Electron donating substituents

In 1994, the Kociehski group reported the formation of a cyclic by-product during an attempt to hydrolyze compound 9 using HCl in MeOH [3]. They isolated compound 11 in 58% yield, which is the result of a Nazarov cyclization. 

The mechanism of the reaction can be explained by protonation of 9 followed by cationic cyclization to afford an intermediate of type 7. After electrocyclization, intermediate 10 is converted by hydrolysis into enone 11. The ease with which the cationic cyclization occurred (compared to direct enol ether hydrolysis) testifies to the rate-accelerating effect of the electron-rich a-substituent. 

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Diels-Alder reactions can be divided into normal electron demand and inverse electron demand additions. This distinction is based on the way the rate of the reaction responds to the introduction of electron withdrawing and electron donating substituents. Normal electron demand Diels-Alder reactions are promoted by electron donating substituents on the diene and electron withdrawii substituents on the dienophile. In contrast, inverse electron demand reactions are accelerated by electron withdrawing substituents on the diene and electron donating ones on the dienophile. There also exists an intermediate class, the neutral Diels-Alder reaction, that is accelerated by both electron withdrawing and donating substituents. 

As anticipated, the complexation is characterised by negative p-values, indicating that the binding process is favoured by electron donating substituents. The order of the p-values for complexation of the different Lewis-acids again follows the Irving-Williams series. 

The effect of substituents on the rate of the reaction catalysed by different metal ions has also been studied Correlation with resulted in perfectly linear Hammett plots. Now the p-values for the four Lewis-acids are of comparable magnitude and do not follow the Irving-Williams order. Note tlrat the substituents have opposing effects on complexation, which is favoured by electron donating substituents, and reactivity, which is increased by electron withdrawirg substituents. The effect on the reactivity is clearly more pronounced than the effect on the complexation equilibrium. 

Reactions of aromatic and heteroaromatic rings are usually only found with highly reactive compounds containing strongly electron donating substituents or hetero atoms (e.g. phenols, anilines, pyrroles, indoles). Such molecules can be substituted by weak electrophiles, and the reagent of choice in nature as well as in the laboratory is usually a Mannich reagent or... 

A variety of olefins or aromatic compounds having electron-donating substituents are known to undergo C—H iasertion reactions with isocyanates to form amides (36,37). Many of these reactions are known to iavolve cycHc iatermediates. 

The first-order decomposition rates of alkyl peroxycarbamates are strongly influenced by stmcture, eg, electron-donating substituents on nitrogen increase the rate of decomposition, and some substituents increase sensitivity to induced decomposition (20). Alkyl peroxycarbamates have been used to initiate vinyl monomer polymerizations and to cure mbbers (244). They Hberate iodine quantitatively from hydriodic acid solutions. Decomposition products include carbon dioxide, hydrazo and azo compounds, amines, imines, and O-alkyUiydroxylarnines. Many peroxycarbamates are stable at ca 20°C but decompose rapidly and sometimes violently above 80°C (20,44). 

The instabihty of tert-huty areneperoxysulfonates is increased by the presence of electron-withdrawing substituents on the aromatic ring and decreased by electron-donating substituents. However, even the most stable members decompose violently on warming, as indicated in Table 14. These peroxyesters appear to decompose heterolyticaHy without the formation of free radicals (44). 

Alkylation of tetrazoles as the anions gives mixtures of 1- and 2-alkyl isomers. In general, electron-donating substituents in the 5-position slightly favor alkylation of the 1-position and electron-withdrawing 5-substituents slightly favor the 2-position. 

Radicals are particularly strongly stabilized when both an electron-attracting and an electron-donating substituent are present at the radical site. This has been called mero-stabilization" or " capto-dative stabilization. This type of stabilization results from mutual reinforcement of the two substituent effects. Scheme 12.3 gives some information on the stability of this type of radical. 

Methyl group is a better electron-donating substituent than hydrogen. 

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