Carbonium reactions with metal

The results of this work are not limited to just S-b-MM and S-b-tBM, but may be extended to include styrene derivatives such as p-methylstyrene and p-t-butylstyrene 1). In addition to t-butyl methacrylate, other alkyl esters capable of stabilizing a carbonium ion, such as benzyl methacrylate and allyl methacrylate, should exhibit similar reactivity toward acidic hydrolysis and TMSI. In contrasting the hydrolysis of tBM blocks with TsOH and their reaction with TMSI, it should be noted that the hydrolysis is reportedly catalytic in nature (7-10), whereas the reaction with TMSI is stoichimetric. Therefore the latter approach may allow one to more easily "dial in" a desired level of methacrylic acid or metal methacrylate. 

The site of reaction on an unsaturated organometallic molecule is not restricted to the most probable position of the metallic atom or cation or to a position corresponding to any one resonance structure of the anion. This has been discussed in a previous section with reference to the special case of reaction with a proton. Although the multiple reactivity is particularly noticeable in the case of derivatives of carbonyl compounds, it is not entirely lacking even in the case of the derivatives of unsaturated hydrocarbons. Triphenylmethyl sodium reacts with triphenylsilyl chloride to give not only the substance related to hexaphenylethane but also a substance related to Chichi-babin s hydrocarbon.401 It will be recalled that both the triphenyl-carbonium ion and triphenylmethyl radical did the same sort of thing. 

Now let me come back to primary substitutions at the ferrocene nucleus. Together with Vil chevskaya, we phosphorylated ferrocene and its derivatives to triferrocenylphosphine oxides [263, 264). An unusual reaction, discovered in collaboration with Perevalova and Yur eva, was the direct cyanation of ferrocene with hydrocyanic acid in the presence of ferric chloride [265,272). Initially, cyanide attacks the iron atom of the ferricinium cation, then the cyanide group transfers to the ring while the iron is simultaneously reduced. The reaction was termed by us as the ricochet (from the metal to the nucleus) substitution it may be applied to many substituted ferrocenes and to the ruthenocenium cation [273), and it is now the simplest route to ferrocene carboxylic acids through their nitriles. Further, ferrocene was studied in acid-medium reactions with oxo compounds. With aldehydes [274), the reaction was complicated by the transformation of ferro-cenylalkyl carbinol formed Initially via the carbonium ion, followed by transformation to a radical which, in its turn, was coupled to 1,2-bis-(ferrocenylalkyl)ethane (27.5). The reaction with acetone led to 2,2-di-ferrocenylpropane (276). 

Bond and Wells (4) observed cis/trans ratios < 1 for reactions over metal catalysts. Such results have been interpreted in terms of a radical mechanism in which the stability of the various conformations of the adsorbed butyl radical control the ratio. From energy differences, it can be calculated that the cis/trans ratio should be between 0.5 and 0.8 for the temperature range 0°—150°C. On the other hand, studies over acidic-type catalysts (11, 14) have suggested that if the reaction intermediate is a secondary butyl carbonium ion, then a cis/trans product ratio 1 is to be expected with 1-butene as starting material, and a ron -l-butene... 

The application of the ideas of Lewis on acids, which correlate a wide range of phenomena in qualitative fashion, has as yet led to very few quantitative studies of reaction velocity but has led to detailed speculations as to mechanisms (Luder and Zuffanti, 118). Friedel-Crafts reactions are considered to be acid-catalyzed, the formation of a car-bonium ion being the first step. The carbonium ion then acts as an acid relative to the base benzene which, upon loss of a proton, yields the alkylated product. Isomerizations of isoparaffins can be explained in similar fashion (Schneider and Kennedy, 119). An alkyl halide yields a carbonium ion on reaction with acids such as boron trifluoride, aluminum chloride, and other metal halides. 

From a mechanistic point of view, two different ionic mechanisms have to be considered (due to the presence of oxygen the radical chain mechanism plays no role in the technical process) first, the uncatalyzed reaction of ethylene and chlorine and second, the metal halide catalyzed reaction. Both routes compete in this process. The uncatalyzed halogenation was studied extensively for the bromina-tion of olefins [14, 15] (Scheme 4). It is commonly accepted that the halogenation of olefins starts with formation of a 1 1 -complex of halogen and alkene followed by formation of a bromonium ion. Subsequent nucleophilic attack of a bromine anion leads to the dibromoalkane. However, when highly hindered olefins (such as tetraneopentylethylene) are used, formation of a 2 1 r-complex, as an intermediate between 1 1 ir-complex and a bromonium ion, is detectable by UV spectroscopy. In the catalyzed reaction the metal halide polarizes the chlorine bond, thus leading to formation of a chloronium or carbonium ion. Subsequent nucleophilic attack of a chloride anion gives the dichloroalkane [12] (Scheme 5). 

With a laterally attached, more electron-donating metal group, reaction occurs at the n position, which then has the major charge. This is possible, in contrast to classical carbonium ion behavior, because of the possibility of simultaneous a and n bonding, exemplified in the products of reaction of the (cycloheptadienyl)Fe(CO)3 cation and the conversion of III into IV . The 16-electron MoC7H9(CO)3 cation reacts at position III with PPh3 with loss of the metal, probably initiated by reaction with the Mo... 

