Radical-nucleophilic aromatic substitution carbanions

Photonucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions of phenyl selenide and telluride with haloarenes have also been proven to involve the S jlAr mechanism, with the formation of anion radical intermediates. Another photonucleophihc substitution, cyanomethylation, proves the presence of radical cations in the reaction mechanism. Liu and Weiss have reported that hydroxy and cyano substitution competes with photo substitution of fluorinated anisoles in aqueous solutions, where cation and anion radical intermediates have been shown to be the key factors for the nucleophilic substitution type. Rossi et al. have proposed the S j lAr mechanism for photonucleophihc substitution of carbanions and naphthox-ides to halo anisoles and l-iodonaphthalene. > An anion radical intermediate photonucleophilic substitution mechanism has been shown for the reactions of triphenyl(methyl)stannyl anion with halo arenes in liquid ammonia. Trimethylstannyl anion has been found to be more reactive than triphenylstannyl anion in the photostimulated electron- transfer initiation step. 

The SET mechanism is chiefly found where X = I or NO2 (see 10-104). A closely related mechanism, the SrnE takes place with aromatic substrates (Chapter 13). In that mechanism the initial attack is by an electron donor, rather than a nucleophile. The Srn 1 mechanism has also been invoked for reactions of enolate anions with 2-iodobicyclo[4.1.0]heptane. An example is the reaction of l-iodobicyclo[2.2.1]-heptane (15) with NaSnMe3 or LiPPh2, and some other nucleophiles, to give the substitution product. Another is the reaction of bromo 4-bromoacetophenone (16) with Bu4NBr in cumene. " The two mechanisms, Sn2 versus SET have been compared and contrasted. There are also reactions where it is reported that radical, carbanion, and carbene pathways occur simultaneously. ... 

The photostimulated reaction of 1-iodonaphthalene 20 with a chiral-assisted imide enolate anion 21 in liquid ammonia is an interesting example of reaction from carbanion a to an EWG. This provides a stereoselective coupling of an aromatic radical with a nucleophile. In this reaction, the diastereomeric isomers of the substitution compound (22 and 23) are formed (43-64%), and the selectivity observed is highly dependent on the metal counterion used (LP, Na+, K+, Cs, Ti ). The highest stereoselectivity is found with LP at -78°C (d.r. 78/22%, S/R) and with TP at -33°C (d.r.>98%, S/R) (Eq. 10.9) [26] ... 

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