Arenes, organic radical ions

Electrons are transferred singly to any species in solution and not in pairs. Organic electrochemical reactions therefore involve radical intermediates. Electron transfer between the electrode and a n-system, leads to the formation of a radical-ion. Arenes, for example are oxidised to a radical-cation and reduced to a radical-anion and in both of these intermediates the free electron is delocalised along the 7t system. Under some conditions, where the intermediate has sufficient lifetime, these electron transfer steps are reversible and a standard electrode potential for the process can be measured. The final products from an electrochemical reaction result from a cascade of chemical and electron transfer steps. 

W. Ando and Y. Moro-oka, Role of Oxygen in Chemistry and Biochemistry , Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1988. Includes chapters on (a) Cation-Radical Chain Catalyzed Oxygenation of Alkenes, by S. F. Nelsen, et al. (b) Photooxygenation of Organic Compounds via Thieir Radical Ions, by K. Mizono and Y. Otsuji (c) Triphenylpyrylium Sensitized Oxygenations, by K. Tokumaru a al. (d) Catalytic Oxidation of Metiiylarenes to Benzaldehydes, by R. A. Shddon and N. de Heij (e) Oxidation of Arylamines with Horseradish Peroxidase, 1 Fujimori et al. (f) Arene Hydroxylation by Cytochrome P-4S0, by M. Tsuda et al., and marry others. 

Restricting ourselves to the radical-ion salts, we will present a summary of the most investigated series of these compounds. One should remember that, historically, the first two series of organic conductors were the halides of condensed arenes [4], and the TCNQ salts [5]. 

Elegant evidence that free electrons can be transferred from an organic donor to a diazonium ion was found by Becker et al. (1975, 1977a see also Becker, 1978). These authors observed that diazonium salts quench the fluorescence of pyrene (and other arenes) at a rate k = 2.5 x 1010 m-1 s-1. The pyrene radical cation and the aryldiazenyl radical would appear to be the likely products of electron transfer. However, pyrene is a weak nucleophile the concentration of its covalent product with the diazonium ion is estimated to lie below 0.019o at equilibrium. If electron transfer were to proceed via this proposed intermediate present in such a low concentration, then the measured rate constant could not be so large. Nevertheless, dynamic fluorescence quenching in the excited state of the electron donor-acceptor complex preferred at equilibrium would fit the facts. Evidence supporting a diffusion-controlled electron transfer (k = 1.8 x 1010 to 2.5 X 1010 s-1) was provided by pulse radiolysis. 

Organometallic complexes often activate the C-H either by oxidative addition (Fig. 6.3, path a) or a-bond metathesis, or a-CAM (path b). These reactions favor attack at a terminal C-H bond, leading to subsequent terminal functionalization (e.g., PrH n-PrX), or at an arene C-H bond (e.g., ArH ArX). This selectivity usefully contrasts with standard organic reactions via radicals or carbonium ions that are selective for the most highly substituted or benzylic CH bonds (e.g., PrH i-PrX ArMe ArCH2X). Species such as i-Pr- or i-Pr+ are more stable and more rapidly formed than n-Pr- or n-Pr+. Numerous organic synthetic applications of C-H activation continue to be found (Chapter 14). 

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