Cyclopropenyl anion, and

Very high level ab initio [CCSD(T)//MCSF] calculations have been applied to singlet and triplet cyclopropenyl anion and cyclopropenyl radical. The anion ground state, a singlet with Cg symmetry, is destabilized relative to cyclopropyl anion as expected for an antiaromatic structure it is stabilized, with respect to its conjugate acid and the corresponding radical, by electron-withdrawing substituents such that 1,2,3-tricyanopropene has a predicted pK of 10-15. ... 

We end this section with a comment on how different theories produce different outlooks and create different predispositions. For example, let us consider the noncontroversial case of cyclopropenyl anion and the controversial case of cyclobutadiene, both 4k-electron "antiaromatic" annulenes. The former molecule is computed to have a triplet ground state in and the latter one is computed to have a singlet ground state in geometry. With respect to HMO theory, the CP system can be called "normal" and the CB system "abnormal". More specifically, the former is said to comply to Hund s rule but the latter is claimed to violate it. As a result, spin selection in CB becomes a topic of controversy By contrast, FC theory paints an entirely different picture in which the interesting thing is not that square CB turns out to be singlet but that CP turns out to be triplet ... 

Draw an energy diagram for the three molecular orbitals of the cyclopropenyl system (C l I3). How ate these three molecular orbitals occupied in the cyclopropenyl anion, cation, and radical Which of the three substances is aromatic according to Hiickel s rule ... 

Two other systems that have been studied as possible aromatic or antiaromatic four-electron systems are the cyclopropenyl anion (59) and the cyclopentadienyl cation (60). In these cases also the evidence supports, antiaromaticity, not aromaticity. With respect to 59, HMO theory predicts that an unconjugated 61 (i.e., a single canonical form) is more stable than a conjugated 59, so that 61 would... 

M. R. Wasielewski, R. Breslow. Thermodynamic Measurements on Unsubstituted Cyclopropenyl Radical and Anion, and Derivatives, by Second Harmonic Alternating Current Voltammetry of Cyclopropenyl Cations. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1976, 98, 4222—4229. 

The CH2 group of cycloproparenes is relatively acidic. Extended HUckel calculations predict that the benzocyclopropenyl anion 294 should be a resonance-stabilized species, contrary to the cyclopropenyl anion 295 or cyclohepta-trienide (296), which are at least potentially antiaromatic. This prediction has been experimentally verified benzocyclopropene (1) may be deprotonated with BuLi, and the intermediate anion 294 has been trapped with trimethylsilane to afford 236. From the rate of hydrolysis of 236, the pX of 1 has been estimated to 36, i.e., some 5 units below that of toluene (pXj = 41). Theoretical calculations (STO-3G) give a pK of 33 for 1. Metallation at the CHj group of cycloproparenes is the key step for the synthesis of alkylidenecycloproparenes (see above) however, it should be noted that so far, no benzocyclopropenyl anions have... 

A concrete example will help clarify these concepts. In C3V symmetry, the n orbitals of the cyclopropenyl anion transform according to aj and e symmetries... 

Problem 10.30 Design a table showing the structure, number of tt electrons, energy levels of tt MO s and electron distribution, and state of aromaticity of (a) cyclopropienyl cation, b) cyclopropenyl anion, (c) cyclobutadiene, (d) cyclobutadienyl dication, (c) cyclopentadienyl anion, (/) cyclopentadienyl cation, (g) benzene, (h) cycloheptatrienyl anion, (/) cyclooctatetraene, (/ ) cyclooctatetraenyl dianion. ... 

The chemistry of oxiranyl anions (117) and aziridinyl anions (118) has been reviewed186 and tris-1,2,3-/ -nitrophenylcyclopropcnc has been found to resist conversion to the corresponding anti-aromatic cyclopropenyl anion by deprotonation even though it has been estimated to have a pAa of 32.187... 

The geometries of the ground states and of the first excited singlet and triplet states of 150 with X = SiH-, CH-, NH, O, PH and S were calculated by the Cl version of the semi-empirical SINDOl method167. We will discuss here only the silirenyl anion (150, X = SiH-) and compare the properties of this anion to those of the analogous cyclopropenyl anion (150, X = CH-). The calculated optimized geometries and bond orders for 150, X = SiH- and CH- are given in Table 15. 

TABLE 15. Calculated geometries and bond orders of the silirenyl anion (150, X = SiH ) and the cyclopropenyl anion (150, X = ( II ) in their ground and first excited singlet and triplet states"... 

