And cation rearrangement

There is currently significant debate about the mechanism of substrate oxidation by Q [62, 80, 81, 89]. Studies examining the MMO-catalyzed oxidation of nor-carane, of which the products derived from radical and cationic rearrangements clearly differ, indicated that both radical and cationic species are involved in product formation with a radical lifetime on the order of 20-150 ps [79, 90]. There is, furthermore, evidence suggesting that compound P may be able to effect alkene epoxidation directly [91]. Thus, in analogy with P450, multiple mechanisms and oxidants may be involved in the oxygenation of different substrates by MMO. 

In Chapter 4 the decision to ionize or not to ionize the leaving group was part of your ability to predict whether the first step in an El or Sjsjl would proceed. Several other similar decisions are collected in this chapter. The most difficult choice is between a species serving as a nucleophile or as a base (Section 9.5). Other decisions are basically a choice of regiochemistry (Sections 9.3, 9.4, 9.6). One (Section 9.2) is a question of extent of reaction stop or keep going. Another (Section 9.7) is the competition between internal reactions and external ones. The last (Section 9.7) is the competition between nucleophilic trapping and cation rearrangement. 

Other possibilities for practical application of resin catalysis include some organic reactions involving addition, cyclization, and structural rearrangement. Increased stability and specific control of structure has led to the increased use of cation exchange resins as catalysts. As in the case of cation exchange resins many... 

Fig. 8.9 Possible mechanisms of the bioluminescence reaction of dinoflagellate luciferin, based on the results of the model study (Stojanovic and Kishi, 1994b Stojanovic, 1995). The luciferin might react with molecular oxygen to form the luciferin radical cation and superoxide radical anion (A), and the latter deproto-nates the radical cation at C.132 to form (B). The collapse of the radical pair might yield the excited state of the peroxide (C). Alternatively, luciferin might be directly oxygenated to give C, and C rearranges to give the excited state of the hydrate (D) by the CIEEL mechanism. Both C and D can be the light emitter.

The cationic pathway allows the conversion of carboxylic acids into ethers, acetals or amides. From a-aminoacids versatile chiral building blocks are accessible. The eliminative decarboxylation of vicinal diacids or P-silyl carboxylic acids, combined with cycloaddition reactions, allows the efficient construction of cyclobutenes or cyclohexadienes. The induction of cationic rearrangements or fragmentations is a potent way to specifically substituted cyclopentanoids and ring extensions by one-or four carbons. In view of these favorable qualities of Kolbe electrolysis, numerous useful applications of this old reaction can be expected in the future. 

Then, contrary to what was reported previously, the olefin dissociates from the zirconium metal complex. This conclusion was further supported by other experimental observations. However, it cannot be completely excluded that competition between dissociative and direct rearrangement pathways could occur with the different isomerization processes studied up to now. Note that with cationic zirconocene complexes [Cp2Zr-alkyl], DFT studies suggest that Zr-alkyl isomerizations occur by the classical reaction route, i.e. 3-H transfer, olefin rotation, and reinsertion into the Zr-H bond the olefin ligand appears to remain coordinated to the Zr metal center [89]. 

An important contribution to silylium ion chemistry has been made by the group of Muller, who very recently published a series of papers describing the synthesis of intramolecularly stabilized silylium ions as well as silyl-substituted vinyl cations and arenium ions by the classical hydride transfer reactions with PhjC TPEPB in benzene. Thus, the transient 7-silanorbornadien-7-ylium ion 8 was stabilized and isolated in the form of its nitrile complex [8(N=C-CD3)]+ TPFPB (Scheme 2.15), whereas the free 8 was unstable and possibly rearranged at room temperature into the highly reactive [PhSi /tetraphenylnaphthalene] complex. ... 

By using an identical radical clock substrate probe which did not rearrange upon hydroxylation with M. capsulatus (Bath), rearranged product was detected with MMO from AT. trichosporium 0B3b (59). From the ratio of unrearranged to rearranged products, a rebound rate constant was calculated to be 6 x 1012 s-1 at 30°C for this system. A separate study with another radical clock substrate probe with MMO from M. trichosporium 0B3b reported products consistent with both radical and cationic substrate intermediates (88). 

The tertiary alcohol m,m,/ra ,v-perhydro-9h-phcnalcnol (7) is converted stereospecifically and in high yield (92%) to /ran.v,/ran.v,/ran.v-pcrhydrophcnalcnc (10) when treated with either triethylsilane or triphenylsilane and trifluoroacetic acid in dichloromethane (Eq. 15). Studies indicate that the reaction path follows the cation rearrangement 8 9 and that the trans trifluoroacetate ester related to... 

The products from the acid-catalyzed hydration of a-tertiary alcohols 30 (Meyer-Schuster and Rupe rearrangements) are formed via the mesomeric propargyl-allenyl cation (equation 9) and have been extensively investigated28. 

As mentioned above, persistent carbocation 9 underwent rearrangement into cation 10 which rearranged further into cation 11. To reveal general relations/factors governing cationic rearrangements in benzopentalene derivatives, the behavior of 5,5,10,10-tetramethyl-5,10-dihydroindeno[2,l-fl]indene (12) in superacids was studied (52). It had been expected that hydrocarbon 12 would transform into the long-lived 5,5,10,10-tetramethyl-4b,5,9b,10-tetrahydroindeno[2,l-a]inden-4b-yl cation (13). However, H and 13C NMR data showed that hydrocarbon 12 transformed firstly into isomeric ion 14 which transformed further into cation 15 (Scheme 11). 

At one time considered as two distinct reactions occurring by different mechanisms [51], the fragmentations of Scheme 2 and the rearrangments of Scheme 5 are now seen as different facets of the same fundamental heterolysis of -substituted alkyl radicals into alkene radical cations, with the eventual outcome determined by the reaction conditions [52],... 

---