Lewis acid complexation

Evidence supporting the formation of 1 1 addition compounds is substantiated by the actual isolation of stable acyl haUde—Lewis acid complexes. 

Friedel-Crafts (Lewis) acids have been shown to be much more effective in the initiation of cationic polymerization when in the presence of a cocatalyst such as water, alkyl haUdes, and protic acids. Virtually all feedstocks used in the synthesis of hydrocarbon resins contain at least traces of water, which serves as a cocatalyst. The accepted mechanism for the activation of boron trifluoride in the presence of water is shown in equation 1 (10). Other Lewis acids are activated by similar mechanisms. In a more general sense, water may be replaced by any appropriate electron-donating species (eg, ether, alcohol, alkyl haUde) to generate a cationic intermediate and a Lewis acid complex counterion. 

Lewis Acid Complexes. Sulfolane complexes with Lewis acids, such as boron trifluoride or phosphoms pentafluoride (17). For example, at room temperature, sulfolane and boron trifluoride combine in a 1 1 mole ratio with the evolution of heat to give a white, hygroscopic soHd which melts at 37°C. The reaction of sulfolane with methyl fluoride and antimony pentafluoride inhquid sulfur dioxide gives crystalline tetrahydro-l-methoxythiophenium-l-oxidehexafluoroantimonate, the first example of an alkoxysulfoxonium salt (18). 

Protonation or Lewis acid complexation of a heteroatom invites nucleophilic attack, including nucleophilic attack by a parent molecule. Oligomerization and polymerization are thus often the results of bringing heterocycles into an acid environment without making sure that all of the potentially nucleophilic sites are protonated. 

Titanium tetrachloride and tin tetrachloride can form complexes that are related in character to both those formed by metal ions and those formed by neutral Lewis acids. Complexation can occur with an increase in the coordination number at the Lewis acid or with displacement of a chloride from the metal coordination sphere. 

The formation of acyl halide-Lewis acid complexes have been observed by several methods. For example, both 1 1 and 1 2 complexes of acetyl chloride, with AICI3 can be observed by NMR spectroscopy. The existence of acylium ions has been demonstrated by X-ray diffraction studies on crystalline salts. For example, crystal structure determinations have been reported for /i-methylphenylacylium and acetylium ions as SbFg salts. There is also a good deal of evidence from NMR measurements which demonstrates that acylium ions can exist in nonnucleophilic solvents. " The positive charge on acylium ions is delocalized onto the oxygen atom. This delocalization is demonstrated in particular by the short O—C bond lengths in acylium ions, which imply a major contribution from the structure having a triple bond ... 

Gothelf presents in Chapter 6 a comprehensive review of metal-catalyzed 1,3-di-polar cycloaddition reactions, with the focus on the properties of different chiral Lewis-acid complexes. The general properties of a chiral aqua complex are presented in the next chapter by Kanamasa, who focuses on 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of nitrones, nitronates, and diazo compounds. The use of this complex as a highly efficient catalyst for carbo-Diels-Alder reactions and conjugate additions is also described. 

The reaction course of the cycloaddition reaction can also be dependent on the Lewis acid complex used as the catalyst. When the substrate contains an allylic C-H bond, both a cycloaddition and an ene reaction can occur. In the reaction of glyoxylate 4 with 2,3-dimethyl-l,3-butadiene 5 both the cycloaddition product 6... 

Depending on the specific reaction conditions, complex 4 as well as acylium ion 5 have been identified as intermediates with a sterically demanding substituent R, and in polar solvents the acylium ion species 5 is formed preferentially. The electrophilic agent 5 reacts with the aromatic substrate, e.g. benzene 1, to give an intermediate cr-complex—the cyclohexadienyl cation 6. By loss of a proton from intermediate 6 the aromatic system is restored, and an arylketone is formed that is coordinated with the carbonyl oxygen to the Lewis acid. Since a Lewis-acid molecule that is coordinated to a product molecule is no longer available to catalyze the acylation reaction, the catalyst has to be employed in equimolar quantity. The product-Lewis acid complex 7 has to be cleaved by a hydrolytic workup in order to isolate the pure aryl ketone 3. 

The Lewis acid complex 4 can cleave into an ion-pair that is held together by the solvent cage, and that consists of an acylium ion and a Lewis acid-bound phenolate. A fr-complex 6 is then formed, which further reacts via electrophilic aromatic substitution in the ortho- or para-position ... 

Jorgensen has recently reported similar enantioselective reactions between N-tosylimines 107 and trimethylsilyldiazomethane (TMSD) catalyzed by chiral Lewis acid complexes (Scheme 1.32) [57, 53]. The cis-aziridine could be obtained in 72% ee with use of a BINAP-copper(i) catalyst, but when a bisoxazoline-copper(i) complex was used the corresponding trans isomer was fonned in 69% ee but with very poor diastereoselectivity. 

Fitting Results for Lewis Acid Complex Formation (a) Best fit parameter... 

Stereochemical Control Through Reaction Conditions. In the early 1990s it was found that the stereochemistry of reactions of boron enolates of N-acyloxazolidinones can be altered by using a Lewis acid complex of the aldehyde or an excess of the Lewis acid. These reactions are considered to take place through an open TS, with the stereoselectivity dependent on the steric demands of the Lewis acid. With various aldehydes, TiCl4 gave a syn isomer, whereas the reaction was... 

Some D-A reactions are catalyzed by high concentrations of LiC104 in ether,33 a catalysis that involves Lewis acid complexation of Li+ with the dienophile.34... 

Enantioselective D-A reactions of acrolein are also catalyzed by 3-(2-hydroxyphenyl) derivatives of BINOL in the presence of an aromatic boronic acid. The optimum boronic acid is 3,5-di-(trifluoromethyl)benzeneboronic acid, with which more than 95% e.e. can be achieved. The TS is believed to involve Lewis acid complexation of the boronic acid at the carbonyl oxygen and hydrogen bonding with the hydroxy substituent. In this TS tt-tt interactions between the dienophile and the hydroxybiphenyl substituent can also help to align the dienophile.114... 

The two faces of the borabenzene ring of this borabenzene-oxazoline adduct are inequivalent (diastereotopic), and complexation to Cr(CO)3 occurs on the less hindered face with high diastereoselectivity (Scheme 3). This work provided the first description of an enantiopure borabenzene and of an enantiopure planar-chiral Lewis acid complex. 

For the enantioselective synthesis of chiral chromanes such as 2-213, a chiral Lewis acid complex, formed in situ from Mg(OTf)2 and 2-212, is assumed to catalyze the domino transformation of the phenols 2-210 and the p,y-unsalurated a-ke-toesters 2-211 (Scheme 2.50). 2-213 was obtained in excellent diastereoselectivity, but only in mediocre enantioselectivity. 

Chiral boron Lewis-acid complexes have been successfully used in Diels-Alder and aldol reactions. Representative chiral Lewis-acidic boron compounds are shown in Figure 2.297-301... 

The controlled occurrence of two electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions at a single phosphorus center using phosphorus trichloride has been accomplished using aluminum chloride as the catalyst, but with tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphite as the agent for the decomposition of the adduct-Lewis acid complex (Figure 6.13).60... 

It was found that 2-propenyloxymagnesium bromide reacts much more readily with nitrile oxides than other known dipolarophiles of electron-deficient, electron-rich, and strained types, including 3-buten-2-one, ethyl vinyl ether, and norbomene, respectively (147). Therefore, this BrMg-alkoxide is highly effective in various nitrile oxide cycloaddition reactions, including those of nitrile oxide/Lewis acid complexes. 

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