3.3- Dimethyl-2-butyl cation, rearrangement

In view of these results, it is surprising that no rearrangement occurs during the aluminium chloride-catalyzed reaction of terf-butyl chloride with ethylene [97]. The intermediacy of a primary carbocation can, therefore, be ruled out and the selective formation of 18 may be rationalized by assuming the intermediacy of a bridged cation (tert-butyl-bridged ethylene). Alternatively, the attack of the /er/-butyl cation at ethylene may be nucleophilically assisted by the AIC14 ion because of the low stability of the 3,3-dimethyl-l-butyl cation (Scheme 22) [98],... 

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