Quinolines, activation reactivity, order

As catalyst for the Rosenmund reaction palladium on a support, e.g. palladium on barium sulfate, is most often used. The palladium has to be made less active in order to avoid further reduction of the aldehyde to the corresponding alcohol. Such a poisoned catalyst is obtained for example by the addition of quinoline and sulfur. Recent reports state that the reactivity of the catalyst is determined by the morphology of the palladium surface." ... 

It is notable that pyridine is activated relative to benzene and quinoline is activated relative to naphthalene, but that the reactivities of anthracene, acridine, and phenazine decrease in that order. A small activation of pyridine and quinoline is reasonable on the basis of quantum-mechanical predictions of atom localization encrgies, " whereas the unexpected decrease in reactivity from anthracene to phenazine can be best interpreted on the basis of a model for the transition state of methylation suggested by Szwarc and Binks." The coulombic repulsion between the ir-electrons of the aromatic nucleus and the p-electron of the radical should be smaller if the radical approaches the aromatic system along the nodal plane rather than perpendicular to it. This approach to a nitrogen center would be very unfavorable, however, since the lone pair of electrons of the nitrogen lies in the nodal plane and since the methyl radical is... 

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