Cationic electron-withdrawing groups

Norbornadienes Possessing Cationic Electron Withdrawing Groups Biphotochromic Norbomadiene Derivatives ... 

The effect of the bond dipole associated with electron-withdrawing groups can also be expressed in terms of its interaction with the cationic u-complex. The atoms with the highest coefficients in the LUMO 3 are the most positive. The unfavorable interaction of the bond dipole will therefore be greatest at these positions. This effect operates with substituents such as carbonyl, cyano, and nitro groups. With ether and amino substituents, the unfavorable dipole interaction is overwhelmed by the stabilizing effect of the lone-pair electrons stabilizing 3. 

Anionic polymerization is better for vinyl monomers with electron withdrawing groups that stabilize the intermediates. Typical monomers best polymerized by anionic initiators include acrylonitrile, styrene, and butadiene. As with cationic polymerization, a counter ion is present with the propagating chain. The propagation and the termination steps are similar to cationic polymerization. 

Extensive studies by Gorman and Gassman have shown that an allyl cation can be a 27r-electron component in a normal electron-demand cationic Diels-Alder reaction and, since a carbocation is a very strong electron-withdrawing group, the allyl cation is a highly reactive dienophile [19a, 21]. 

The cationic moiety attached to the carbon-carbon double bond is a strong electron-withdrawing group that increases the dienophilic character of the double bond in the Diels Alder reaction. 

When electron-withdrawing groups are attached to the double bond, the reaction is strongly inhibited and may fail completely. In such cases, the bromide anion, produced by the reaction of dimethyl sulfoxide with N-bromosuccinimide, competes with the dimethyl sulfoxide for the bromonium (or bromo carbonium) ion, an intermediate of the reaction. Thus, dibromide may accompany recovered alkene or any bromohydrin formed. Similarly, exogenous anions often compete with dimethyl sulfoxide for the cation. ... 

This is, however, a weak electrophile compared with species such as N02 and will normally only attack highly reactive aromatic compounds such as phenols and amines it is thus without effect on the otherwise highly reactive PhOMe. Introduction of electron-withdrawing groups into the o- or p-positions of the diazonium cation enhances its electrophilic character, however, by increasing the positive charge on the diazo group ... 

Polymerisation of vinyl monomers with electron-donating substituents can proceed by a cationic mechanism, while monomers with electron-withdrawing group can polymerise by an anionic pathway. 

Generally speaking, a monomer with electron-releasing groups will be more rapidly polymerized by cationic initiators. Anionic initiators polymerize olefins with electron-withdrawing groups more rapidly. A more sensitive test of the nature of the reaction is the behavior of a mixture of two such monomers in copolymerization in which they compete for the intermediate. This will be discussed in more detail in Chapter XII on polar versus radical mechanisms. 

Fig. 10.18. Spectral displacements of PCT sensors resulting from interaction of a bound cation with an electron-donating or electron-withdrawing group.

PCT sensors in which the bound cation interacts with an electron-withdrawing group... 

In contrast to the above-described systems, there are only few systems in which the bound cation can interact with the acceptor part of charge-transfer probes. The case of coumarins linked to crowns (Figure 10.24) is of special interest because the cation interacts directly with the electron-withdrawing group, i.e. the carbonyl group, in spite of the spacer between the fluorophore and the crown. An important consequence is the increase in stability constant of the complexes with respect to the same crown without external complexing atoms. 

Few examples of C-H insertions have been reported for carbene complexes without electron-withdrawing groups attached to the carbene carbon atom [696]. Most of these are C-H insertions of cationic iron(IV) carbene complexes. 

Hence, cationic iron carbene complexes such as Cp(CO)2Fe =CHCHZR, in which Z is an electron-withdrawing group, might also be suitable for intermolecular cyclopropanation or C-H insertion reactions. The use of such carbene complexes in organic synthesis has not yet been thoroughly investigated, but could fruitfully supplement the chemistry of acceptor-substituted carbenes. 

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