Carbocations, benzylic

Rearrangement is especially prevalent with primary alkyl halides of the type RCH2CH2X and R2CHCH2X Aluminum chloride induces ionization with rearrangement to give a more stable carbocation Benzylic halides and acyl halides do not rearrange... 

The mechanism of alkyl hydrogen exchange was not clarified, but a possible mechanism was postulated. Partial hydride abstraction by a Lewis acid site may have occured forming a carbocation-like species followed by exchange of a proton at a R-carbon. Such a mechanism predicts exchange to occur preferentially at methyl groups adjacent to the most stable carbocations (benzylic > 3° > 2° > 1°). This is consistent with the observed relative rates of epimerization of steranes during thermal maturation of sediments (83). 

Diffusion-controlled trapping of carbocations benzylic cations... 

Because they form relatively stable carbocations, benzyl halides undergo SnI reactions more easily than do most alkyl halides. 

R a tertiary carbocation benzyl cation allyl cation 1 H niethyl ration vinyl cation... 

Carbocations derived from the alcohol are probably the reactive species, but data concerning by-products expected with carbocationic intermediates are lacking. Rearrangement of 2-alkylaminothiazoles to 2-amino-5-alkylthiazoles may also explain the observed products 2-aminothiazole with benzyl chloride yields first 2-benz Iaminothiazole (206). which then rearranges to 2-amino-5-benzvlthiazole (207) (Scheme 130) (163. 165. 198). 

Benzylic halides resemble allylic halides m the readiness with which they form carbocations On comparing the rate of S l hydrolysis m aqueous acetone of the fol lowing two tertiary chlorides we find that the benzylic chloride reacts over 600 times faster than does tert butyl chloride... 

Only the benzylic chloride is formed because protonation of the double bond occurs m the direction that gives a carbocation that is both secondary and benzylic... 

Carbocation is secondary and benzylic and gives the observed product... 

Protonation in the opposite direction also gives a secondary carbocation but it is not benzylic... 

This carbocation does not receive the extra increment of stabilization that its benzylic isomer does and so is formed more slowly The regioselectivity of addition is controlled by the rate of carbocation formation the more stable benzylic carbocation is formed faster and is the one that determines the reaction product... 

Section 11 10 Chemical reactions of arenes can take place on the ring itself or on a side chain Reactions that take place on the side chain are strongly influ enced by the stability of benzylic radicals and benzylic carbocations... 

Section 11 14 Benzylic carbocations are intermediates in SnI reactions of benzylic halides and are stabilized by electron delocalization... 

Section 11 16 Addition reactions to alkenylbenzenes occur at the double bond of the alkenyl substituent and the regioselectivity of electrophilic addition is governed by carbocation formation at the benzylic carbon See Table 11 2... 

Electrophilic addition (Section 11 16) An aryl group stabilizes a benzylic carbocation and con trols the regioselectivity of addition to a double bond involving the benzylic carbon Markovni kov s rule is obeyed... 

Reaction with hydrogen halides (Sec tion 4 7) The order of alcohol reactiv ity parallels the order of carbocation staiiility RjC" > R2CH > RCHj" > CHj" Benzylic alcohols react readily... 

This IS a frequently used proce dure for the preparation of alkenes The order of alcohol reactivity paral lels the order of carbocation stability R3C > R2CH > RCH2 Benzylic al cohols react readily Rearrangements are sometimes observed... 

Benzylic carbon (Section 11 10) A carbon directly attached to a benzene nng A hydrogen attached to a benzylic carbon is a benzylic hydrogen A carbocation in which the benzylic carbon is positively charged is a benzylic carbocation A free radical in which the benzylic carbon bears the unpaired electron is a benzylic radical Benzyne (Section 23 8) The compound... 

The diarylmethyl cations listed in Table 5.1 are 6-7pATr+ units less stable than the corresponding triarylmethyl cations. This indicates that the additional aryl group has a cumulative, although not necessarily additive, effect on stability of the carbocation. Primary benzylic cations (monparylmethyl cations) are generally not sufficiently stable for determination of pATr+ values. A particularly stable benzylic ion, the 2,4,6-trimethyl-phenylmefliyl cation, has a pATr+ of — 17.4. 

Stabilization of a carbocation intermediate by benzylic conjugation, as in the 1-phenylethyl system shown in entry 8, leads to substitution with diminished stereosped-ficity. A thorough analysis of stereochemical, kinetic, and isotope effect data on solvolysis reactions of 1-phenylethyl chloride has been carried out. The system has been analyzed in terms of the fate of the intimate ion-pair and solvent-separated ion-pair intermediates. From this analysis, it has been estimated that for every 100 molecules of 1-phenylethyl chloride that undergo ionization to an intimate ion pair (in trifluoroethanol), 80 return to starting material of retained configuration, 7 return to inverted starting material, and 13 go on to the solvent-separated ion pair. 

Carbocations can also be generated during the electrolysis, and they give rise to alcohols and alkenes. The carbocations are presumably formed by an oxidation of the radical at the electrode before it reacts or diffuses into solution. For example, an investigation of the electrolysis of phenylacetic acid in methanol has led to the identification of benzyl methyl ether (30%), toluene (1%), benzaldehyde dimethylacetal (1%), methyl phenylacetate (6%), and benzyl alcohol (5%), in addition to the coupling product bibenzyl (26%). ... 

Scheme 10. Mechanislic possibililies for PF condensalion. Mechanism a involves an SN2-like attack of a phenolic ring on a methylol. This attack would be face-on. Such a mechanism is necessarily second-order. Mechanism b involves formation of a quinone methide intermediate and should be Hrst-order. The quinone methide should react with any nucleophile and should show ethers through both the phenolic and hydroxymethyl oxygens. Reaction c would not be likely in an alkaline solution and is probably illustrative of the mechanism for novolac condensation. The slow step should be formation of the benzyl carbocation. Therefore, this should be a first-order reaction also. Though carbocation formation responds to proton concentration, the effects of acidity will not usually be seen in the reaction kinetics in a given experiment because proton concentration will not vary.

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