Electrophiles structure

Most biological activities of STLs have been related to the presence of electrophilic structure elements, which undergo covalent reaction with functional biological macromolecules resulting in their deactivation [1-3]. In this respect, a,P-unsaturated carbonyl groups as well as epoxide and free aldehyde groups have to be considered reactive partial structures. The alkylation of free cysteine residues in enzymes and other functional proteins by STLs has in many instances been held responsible for STL bioactivity and there is a clear correlation between the presence of such residues in proteins and their susceptibility to inactivation by STLs [1-3], see section Alkylant Sesquiterpene Lactones . It was therefore of interest to investigate the distribution of such potential reactive sites (PRS) in the structures of the 4861 STLs (Table 1). 

A is a parameter that can be varied to give the correct amount of ionic character. Another way to view the valence bond picture is that the incorporation of ionic character corrects the overemphasis that the valence bond treatment places on electron correlation. The molecular orbital wavefimction underestimates electron correlation and requires methods such as configuration interaction to correct for it. Although the presence of ionic structures in species such as H2 appears coimterintuitive to many chemists, such species are widely used to explain certain other phenomena such as the ortho/para or meta directing properties of substituted benzene compounds imder electrophilic attack. Moverover, it has been shown that the ionic structures correspond to the deformation of the atomic orbitals when daey are involved in chemical bonds. 

Acyl cations are relatively weak electrophiles. This is easily understood, because their structure is of a predominantly linear carboxon-ium ion nature, with the neighboring oxygen atom delocalizing charge and limiting their carbocationic nature. 

The results in table 2.6 show that the rates of reaction of compounds such as phenol and i-napthol are equal to the encounter rate. This observation is noteworthy because it shows that despite their potentially very high reactivity these compounds do not draw into reaction other electrophiles, and the nitronium ion remains solely effective. These particular instances illustrate an important general principle if by increasing the reactivity of the aromatic reactant in a substitution reaction, a plateau in rate constant for the reaction is achieved which can be identified as the rate constant for encounter of the reacting species, and if further structural modifications of the aromatic in the direction of further increasing its potential reactivity ultimately raise the rate constant above this plateau, then the incursion of a new electrophile must be admitted. 

There is evidence for the existence of structures of this kind, and for their importance in electrophilic substitution in general, and in nitration in particular. Because of the way in which the electrophile is attached to the ring they are called cr-complexes. 

As well as the cr-complexes discussed above, aromatic molecules combine with such compounds as quinones, polynitro-aromatics and tetra-cyanoethylene to give more loosely bound structures called charge-transfer complexes. Closely related to these, but usually known as Tt-complexes, are the associations formed by aromatic compounds and halogens, hydrogen halides, silver ions and other electrophiles. 

If, on the other hand, the encounter pair were an oriented structure, positional selectivity could be retained for a different reason and in a different quantitative sense. Thus, a monosubstituted benzene derivative in which the substituent was sufficiently powerfully activating would react with the electrophile to give three different encounter pairs two of these would more readily proceed to the substitution products than to the starting materials, whilst the third might more readily break up than go to products. In the limit the first two would be giving substitution at the encounter rate and, in the absence of steric effects, products in the statistical ratio whilst the third would not. If we consider particular cases, there is nothing in the rather inadequate data available to discourage the view that, for example, in the cases of toluene or phenol, which in sulphuric acid are nitrated at or near the encounter rate, the... 

The significance of establishing a limiting rate of reaction upon encounter for mechanistic studies has been pointed out ( 2.5). In studies of reactivity, as well as settii an absolute limit to the significance of reactivity in particular circumstances, the experimental observation of the limit has another dependent importance if further structural modification of the aromatic compound leads ultimately to the onset of reaction at a rate exceeding the observed encounter rate then a new electrophile must have become operative, and reactivities established above the encounter rate cannot properly be compared with those measured below it. 

