Kinetic studies cyclic ether reactions

Moriarty, J., Sidebottom, H., Wenger, J., Mellouki, A., and Le Bras, M. Kinetic studies on the reactions of hydroxyl radicals with cyclic ethers and aliphatic diethers, J. Phys. Chem. A, 107(10) 1499-1505, 2003. 

Carbocation-oxonium ion equilibria are obvious complicating factors in studies of the kinetics of initiation of polymerisation and useful thermodynamic data for such equilibria involving Ph3C+ and a variety of linear and cyclic ethers have been reported by Slomkowski and Penczek (132). A dramatic increase in rates of initiation of polymerisation of THF induced by Ph3C+ salts is observed on addition of small amounts of epoxides such as propylene oxide (113a,b), which compete favourably with THF in the primary carbocation-oxonium ion equilibria and simplify the initiation reaction ... 

Investigations of CROP of cyclic ethers (mainly THE) provided the first thoroughly studied examples of polymerization with reversible deactivation of growing species involving equilibria between ionic and covalent (dormant) species. Studies of polymerization kinetics led to determination of rate constants of elementary reactions and in several cases equal reactivity of ions and ion-pairs in propagation was observed, which seems to be a general phenomenon in CROP of heterocyclic monomers. 

Alternative reaction pathways exploring different synthetic possibilities have been studied. For instance, electron-rich dihydroazines also react with isocyanides in the presence of an electrophile, generating reactive iminium species that can then be trapped by the isocyanide. In this case, coordination of the electrophile with the isocyanide must be kinetically bypassed or reversible, to enable productive processes. Examples of this chemistry include the hydro-, halo- and seleno-carba-moylation of the DHPs 270, as well as analogous reactions of cyclic enol ethers (Scheme 42a) [223, 224]. p-Toluenesulfonic acid (as proton source), bromine and phenylselenyl chloride have reacted as electrophilic inputs, with DHPs and isocyanides to prepare the corresponding a-carbamoyl-(3-substituted tetrahydro-pyridines 272-274 (Scheme 42b). Wanner has recently, implemented a related and useful process that exploits M-silyl DHPs (275) to promote interesting MCRs. These substrates are reacted with a carboxylic acid and an isocyanide in an Ugi-Reissert-type reaction, that forms the polysubstituted tetrahydropyridines 276 with good diasteroselectivity (Scheme 42c) [225]. The mechanism involves initial protiodesilylation to form the dihydropyridinum salt S, which is then attacked by the isocyanide, en route to the final adducts. 

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