Benzene derivatives addition reactions

We finish Chapter 18 by learning some additional reactions of substituted benzenes that greatly expand the ability to synthesize benzene derivatives. These reactions do not involve the benzene ring itself, so they are not further examples of electrophilic aromatic substitution. In Seaion 18.13 we return to radical halogenation, and in Section 18.14 we examine useful oxidation and reduction reactions. 

Benzoic acid and naphthoic acid are formed by the oxidative carbonylation by use of Pd(OAc)2 in AcOH. t-Bu02H and allyl chloride are used as reoxidants. Addition of phenanthroline gives a favorable effect[360], Furan and thiophene are also carbonylated selectively at the 2-position[361,362]. fndole-3-carboxylic acid is prepared by the carboxylation of 1-acetylindole using Pd(OAc)2 and peroxodisulfate (Na2S208)[362aj. Benzoic acid derivatives are obtained by the reaction of benzene derivatives with sodium palladium mal-onate in refluxing AcOH[363]. 

The classification of hydrocar bons as aliphatic or ar omatic took place in the 1860s when it was aheady apparent that there was something special about benzene, toluene, and their- derivatives. Their molecular- for-mulas (benzene is CgHg, toluene is CyKj ) indicate that, like alkenes and alkynes, they are unsaturated and should undergo addition reactions. Under conditions in which bromine, for example, reacts rapidly with alkenes and alkynes, however, benzene proved to be inert. Benzene does react with Br-2 in the presence of iron(III) bromide as a catalyst, but even then addition isn t observed. Substitution occurs instead ... 

When the hydride ion of lithium alanate is used as nucleophile, cyclohexa-2,4-dien-l-ol is obtained as a labile addition product which eliminates water on standing to give benzene.12 The reaction of an oxepin derivative that possesses a hexamethylene bridge across C3-C6 with sodium methoxide gives an addition product 5 in which the seven-membered heterocyclic system is retained.213 214... 

Moulijn et al. (33) studied the reactions of some linear alkynes over a W08-Si02 catalyst in a fixed-bed flow reactor. Besides metathesis, cyclotrimerization to benzene derivatives occurred. Thus, propyne yielded, in addition to metathesis products, a mixture of trimethylbenzenes. From this an indication of the mechanism of the metathesis of alkynes can be obtained. 

Addition of molten sulfur to limonene in a 9 kl reactor led to a violent runaway exothermic reaction. Small scale pilot runs had not shown the possibility of this. Heating terpenes strongly with sulfur usually leads to formation of benzene derivatives with evolution of hydrogen sulfide. 

NbBrs, and NbCls-Pl Sn evidently proceeds via cyclotrimerization of diynes, which most probably involve cyclic carbometallation, details are not very clear.246 2463 Related reactions of Ta and Mo complexes were also investigated in this study. Formation of tantallacyclopropenes by complexation of alkynes with Ta complexes has also been reported247 (Scheme 51). In addition to the Ta-catalyzed polymerization of diynes mentioned above, Ta-catalyzed or -promoted cyclotrimerization reactions of alkynes to produce benzene derivatives, a Ta-promoted ethylene... 

The addition reactions of zirconacyclopentadienes to carbon—carbon triple bonds can be classified into two types (a) 1,1-addition reactions, and (b) 1,2-addition reactions, which furnish benzene derivatives as shown in Eq. 2.45. 

There are several examples of the concerted mechanism. However, no report of an insertion of a carbon—carbon triple bond into a metallacyclopentadiene had appeared prior to discovery of this reaction. At low temperatures, during the reaction of zirconacyclopentadienes with DMAD, the formation of trienes (79) is observed upon hydrolysis. This clearly indicates that the benzene formation involves the insertion (addition) reaction of DMAD. As shown in Eq. 2.50, the alkenyl copper moiety adds to the carbon—carbon triple bond of DMAD and elimination of Cu metal leads to the benzene derivatives 72. Indeed, a copper mirror is observed on the wall of the reaction vessel. 

Electrophilic addition reactions. See also Addition reactions with butylenes, 4 405-408 of maleic anhydride, 75 490 with methacrylic acid/derivatives, 76 236-237 of propylene, 20 774 Electrophilic aromatic substitution, benzene, 3 599-601 Electrophilic attack, at nitrogen and carbon, 27 98... 

De Queiroz et al. (2006) performed mass-spectrometric experiments in which gas-phase reactions of the isolated N02 and benzene derivatives were studied. The reaction results in the predominant electron abstraction yielding exclusively ionized benzenes. None of the expected adducts (such as a complexes) were observed. Probably because direct addition of NO, to benzene is strongly exothermic, the nascent product is too hot to survive when it is isolated in the gas phase. 

The reaction of the chloro ester 1-Me with 1,2-dinucleophilic 1,2-disubstituted benzene derivatives 161 in most cases gave the benzene-annelated six-member-ed heterocycles 162 in moderate yield (Scheme 50) [22b, 26,73]. The course of the domino-Michael addition-cyclization is also very sensitive to the nature of the base and the reaction conditions applied. Thus, only the primary Michael adducts... 

Aromatic hydrocarbons are unsaturated cyclic compounds that are resistant to addition reactions. The aromatic hydrocarbons derive their name from the distinctive odors they exhibited when discovered. Benzene is the most important aromatic compound. Because many other aromatic compounds are derived from benzene, it can be considered the parent of other aromatic compounds. Benzene molecular formula is... 

The main steps in the currently accepted catalytic cycle of the Heck reaction are oxidative addition, carbopalla-dation (G=G insertion), and / -hydride elimination. It is well established that both, the insertion as well as the elimination step, are m-stereospecific. Only in some cases has formal /r/ / i--elimination been observed. For example, exposure of the l,3-dibromo-4-(dihydronaphthyloxy)benzene derivative 16 and an alkene 1-R to a palladium source in the presence of a base led to a sequential intra-intermolecular twofold Heck reaction furnishing the alkenylated tetracyclic products 17 in good to excellent yields (Scheme 9). " In the rate-determining step, the base removes a proton in an antiperiplanar orientation from the benzylic palladium intermediate. The best amine base was found to be l,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, which apparently has an optimal shape for this proton abstraction. 

Additions to Aromatic Hydrocarbons. A variety of photochemical additions to aromatic hydrocarbons have been reported. Benzene and its derivatives add to maleic anhydride74-76 as well as to simple olefins,77-80 isoprene,81 acetylene derivatives,79,82 and alcohols.83 The mechanism of the maleic anhydride-benzene reaction is discussed in Section IV. A.4. Naphthalene forms a photoadduct with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate62 and with acrylonitrile8211 while anthracene behaves similarly with maleic anhydride84 and with 1,2-benzanthracene.85 The photoaddition of several aromatic amines to anthracene has been reported to proceed via a charge transfer complex86,87 in fact, the majority of these addition reactions may proceed in this manner. 

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