Dewar-benzenes

Dewar benzene is a valence isomer of benzene, to which it reverts on heating. 

T orbital for benzene obtained from spin-coupled valence bond theory. (Figure redrawn from Gerratt ], D L oer, P B Karadakov and M Raimondi 1997. Modem valence bond theory. Chemical Society Reviews 87 100.) figure also shows the two Kekule and three Dewar benzene forms which contribute to the overall wavefunction Kekuleform contributes approximately 40.5% and each Dewar form approximately 6.4%. 

A. Obtain the energies of benzene (1), Dewar benzene (2), benzvalene (3), and prisrnane (4). all of which have the empirical fonnula in either the... 

Synthesis The FGI is easily done and the product was used by Van Tamelen (J. Amer. Chem. Soc.. 1963, 3297) in one of the early syntheses of a Dewar benzene ... 

Butyne trimerizes in the presence of aluminum chloride to give hexamethyl Dewar-benzene (W. Schafer, 1967). Its irradiation leads not only to aromatization but also to hexa-methylprismane (D.M. Lemal, 1966). Highly substituted prlsmanes may also be obtained from the corresponding benzene derivatives by irradiation with 254 nm light. The rather stable prismane itself was synthesized via another hydrocarbon, namely benzvalene, a labile molecule (T. J. Katz, 1971, 1972). 

The skeletal rearrangement of various strained cyclic compounds is carried out with a catalytic amount of soluble complexes of PdCl2. Namely, the rearrangements of bulvalene (67) to bicyclo[4.2.2]deca-2,4,7,9-tetraene (68)[54], cubane (69) to cuneane (70)[55], hexamethyl Dewar benzene (71) to hexa-methylbenzene (72)[56], and 3-oxaquadricyclanes[57] and quadricyclane (73) to norbornadiene[58-60] take place mostly at room temperature. Reaction of iodocubane (74) with a terminal alkyne catalyzed by Pd(0) and CuBr unexpectedly affords an alkynylcyclooctatetraene 75, without giving the desired cubylalkyne 76. Probably the rearrangement is a Pd-catalyzed reaction[61]. 

The bicyclo[2.2.0]hexa-2,5-diene ring system is a valence isomer of the benzene ring and is often referred to as Dewar benzene. After many attempts to prepare Dewar benzene derivatives failed, a pessimistic opinion existed that all such efforts would be finitless because Dewar benzene would be so unstable as to immediately revert to benzene. Then, in 1962, van Tamelen and Pappas isolated a stable Dewar benzene derivative by photolysis of 1,2,4-tri(/-butyl)benzene. ... 

The compound was reasonably stable, reverting to the aromatic starting material only on heating. Part of the stability of this particular Dewar beii2ene derivative can be attributed to steric factors. The r-butyl groups are farther apart in the Dewar benzene stracture than in the aromatic structure. The unsubstituted Dewar benzene was successfully prepared in 1963. 

This compound is less stable than 5 and reverts to benzene with a half-life of about 2 days at 25°C, with AH = 23 kcal/mol. The observed kinetic stability of Dewar benzene is surprisingly high when one considers that its conversion to benzene is exothermic by 71 kcal/mol. The stability of Dewar benzene is intimately related to the orbital symmetry requirements for concerted electrocyclic transformations. The concerted thermal pathway should be conrotatory, since the reaction is the ring opening of a cyclobutene and therefore leads not to benzene, but to a highly strained Z,Z, -cyclohexatriene. A disrotatory process, which would lead directly to benzene, is forbidden. ... 

Perfluorotetramethylthiadiphosphanorbornadiene and bis(trifluoromethyl) thiadiphosphole can be prepared by thermolysis of an adduct of methanol and hexakis(trifluoromethyl)-l,4-diphosphabarrelene with sulfur [113] (equation 23) Pyrolysis of the adduct of hexafluorinated Dewar benzene and phenyl azide results in ring expansion giving azepine, which photochemically yields an intramolecular 2-1-2 adduct, a good dienophile for the Diels-Alder reaction [114, //5] (equation 24) Thermolysis of fluonnated derivatives of 1,5-diazabicyclo-... 

In 1966, a photochemical rearrangement by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation of hexafluorobenzene to hexafluorobicyclo[2 2 0]hexa-2,5-diene was achieved Since then, many reactions analogous to the valence tautomerism of benzene and bicy clo[2 2 0]hexadiene (1 e, Dewar benzene), as well as of fluonnated benzvalene and... 

