Bromine addition, mechanism

As we know from our study of SN1 reactions (Section 8-4), carbocations react readily with nucleophilic reagents. Therefore in the second step of the bromine-addition mechanism, shown in Equation 10-2, the bromoethyl cation is expected to combine rapidly with bromide ion to give the dibromo compound. However, if other nucleophiles, such as Cl or CH3OH, are present in solution, they should be able to compete with bromide ion for the cation, as in Equations 10-3 and 10-4, and mixtures of products will result ... 

Bromine and chlorine convert the 1- and 2-butenes to compounds containing two atoms of halogens attached to adjacent carbons (vicinal dihahdes). Iodine fails to react. In this two-step addition mechanism the first step involves the formation of a cation. The halonium ion formed (a three-membered ring) requires antiaddition by the anion. 

The product distribution can be shifted to favor the 1 -product by use of such milder brominating agents as the pyridine-bromine complex or the tribromide ion, Br3. It is believed that molecular bromine reacts through a cationic intermediate, whereas the less reactive brominating agents involve a process more like the AdgS and-addition mechanism. 

HC1, HBr, and HI add to alkenes by a two-step electrophilic addition mechanism. Initial reaction of the nucleophilic double bond with H+ gives a carbo-cation intermediate, which then reacts with halide ion. Bromine and chlorine add to alkenes via three-membered-ring bromonium ion or chloronium ion intermediates to give addition products having anti stereochemistry. If water is present during the halogen addition reaction, a halohydrin is formed. 

Primary and secondary aliphatic amines, morpholine and 2-methylaziridine and aniline and even the sterically hindered 2.2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine readily react with 6-bromo-trithiadiazepine 7, in certain cases in the presence of /V./V-diisopropylethylamine, at room temperature by substitution of the bromine atom ammonia, for example, yields trithiadiazepin-6-amine 22 (R1 = R2 = H). There is compelling evidence that these reactions proceed by an elimination-addition mechanism via the heteroaryne, trithiadiazepyne 21.391... 

Systematic studies of the selectivity of electrophilic bromine addition to ethylenic bonds are almost inexistent whereas the selectivity of electrophilic bromination of aromatic compounds has been extensively investigated (ref. 1). This surprising difference arises probably from particular features of their reaction mechanisms. Aromatic substitution exhibits only regioselectivity, which is determined by the bromine attack itself, i.e. the selectivity- and rate-determining steps are identical. 

However, a number of examples have been found where addition of bromine is not stereospecifically anti. For example, the addition of Bf2 to cis- and trans-l-phenylpropenes in CCI4 was nonstereospecific." Furthermore, the stereospecificity of bromine addition to stilbene depends on the dielectric constant of the solvent. In solvents of low dielectric constant, the addition was 90-100% anti, but with an increase in dielectric constant, the reaction became less stereospecific, until, at a dielectric constant of 35, the addition was completely nonstereospecific.Likewise in the case of triple bonds, stereoselective anti addition was found in bromination of 3-hexyne, but both cis and trans products were obtained in bromination of phenylacetylene. These results indicate that a bromonium ion is not formed where the open cation can be stabilized in other ways (e.g., addition of Br+ to 1 -phenylpropene gives the ion PhC HCHBrCH3, which is a relatively stable benzylic cation) and that there is probably a spectrum of mechanisms between complete bromonium ion (2, no rotation) formation and completely open-cation (1, free rotation) formation, with partially bridged bromonium ions (3, restricted rotation) in between. We have previously seen cases (e.g., p. 415) where cations require more stabilization from outside sources as they become intrinsically less stable themselves. Further evidence for the open cation mechanism where aryl stabilization is present was reported in an isotope effect study of addition of Br2 to ArCH=CHCHAr (Ar = p-nitrophenyl, Ar = p-tolyl). The C isotope effect for one of the double bond carbons (the one closer to the NO2 group) was considerably larger than for the other one. ... 

Treatment of a-tocopherol (1) with elemental bromine provided quantitative yields of 5a-bromo-a-tocopherol (46). The reaction was assumed to proceed according to a radical mechanism, but later a nonradical oxidation-addition mechanism was proven (Fig. 6.33). Bromine oxidized a-tocopherol (1) to the intermediate ortho-qainone methide (3), which in turn added the HBr produced in the oxidation step.60 If the HBr was removed by flushing with nitrogen, the spiro dimer (9) became the main product, and if it was purged by HC1 gas, mainly 5a-chloro-a-tocopherol was produced. 

The pn- and p -values for electrophilic bromine additions to arylolefins are in the same range as those for other reactions via analogous benzylic carbocations. However, generally the comparisons are only qualitative because of significant differences in the experimental conditions and in the mechanisms. For example, as has already been mentioned, the reaction constant of t-cumyl chloride methanolysis is —4.82 (Okamoto et al., 1958), i.e. slightly higher than that for a-methylstyrene bromination in methanol, where the intermediate resembles that in the solvolysis of cumyl derivatives (Scheme 13). 

In fact, the analogy between the mechanisms of heterolytic nucleophilic substitutions and electrophilic bromine additions, shown by the similarity of kinetic substituent and solvent effects (Ruasse and Motallebi, 1991), tends to support Brown s conclusion. If cationic intermediates are formed reversibly in solvolysis, analogous bromocations obtained from bromine and an ethylenic compound could also be formed reversibly. Nevertheless, return is a priori less favourable in bromination than in solvolysis because of the charge distribution in the bromocations. Return in bromination implies that the counter-ion, a bromide ion in protic solvents, attacks the bromine atom of the bromonium ion rather than a carbon atom (see [27]). Now, it is known (Galland et al, 1990) that the charge on this bromine atom is very small in bridged intermediates and obviously nil in /f-bromocarbocations [28]. 