M.o. theory and the transition state treatment In 1942 Wheland proposed a simple model for the transition state of electrophilic substitution in which a pair of electrons is localised at the site of substitution, and the carbon atom at that site has changed from the sp to the sp state of hybridisation. Such a structure, originally proposed as a model for the transition state is now known to describe the (T-complexes which are intermediates in electrophilic substitutions... 

The best-known equation of the type mentioned is, of course, Hammett s equation. It correlates, with considerable precision, rate and equilibrium constants for a large number of reactions occurring in the side chains of m- and p-substituted aromatic compounds, but fails badly for electrophilic substitution into the aromatic ring (except at wi-positions) and for certain reactions in side chains in which there is considerable mesomeric interaction between the side chain and the ring during the course of reaction. This failure arises because Hammett s original model reaction (the ionization of substituted benzoic acids) does not take account of the direct resonance interactions between a substituent and the site of reaction. This sort of interaction in the electrophilic substitutions of anisole is depicted in the following resonance structures, which show the transition state to be stabilized by direct resonance with the substituent ... 

The more extensive problem of correlating substituent effects in electrophilic substitution by a two-parameter equation has been examined by Brown and his co-workers. In order to define a new set of substituent constants. Brown chose as a model reaction the solvolysis of substituted dimethylphenylcarbinyl chlorides in 90% aq. acetone. In the case ofp-substituted compounds, the transition state, represented by the following resonance structures, is stabilized by direct resonance interaction between the substituent and the site of reaction. 

The relationship of the selectivity of an electrophile to its reactivity is a separate issue, because the above quantitative correlations of reactivity can be used empirically, without accepting that they allow comment about the reactivity of electrophiles. There is no direct evidence for the view that differences in the selectivities of electrophiles are related in a simple way to their different reactivities. Indeed, it is difficult to grasp the meaning of comparisons attempted between electrophiles of very different structures, which bring about reaction under disparate conditions by different mechanisms. 

Thus in neutral medium the reactivity of 2-aminothiazoles derivatives toward sp C electrophilic centers usually occurs through the ring nitrogen. A notable exception is provided by the reaction between 2-amino-thiazole and a solution (acetone-water, 1 1) of ethylene oxide (183) that yields 2-(2-hydroxyethylamino)thiazole (39) (Scheme 28), Structure 39... 

The electronic structure of a trimethine asymmetrical cyanine, controls the attack of a ketomethylene (Scheme 54). There is a condensation of the nucleophilic carbon on the electrophilic central carbon atom of the methine chain, leading to a neutrodimethine cyanine and simultaneously elimination of the more basic nucleus. 

The electrophile (E ) m this reaction is mtromum ion (0=N=0) The charge distn bution m mtromum ion is evident both m its Lewis structure and m the electrostatic potential map of Figure 12 2 There we see the complementary relationship between the electron poor region near nitrogen of NO, and the electron rich region associated with the TT electrons of benzene... 

The regioselectivity of substitution like the rate is strongly affected by the sub stituent In the following several sections we will examine the relationship between the structure of the substituent and its effect on rate and regioselectivity of electrophilic aro matic substitution... 

Oxygen stabilized carbocations of this type are far more stable than tertiary carbocations They are best represented by structures m which the positive charge is on oxygen because all the atoms have octets of electrons m such a structure Their stability permits them to be formed rapidly resulting m rates of electrophilic aromatic substitution that are much faster than that of benzene... 

Because the carbon atom attached to the ring is positively polarized a carbonyl group behaves m much the same way as a trifluoromethyl group and destabilizes all the cyclo hexadienyl cation intermediates m electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions Attack at any nng position m benzaldehyde is slower than attack m benzene The intermediates for ortho and para substitution are particularly unstable because each has a resonance structure m which there is a positive charge on the carbon that bears the electron withdrawing substituent The intermediate for meta substitution avoids this unfavorable juxtaposition of positive charges is not as unstable and gives rise to most of the product... 

Wnte a structural formula for the most stable cyclohexadienyl cation intermediate formed in each of the following reactions Is this intermediate more or less stable than the one formed by electrophilic attack on benzene" ... 

