Proton removal

The role of the base is apparently primarily that of a proton remover from the reactive methylene group thus if B represents the base, reaction (i) gives the carbanion, which then combines with the positive carbon of the carbonyl group (reaction ii) the product regains a proton from the piperidinium ion, and then by loss of water followed by mono-decarboxylation of the malonic acid residue gives the final acid. 

The intermediate is beUeved to form through a TT-complex, which collapses into a CJ-complex, which then rearomati2es upon proton removal from the carbon. This is followed by addition of a proton to the oxygen of the alkylben2ene sulfonate. 

Solvent for Base-Catalyzed Reactions. The abihty of hydroxide or alkoxide ions to remove protons is enhanced by DMSO instead of water or alcohols (91). The equiUbrium change is also accompanied by a rate increase of 10 or more (92). Thus, reactions in which proton removal is rate-determining are favorably accompHshed in DMSO. These include olefin isomerizations, elimination reactions to produce olefins, racemizations, and H—D exchange reactions. 

In the El mechanism, the leaving group has completely ionized before C—H bond breaking occurs. The direction of the elimination therefore depends on the structure of the carbocation and the identity of the base involved in the proton transfer that follows C—X heterolysis. Because of the relatively high energy of the carbocation intermediate, quite weak bases can effect proton removal. The solvent m often serve this function. The counterion formed in the ionization step may also act as the proton acceptor ... 

Nitroalkanes show a related relationship between kinetic acidity and thermodynamic acidity. Additional alkyl substituents on nitromethane retard the rate of proton removal although the equilibrium is more favorable for the more highly substituted derivatives. The alkyl groups have a strong stabilizing effect on the nitronate ion, but unfavorable steric effects are dominant at the transition state for proton removal. As a result, kinetic and thermodynamic acidity show opposite responses to alkyl substitution. 

Bromination has been shown not to exhibit a primary kinetic isotope effect in the case of benzene, bromobenzene, toluene, or methoxybenzene. There are several examples of substrates which do show significant isotope effects, including substituted anisoles, JV,iV-dimethylanilines, and 1,3,5-trialkylbenzenes. The observation of isotope effects in highly substituted systems seems to be the result of steric factors that can operate in two ways. There may be resistance to the bromine taking up a position coplanar with adjacent substituents in the aromatization step. This would favor return of the ff-complex to reactants. In addition, the steric bulk of several substituents may hinder solvent or other base from assisting in the proton removal. Either factor would allow deprotonation to become rate-controlling. 

Friedel-Crafts acylation sometimes shows a modest kinetic isotope effect. This observation suggests that the proton removal is not much faster than the formation of the (j-complex and that the formation of the n-complex may be reversible under some conditions. 

Reversible electron addition to the enone forms the radical anion. Rate determining protonation of the radical anion occurs on oxygen to afford an allylic free radical [Eq. (4b) which undergoes rapid reduction to an allylic carbanion [Eq. (4c)]. Rapid protonation of this ion is followed by proton removal from the oxygen of the neutral enol to afford the enolate ion [Eq. (4c)]. 

It provides electrostatic stabilization of the carbanion formed upon removal of the C-2 proton. (The sf hybridization and the availability of vacant d orbitals on the adjacent sulfur probably also facilitate proton removal at C-2.)... 

The relations 4- > 2-position in rate and 4- < 2-position in will apparently apply to reactions with anions, but the reverse relation is observed in piperidination, presumably due to 2-substitution being favored by hydrogen bonding in the zwitterionic transition state (cf. 47, 59, and 277) or by solvent-assisted proton removal from the intermediate complex (235). Substitutions of polychloroquino-lines (in which there is a combined effect of azine-nitrogen and unequal mutual activation of the chlorine substituents) also show 4- > 2-position in reactivity contrary statements are documented by these same references. Examples are cited below of the relation 2- > 4-position when a protonated substrate or a cyclic transition state is involved. 

Since the Ramberg-Backlund reaction proceeds through the initial a-proton removal by base, followed by intramolecular nucleophilic substitution of a-carbanion 358 to form... 

Alkylation takes place at the most acidic position of a reagent molecule for example, acetoacetic ester (CH3COCH2COOEt) is alkylated at the methylene and not at the methyl group, because the former is more acidic than the latter and hence gives up its proton to the base. However, if 2 mol of base are used, then not only is the most acidic proton removed but also the second most acidic. Alkylation of this doubly charged anion then takes place at the less acidic position (see p. 458). This technique has been used to alkylate many compounds in the second most acidic position. ... 

The pulse sequence used in the reverse DEPT experiment is shown in Fig. 2.16. Presaturation of the protons removes all H magnetization and pumps up the C population difference due to nOe. Broad-band decoupling of the C nuclei may be carried out. The final spectrum obtained is a one-dimensional H-NMR plot that contains only the H signals to which polarization has been transferred—for instance, from the enriched C nucleus. 

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