Benzene with electrophiles

We learned in Section 18.6 which groups are electron donating and electron withdrawing. As a result, we know which groups increase or decrease the rate of reaction of substituted benzenes with electrophiles. 

The ratio of ortho-, and para-isomers formed in reactions of monosubstituted benzenes with electrophiles is presented in Table 58. The values of q and c required for this analysis were calculated by the CNDO/2 method. For the - -I- and -i- M-type substituents missing in Table 44 the values are calculated from the relationship + 0.95 for the-M-type substituents, as a first approximation. 

To brominate phenol, all we had to do was to mix bromine and phenol—if we do this with benzene itself, nothing happens. We therefore say that, relative to benzene, the OH group in phenol activates the ring towards electrophilic attack. The OH group is both activating and ortho, para-directing. Other groups that can donate electrons also activate and direct ortho, para. Anisole (methoxybenzene) is the enol ether equivalent of phenol. It reacts faster than benzene with electrophiles. 

Do the rules developed so far in this chapter predict the reactivity and regioselectivity of still higher substitution We shall see that they do, provided we take into account the individual effect of each substituent. Let us investigate the reactions of disubstituted benzenes with electrophiles. 

However, the special stability conferred by aromaticity (review Section 3.2 if you need to) changes what happens next—it is now thermodynamically more favorable for the molecule to lose a proton to return to aromatic character than to add a nucleophile to the intermediate cation. So the typical reaction of benzene with electrophiles may be represented as in Figure 12.4. 

So far we ve been concerned only with electrophilic substitution of benzene Two impor tant questions arise when we turn to substitution on rings that already bear at least one substituent... 

The PMBs, when treated with electrophilic reagents, show much higher reaction rates than the five lower molecular weight homologues (benzene, toluene, (9-, m- and -xylene), because the benzene nucleus is highly activated by the attached methyl groups (Table 2). The PMBs have reaction rates for electrophilic substitution ranging from 7.6 times faster (sulfonylation of durene) to ca 607,000 times faster (nuclear chlorination of durene) than benzene. With rare exception, the PMBs react faster than toluene and the three isomeric dimethylbenzenes (xylenes). 

In compounds with a fused benzene ring, electrophilic substitution on carbon usually occurs in the benzenoid ring in preference to the heterocyclic ring. Frequently the orientation of substitution in these compounds parallels that in naphthalene. Conditions are often similar to those used for benzene itself. The actual position attacked varies compare formulae (341)-(346) where the orientation is shown for nitration sulfonation is usually similar for reasons which are not well understood. 

The general discussion (Section 4.02.1.4.1) on reactivity and orientation in azoles should be consulted as some of the conclusions reported therein are germane to this discussion. Pyrazole is less reactive towards electrophiles than pyrrole. As a neutral molecule it reacts as readily as benzene and, as an anion, as readily as phenol (diazo coupling, nitrosation, etc.). Pyrazole cations, formed in strong acidic media, show a pronounced deactivation (nitration, sulfonation, Friedel-Crafts reactions, etc.). For the same reasons quaternary pyrazolium salts normally do not react with electrophiles. 

In the section dealing with electrophilic attack at carbon some results on indazole homocyclic reactivity were presented nitration at position 5 (Section 4.04.2.1.4(ii)), sulfon-ation at position 7 (Section 4.04.2.1.4(iii)) and bromination at positions 5 and 7 (Section 4.04.2.1.4(v)). The orientation depends on the nature (cationic, neutral or anionic) of the indazole. Protonation, for instance, deactivates the heterocycle and directs the attack towards the fused benzene ring. A careful study of the nitration of indazoles at positions 2, 3, 5 or 7 has been published by Habraken (7UOC3084) who described the synthesis of several dinitroindazoles (5,7 5,6 3,5 3,6 3,4 3,7). The kinetics of the nitration of indazole to form the 5-nitro derivative have been determined (72JCS(P2)632). The rate profile at acidities below 90% sulfuric acid shows that the reaction involves the conjugate acid of indazole. 

Both 1,2- and 2,1-benzisothiazoles react with electrophiles to give 5- and 7-substituted products (see Section 4.02.3.2). The isothiazole ring has little effect on the normal characteristics of the benzene ring. C-Linked substituents react almost wholly normally, the isothiazole ring having little effect except that phenyl substituents are deactivated (see Section 4.17.2.1). There are, however, considerable differences in the ease of decarboxylation of the carboxylic acids, the 4-isomer being the most stable (see Section 4.02.3.3). 

