Arenes halogen addition

Nucleophilic substitutions of halogen by the addition-elimination pathway in electron-deficient six-membered hetarenes by sulfinate anions under formation of sulfones have been described earlier120. The corresponding electron-poor arenes behave similarly121 (equation 30). A special type of this reaction represents the inverse Smiles rearrangement in equation 31122. 

The same polymeric arenes that served as metallation catalysts in equation 119 can also be used for silylation in Barbier-type reactions (equation 131). The polymer is presumably converted to a lithium arene adduct that activates metallic lithium for metallation of the halogenated substrates, before addition of an electrophile to achieve the synthetic goal. Equations 132-135 illustrate some of the cases investigated. The products can be characterized by the usual spectroscopic methods . 

The alkylation reaction is limited to nitro-substituted arenes and heteroarenes and is highly chemoselec-tive nucleophilic displacement of activated halogens, including fluorine, was not observed. The regio-selectivity is determined by the bulkiness of the silicon reagent. With unhindered silyl derivatives a strong preference for ortho addition was observed, as in the example of equation (6). With bulkier reagents attack took place exclusively at the para position (Scheme 1). The success of this reaction, which could not be reproduced with alkali enolates, was attributed at least in part to the essentially nonbasic reaction conditions under which side processes due to base-induced reactions of nitroarenes can be effectively eliminated.12... 

Electron depopulation of the donor and concomitant population of the acceptor in the complex results in a lowering of the vibrational frequencies in the IR spectra of the donor and acceptor moieties. Additionally, complex formation can decrease the symmetry of the donor/ acceptor dyad and can lead to increased IR intensity or the appearance of new bands. For example, in halogen/alkylbenzene complexes, the stretching frequencies of the halogens are lowered, as seen in the shift of chlorine band from 557 cm-1 in free chlorine to 530 cm-1 in the benzene complex, to 527 cm-1 in the toluene complex, and to 524 cm-1 in the p-xylene complex. Increases in the intensity of some of the arene bands are also clearly seen [23b]. 

In addition, it activates the arene and thus facilitates the substitution of the halogen atom in the ort/jo-position by its electronic influence. Beyond that, the triazene residue can be transformed into various other functional groups [16]. 

Isopropyl alcohol under UV irradiation converts bromobenzene to benzene in 72% yield (Table 4). Similar replacement of bromine by hydrogen is accomplished by treatment of aryl bromides dissolved in dichloromethane with a mixture of ethanethiol and anhydrous aluminum chloride. This hard acid-soft base combination reacts with polycyclic aromatic halides and halogenated phenols by an addition-elimination mechanism, leading to an aryl ethyl sulfide through a radical anion intermediate. This is converted by another molecule of ethanethiol to the debrominated arene and diethyl disulfide. 1-Bro-monaphthalene is thus transformed into naphthalene (equation 59), 2,4,6-tribromophenol into phenol (equation 60), and bromochlorophenols into chlorophenols in 61-91% yields. ... 

Whether the reaction is inter- or intramolecular, the Heck reaction generates vinyl(hetero)arenes or dienes from an alkene and a (hetero)aryl or alkenyl halide [130]. This reaction has great versatility and is applicable to a wide range of aryl and alkene species. Mechanistically, the Heck reaction varies from that depicted in Fig. 4.3. While the oxidative addition of the halogen species occurs, the transmetalation step is replaced by the coordination of the alkene. This is followed by a migratory insertion which essentially substitutes for the cross-coupling step. The product is released not by a reductive elimination, but by a 3-hydride elimination sequence (Fig. 4.5). 

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