Aryl formates, Fries

The consecutive formation of o-hydroxybenzophenone (Figure 3) occurred by Fries transposition over phenylbenzoate. In the Fries reaction catalyzed by Lewis-type systems, aimed at the synthesis of hydroxyarylketones starting from aryl esters, the mechanism can be either (i) intermolecular, in which the benzoyl cation acylates phenylbenzoate with formation of benzoylphenylbenzoate, while the Ph-O-AfCL complex generates phenol (in this case, hydroxybenzophenone is a consecutive product of phenylbenzoate transformation), or (ii) intramolecular, in which phenylbenzoate directly transforms into hydroxybenzophenone, or (iii) again intermolecular, in which however the benzoyl cation acylates the Ph-O-AfCL complex, with formation of another complex which then decomposes to yield hydroxybenzophenone (mechanism of monomolecular deacylation-acylation). Mechanisms (i) and (iii) lead preferentially to the formation of p-hydroxybenzophenone (especially at low temperature), while mechanism (ii) to the ortho isomer. In the case of the Bronsted-type catalysis with zeolites, shape-selectivity effects may favor the formation of the para isomer with respect to the ortho one (11,12). 

Ortho- and para-rearrangement and phenol formation on uv-irradiation of aryl esters are accompanied in several cases by decarboxylation,37,60,62,64,80,81 represented for 3,5-di-t-butylphenyl benzoate by the equation 118 -> 119-122. It was shown that this reaction cannot be sensitized,64 but the dramatic differences in product distribution could be observed by changing of the solvent.60,84 The results in Table VI indicate that in polar solvents the decarboxylation process is minimized while the formation of the photo-Fries rearrangement 119 is enhanced. The reverse appears to be true when nonpolar ethereal solvents are used. A considerable amount of biaryls are formed, and hence this reaction may prove useful for the preparation of biaryls and alkylary Is. 

A considerable amount of attention has also been paid to the photo-Fries rearrangement of polymer pendant groups. For example, the rearrangement of poly (phenyl acrylate) (10,11) in solution or in the solid-state, is usually incomplete and results in the formation of both the ortho and the para-hydroxyphenone rearranged products in amounts which vary with the conditions of the photolysis. A concurrent side-reaction, which we term the Fries degradation, also results in the liberation of small amounts of phenol (Scheme 2). Similar results have been obtained with poly (phenyl methacrylate) and other substituted aryl acrylates (4,9,12). 

Fries rearrangement of, 952 in peptide bond formation, 1080 preparation of, 949, 951-952, 963 Aryl ethers... 

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