UV irradiation of a mixture of hexafluorobenzene in the presence of oxygen gives Dewar benzene oxide also as a minor product, which undergoes thermal transformation to hexafluorocyclohexa-2,4-dienone [J46] (equation 36)... 

When uradiated, fluonnated isomers of Dewar benzene yield pnsmane derivatives that rearrange thermally to benzene Photolysis of hexakis(mfluororaethyl)benzvalene ozonide gives tetrakis(tnfluoromethyl)cyclobutadiene and its dimer [J47]... 

UV irradiafion of perfluoro o, m-, and p-xylenes in the gas phase gives a mixture of all possible Dewar benzene isomers Prismane valence bond isomers are proposed to be intermediates [148]... 

UV irradiation of hexafluorobenzene with indene or cycloalkenes gives high yields of 2+2 adducts, which undergo further intramolecular cycloaddition to form hexafluoropolycycloalkanes [754] (equation 38) Photolysis of fluormated deriva tives of vinylbenzenes afford benzocyclobutenes, whereas allyl benzenes yield Dewar benzene-type products [755]... 

Fluorinated bicyclo[2 2 0]hex 5-en 2 ones prepared from Dewar benzene derivatives serve as synthons of cyclobutenes [269] Photochemical cleavage of fluonnated azacyclohexadiene in the gas phase also gives fluorinated cyclobutene [270] (equation 41)... 

Figure 15.29 The Cope rearrangement and Dewar benzene ring-opening reaction...

Bicyclohexadiene, also known as Dewar benzene, is extremely stable despite the fad that its rearrangement to benzene is energetically favored. Explain why the rearrangement is so slow. 

DEPT-NMR spectrum. 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-ol, 451 Detergent, structure of, 1065 Deuterium isotope effect, 386-387 El reaction and, 392 E2 reaction and, 386-387 Dewar benzene. 1201 Dextromethorphan, structure of, 294 Dextrorotatory, 295 Dextrose, structure of. 973 Dialkylamine, pKa of, 852 Diastereomers, 302-303 kinds of, 310-311 Diastereotopic (NMR), 456... 

Thermolysis (115°C) or irradiation of the epoxide 3, generated from bicyclo[2.2.0]hexa-2,5-diene ( Dewar benzene") with 3-chloroperoxybenzoic acid, gives a mixture of the valence tautomers oxcpin and benzene oxide together with traces of phenol.111112... 

Thermolysis of the hexamethyl-substituted Dewar benzene-phenylazide adduct 1 in refluxing Decalin affords the 1.2,3-triazonine derivative 2 as the major product in form of a yellow-orange powder.30 A bicyelic isomer is also isolated which arises from rearrangement of 2 by purification on alumina and is readily converted back to 2 on heating to 80 C. 

The Dewar benzene of hexafluorobenzene formed an adduct with pheny-lazide that gave a polyfluoro-l//-azepine on pyrolysis. R=C02Et (47) was obtained when ethylazidoformate was decomposed in C6F6 [82JCS(P1)2101]. Photolysis of (47) yielded a 2-aza-bicyclo(3.2.0.)hepta-3,6-diene, which, in contrast to its nonfluorinated analogue, showed excellent thermal stability (3 h, 200°C, 88% recovered) [82JCS(P1 )2105]. 

Delocalization, 1, 49 Dewar benzene, 260 Diazirine, 49, 135 reactivity, 40 Diazomethane, 126 Diborane, 86 Diimide, 85 Dimethylether, 167... 

Dethionylation 462 Detosylation 940 Deuterium effects 892, 898 Dewar benzenes 651... 

This procedure is illustrative of the synthetic use of cyelobuta-dieneiron tricarbonyl2 as a source of highly reactive cyclobutadiene. Cyclobutadiene has been employed, for example, in the synthesis of oubane, Dewar benzenes, and a variety of other systems.3,1... 

Bicyclo[2.2.0]hexadienes and prismanes are valence isomers of benzenes. These compiounds actually have the structures that were proposed for benzenes in the nineteenth century. Prismanes have the Ladenburg formula, and bicyclo[2.2.0]-hexadienes have the Dewar formula. Because of this bicyclo[2.2.0]hexadiene is often called Dewar benzene. On page 32 it was mentioned that Dewar formulas are canonical forms (though not very important) of benzenes. Yet, they also exist as separate compounds in which the positions of the nuclei are different from those of benzenes. 

The fact that 111 (a Dewar benzene) was also isolated lends support to this scheme. Three equivalents of 3-hexyne trimerized to hexaethylbenzene at 200°C in the presence of Sl2Cl6. " ... 

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