Later on, product distribution studies15 of the ionic addition of chlorine to conjugated dienes, and in particular to cyclopentadiene, 1,3-cyclohexadiene, cis,cis-, trans,trans-and c ,fraws-2,4-hexadienes, and cis- and trans-1,3-pentadienes have supplied the first stereochemical data, showing that the stereochemistry of 1,4-addition is predominantly syn, although to an extent smaller than that of bromine addition. Moreover, the 1,2-addition is generally non stereoselective, except for the addition to the 3,4-bond of cis-and trans-1,3-pentadienes where the attack is 89-95% anti. Finally, appreciable amounts of cis- 1,2-dichlorides were obtained from the two cyclic dienes, whereas 2,4-hexadienes showed a preference for anti 1,2-addition, at least in the less polar solvents (carbon tetrachloride and pentane). On the basis of all these results the mechanism shown in equation 29 was proposed. 

Alkynes react with bromine via an electrophilic addition mechanism. A bridged bromonium ion intermediate has been postulated for alkyl-substituted acetylenes, while vinyl cations are suggested for aryl-substituted examples.119 1-Phenylpropyne gives mainly the anti addition product in acetic acid, but some of the syn isomer is formed.120 The proportion of dibromide formed and stereoselectivity are enhanced when lithium bromide is added to the reaction mixture. 

In addition, mechanisms for regeneration of photo-chemically active bromine that involve aerosol particles or reactions on the snowpack have been proposed. For example, McConnell et al. (1992) and Tang and McConnell (1996) proposed that HBr and organobromine compounds could be converted to Br2 through adsorption and reaction on ice and aerosol particles. Fan and Jacob (1992) suggested that HOBr, formed by the reaction of BrO with H02,... 

Michael Faraday reported in 1821 that chlorine addition to alkenes is Stimulated by sunlightand today this is taken to indicate the involvement of a free radical process (equation 26). Free radical chain mechanisms were proposed in 1927 by Berthoud and Beraneck for the isomerization of stilbene catalyzed by Br2 (equation 27), and by Wachholtz for bromine addition to ethyl maleate (equation 28).Later studies showed inhibition of halogen addition by reaction of the intermediate radicals with oxygen, and a free radical chain mechanism for solution and gas phase halogenations as in equation (26) was shown (equation 29). Kinetic and mechanistic... 

A 1,4-addition mechanism was postulated50 for the addition of cyclo-hexylamine to 72b in the presence of nitromethane. An intramolecular elimination of bromine afforded the (unisolated) epimino-ketonucleo-side 100, which underwent further attack by nitromethane, to give 7-(3,4-cyclohexylamino-3,4-dideoxy-2-C-nitromethyl-a-L-allopyrano-syl)theophyl ine (101). 

A significant observation concerning bromine addition is that it and many of the other reactions listed on page 360 proceed in the dark and are not influenced by radical inhibitors. This is evidence against a radical-chain mechanism of the type involved in the halogenation of alkanes (Section 4-4D). However, it does not preclude the operation of radical-addition reactions under other conditions, and, as we shall see later in this chapter, bromine, chlorine, and many other reagents that commonly add to alkenes by ionic mechanisms also can add by radical mechanisms. 

The mechanism of Figure 10-7 cannot be correct for bromine addition to alkenes in solution for two important reasons. First, notice that this mechanism requires that the two C-Br bonds be formed on the same side of the double bond, and hence produce suprafacial addition. However, there is much evidence to show that bromine and many other reagents add to alkenes to form antarafacial addition products (Figure 10-8). 

The second piece of evidence against the mechanism of Figure 10-7 is that bromine addition reactions carried out in the presence of more than one nucleophilic reagent usually give mixtures of products. Thus the addition of bromine to an alkene in methanol solution containing lithium chloride leads not only to the expected dibromoalkane, but also to products resulting from attack by chloride ions and by the solvent ... 

It is clear that the mechanism in Scheme 25 parallels (at least from the qualitative point of view) the mechanism of the addition of bromine to olefins shown in Scheme 11. Kinetic investigations indicate that the oxymercuration reaction involves a series of fast equilibria until the mercuronium ion (53) is formed. The subsequent nucleophilic attack of the solvent is probably the rate-limiting step, as indicated by steric requirements in bulky alkenes111. In the bromine addition, the formation of the bromonium ion is the rate-limiting step (or the rate-limiting equilibrium). However, the olefin reactivities in both reactions (bromination and oxymercuration) are identical when steric effects in the TS of the two addition reactions are taken into account110. 

The mechanism for bromination of semibullvalene has been proposed, based on quantum chemical calculations. The reaction pathway involves concerted bromine addition and cyclopropane ring opening to form an allylic cation, without the intermediacy of a bromonium or a cyclopropylcarbinyl cation.18... 

In setting down rules and generalizations about SS, we have undoubtedly played down or ignored exceptions and violations. This was not our intention. Some of these cases arise, where there is unrecognized mechanistic complexity the clarification of the mechanism of certain bromine additions, e.g. by an ion pair mechanism, made syn-addition unexceptional. Some violations fall into the category of... 

In spite of these uncertainties, however, the utility of the reactivity-selectivity principle has been illustrated for a number of diverse areas of mechanistic interest. Such applications are being extended to other areas as well. For example, Olah has recently studied the mechanism of electrophilic addition to multiple bonds using selectivity data and concluded that the transition states of the bromine addition to alkenes are of a 7r-complex nature (Olah and Hockswender, 1974). Finally the large number of reactivity-selectivity relationships which have been discovered offer considerable experimental support for the various expressions and formulations of the Hammond postulate whose profound effect on modem mechanistic chemistry is now beyond question. 

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