Lewis acids complexes with aromatics

These studies at the same time aroused my interest in the mechanistic aspects of the reaetions, including the complexes of RCOF and RF with BF3 (and eventually with other Lewis acid fluorides) as well as the complexes they formed with aromatics. 1 isolated for the first time at low temperatures arenium tetrafluoroborates (the elusive (T-complexes of aromatic substitutions), although I had no means to pursue their structural study. Thus my long fascination with the chemistry of car-bocationic complexes began. 

Several arene chromium tricarbonyl complexes form 1 1 adducts with Lewis acids such as tetracyanoethylene and 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNB) 162, 227, 229, 259). The TNB adducts have been isolated as crystaline solids and the structure of the anisole derivative determined by X-ray analysis (57, 229). The plane of the TNB ring was found to be parallel to the anisole ring with an average separation of 3.41 A. This is a somewhat larger separation than that observed in the charge transfer complexes of TNB with aromatic molecules, and the increased separation was attributed to the strong electron-withdrawing capacity of the tricarbonyl chromium moiety which decreases the w-electron donor capacity of the anisole molecule 229). 

The way in which Lewis acids oxidize aromatic compounds is not known clearly. Aromatics which are not easily oxidized, such as benzene, alkylbenzenes, naphthalene, and which give colored solutions as noted above, undoubtedly form charge-transfer complexes with the Lewis acid (see p. 175). Aromatics which are oxidized easily undergo complete electron transfer and form the cation radical, but the final state of the electron acceptor is not too-well known. A Lewis-acid anion radical has never been detected in these systems. Although the initial reaction in oxidations by antimony pentachloride has been represented as in eqn (12), it is not... 

Although a mechanism involving a radical cation has been proposed for the Scholl reaction, as indicated by the paramagnetic properties of many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) when they are treated with Lewis acids or concentrated sulfuric acid, it is assumed that the Scholl reaction occurs in a manner similar to the Friedel-Crafts Alkylation, involving an arenium cation instead of a radical cation. In detail, the Scholl reaction of hexaphenylbenzene involves the complexation between a Lewis acid and aromatic nucleus, electrophilic addition, and deprotonation,as illustrated here. In the presence of NaCl or HCl, chloride is beneficial for the elimination of aryl hydrogen by the formation of hydrogen chloride, as indicated by the bold chloride. 

Brominarion of the aromatic nucleus is now regarded as replacement of a hydrogen atom of the intact nucleus as a result of an attack by a polarised complex with a positive end. Iron acts as a carrier by forming FcBrj, which as a Lewis acid forms a polarised complex with one mol. of Bri ... 

Tetracyanoethylene is colorless but forms intensely colored complexes with olefins or aromatic hydrocarbons, eg, benzene solutions are yellow, xylene solutions are orange, and mesitylene solutions are red. The colors arise from complexes of a Lewis acid—base type, with partial transfer of a TT-electron from the aromatic hydrocarbon to TCNE (8). TCNE is conveniendy prepared in the laboratory from malononitrile [109-77-3] (1) by debromination of dibromoma1 ononitrile [1855-23-0] (2) with copper powder (9). The debromination can also be done by pyrolysis at ca 500°C (10). 

There is another important factor in the low reactivity of pyridine derivatives toward electrophilic substitution. The —N=CH— unit is basic because the electron pair on nitrogen is not part of the aromatic n system. The nitrogen is protonated or complexed with a Lewis acid under many of the conditions typical of electrophilic substitution reactions. The formal positive charge present at nitrogen in such species further reduces the reactivity toward electrophiles. 

A unique method to generate the pyridine ring employed a transition metal-mediated 6-endo-dig cyclization of A-propargylamine derivative 120. The reaction proceeds in 5-12 h with yields of 22-74%. Gold (HI) salts are required to catalyze the reaction, but copper salts are sufficient with reactive ketones. A proposed reaction mechanism involves activation of the alkyne by transition metal complexation. This lowers the activation energy for the enamine addition to the alkyne that generates 121. The transition metal also behaves as a Lewis acid and facilitates formation of 120 from 118 and 119. Subsequent aromatization of 121 affords pyridine 122. 