Reaction of benzamhde (C6H5NHCC6H5) with chlorine in acetic acid yields a mixture of two monochloro denvatives formed by electrophilic aromatic substitution Suggest reasonable structures for these two isomers... 

Thus with dihalocarbenes we have the interesting case of a species that resem bles both a carbanion (unshared pair of electrons on carbon) and a carbocation (empty p orbital) Which structural feature controls its reactivity s Does its empty p orbital cause It to react as an electrophile s Does its unshared pair make it nucleophilic s By compar mg the rate of reaction of CBi2 toward a series of alkenes with that of typical electrophiles toward the same alkenes (Table 14 4) we see that the reactivity of CBi2... 

The structural features especially the very polar nature of the carbonyl group point clearly to the kind of chemistry we will see for aldehydes and ketones in this chapter The partially positive carbon of C=0 has carbocation character and is electrophilic The planar arrangement of its bonds make this carbon relatively uncrowded and susceptible to attack by nucleophiles Oxygen is partially negative and weakly basic... 

Isopentenyl pyrophosphate and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate are structurally sim liar—both contain a double bond and a pyrophosphate ester unit—but the chemical reactivity expressed by each is different The principal site of reaction m dimethylallyl pyrophosphate is the carbon that bears the pyrophosphate group Pyrophosphate is a reasonably good leaving group m nucleophilic substitution reactions especially when as in dimethylallyl pyrophosphate it is located at an allylic carbon Isopentenyl pyrophosphate on the other hand does not have its leaving group attached to an allylic carbon and is far less reactive than dimethylallyl pyrophosphate toward nucleophilic reagents The principal site of reaction m isopentenyl pyrophosphate is the carbon-carbon double bond which like the double bonds of simple alkenes is reactive toward electrophiles... 

Cyclohexadienyl cation (Section 12 2) The key intermediate in electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions It is repre sented by the general structure... 

In the case of phenazine, substitution in the hetero ring is clearly not possible without complete disruption of the aromatic character of the molecule. Like pyrazine and quinoxa-line, phenazine is very resistant towards the usual electrophilic reagents employed in aromatic substitution reactions and substituted phenazines are generally prepared by a modification of one of the synthetic routes employed in their construction from monocyclic precursors. However, a limited range of substitution reactions has been reported. Thus, phenazine has been chlorinated in acid solution with molecular chlorine to yield the 1-chloro, 1,4-dichloro, 1,4,6-trichloro and 1,4,6,9-tetrachloro derivatives, whose gross structures have been proven by independent synthesis (53G327). 

The classical structures of pyrrole, furan and thiophene (31) suggest that these compounds might show chemical reactions similar to those of amines, ethers and thioethers (32) respectively. On this basis, the initial attack of the electrophile would be expected to take place at the heteroatom and lead to products such as quaternary ammonium and oxonium salts, sulfoxides and sulfones. Products of this type from the heteroaromatic compounds under consideration are relatively rare. 

In this section three main aspects will be considered. Firstly, the basic strengths of the principal heterocyclic systems under review and the effects of structural modification on this parameter will be discussed. For reference some pK values are collected in Table 3. Secondly, the position of protonation in these carbon-protonating systems will be considered. Thirdly, the reactivity aspects of protonation are mentioned. Protonation yields in most cases highly reactive electrophilic species. Under conditions in which both protonated and non-protonated base co-exist, polymerization frequently occurs. Further ipso protonation of substituted derivatives may induce rearrangement, and also the protonated heterocycles are found to be subject to ring-opening attack by nucleophilic reagents. 

Since the electrophilic reagent attacks the multiply-bonded nitrogen atom, as shown for (68) and (69), the orientation of the reaction product is related to the tautomeric structure of the starting material. However, any conclusion regarding tautomeric equilibria from chemical reactivity can be misleading since a minor component can react preferentially and then be continually replenished by isomerization of the major component. 

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