Nonclassical ion

The Brown-Winstein nonclassical ion controversy can be summed up as differing explanations of the same experimental facts (which were obtained repeatedly and have not been questioned) of the observed significantly higher rate of the hydrolysis of the 1-exo over the 2-endo-norbornyl esters. As suggested by Winstein, the reason for this is participation of the Ci-Q single bond leading to delocalization in the bridged nonclassical ion. In contrast. Brown maintained that the... 

Nonclassical ions, a term first used by John Roberts (an outstanding Caltech chemist and pioneer in the field), were defined by Paul Bartlett of Harvard as containing too few electrons to allow a pair for each bond i.e., they must contain delocalized (T-electrons. This is where the question stood in the early 1960s. The structure of the intermediate 2-norbornyl ion could only be suggested indirectly from rate (kinetic) data and observation of stereochemistry no direct observation or structural study was possible at the time. 

Figure 9.2. Carbon Is photoelectron spectrum Is core-hole-state spectra for the 2-norbornyl cation of tert-butyl cation and Clark s simulated spectra for the classical and nonclassical ions.

Penta (or higher) coordinate "nonclassical" ions (carbonium ions) CH5 is parent... 

Some characteristic bonding natures in typical nonclassical ions are the following. 

The discovery of a significant number of hypercoordinate carboca-tions ( nonclassical ions), initially based on solvolytic studies and subsequently as observable, stable ions in superacidic media as well as on theoretical calculations, showed that carbon hypercoordination is a general phenomenon in electron-deficient hydrocarbon systems. Some characteristic nonclassical carbocations are the following. 

The most studied hypercoordinate carbocation is the 2-norbornyl cation, around which the nonclassical ion controversy centered (Chapter 9). 

In the nonclassical ion controversy discussed in Chapter 9, there was never any question on either side of the debate about the validity of the observed data, only about their interpretation. Had any of the experimental data been questioned or found to be incorrect, this would have been soon found out because so many people repeated and rechecked the data. This is the strength of science (in contrast to politics, economics, etc.), i.e., that we deal with reproducible experimental observation and data. Nevertheless, interpretation can still result in heated discussions or controversies, but science eventually will sort these out based on new results and data. 

Both acetolyses were considered to proceed by way of a rate-determining formation of a carbocation. The rate of ionization of the ewdo-brosylate was considered normal, because its reactivity was comparable to that of cyclohexyl brosylate. Elaborating on a suggestion made earlier concerning rearrangement of camphene Itydrochloride, Winstein proposed that ionization of the ero-brosylate was assisted by the C(l)—C(6) bonding electrons and led directly to the formation of a nonclassical ion as an intermediate. 

Attack ty acetate at C-1 of C-2 would be equally likely and would result in equal amounts of the enantiomeric acetates. The acetate ester would be exo because reaction must occur from the direction opposite the bridging interaction. The nonclassical ion can be formed directly only from the exo-brosylate because it has the proper anti relationship between the C(l)—C(6) bond and the leaving group. The bridged ion can be formed from the endo-brosylate only after an unassisted ionization. This would explain the rate difference between the exo and endo isomers. 

The nonclassical-ion concept proved to be an intriguing one, and many tests for the... 

The description of the nonclassical norbomyl cation developed by Wnstein implies that the nonclassical ion is stabilized, relative to a secondary ion, by C—C a bond delocalization. H. C. Brown of Purdue University put forward an alternative interpreta-tioiL He argued that all the available data were consistent with describing the intermediate as a rapidly equilibrating classical ion. The 1,2-shift that interconverts the two ions was presumed to be rapid relative to capture of the nucleophile. Such a rapid rearrangement would account for the isolation of racemic product, and Brown proposed that die rapid migration would lead to preferential approach of the nucleophile fiom the exo direction. 

Fig. 5.11. Contrasting potential energy diagrams for stable and unstable bridged norbomyl cation. (A) Bridged ion is a transition state for rearrangement between classical structures. (B) Bridged ion is an intermediate in rearrangement of one classical structure to the other. (C) Bridged nonclassical ion is the only stable structure.

These results, which pertain to stable-ion conditions, provide strong evidence that foe most stable structure for foe norbomyl cation is foe symmetrically bridged nonclassical ion. How much stabilization does foe a bridging provide An estimate based on molecular mechanics calculations and a foermodynamic cycle suggests a stabilization of about 6 1 kcal/mol. An experimental value based on mass-spectrometric measurements is 11 kcal/mol. Gas-phase Itydride affinity and chloride affinity data also show foe norbomyl cation to be especially stable. ... 

As discussed by Zollinger, 1995 (Sec. 7.5) this hypothesis of a detour around intermediates of very low stability is also useful for the differentiation of classical and nonclassical ion intermediates in nucleophilic substitutions of 2-norbornyl and related compounds. 

The concepts of ct participation and the nonclassical ion 52 have been challenged by Brown, who suggested that the two results can also be explained by postulating that 48 solvolyzes without partieipation of the 1,6 bond to give the classical ion 53, which is in rapid equilibrium with 54. This... 

The arguments against nonclassical ions are summed up in Brown, H.C. The Nonclassical Ion Problem Plenum NY, 1977. This book also includes rebuttals by Schleyer, P.v.R. See also Brown, H.C. Pure Appl. Chem., 1982, 54, 1783. 

An alternative explanation for the enhanced rates made its appearance. It was proposed that cr-participation in certain nonclassical ions provided a more satisfactory interpretation. This stimulated a detailed study of the norbornyl system, considered to provide the best available case for such nonclassical carbonium ion intermediates. The results failed to confirm the presence of significant -participation and supported the conclusion that the phenomena must be largely, if not entirely, steric in origin. 

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