Carbocations, gegenion

Carbocations are intermediates in several kinds of reactions. The more stable ones have been prepared in solution and in some cases even as solid salts, and X-ray crystallographic structures have been obtained in some cases. An isolable dioxa-stabilized pentadienylium ion was isolated and its structure was determined by h, C NMR, mass spectrometry (MS), and IR. A P-fluoro substituted 4-methoxy-phenethyl cation has been observed directly by laser flash photolysis. In solution, the carbocation may be free (this is more likely in polar solvents, in which it is solvated) or it may exist as an ion pair, which means that it is closely associated with a negative ion, called a counterion or gegenion. Ion pairs are more likely in nonpolar solvents. 

The first species produced in cationic polymerizations are carbocations, and these were unknown as such prior to World War II. It is now known that pure Lewis acids, such as boron trifluoride and aluminum chloride, are not effective as initiators. A trace of a proton-containing Lewis base, such as water, is also required. The Lewis base coordinates with the electrophilic Lewis acid, and the proton is the actual initiator. Since cations cannot exist alone, they are accompanied by a counterion, also called a gegenion. 

Both the initiation step and the propagation step are dependent on the stability of the carbocations. Isobutylene (the first monomer to be commercially polymerized by ionic initiators), vinyl ethers, and styrene have been polymerized by this technique. The order of activity for olefins is Me2C=CH2 > MeCH=CH2 > CH2=CH2, and for para-substituted styrenes the order for the substituents is Me—O > Me > H > Cl. The mechanism is also dependent on the solvent as well as the electrophilicity of the monomer and the nucleophi-licity of the gegenion. Rearrangements may occur in ionic polymerizations. 

The transient nature of carbocations arises from their extreme reactivity with nucleophiles. The use of low nucleophilicity gegenions, particularly tetrafluoroborates (BF4 ) enabled Meerwein in the forties to prepare a series of oxonium and carbo-xonium ion salts, such as R30+BF4- and HC(OR)2+ respectively. These Meerwein salts are effective alkylating agents, and transfer alkyl cations in SN2 type reactions. However, simple alkyl cation salts (R+BF4 ) were not obtained in Meerwein s studies. The first acyl tetrafluoroborate, i. e. acetylium tetrafluoroborate was obtained by Seel16 in 1943 by reacting acetyl fluoride with boron trifluoride at low temperature. 

This type of reaction begins when a ir bond of an alkene donates an electron pair to an acid (H+)—an acid-base reaction where the alkene is a weak base. The Jt bond is broken as the new Br—H bond is formed, and the remaining carbon of the former double bond becomes a carbocation. The reaction of cyclohexene with acid to form secondary cation 294 illustrates this process. The cationic center then reacts with the nucleophilic gegenion (Br" from HBr) to produce bromocyclohexane. The latter portion of this sequence is analogous to the second step (coupling) of an Sjsfl reaction. The initial reaction usually involves formation of a solvent separated carbocation intermediate, but this depends on the solvent. A tight ion pair intermediate can react in the substitution step to give the same product. The net result of this cationic reaction is addition of H and Br across the jt bond. 

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