Naphthalene thermal osmylation

Recently, Wallis and Kochi reported on the photochemical and thermal osmylation of benzene, substituted benzenes, naphthalene, and anthracene (331, 332). Complexes of the form Ar-0s04 are formed and were studied by laser flash photolysis. In the presence of donor... 

Molecular complexes of OSO4 with various substituted benzenes, naphthalenes, and anthracenes have been identified by their charge-transfer absorption, which follows the Mulliken correlation in Eq. 8 [114, 161], The arene-0s04 complexes are quite stable when kept in the dark and only very slowly form osmium(VI) cycloadducts by thermal osmylation (Eq. 30). 

Photochemical osmylation. The irradiation of the charge-transfer bands (Fig. 13) of the EDA complex of 0s04 with various benzenes, naphthalenes, anthracenes, and phenanthrene yields the same osmylated adducts as obtained in the thermal reactions. For example, irradiation of the purple solution of anthracene and 0s04 in dichloromethane at k > 480 nm yields the same 2 1 adduct (B) together with its syn isomer as the sole products, i.e.,... 

The osmylation of arenes (Ar) with osmium tetroxide is a particularly informative system with which to illustrate the close interrelationship between the thermal and photochemical activation of electron-transfer oxidation. For example, a colorless solution of osmium tetroxide in n-hexane or dichlorometbane upon exposure to benzene turns yellow instantaneously. With durene an orange coloration develops and a clear bright red solution results from hexamethylbenzene. The quantitative effects of the dramatic color changes are illustrated in Figure 3 by the spectral shifts of the electronic absorption bands that accompany the variations in aromatic conjugation and substituents. The progressive bathochromic shift parallels the decrease in the arene ionization potentials (/F) in the order benzene 9.23 eV naphthalene... 

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