The table below gives first-order rate constants for reaction of substituted benzenes with w-nitrobenzenesulfonyl peroxide. From these data, calculate the overall relative reactivity and partial rate factors. Does this reaction fit the pattern of an electrophilic aromatic substitution If so, does the active electrophile exhibit low, moderate, or high substrate and position selectivity ... 

Lcad(rV) trifluoroacetate is a strong electrophilic and oxidizing reagent It IS a valuable reagent for the hydroxylatton of aromatic compounds [5S, 59] Lead(IV) trifluoroacetate also reacts with silylated benzenes with the exclusive formation of the corresponding trifluoroacetate esters [59] (equation 28)... 

Section 12.1 On reaction with electrophilic reagents, compounds that contain a benzene ring undergo electrophilic aromatic substitution. Table 12.1 in Section 12.1 and Table 12.3 in this summai-y give exanples. 

Benzene and substituted benzenes reaet with electrophiles, leading to new functionality. The two-step mechanism involves initial attack by an electrophile to form an intermediate (benzenium ion), followed by elimination of a proton to generate the substituted benzene. 

The reactivity of Ce, C7, Cg aromatics is mainly associated with the benzene ring. Aromatic compounds in general are liable for electrophilic substitution. Most of the chemicals produced directly from benzene are obtained from its reactions with electrophilic reagents. Benzene could be alkylated, nitrated, or chlorinated to important chemicals that are precursors for many commercial products. 

Aromatic substitution reactions occur by addition of an electrophile such as Br+ to the aromatic ring to yield an allylic carbocation intermediate, followed by loss of H+. Show the structure of the intermediate formed by reaction of benzene with Br+. 

Yet a final limitation to the Friedel-Crafts reaction is that a skeletal rearrangement of the alkyl carbocation electrophile sometimes occurs during reaction, particularly when a primary alkyl halide is used. Treatment of benzene with 1-chlorobutane at 0 °C, for instance, gives an approximately 2 1 ratio of rearranged (sec-butyl) to unrearranged (butyl) products. 

The carbocation electrophile in a Friedel-Crafts reaction can be generated in ways other than by reaction of an alkyl chloride with AICI3. For example, reaction of benzene with 2-methylpropene in the presence of H3PO4 yields tert-butylbenzene. Propose a mechanism for this reaction. 

Another drawback to the use of amino-substituted benzenes in electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions is that Friedel-Crafts reactions are not successful (Section 16.3). The amino group forms an acid-base complex with the AICI3 catalyst, which prevents further reaction from occurring. Both drawbacks can be overcome, however, b3 carrying out electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions on the corresponding amide rather than on the free amine. 

More surprising, in view of its poor electrophilic character, is that phcnylnitrene, generated by deoxygenation of nitroso benzene with triethyl phosphite in a mixture of benzene and 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol, yields 1-phenyl-1//-azepine (26), a rare example of a stable 1-aryl-lH-azepine.170... 

Thiols react more rapidly with nucleophilic radicals than with electrophilic radicals. They have very large Ctr with S and VAc, but near ideal transfer constants (C - 1.0) with acrylic monomers (Table 6.2). Aromatic thiols have higher C,r than aliphatic thiols but also give more retardation. This is a consequence of the poor reinitiation efficiency shown by the phenylthiyl radical. The substitution pattern of the alkanethiol appears to have only a small (<2-fokl) effect on the transfer constant. Studies on the reactions of small alkyl radicals with thiols indicate that the rate of the transfer reaction is accelerated in polar solvents and, in particular, water.5 Similar trends arc observed for transfer to 1 in S polymerization with Clr = 1.4 in benzene 3.6 in CUT and 6.1 in 5% aqueous CifiCN.1 In copolymerizations, the thiyl radicals react preferentially with electron-rich monomers (Section 3.4.3.2). 

Aromatic rings are much less reactive than their double-bond character would suggest they commonly undergo substitution rather than addition. Electrophilic substitution of benzene with electron-donating substituents is accelerated and takes place at the ortho and para positions preferentially. Electrophilic substitution of benzene with electron-withdrawing substituents takes place at a reduced rate and primarily at the meta positions. 

Scheme 18 Orbital phase properties for the electrophilic substitutions of benzenes with an electron-donating group...

The Fricdel-Crafts type polyalkylation of alkyl-substituted benzenes with 3 becomes easier and faster as the number of electron-donating methyl groups on the phenyl group increases. This is consistent with the fact that the alkylation occurs in the fashion of electrophilic substitution. The tendency of starting incthylben-zenes to form reoriented products also increases in the same order from toluene to mesitylene. 

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