposition of the protonated intermediate to an alcohol and a resonance stabilized carbonium ion (Cordes, 1967). An A-1 mechanism was supported by an extremely large body of evidence, but it appeared unlikely that such a mechanism could expledn the... 

Ammonium acetate in acetic acid converts 55a into the imine (59). The hydrogen-bonded, resonance-stabilized form shown is consistent with its high melting point and intense color. The structure is further supported by the ability of the naphthalene analog, which is more soluble, to form a stable complex with cupric perchlorate. ... 

Benzofuran-2-carbaldehydes readily undergo Wittig reactions in tetra-hydrofuran at room temperature with the resonance-stabilized ylide 2-car-boxy-l-methoxycarbonylethyltriphenylphosphorane, affording high yields of ( )-4-(2-benzofuranyl)-3-methoxycarbonylbut-3-enoic acids. This method is preferable to the Stobbe condensation. The Stobbe-type intermediates undergo quantitative cyclization to methyl l-acetoxydibenzofuran-3-carboxylates on exposure to acetic anhydride at 100 C. Examples are shown in Scheme 27. The intermediate 109 has been used in a synthesis of cannabifuran (110), and the intermediate 111 has been used in a synthesis of the lichen metabolite schizopeltic acid (112). ... 

Electrophilic addition of HC1 to triple bonds can apparently also go by bi-or termolecular mechanisms. Thus in acetic acid 3-hexyne (14) gives predominantly anti addition through an Ad3 pathway, but 1-phenylpropyne (15), which can form the resonance-stabilized vinyl cation (16), gives predominantly syn addition through an ion pair Ad 2 mechanism.27... 

Although they are not carbonylic compounds, carboxylate ions should be discussed here in conjunction with the carboxylic acids. Owing to its resonance stabilization, the —COjf group has no low-lying vacant orbital or any positive electron affinity thus it is non-reactive toward e q. Carboxylate ions with aliphatic chains, which may also carry OH or NH2 groups, are evidently non-reactive. This has been shown in the cases of formate, acetate, citrate, lactate, oxalate, glycinate and ethyl-enediaminetetra-acetate ions, all of which react with e q at rates lower than 1O0 m-1 sec-1 (Anbar and Neta, 1967a). 

This is acetic acid, a neutral molecule. Similar resonance structures can be written for acetic acid as are shown in part 0 for the acetate anion. In this case the two structures are not the same. The second structure is still neutral overall, but it has two formal charges. Therefore, the first structure is more stable and contributes much more to the resonance hybrid than the second does. Acetic acid has a smaller resonance stabilization than that of acetate anion — it is only a little more stable than the first structure would indicate. 

The other factor that is contributing to the dramatic increase in the acidity of acetic acid is resonance stabilization. Neither ethanol nor its conjugate base, which is called ethoxide ion, is stabilized by resonance. The following resonance structures can be written for acetic acid and its conjugate base, acetate anion ... 

As noted in Figure 3.16, acetic acid has only a small amount of resonance stabilization because the lower structure is only a minor contributor to the resonance hybrid. Acetate ion has a large amount of resonance stabilization because it has two equivalent contributors to the hybrid. 

Acetic acid has a small amount of resonance stabilization relative to ethanol... 

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