Carbocations reactions with

In the case of primary carbocation, reaction with nitrile oxide gives a mixture of two regioisomeric oximes (Scheme 1.41). Probably, this is a result of the attack of the nitrile oxide - BF3 complex on neutral 3-chloromethylanisole. 

EXAMPLE The ionic addition of HBr to propene shows protonation of the less substituted carbon to give the more substituted carbocation. Reaction with bromide ion completes the addition. 

The chiral tertiary alcohol (/ )-3-methyl-3-hexanol reacts with HBr by an SnI pathway. HBr protonates the hydroxyl group, which dissociates to yield a planar, achiral carbocation. Reaction with the nucleophilic bromide anion can occur from either side of the carbocation to produce ( )3-bromo-3-methylhexane. 

The linear terpenoid precursors can undergo many different cyclization processes. The longer the chain, the more different possibilities there are for cyclized structures. The cyclization processes are essentially carbocation reactions, with the initial cation being formed by loss of the pyrophosphate residue from the parent linear structure. Some cyclization processes for monoterpenoids are shown in Fig. 8.5 and for sesquiterpenoids in Fig. 8.6. 

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... 

It has been possible to obtain thermodynamic data for the ionization of alkyl chlorides by reaction with SbFs, a Lewis acid, in the nonnucleophilic solvent S02C1F. It has been foimd that the solvation energies of the carbocations in this medium are small and do not differ much from one another, making comparison of the nonisomeric systems possible. As long as subsequent reactions of the carbocation can be avoided, the thermodynamic characteristics of this reaction provide a measure of the relative ease of carbocation formation in solution. 

Aromatization of paraffins can occur through a dehydrocyclization reaction. Olefinic compounds formed by the beta scission can form a carbocation intermediate with the configuration conducive to cyclization. For example, if a carbocation such as that shown below is formed (by any of the methods mentioned earlier), cyclization is likely to occur. 

How can you account for the fact that the following carbocation gives a mixture of two alcohols on reaction with water ... 

Figure 5.7 An energy diagram for the overall reaction of ethylene with HBr. Two separate steps are involved, each with its own transition state. The energy minimum between the two steps represents the carbocation reaction intermediate.

Based on what we ve seen thus far, a possible mechanism for the reaction of bromine with alkenes might involve electrophilic addition of Br+ to the alkene, giving a carbocation that could undergo further reaction with Br- to yield the dibromo addition product. 

Figure 11.11 Ion pairs in an S l reaction. The leaving group shields one side of the carbocation intermediate from reaction with the nucleophile, thereby leading to some inversion ol configuration rather than complete racemization.

Note that in the S l reaction, which is often carried out under acidic conditions, neutral water can act as a leaving group. This occurs, for example, when an alkyl halide is prepared from a tertiary alcohol by reaction with HBr or HC1 (Section 10.6). The alcohol is first protonated and then spontaneously loses H2O to generate a carbocation, which reacts with halide ion to give the alkyl halide (Figure 11.13). Knowing that an SN1 reaction is involved in the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides explains why the reaction works well only for tertiary alcohols. Tertiary alcohols react fastest because they give the most stable carbocation intermediates. 

The S il reaction occurs when the substrate spontaneously dissociates to a carbocation in a slow rate-limiting step, followed by a rapid reaction with the nucleophile. As a result, SN1 reactions are kinetically first-order and take place with racemization of configuration at the carbon atom. They are most favored for tertiary substrates. Both S l and S 2 reactions occur in biological pathways, although the leaving group is typically a diphosphate ion rather than a halide. 

Aromatic rings can be nitrated by reaction with a mixture of concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids. The electrophile is the nitronium ion, N02+, which is generated from HNO3 by protonation and loss of water. The nitronium ion reacts with benzene to yield a carbocation intermediate, and loss of H+ from this intermediate gives the neutral substitution product, nitrobenzene (Figure 16.4). 

The isomerization of isopentenyl diphosphate to dimethylally diphos phate is catalyzed by JPP isomerase and occurs through a carbocation pathway Protonation of the IPP double bond by a hydrogen-bonded cysteine residue ir the enzyme gives a tertiary carbocation intermediate, which is deprotonated b a glutamate residue as base to yield DMAPP. X-ray structural studies on the enzyme show that it holds the substrate in an unusually deep, well-protectec pocket to shield the highly reactive carbocation from reaction with solvent 01 other external substances. 

Among the experiments that have been cited for the viewpoint that borderline behavior results from simultaneous SnI and Sn2 mechanisms is the behavior of 4-methoxybenzyl chloride in 70% aqueous acetone. In this solvent, hydrolysis (i.e., conversion to 4-methoxybenzyl alcohol) occurs by an SnI mechanism. When azide ions are added, the alcohol is still a product, but now 4-methoxybenzyl azide is another product. Addition of azide ions increases the rate of ionization (by the salt effect) but decreases the rate of hydrolysis. If more carbocations are produced but fewer go to the alcohol, then some azide must he formed by reaction with carbocations—an SnI process. However, the rate of ionization is always less than the total rate of reaction, so some azide must also form by an Sn2 mechanism. Thus, the conclusion is that SnI and Sn2 mechanisms operate simultaneously. ... 

The addition of alcohols and phenols to double bonds is catalyzed by acids or bases. When the reactions are acid catalyzed, the mechanism is electrophilic, with H as the attacking species. The resulting carbocation combines with a molecule of alcohol ... 

Alternatively one can make use of No Barrier Theory (NBT), which allows calculation of the free energy of activation for such reactions with no need for an empirical intrinsic barrier. This approach treats a real chemical reaction as a result of several simple processes for each of which the energy would be a quadratic function of a suitable reaction coordinate. This allows interpolation of the reaction hypersurface a search for the lowest saddle point gives the free energy of activation. This method has been applied to enolate formation, ketene hydration, carbonyl hydration, decarboxylation, and the addition of water to carbocations. ... 

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