Aryl diazonium ion

Phenyl diazonium ion, PhN2, reacts with nucleophiles in several ways. Water displaces N2 to give phenol, while dimethylamine adds to the terminal N. 

Examine the structure, atomic charges and electrostatic potential map of phenyl diazonium ion. Which atom(s) appears to carry most of the positive charge Is the electron distribution around this atom(s) uniform, or are some regions more electron rich and others more electron poor Draw appropriate resonance contributors. 

consider the reactivity of phenyl diazonium ion. Are either of the reactions shown above consistent with nucleophilic attack at the ion s most electron-poor site Examine the lowest-unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of phenyl diazonium ion. What electrophilic sites are identified by the LUMO Are either of the reactions shown above consistent with an orbital-controlled addition  

Experimental observations indicate that electron-rich aromatic nucleophiles, such as phenoxide, add to phenyl diazonium ion in the same way as dimethylamine. 

What controls selectivity Draw the products that would result from O addition and from ortho C addition (as well as para C addition shown above) of phenoxide anion and phenyl diazonium ion. Compare the energies of these products (para C product, ortho C product and O product). Which is most stable Is this the observed product Can thermodynamics explain the outcome  

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Aryl diazonium ions prepared by nitrous acid diazotization of primary arylamines are substantially more stable than alkyl diazonium ions and are of enormous synthetic value Their use m the synthesis of substituted aromatic compounds is described m the following two sections... 

Primary arylamines like primary alkylammes form diazonium ion salts on nitro sation Aryl diazonium 10ns are considerably more stable than their alkyl counterparts Whereas alkyl diazonium 10ns decompose under the conditions of their formation aryl diazonium salts are stable enough to be stored m aqueous solution at 0-5°C for a rea sonable time Loss of nitrogen from an aryl diazonium ion generates an unstable aryl cation and is much slower than loss of nitrogen from an alkyl diazonium ion... 

An important reaction of aryl diazonium ions is their conversion to phenols by hydrolysis... 

FIGURE 22 6 Flowchart showing the synthetic origin of aryl diazonium ions and their most useful transfer mations... 

Diazonium salt chemistry provides the principal synthetic method for the prepara tion of aryl fluorides through a process known as the Schiemann reaction In this pro cedure the aryl diazonium ion is isolated as its fluoroborate salt which then yields the desired aryl fluoride on being heated... 

A reaction of aryl diazonium salts that does not involve loss of nitrogen takes place when they react with phenols and arylamines Aryl diazonium ions are relatively weak elec trophiles but have sufficient reactivity to attack strongly activated aromatic rings The reaction is known as azo coupling two aryl groups are joined together by an azo (—N=N—) function... 

Synthetically Useful Transformations Involving Aryl Diazonium Ions... 

Synthetically Useful Transformations Involving Aryl Diazonium Ions (Continued) Reaction and comments General equation and specific example... 

Reaction of aryl diazonium salts with iodide ion (Section 22 17) Adding po tassium iodide to a solution of an aryl diazonium ion leads to the formation of an aryl iodide... 

Phenyl cations are formed by thermal decomposition of aryl diazonium ions. The cation is so extremely reactive that under some circumstances it can recrqrture the nitrogen... 

Among the reagents that are classified as weak electrophiles, the best studied are the aromatic diazonium ions, which reagents react only with aromatic substrates having strong electron-donor substituents. The products are azo compounds. The aryl diazonium ions are usually generated by diazotization of aromatic amines. The mechanism of diazonium ion formation is discussed more completely in Section 11.2.1 of Part B. 

R—N=N=. Aryl diazonium ions are formed by treatment of primary aromatic amines with nitrous acid. They are extremely useful in the preparation of aryl halides, phenols, and aryl cyanides. 

Carbonylation of Aryl Diazonium Ions to Make Ketones... 

A second group of aromatic substitution reactions involves aryl diazonium ions. As for electrophilic aromatic substitution, many of the reactions of aromatic diazonium ions date to the nineteenth century. There have continued to be methodological developments for substitution reactions of diazonium intermediates. These reactions provide routes to aryl halides, cyanides, and azides, phenols, and in some cases to alkenyl derivatives. 

The first widely used intermediates for nucleophilic aromatic substitution were the aryl diazonium salts. Aryl diazonium ions are usually prepared by reaction of an aniline with nitrous acid, which is generated in situ from a nitrite salt.81 Unlike aliphatic diazonium ions, which decompose very rapidly to molecular nitrogen and a carbocation (see Part A, Section 4.1.5), aryl diazonium ions are stable enough to exist in solution at room temperature and below. They can also be isolated as salts with nonnucleophilic anions, such as tetrafluoroborate or trifluoroacetate.82 Salts prepared with 0-benzenedisulfonimidate also appear to have potential for synthetic application.83... 

The wide utility of aryl diazonium ions as synthetic intermediates results from the excellence of N2 as a leaving group. There are several general mechanisms by which substitution can occur. One involves unimolecular thermal decomposition of the diazonium ion, followed by capture of the resulting aryl cation by a nucleophile. The phenyl cation is very unstable (see Part A, Section 3.4.1.1) and therefore highly unselective.86 Either the solvent or an anion can act as the nucleophile. 

Phenols from Diazonium Ion Intermediates. Aryl diazonium ions can be converted to phenols by heating in water. Under these conditions, there is probably formation of a phenyl cation. 

Diazonium salts can also be converted to halides by processes involving aryl free radicals. In basic solutions, aryl diazonium ions are converted to radicals via the diazo oxide.102... 

Aryl diazonium ions are converted to iodides in high yield by reaction with iodide salts. This reaction is initiated by reduction of the diazonium ion by iodide. The aryl radical then abstracts iodine from either I2 or I3. A chain mechanism then proceeds... 

Aryl thiolates react with aryl diazonium ions to give diaryl sulfides. This reaction is believed to be a radical chain process, similar to the mechanism for reaction of... 

Scheme 11.6 gives some examples of the various substitution reactions of aryl diazonium ions. Entries 1 to 6 are examples of reductive dediazonization. Entry 1 is an older procedure that uses hydrogen abstraction from ethanol for reduction. Entry 2 involves reduction by hypophosphorous acid. Entry 3 illustrates use of copper catalysis in conjunction with hypophosphorous acid. Entries 4 and 5 are DMF-mediated reductions, with ferrous catalysis in the latter case. Entry 6 involves reduction by NaBH4. 

Meerwein Arylation Reactions. Aryl diazonium ions can also be used to form certain types of carbon-carbon bonds. The copper-catalyzed reaction of diazonium ions with conjugated alkenes results in arylation of the alkene, known as the Meerwein arylation reaction.114 The reaction sequence is initiated by reduction of the diazonium ion by Cu(I). The aryl radical adds to the alkene to give a new (3-aryl radical. The final step is a ligand transfer that takes place in the copper coordination sphere. An alternative course is oxidation-deprotonation, which gives a styrene derivative. 

Reduction of aryl diazonium ions by Ti(III) in the presence of a,(3-unsaturated ketones and aldehydes leads to (3-arylation and formation of the saturated ketone or aldehyde. The early steps in this reaction parallel the copper-catalyzed reaction. However, rather than being oxidized, the radical formed by the addition step is reduced by Ti(III).116... 

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