Aromatic electrophilic substitution photochemical

Ferrocene, Fe(Ti5-C5H5)2, and related cyclopentadienyl complexes of transition metals in fact are far more thermally stable, less reactive substances than ionic cyclopentadienides, and have an extensive derivative chemistry that is typically aromatic in that their C-H bonds can undergo such electrophilic substitution reactions as Friedel-Crafts alkylation or acylation, nitration, and so on. Moreover, as a substituent, the ferrocenyl group (ri -f sl l5)Fc(ri -( 5l I4) (=R) is even more effective than a phenyl substituent in stabilizing carbenium ions [RCH2]+. The redox and photochemical properties of many metaUocenyl residues make them versatile substituents with many chemical and materials applications. ... 

The interest in photoreactions that involve chemical change in an aromatic ring continues at a high level. Aromatic photosubstitution reactions have assumed a greater importance than they once had, but the classification of these reactions on a mechanistic basis is not easy because one of several different mechanisms may operate, and published information may not be sufficient to distinguish between the likely possibilities. However, it is clear that straightforward photochemical electrophilic substitution is as yet of very limited importance. 

No electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions of toluene, ethylbenzene, and cumene occur with BBrj in the dark the electrophile is too weak for these reactions. The photochemical reactions followed by hydrolysis give the p-isomers of the corresponding boronic acids as the major products (delocalization band in Scheme 9) [44]. 

The aryl-thallium bond is thus apparently capable of displacement either by electrophilic or by suitable nucleophilic reagents. Coupled with its propensity for homolytic cleavage (spontaneous in the case of ArTlIj compounds, and otherwise photochemically induced), ArTlXj compounds should be capable of reacting with a wide variety of reagents under a wide variety of conditions. Since the position of initial aromatic thallation can be controlled to a remarkable degree, the above reactions may be only representative of a remarkably versatile route to aromatic substitution reactions in which organothallium compounds play a unique and indispensable role. 

Steric Control of the Inner/Outer-Sphere Electron Transfer 461 Thermal and Photochemical ET in Strongly Coupled CT Complexes 463 Electron-Transfer Paradigm for Arene Transformation via CT Complexes 465 Electron-Transfer Activation of Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution 469 Structural Pre-organization of the Reactants in CT Complexes 470 CT Complexes in Aromatic Nitration and Nitrosation 472 Concluding Summary 475 References 475... 

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