Carbon atoms reactivity properties

Although alkanes are not as reactive as other classes of organic compounds, they have many of the same structural characteristics. We will use simple alkanes as examples to study some of the properties of organic compounds, including the structure of sjf hybridized carbon atoms and properties of C—C and C—H single bonds. 

As we saw m Chapter 20 thioesters are more reactive than ordinary esters toward nucleophilic acyl substitution They also contain a greater proportion of enol at equilib rmm Both properties are apparent m the properties of acetyl coenzyme A In some reactions it is the carbonyl group of acetyl coenzyme A that reacts m others it is the a carbon atom... 

Cellulose esters of aromatic acids, aUphatic acids containing more than four carbon atoms and aUphatic diacids are difficult and expensive to prepare because of the poor reactivity of the corresponding anhydrides with cellulose Httle commercial interest has been shown in these esters. Of notable exception, however, is the recent interest in the mixed esters of cellulose succinates, prepared by the sodium acetate catalyzed reaction of cellulose with succinic anhydride. The additional expense incurred in manufacturing succinate esters is compensated by the improved film properties observed in waterborne coatings (5). 

The halogen atom in benz-chloro substituted quinazolines is very stable (as in chlorobenzene), whereas the halogen atoms in positions 2 and 4 show the enhanced reactivity observed with halogen atoms on carbon atoms placed a and y to heterocyclic ring nitrogens. The chlorine atom in position 4 is more reactive than in position 2, and this property has been used to introduce two different substituents in the pyrimidine ring. ... 

Phospholes and analogs offer a wide variety of coordination modes and reactivity patterns, from the ti E) (E = P, As, Sb, Bi) through ri -dienic to ri -donor function, including numerous and different mixed coordination modes. Electrophilic substitution at the carbon atoms and nucleophilic properties of the phosphorus atom are well documented. In the ri -coordinated species, group V heteroles nearly acquire planarity and features of the ir-delocalized moieties (heterocymantrenes and -ferrocenes). 

The carhon-carbon double bond in alkenes is more reactive than carbon-carbon single bonds and gives alkenes their characteristic properties. As we saw in Section 3.4, a double bond consists of a a-bond and a 7r-bond. Each carbon atom in a double bond is sp2 hybridized and uses the three hybrid orbitals to form three cr-bonds. The unhvbridized p-orbitals on each carbon atom overlap each other and form a Tr-bond. As we saw in Section 3.7, the carbon-carbon 7r-bond is relatively weak because the overlap responsible for the formation of the 7r-bond is less extensive than that responsible for the formation of the a-bond and the enhanced electron density does not lie directly between the two nuclei. A consequence of this weakness is the reaction most characteristic of alkenes, the replacement of the 77-bond by two new a-bonds, which is discussed in Section 18.6. 

Nucleophilic Trapping of Radical Cations. To investigate some of the properties of Mh radical cations these intermediates have been generated in two one-electron oxidant systems. The first contains iodine as oxidant and pyridine as nucleophile and solvent (8-10), while the second contains Mn(0Ac) in acetic acid (10,11). Studies with a number of PAH indicate that the formation of pyridinium-PAH or acetoxy-PAH by one-electron oxidation with Mn(0Ac)3 or iodine, respectively, is related to the ionization potential (IP) of the PAH. For PAH with relatively high IP, such as phenanthrene, chrysene, 5-methyl chrysene and dibenz[a,h]anthracene, no reaction occurs with these two oxidant systems. Another important factor influencing the specific reactivity of PAH radical cations with nucleophiles is localization of the positive charge at one or a few carbon atoms in the radical cation. 

Structure B is of most interest. It is responsible for the activity of nitronates as 1,3-dipoles in [3+ 2]-cycloaddition reactions. This is the most important aspect of the reactivity of nitronates determining the significance of these compounds in organic synthesis (see e.g., Ref. 267). In addition, this structure suggests that nitronates can show both, O -nucleophilic properties, that is, react at the oxygen atom with electrophiles, and a-C-electrophilic properties, that is, add nucleophiles at the a-carbon atom. 

The nature of the substituent directly attached to the N-atom influences the properties (basicity, reduction potential, etc.) of the C = N function more than the substituents at the carbon atom. For example, it was found that Ir-dipho-sphine catalysts that are very active for N-aryl imines are deactivated rapidly when applied for aliphatic imines [7], or that titanocene-based catalysts are active only for N-alkyl imines but not for N-aryl imines [8, 20, 21]. Oximes and other C = N-X compounds show even more pronounced differences in reactivity. 

Additional Transformation Reactions. Other reactions that can be catalyzed by mineral surfaces are substitution, elimination, and addition reactions of organic molecules. Substitution and elimination are two general types of reactions that occur at saturated carbon atoms of organic molecules. Both types are initiated by nucleophilic attack however, in elimination reactions it is the basicity of the nucleophile that determine its reactivity rather than its nucleophilicity. Since mineral surfaces are expected to have both nucleophilic and basic properties, these types of reactions should also occur at mineral-water interfaces (see Chapter 22). It remains to be shown whether or not these reactions are catalyzed under environmental conditions. 

The reactivity of carbenes is strongly influenced by the electronic properties of their substituents. If an atom with a lone pair (e.g. O, N, or S) is directly bound to the carbene carbon atom, the electronic deficit at the carbene will be compensated to some extent by electron delocalization, resulting in stabilization of the reactive species. If both substituents are capable of donating electrons into the empty p orbital of the carbene, isolable carbenes, as e.g. diaminocarbenes (Section 2.1.6), can result. The second way in which carbenes can be stabilized consists in complexation. The shape of the molecular orbitals of carbenes enable them to act towards transition metals as a-donors and 71-acceptors. The chemical properties of the resulting complexes will also depend on the electronic properties of the metallic fragment to which the carbene is bound. Particularly relevant for the reactivity of carbene complexes are the ability of the metal to accept a-electrons from the carbene, and its capacity for back-donation into the empty p orbital of the carbene. 

Because hydrogen, alkyl, or aryl groups can compensate only to a limited extent the electron deficit of the carbene carbon atom, it is mainly the metal and its ligands which provide stabilization in this type of carbene complex. For this reason the reactivity of these compounds depends mainly on the nature and oxidation state of the metal and on the electronic properties of the remaining ligands. 

The key feature of ethylene glycol (EG) is the hydroxyl group, -OH, one on each of the two carbon atoms. The hydroxyls are responsible for its reactivity EG is a monomer used in the production of polyester polymers. The hydroxyls also give EG its most important physical property its solubility in water. That, linked with its low freeze point, makes EG suitable as an antifreeze and as a deicer. When EG is sprayed on ice, it combines with the water crystals and lowers the freeze point. This causes the mixture to melt and effectively keeps it in the liquid state. 

The linearity in the standard partial molal properties of the aqueous polymers as a function of the length of the chain (in terms of C atoms) observed by Shock and Helgeson (1990) is the result of the principle of equal reactivity of cocondensing functional groups (which, as we have already seen in section 6.1.2, also holds for silica polymers). This principle is, however, strictly valid only when the length of the chain is sufficiently elevated and small departures are observed for chains with one or two carbon atoms (cf figure 8.28). 

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