Protonation of aromatic compounds

The sites of protonation of aromatic compounds, including the possible three mono fluoronitrobenzenes, have been studied by neutralization-reionization mass spectrometry (NRMS)22. The NRMS experiments on the MD+ species generated by D2 chemical ionization clearly indicated that the D+ attachment takes place to the nitro group rather than to the aromatic ring, as evidenced by the abundant losses of OD and DNO2 (NO + OD )22. 

The reversibility of C-protonation of aromatic compounds explains the possibility of replacing the hydrogen located at the sp -hybridized ring carbon of the arenium ion by another strong electrophilic substituent. 

In recent years, however, large evidence indicates that the orientation effects in the reactions of aromatic compounds with electrophiles are not only determined by the thermodynamic characteristics of c-complexes. This is evidenced, in particular, by kinetic control in the protonation of aromatic compounds, i.e. cases of the primary formation of less stable arenium ions which are then rearranged into thermodynamically more favourable ions (sec the preceding sec-... 

When generating arenium ions by the protonation of aromatic compounds some acid systems, along with protonation, cause some other substrate transformations. H2SO4, oleum, HSO3F and systems with these acids may sulphonate aromatic com-... 

In the protonation of aromatic compounds most of the arenium ions have two hydrogen atoms at the ring sp -hybridi atom ... 

Studies on a large number of aromatic compounds have revealed that for CTAB the largest shift occurs for the alkyl chain protons near the surfactant headgroup, whereas in SDS nearly all proton signals are shifted significantly " ". For SDS, the most pronounced shifts are observed for protons around the centre of the chain. This result has been interpreted in terms of deeper penetration of... 

Investigations of the solubilities of aromatic compounds in concentrated and aqueous sulphuric acids showed the activity coefficients of nitrocompounds to behave unusually when the nitro-compound was dissolved in acid much more dilute than required to effect protonation. This behaviour is thought to arise from changes in the hydrogenbonding of the nitro group with the solvent. 

Molecular chlorine is believed to be the active electrophile in uncatalyzed chlorination of aromatic compounds. Simple second-order kinetics are observed in acetic acid. The reaction is much slower in nonpolar solvents such as dichloromethane and carbon tetrachloride. Chlorination in nonpolar solvents is catalyzed by added acid. The catalysis by acids is probably the result of assistance by proton transfer during the cleavage of the Cl-Cl bond. ... 

The A-ring of the 17-ol (25) derived from equilenin 3-methyl ether is reduced rapidly under Birch reduction conditions, since the 1,4-positions are unsubstituted. The B-ring is reduced at a much slower rate, as is characteristic of aromatic compounds in which 1,4-reduction can occur only if a proton enters an alkylated position. Treatment of (25) with sodium and t-butyl alcohol in ammonia reduces only the A-ring to afford the corresponding 1,4-dihydro compound in over 85% yield.On the other hand,... 

The term Birch reduction was originally applied to the reduction of aromatic compounds by alkali metals and an alcohol in ammonia. In recent years many chemists have used the term to include all metal-ammonia reductions, whether an alcoholic proton source is present or not. The author prefers to use the term Birch reduction to designate any reduction carried out in ammonia with a metal and a proton donor as or more acidic than an alcohol, since Birch customarily used such a proton donor in his extensive pioneering work. The term metal-ammonia reduction is best reserved for reductions in which ammonia is the only proton donor present. This distinction in terminology emphasizes the importance of the acidity of the proton donor in the reduction process. 

Reduction of a conjugated enone to a saturated ketone requires the addition of two electrons and two protons. As in the case of the Birch reduction of aromatic compounds, the exact order of these additions has been the subject of study and speculation. Barton proposed that two electrons add initially giving a dicarbanion of the structure (49) which then is protonated rapidly at the / -position by ammonia, forming the enolate salt (50) of the saturated ketone. Stork later suggested that the radical-anion (51), a one electron... 

Because of Us high polarity and low nucleophilicity, a trifluoroacetic acid medium is usually used for the investigation of such carbocationic processes as solvolysis, protonation of alkenes, skeletal rearrangements, and hydride shifts [22-24] It also has been used for several synthetically useful reachons, such as electrophilic aromatic substitution [25], reductions [26, 27], and oxidations [28] Trifluoroacetic acid is a good medium for the nitration of aromatic compounds Nitration of benzene or toluene with sodium nitrate in trifluoroacetic acid is almost quantitative after 4 h at room temperature [25] Under these conditions, toluene gives the usual mixture of mononitrotoluenes in an o m p ratio of 61 6 2 6 35 8 A trifluoroacetic acid medium can be used for the reduction of acids, ketones, and alcohols with sodium borohydnde [26] or triethylsilane [27] Diary Iketones are smoothly reduced by sodium borohydnde in trifluoroacetic acid to diarylmethanes (equation 13)... 

Volume 8 Volume 9 Volume 10 Volume 12 Volume 13 Proton Transfer Addition and Elimination Reactions of Aliphatic Compounds Ester Formation and Hydrolysis and Related Reactions Electrophilic Substitution at a Saturated Carbon Atom Reactions of Aromatic Compounds Section 5. POLYMERISATION REACTIONS (3 volumes)... 

Dissolving-Metal Reduction of Aromatic Compounds and Alkynes. Dissolving-metal systems constitute the most general method for partial reduction of aromatic rings. The reaction is called the Birch reduction,214 and the usual reducing medium is lithium or sodium in liquid ammonia. An alcohol is usually added to serve as a proton source. The reaction occurs by two successive electron transfer/proto-nation steps. 

H. Shizuka, Excited state proton-transfer reactions and proton-induced quenching of aromatic compounds, Acc. Chem. Res. 18, 141-147 (1985). 

The methods for the determination of the basicity of aromatic compounds discussed hitherto have as their starting point the formation of a proton addition complex in an acid solution. In addition to this interaction, numerous intermolecular interactions are known which are also directly connected with the basicity of unsatimated compounds but which do not lead to the formation of a true covalent bond. This interaction was already mentioned in connection with the vapour pressure measurements of the system of aromatic substance-HCl, and leads to a 77--complex (Dewar, 1946). 

Dihydroaromatics find diverse applications. The main way to prepare them is through Birch reduction of aromatic compounds (Birch 1944, Wooster and Godfrey 1937, Hueckel and Bretschneider 1939). Aromatic compounds are hydrogenated in diethyl ether or liquid ammonia, with alkali metals as reductants and alcohols as proton sources. 

III. The Birch Reduction of Aromatic Steroids /II Mechanism of the reduction of aromatic compounds / 12 Factors influencing the rate of reduction / 14 Protonation of reduction intermediates / 17... 

For protons attached directly to the aromatic ring the spin transfer seems to be mainly by spin polarization (McConnell and Chesnut (75)) and QHi=i— 6.3-107 cps was found for a large number of aromatic compounds. 

---