Since the metal sulfate catalyst has both Bronsted and Lewis acid sites, it is expected that many n bases with nonbonding electrons such as —O— and —Cl and tt bases hke olefin will undergo acid-base equilibria, thus initiating carbonium ion or carbonium ion-like reactions. Table II summarizes the acid- catalyzed reactions on metal sulfate catalysts and shows the versatility of these systems. Although this table includes some examples of industrial work, our results and others clearly show the general trend in the strength of acid sites required for each specific reaction. But detailed discussion of correlation between the catalytic activity and the acidic property is reserved for the next section. 

This remarkable ring-expansion reaction is the only route so far known to a seven-membered ring complex which does not start from a seven-membered ring hydrocarbon. The reaction may well be related mechanistically to the ring collapse of [C7H7Cr(CO)3] (Section II, A), with metal-stabilized, localized carbonium ion intermediates, e.g.,... 

It should also be noted that some nonradical ionic and condensation reactions of monomers with cellulose are used to modify the properties of cellulosic products. In one type of anionic-initiated reaction of monomers, cellulose is reacted with concentrated aqueous solutions of alkali metal hydroxides to yield cellulose copolymer. Free alkali metal in liquid ammonia or alkali metal alkoxides in nonaqueous systems may also be used as initiators of cellulose alkoxide derivatives. In cationic-initiated formation of copolymers, cellulose is reacted with an acid, such as boron trifluoride, to yield a cellulosic carbonium ion which initiates reactions with vinyl monomers. Condensation reactions of cyclic monomers with cellulose also form copolymers. Cellulose is usually slightly oxidized and also has reactive hydroxyl groups on carbons C-2, C-3 and C-6 of the anhydroglucose unit. The reactions of cyclic monomers are initiated at these carbonyl groups. A heating step may increase cellulosic oxidation and thereby increase the yield of these condensation products of cellulose and cyclic monomers." ... 

Dual Function Catalytic Processes. Dual-function catalytic processes use an acidic oxide support, such as alumina, loaded with a metal such as Pt to isomerize the xylenes as weH as convert EB to xylenes. These catalysts promote carbonium ion-type reactions as weH as hydrogenation—dehydrogenation. In the mechanism for the conversion of EB to xylenes shown, EB is converted to xylenes... 

A specific case of the carbonium ion mechanism [Eq. (5)] with reasonable plausibility is decarboxylation of metal arenoates by classic electrophilic aromatic substitution [Eq. (12)]. This mechanism would be favored by electron-donating substituents and has been invoked to explain the relative ease of decarboxylation of p-methoxybenzoic acid in molten mercuric trifluoroacetate (77) as well as the very facile decarboxylation on reaction of polymethoxybenzoic acids with mercuric acetate (18) (see below). 

Another differential reaction is copolymerization. An equi-molar mixture of styrene and methyl methacrylate gives copolymers of different composition depending on the initiator. The radical chains started by benzoyl peroxide are 51 % polystyrene, the cationic chains from stannic chloride or boron trifluoride etherate are 100% polystyrene, and the anionic chains from sodium or potassium are more than 99 % polymethyl methacrylate.444 The radicals attack either monomer indiscriminately, the carbanions prefer methyl methacrylate and the carbonium ions prefer styrene. As can be seen from the data of Table XIV, the reactivity of a radical varies considerably with its structure, and it is worth considering whether this variability would be enough to make a radical derived from sodium or potassium give 99 % polymethyl methacrylate.446 If so, the alkali metal intitiated polymerization would not need to be a carbanionic chain reaction. However, the polymer initiated by triphenylmethyl sodium is also about 99% polymethyl methacrylate, whereas tert-butyl peroxide and >-chlorobenzoyl peroxide give 49 to 51 % styrene in the initial polymer.445... 

If this mechanism is correct, the aconitase reaction is an excellent illustration of the influence of the stereochemistry of the metal, as well as its charge, upon the course of a biochemical reaction. The charge on the iron is, of course, responsible for the formation of the resonating carbonium ions A and B from C, D, or E. In C and D the flow of electrons toward iron severs the bond between carbon and the hydroxyl group, whereas in E the proton is released from coordinated water and attached to one of the two ethylenic carbon atoms. The stereochemistry of the iron atom can be credited with holding the organic molecule and the hydroxide in their proper spatial relationship in A and B. It has been recently demonstrated that the complexes of the aconitase substrates with nickel have the structures postulated by Speyer and Dickman and shown in Figure 3 (19). 

The catalytic activity for the aniline formation from chlorobenzene and ammonia of the Y zeolites with various cations was studied at 395° C (Table I). It is clear that the transition metal-exchanged zeolites have the catalytic activity for the reaction, while alkali metal and alkaline earth metal zeolites do not. The fact that alkaline earth metal-exchanged zeolites usually have high activity for carbonium ion-type reactions denies the possibility that Bronsted acid sites are responsible for the reaction. Thus, catalytic activity of zeolites for this reaction may be caused by the... 

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