Cationic structures reactive intermediates

Cation (Section 1 2) Positively charged ion Cellobiose (Section 25 14) A disacchande in which two glu cose units are joined by a 3(1 4) linkage Cellobiose is oh tamed by the hydrolysis of cellulose Cellulose (Section 25 15) A polysaccharide in which thou sands of glucose units are joined by 3(1 4) linkages Center of symmetry (Section 7 3) A point in the center of a structure located so that a line drawn from it to any element of the structure when extended an equal distance in the op posite direction encounters an identical element Benzene for example has a center of symmetry Cham reaction (Section 4 17) Reaction mechanism m which a sequence of individual steps repeats itself many times usu ally because a reactive intermediate consumed m one step is regenerated m a subsequent step The halogenation of alkanes is a chain reaction proceeding via free radical intermediates... 

Very recently, the coordination chemistry of low valent silicon ligands has been established as an independent, rapidly expanding research area. With the discovery of stable coordination compounds of silylenes [35-38], a major breakthrough was achieved. Within a short time a variety of stable complexes with a surprising diversity of structural elements was realized. Besides neutral coordination compounds (A, B) [35, 36, 38], and cationic compounds (C) [37], also cyclic bissilylene complexes (D) [39,40] exist. A common feature of the above-mentioned compounds is the coordination of an additional stabilizing base (solvent) to the silicon. However, base-free silylene complexes (A) are also accessible as reactive intermediates at low temperatures. 

The description of reactive intermediates, which are short-lived species, is the main field of application of quantum chemical model calculations, due to the fact that the intermediates are difficult to observe and characterize. For example, the influence of structure on the stability of various carbenium ions — which have been used as models of the cationic chain end — and the delocalization of the positive charge were treated on this basis. 

Observations of reactivity are concerned with rate determining processes and require the knowledge of the structure and energy of the activated complexes. Up to now, the Hammond principle has been employed (see part 3.2) and reactive intermediates (cationic chain ends) have been used as models for the activated complexes. This was not successful in every case, therefore models of activated complexes related to the matter at hand were constructed, calculated and compared. For example, such models were used to explain the high reactivity of the vinyl ethers19 80). These types of obser-... 

The formation of high molecular products during the cationic polymerization depends on whether the propagation reaction, consisting of the interaction of the cationic chain end as a reactive intermediate with the monomer, reproduces the reactive intermediate (see Eq. (1)). For this reason the monomer functions as the agent and as the substrate when in the form of the cation. This means, however, the interaction between the monomer and the cationic chain end is a function of the monomer structure itself when all other conditiones remain the same. 

The model process Eq. (15) has been studied by means of the MINDO/3 method to clarify the energetic conditions during the formation of cyclic reactive intermediates in cationic propagation of alkoxy-substituted monomers. The enthalpies of formation in the gas phase AH°g of both the alternative structures e and /were supplemented by the solvation energies Eso]v for transition into solvent CH2C12 with the assistance of the continuum model of Huron and Claverie which leads to heats of formation in solution AH° s. Table 13 contains the calculated results. 

It is evident from the foregoing that vinyl cations are members of the establishment of reactive intermediates. If not geometrically constrained, they prefer to be linear in structure, with an empty p orbital, rather than trigonal. In the absence of equilibrium data between the cation and its neutral precursor, it is difficult to assign exact stabiUties to vinyl cations. 

A bridged carbocation with a two-electron, three-centre bond was proposed as early as 1939 (Nevell et al., 1939) for the 2-norbornyl cation [lO ] as a reactive intermediate in the solvolysis of 2-norbornyl system (see also Winstein and Trifan, 1949). It has now been isolated as the SbFe salt and the bridged structure is accounted for using solid-state nmr studies... 

Ligand 73 was prepared directly from a single enantiomer of the corresponding naphthol of QUINAP 60, an early intermediate in the original synthesis, and both enantiomers of BINOL. Application in hydroboration found that, in practice, only one of the cationic rhodium complexes of the diastereomeric pair proved effective, (aA, A)-73. While (aA, A)-73 gave 68% ee for the hydroboration of styrene (70% yield), the diastereomer (aA, R)-73 afforded the product alcohol after oxidation with an attenuated 2% ee (55% yield) and the same trend was apparent in the hydroboration of electron-poor vinylarenes. Indeed, even with (aA, A)-73, the asymmetries induced were very modest (31-51% ee). The hydroboration pre-catalyst was examined in the presence of catecholborane 1 at low temperatures and binuclear reactive intermediates were identified. However, when similar experiments were conducted with QUINAP 60, no intermediates of the same structural type were found.100... 

