Electrophilic aromatic substitution Friedel-Crafts

Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution. Friedel-Crafts-type electrophihc aromatic substitution reactions constitute one of the most important classes of reactions in organic chemistry. Such reactions are traditionally promoted by stoichiometric amounts of Lewis acid, presenting purification and waste problems, particularly when carried out on an industrial scale. 

The nitration, sulphonation and Friedel-Crafts acylation of aromatic compounds (e.g. benzene) are typical examples of electrophilic aromatic substitution. 

Nitration in sulphuric acid is a reaction for which the nature and concentrations of the electrophile, the nitronium ion, are well established. In these solutions compounds reacting one or two orders of magnitude faster than benzene do so at the rate of encounter of the aromatic molecules and the nitronium ion ( 2.5). If there were a connection between selectivity and reactivity in electrophilic aromatic substitutions, then electrophiles such as those operating in mercuration and Friedel-Crafts alkylation should be subject to control by encounter at a lower threshold of substrate reactivity than in nitration this does not appear to occur. 

Electrophilic aromatic substitution (Sec tion 22 14) Arylamines are very reac tive toward electrophilic aromatic sub stitution It IS customary to protect arylamines as their N acyl derivatives before carrying out ring nitration chio rination bromination sulfonation or Friedel-Crafts reactions... 

Other typical electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions—nitration (second entry) sul fonation (fourth entry) and Friedel-Crafts alkylation and acylation (fifth and sixth entnes)—take place readily and are synthetically useful Phenols also undergo elec trophilic substitution reactions that are limited to only the most active aromatic com pounds these include mtrosation (third entry) and coupling with diazomum salts (sev enth entry)... 

Friedel-Crafts acylation of aromatic compounds (Section 12.7) Acyl chlorides and carboxylic acid anhydrides acylate aromatic rings in the presence of aluminum chloride. The reaction is electrophilic aromatic substitution in which acylium ions are generated and attack the ring. 

Friedel-Crafts acylation (Section 12.7) An electrophilic aromatic substitution in which an aromatic compound reacts with an acyl chloride or a carboxylic acid anhydride in the presence of aluminum chloride. An acyl group becomes bonded to the ring. 

The rate-determining step is the electrophilic aromatic substitution as in the closely related Friedel-Crafts reaction. Both reactions have in common that a Lewis acid catalyst is used. For the Blanc reaction zinc chloride is generally employed, and the formation of the electrophilic species can be formulated as follows ... 

The synthesis of an alkylated aromatic compound 3 by reaction of an aromatic substrate 1 with an alkyl halide 2, catalyzed by a Lewis acid, is called the Friedel-Crafts alkylation This method is closely related to the Friedel-Crafts acylation. Instead of the alkyl halide, an alcohol or alkene can be used as reactant for the aromatic substrate under Friedel-Crafts conditions. The general principle is the intermediate formation of a carbenium ion species, which is capable of reacting as the electrophile in an electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction. 

The mechanism for that step is closely related to that of the Friedel-Crafts acylation. Upon subsequent hydrolysis the o-substituted Lewis acid-coordinated phenolate 7 is converted to the free o-acylphenol 2. By an analogous route, involving an electrophilic aromatic substitution para to the phenolate oxygen, the corresponding para-acylphenol is formed. 

With a substituted aromatic ring compound 2, mixtures of isomeric coupling products may be formed the ort/zo-product usually predominates. The rules for regiochemical preferences as known from electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions (see for example Friedel-Crafts acylation), do not apply here. 

Among the most useful electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions In the laboratory is alkylation—the introduction of an alkyl group onto the benzene ring. Called the Friedel-Crafts reaction after its discoverers, the reaction is carried out... 

Another drawback to the use of amino-substituted benzenes in electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions is that Friedel-Crafts reactions are not successful (Section 16.3). The amino group forms an acid-base complex with the AICI3 catalyst, which prevents further reaction from occurring. Both drawbacks can be overcome, however, b3 carrying out electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions on the corresponding amide rather than on the free amine. 

Unlike benzene, pyridine undergoes electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions with great difficulty. Halogenation can be carried out under drastic conditions, but nitration occurs in very low yield, and Friedel-Crafts reactions are not successful. Reactions usually give the 3-substituted product. 

Friedel-Crafts reaction (Section 16.3) An electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction to alkylate or acylate an aromatic ring. 

Diels-Alder reaction, 493 El reaction, 391-392 ElcB reaction, 393 E2 reaction, 386 Edman degradation, 1032 electrophilic addition reaction, 147-148. 188-189 electrophilic aromatic substitution, 548-549 enamine formation, 713 enol formation, 843-844 ester hydrolysis, 809-811 ester reduction, 812 FAD reactions. 1134-1135 fat catabolism, 1133-1136 fat hydrolysis, 1130-1132 Fischer esterification reaction, 796 Friedel-Crafts acylation reaction, 557-558... 

Scheme 11.5. Other Electrophilic Aromatic Substitutions Related to Friedel-Crafts... 

The classical Friedel-Crafts approach toward attaching a phosphorus site directly to an aromatic ring would seem a promising route. Phosphorus-centered acid halides would be anticipated to participate in electrophilic aromatic substitution much in the manner of ordinary acyl halides. Early efforts confirmed this concept.48-52 However, difficulties have been encountered in the use of the classical conditions,53 and modifications to the approach have been necessary. 

The Friedel-Crafts reaction, which proceeds via electrophilic aromatic substitution, as illustrated in the following scheme, is unique to the manufacture of anthanthrone pigments. Most other polycyclic anthraquinone pigments are synthesized via nucleophilic ring closure. 

A Friedel-Crafts type inter-chain electrophilic aromatic substitution also could occur(9). 

Despite the use of new catalys.s for manufacturing some industrial organic chemicals, many well-known classical reactions still abound. The Friedel-Crafts alkylation is one of the first reactions studied in electrophilic aromatic substitution. It is used on a large scale for making ethylbenzene. 

Electrophilic aromatic substitution is a reaction where a hydrogen atom in an aromatic system, e.g. benzene, is replaced by an electrophile. Some of the important electrophilic substitution reactions are Friedel-Crafts alkylation and acylation, nitration, halogenation and sulphonation of benzene. 

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