Another group of unstable carbanions are those with antiaromatic character (Scheme 5.71). Thus, cyclopropenyl anions or oxycyclobutadienes, generated by deprotonation of cyclopropenes or cyclobutenones, respectively, will be highly reactive and will tend to undergo unexpected side reactions. Similarly, cyclopentenediones are difficult to deprotonate and alkylate, because the intermediate enolates are electronically related to cyclopentadienone and thus to the antiaromatic cyclopenta-dienyl cation. 

Fig. 4.23 Hiickel s rule says that cyclic n systems with An + 2 n electrons ( = 0, 1, 2,. .. An + 2 = 2, 6, 10,. ..) should be especially stable, since they have all bonding levels full and all antibonding levels empty. The special stability is usually equated with aromaticity. Shown here are the cyclopropenyl cation, the cyclobutadiene dication, the cyclopentadienyl anion, and benzene formal structures are given for these species - the actual molecules do not have single and double bonds, but rather electron delocalization makes all C/C bonds the same...

An overview on cycloproparenyl anions has also been reported.3 According to theoretical calculation, cyclopropabenzenyl anion is by ca 145 kJmol-1 more stable than the parent cyclopropenyl anion. It has been shown that the stability of the cyclopropabenzenyl anion could be considerably enhanced by substitution of the aromatic ring with fluorine and cyano groups, and also by a linear extension of the aromatic backbone. 

Cyclopropen-1-yl sodium derivatives are also readily prepared. Thus reaction of cyclopropene with one equivalent of sodium amide in liquid ammonia leads to 1-sodiocyclopropene which is alkylated by haloalkanes 77,78 reacts with ketones to produce tertiary alcohols and opens epoxides to produce 2-cyclopropenyl-ethanols in moderate to good yields79). Moreover, on reaction with two equivalents of base followed by haloalkane, 1,2-dialkylated species are obtained sequential reactions can also be used to produce unsymmetrically substituted cyclopropenes78). Reaction with a deficiency of sodium amide can also cause addition of the cyclopro-penyl anion to unreacted cyclopropene, leading to products derived from the 2-cyclo-propylcydopropen-l-yl anion and to 1,2-dicyclopropylcyclopropene 77). 

Compare the piQ of cyclopentadiene with that of cycloheptatriene. Whilst the anion of the former has 6 7t electrons (which makes it isoelectronic with benzene), the anion of the latter has 8 ti electrons. Remember that on p. 176 we saw how 4n n electrons made a compound anti-aromatic The cycloheptatrienyl anion does have 4 7t electrons but it is not anti-aromatic because it isn t planar. However, it certainly isn t aromatic either and its pKa of around 36 is about the same as that of propene. This contrasts with the cyclopropenyl anion, which must be planar since any three points define a plane. Now the compound is anli-aromatic and this is reflected in the very high pKit (about 62). Other compounds may become aromatic on losing a proton. We looked at fluorene a few pages back now you will see that fluorene is acidic because its anion is aromatic (14 n electrons). 

In this and similar compounds the acetylene bond is supposed to donate only two jt-electrons to the conjugated system while the other jt-bond is located in the plane of the molecule and does not participate in the conjugation. Consequently, this compound satisfies the Hiickel rule for = 4. It indeed possesses aromatic properties. Anti-aromaticism. When a cyclic polyene system is studied it is important to know whether this system is nonaromatic, i.e.not stabilized by conjugation and sufficiently reactive due to the internal tension and other causes, or destabilized by conjugation, i.e. the cyclic delocalization increases the total energy of the system. In the latter case the molecule is called anti-aromatic. Here are typical examples of anti-aromatic systems cyclobutadiene, a cyclopropenyl anion, a cyclopentadi-enyl cation, and others. 

The cyclization in Step B is an improvement of Butler s procedure for the synthesis of which employs less convenient reagents, KNH and l-bromo-3-chloroacetone acetal. Beside the acetals derived from neopentyl glycol, those derived from ethanol, 1,3-propanediol and 2,4-pentanediol have been synthesized by the present method. The second part of Step B involves the formation and the electrophilic trapping of cyclopropenyl anion 2, which is the key element of the present preparations. Step B provides a simple route to substituted cyclopropenones, but the reaction is limited to alkylation with alkyl halides. The use of lithiated and zincated cyclopropenone acetal, on the other hand, is more general and permits the reaction with a variety of electrophiles alkyl, aryl and vinyl halides, Me3SiCl, Bu3SnCl, aldehydes, ketones, and epoxides. Repetition of the lithiation/alkylation sequence provides disubstituted cyclopropenone acetals. 

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