Azaferrocene reacts with aromatic hydrocarbons in the presence of aluminium chloride, giving rise to the cationic complexes of the type (Ti -arene)(Ti -cyclopenta-dienyl)iron(l+) isolated as BF4 salts [87JOM(333)71]. The complex 28 is obtained by reaction of the sulfane compound [Cp(SMc2)3Fe]BF4 with pentamethyl-pyrrole [88AG(E)579 88AG(E)1468 90ICA(170)155]. The metallic site in this center reveals expressed Lewis acidity (89CB1891). 

The reaction is initiated by formation of a donor-acceptor complex 4 from acyl chloride 2, which is thereby activated, and the Lewis acid, e.g. aluminum trichloride. Complex 4 can dissociate into the acylium ion 5 and the aluminum tetrachloride anion 4 as well as 5 can act as an electrophile in a reaction with the aromatic substrate ... 

Depending on the specific reaction conditions, complex 4 as well as acylium ion 5 have been identified as intermediates with a sterically demanding substituent R, and in polar solvents the acylium ion species 5 is formed preferentially. The electrophilic agent 5 reacts with the aromatic substrate, e.g. benzene 1, to give an intermediate cr-complex—the cyclohexadienyl cation 6. By loss of a proton from intermediate 6 the aromatic system is restored, and an arylketone is formed that is coordinated with the carbonyl oxygen to the Lewis acid. Since a Lewis-acid molecule that is coordinated to a product molecule is no longer available to catalyze the acylation reaction, the catalyst has to be employed in equimolar quantity. The product-Lewis acid complex 7 has to be cleaved by a hydrolytic workup in order to isolate the pure aryl ketone 3. 

Enantioselective D-A reactions of acrolein are also catalyzed by 3-(2-hydroxyphenyl) derivatives of BINOL in the presence of an aromatic boronic acid. The optimum boronic acid is 3,5-di-(trifluoromethyl)benzeneboronic acid, with which more than 95% e.e. can be achieved. The TS is believed to involve Lewis acid complexation of the boronic acid at the carbonyl oxygen and hydrogen bonding with the hydroxy substituent. In this TS tt-tt interactions between the dienophile and the hydroxybiphenyl substituent can also help to align the dienophile.114... 

Interestingly, the reactions were modestly slower in the presence of the Lewis acid. It is suggested that the catalyst inverts the HOMO-LUMO relationships, making the complexed nitrone the electrophilic reactant. In agreement with this interpretation, the reaction is favored by EWGs on the aromatic ring. 

Under Lewis-acid-catalyzed conditions, electron-rich arenes can be added to alkenes to generate Friedel-Crafts reaction products. This subject will be discussed in detail in Chapter 7, on aromatic compounds. However, it is interesting to note that direct arylation of styrene with benzene in aqueous CF3CO2H containing H2PtCl6 yielded 30-5% zram-PhCH CHR via the intermediate PhPt(H20)Cl4.157 Hydropheny-lation of olefins can be catalyzed by an Ir(III) complex.158... 

Si. rra(pentafluorophenyl)boron was found to be an efficient, air-stable, and water-tolerant Lewis-acid catalyst for the allylation reaction of allylsilanes with aldehydes.167 Sc(OTf)3-catalyzed allylations of hydrates of a-keto aldehydes, glyoxylates and activated aromatic aldehydes with allyltrimethylsilane in H2O-CH3CN were examined. a-Keto and a-ester homoallylic alcohols and aromatic homoallylic alcohols were obtained in good to excellent yields.168 Allylation reactions of carbonyl compounds such as aldehydes and reactive ketones using allyltrimethoxysilane in aqueous media proceeded smoothly in the presence of 5 mol% of a CdF2-terpyridine complex (Eq. 8.71).169... 

The actual proportions of products obtained in many cases are not necessarily found to reflect the relative stabilities of the incipient carbocations, unrearranged and rearranged, however. This follows from the fact that their relative rates of reaction with the aromatic species almost certainly do not follow the order of their relative stabilities, and may well be diametrically opposed to it. Attack on the aromatic species by the first formed polarised complex may be faster than its rearrangement. The study of these rearrangements is also complicated by the fact that Lewis acids are found to be capable of rearranging both the original halides, and the final, alkylated end-products, e.g. ... 

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