Pyridinium cations radical attack

These reactivity trends clearly show that polar effects are involved in these radical substitution reactions. The transition state is thought to include a charge transfer 9) from the radical (electron donor) to the pyridinium ion (electron acceptor) [13], Frontier Molecular Orbital Theory (FMO) [14] has been applied to explain the reactivity differences which have been observed upon varying the substituents at the pyridinium ion and upon altering the nucleophilicity of the attacking radical. Moreover, FMO can be used to explain the regioselectivities obtained in these homolytic aromatic substitutions. The LUMO of the substituted pyridinium cation... 

For unsubstituted PAH, such as benzo[a]pyrene (BP), pyridinium or acetoxy derivatives are formed by direct attack of pyridine or acetate ion, respectively, on the radical cation at C-6, the position of maximum charge density (Scheme 1). This is followed by a second one-electron oxidation of the resulting radical and loss of a proton to yield the 6-substituted derivative. For methyl-substituted PAH in which the maximum charge density of the radical cation adjacent to the methyl group is appreciable, as in 6-methylbenzo[a]-pyrene (6-methylBP) (Scheme 2), loss of a methyl proton yields a benzylic radical. This reactive species is rapidly oxidized by iodine or MnJ to a benzylic carbonium ion with subsequent trapping by pyridine or acetate ion, respectively. 

A ring carbon can also be involved, however, as in the reaction of the thianthrene and phenothiazine radical cations in neat pyridine or with pyridine in an anhydrous solvent. In this reaction the 1-pyridinium group is inserted on to the benzo ring (43), apparently via nucleophilic attack on di-cations 42, in turn resulting from oxidation of the initially formed radical cation adducts (Scheme 27). In the presence of moisture the sulfoxides are again formed [84]. 

Poly(3-alkylthiophene)s are chemically robust, withstanding strong reductants including boranes [67] and LiAlH4 [72]. The electron-rich backbone is, however, readily functionalized by oxidative methods. Li and co-workers exploited this to replace the 4-proton with Cl, Br or NO2 functionality [73-75]. Reaction at the a-methylene was noted in some instances. Subsequent Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling of the perbrominated polymer could effect >99% derivatization. Oxidation renders the backbone susceptible to nucleophilic attack. Li et al. found that pyridine derivatives efficiently reacted at the 4-position of the radical cation, functionalizing up to 60 % of the putative polaron pentads. Use of l-methyl-4-(4 -pyridyl)pyridinium salts yielded viologen substituents [76]. 

The mechanism for substitution of a nucleophile at a P-position of the ZnTPP macrocycle is a little different, since an EiCNmesoE2CNpCB process occurs in this case with two different successive nucleophilic attacks [110]. After electrogeneration of the porphyrin radical cation (ZnTPP step Ei), a first nucleophilic attack takes place at a wieso-position (step CNmeso)- This is kinetically more favorable because there is a larger charge density on the mesocarbons as compared to that on the P-carbons [123,124]. However, there is no proton that can be removed from the substituted me o-position after the second oxidation step (step E2) in this case, and a second nucleophilic attack takes place at the P-position (step Cnp) which simultaneously leads to the loss of the pyridinium attached to the /new-position. Then, the spare proton at the P-position can be removed in a last step in order to recover the aromaticity of the macrocycle (step Cb). As before, the global reaction can be written as shown in Eq. 2 ... 

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