Carbonium ions continued rearrangements

The third mode of termination which occurs in some carbonium ion polymerizations involves rearrangement of the active carbonium ion into an inactive one which cannot continue the propagation. These reactions can be avoided to a great extent by working at sufficiently low temperatures, and on the whole, they only contribute significantly to the termination reaction in a few systems. 

In the presence of strong acids such as aqueous H2SO4, carbonyl compounds may react with olefins to form unsaturated alcohols and other products, depending on the reaction conditions. Using H-mordenite as catalyst in a continuous-flow system, 10% conversion of formaldehyde to isoprene was observed at 300° using an isobutylene-to-HCHO (molar) ratio of 3.7. A carbonium ion-type reaction scheme, involving a Prins reaction (1,2) and a subsequent dehydration-rearrangement step... 

Hogeveen s group continues to explore the complex rearrangements following electrophilic additions to hexamethylDewarbenzene. Trapping of the intermediate carbonium ions with nucleophiles allows the synthesis of a variety of polycyclic and caged compounds. 

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