Benzene: acylation nitration

Electrophilic aromatic substitution is a reaction where a hydrogen atom in an aromatic system, e.g. benzene, is replaced by an electrophile. Some of the important electrophilic substitution reactions are Friedel-Crafts alkylation and acylation, nitration, halogenation and sulphonation of benzene. 

A. M. SUva and M. A. C. Nascimento. A DPT study of nitration of benzene by acyl nitrate catalyzed by zeolites. Chem. Phys. Lett. 393, 2004,173-178. 

The nitration, sulphonation and Friedel-Crafts acylation of aromatic compounds (e.g. benzene) are typical examples of electrophilic aromatic substitution. 

Friedel-Crafts acylation of benzene with benzoyl chloride (CgH5CCl) (j) Nitration of the product from part (1)... 

Anthraquinone dyes are derived from several key compounds called dye intermediates, and the methods for preparing these key intermediates can be divided into two types (/) introduction of substituent(s) onto the anthraquinone nucleus, and (2) synthesis of an anthraquinone nucleus having the desired substituents, starting from benzene or naphthalene derivatives (nucleus synthesis). The principal reactions ate nitration and sulfonation, which are very important ia preparing a-substituted anthraquiaones by electrophilic substitution. Nucleus synthesis is important for the production of P-substituted anthraquiaones such as 2-methylanthraquiQone and 2-chloroanthraquiaone. Friedel-Crafts acylation usiag aluminum chloride is appHed for this purpose. Synthesis of quinizatia (1,4-dihydroxyanthraquiQone) is also important. 

The most notable chemistry of the biscylopen-tadienyls results from the aromaticity of the cyclopentadienyl rings. This is now far too extensively documented to be described in full but an outline of some of its manifestations is in Fig. 25.14. Ferrocene resists catalytic hydrogenation and does not undergo the typical reactions of conjugated dienes, such as the Diels-Alder reaction. Nor are direct nitration and halogenation possible because of oxidation to the ferricinium ion. However, Friedel-Crafts acylation as well as alkylation and metallation reactions, are readily effected. Indeed, electrophilic substitution of ferrocene occurs with such facility compared to, say, benzene (3 x 10 faster) that some explanation is called for. It has been suggested that. 

It is thus apparent that the selectivity of a reagent toward thiophene and benzene can differ appreciably, and this difference in selectivity is also strongly noticeable in the proportions of 2- and 3-isomers formed. Although in certain reactions no 3-isomer has been detected, appreciable amounts have been found in other reactions. Thus 0.3% of the 3-isomer has been found in the chlorination of thiophene.- Earlier results indicated that 5-10% 3-nitrothiophene is formed in the nitration of thiophene and a recent gas-chromatographic analysis by Ostman shows that the mononitrothiophene fraction contains as much as 16% of the 3-isomer. It appears that gas-chromatographic analysis should be very useful for the detection of small amounts of 3-isomers in other substitution reactions. However, from routine analyses of IR spectra, it appears to the present author that the amount of 3-isomers formed in acylation, formylation, and bromina-tion of thiophene are certainly less than a few per cent. 

The chemistry of pyrrole is similar to that of activated benzene rings. In general, however, the heterocycles are more reactive toward electrophiles than benzene rings are, and low temperatures are often necessary to control the reactions. Halogenation, nitration, sulfonation, and Friedel-Crafts acylation can all be accomplished. For example ... 

Typical electrophilic reactions, such as nitration, halogenation with a Lewis acid (as a carrier ), Friedel-Crafts C-alkylation and -acylation, that work well with benzene, cannot be applied to pyrrole, because heating with strong acids, or a Lewis acid, destroys the heterocycle. However,... 

Direct electrophilic substitution of benz- and dibenz-azepines remains relatively unexplored. Most substituted benzazepines have been prepared from benzene precursors bearing the desired substituents (74AHC(17)45). The bulk of the reported electrophilic substitutions have been carried out on 5//-dibenz[6,/]azepine (74CRV101), MO calculations on which predict that substitution should occur at the 2- and 4-positions, i.e. para and ortho to the azepine ring nitrogen. These predictions are borne out by Friedel-Crafts alkylation and acylation studies, although it is apparent that a second alkyl group enters at the 8- rather than at the 4-position. Formylation under Vilsmeier conditions yields the 2-aldehyde. As noted earlier (Section 5.16.3.4), however, the 10,11-dihydro system exhibits different behavior and acylates at the benzylic 10,11-positions. Nitration with mixed acids of the... 

Substituents on the benzene rings exert their usual influence on the orientation and ease of electrophilic substitution reactions. For example, further nitration (HN03-H2S04-S03) of nitroquino-lines occurs meta to the nitro group as shown in diagrams (593) and (594). Friedel-Crafts acylation of 8-methoxyquinoline succeeds (cf. 595) although this reaction fails with quinoline itself. 

Nitration of coumarin gives the 6-nitro derivative and a small amount of 8-nitrocoumarin. Similarly, Friedel-Crafts acylation and sulfonation give 6-substitution but in the presence of a hydroxyl group in the benzene ring, the incoming group usually enters a position ortho to it. 

Biphenyl and terphenyls may be regarded as substituted benzenes that undergo acylation, alkylation, halogenation, nitration, sulfonation, and other reactions common to benzene. The points of initial attack on chlorination, miration, and sulfonation of biphenyl occur at the 2- and 4-positions the latter group predominates. 

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