In summary, we have shown that stable cationic charge centers can significantly enhance the reactivities of adjacent electrophilic centers. Most of the studied systems involve reactive dicationic electrophiles. A number of the reactive dications have been directly observed by low temperature NMR. Along with their clear structural similarities to superelectrophiles, these dicationic systems are likewise capable of reacting with very weak nucleophiles. Utilization of these reactive intermediates has led to the development of several new synthetic methodologies, while studies of their reactivities have revealed interesting structure-activity relationships. Based on the results from our work and that of others, it seems likely that similar modes of activation will be discovered in biochemical systems (perhaps in biocatalytic roles) in the years to come. 

Alkoxycarbenium ions are important reactive intermediates in modem organic synthesis.28 It should be noted that other names such as oxonium ions, oxocarbenium ions, and carboxonium ions have also been used for carbocations stabilized by an adjacent oxygen atom and that we often draw structures having a carbon-oxygen double bond for this type of cations.2 Alkoxycarbenium ions are often generated from the corresponding acetals by treatment with Lewis acids in the presence of carbon nucleophiles. This type of reaction serves as efficient methods for carbon-carbon bond formation. 

Two types of derivatives of 1,2-cyclohexadiene with two heteroatoms were proposed as reactive intermediates more than 20 years ago. Lloyd and McNab [168] observed the reaction of the 5-bromo-l,2-dihydropyrimidinium ions 411 with thiourea in refluxing ethanol to give the bromine-free cations 413. Suspected as intermediates, the 5d2-dihydropyrimidines 412 were initially considered as zwitterions of the type 414-Zj. However, quantum-chemical calculations on the parent systems suggested an unambiguous preference of the allene structure 414 over the zwitterion 414-Za [169]. 

The study of carbocations has now passed its centenary since the observation and assignment of the triphenylmethyl cation. Their existence as reactive intermediates in a number of important organic and biological reactions is well established. In some respects, the field is quite mature. Exhaustive studies of solvolysis and electrophilic addition and substitution reactions have been performed, and the role of carbocations, where they are intermediates, is delineated. The stable ion observations have provided important information about their structure, and the rapid rates of their intramolecular rearrangements. Modem computational methods, often in combination with stable ion experiments, provide details of the stmcture of the cations with reasonable precision. The controversial issue of nonclassical ions has more or less been resolved. A significant amount of reactivity data also now exists, in particular reactivity data for carbocations obtained using time-resolved methods under conditions where the cation is normally found as a reactive intermediate. Having said this, there is still an enormous amount of activity in the field. 

Applications of Electronic Structure Calculations to Explaining and Predicting the Chemistry of Three Reactive Intermediates—Phenylnitrene, Cubyl Cation,... 

APPLICATIONS OF ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE CALCULATIONS TO EXPLAINING AND PREDICTING THE CHEMISTRY OF THREE REACTIVE INTERMEDIATES—PHENYLNITRENE, CUBYL CATION, AND PROPANE-1,3-DIYL... 

Protonated polymethylbenzenes281 and the chlorohexamethylbenzenium cation,282 intermediates in aromatic electrophilic substitutions known as Wheland intermediates, have been isolated as crystalline salts, allowing investigators to obtain their X-ray crystal structure. Nitrosoarenium a complexes of various arenes were directly observed by transient absorption spectroscopy.283 Kochi presented a method combining appropriate instrumental techniques (X-ray crystallography, NMR, time-resolved UV-vis spectroscopy) for the observation, identification, and structural characterization of reactive intermediates fa and n complexes) in electrophilic aromatic substitution.284... 

Structural modifications of the reactive intermediates also alter selectivity. The alkylating agent in the isopropylation of toluene, approximating the i-propyl cation, yields 28.5% ro-i-propyltoluene (Condon, 1948, 1949). The reaction of toluene with t-butyl halides under Friedel-Crafts conditions results in the formation of only 7% ro-t-butyltoluene (Schlatter and Clark, 1953). More precisely, the parajmeta ratio is greater for the more selective tertiary ion than for the more reactive secondary species. These results are in agreement with the expectation of a depressed reactivity for the t-butyl cation as compared to the less stable i-propyl cation. 

The author was tempted to divide the material discussed in the following rigorously into two sections, one dealing with the structural features of intermediates and a second dealing with their various reactions. However, this strict division proved problematic, because the structure of the intermediate determines its reactivity, while in many others the structure of an intermediate is assigned on the basis of its reaction products. In essence, while it may be possible to discuss radical cation structure without considering reactivity, reactivity cannot be discussed without structure. Therefore, a modified approach was chosen the multitude of reaction types are summarized in one section whereas selected structure types as well as their reactions will be discussed in a separate section. 

Thus, Hine (1966a) used PLNM successfully to rationalise the sites of attack on conjugated reactive intermediates (cations, radicals and anions). The data is puzzling since the thermodynamically less stable non-conjugated isomers predominate protonation of the cyclohexadienyl anion, for example, yields predominantly cyclohexa-1,4-diene. The PLNM rationalisation of this result is set out in Scheme 14 in terms of the resonance structures of the pentadienyl anion fragment. 

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