Radicals, reduction with aromatic compounds

Figure 27. Application of flow cell and UV spectroscopy to study the reduction of aromatic compounds in iV,iV-dimethylformamide/0.1 M BU4NBF4 a) Plot of absorbance at = 556 nm and 732 nm, of the products obtained in the reduction of anthraquinone (T) and anthracene ( ), respectively, as the galvanostatic current to the flow cell is increased and a continuous flow of 5 mL min is maintained. The substrate concentrations are both 0.1 mM and the light path is 1 cm b) and c) The absorption spectra of the product obtained from reduction of anthraquinone and anthracene, respectively, when the galvanostatic current is increased above the maximum required for generating the radical anion. The current is increased from 2.0 to 2.8 mA in steps of 0.2 mA and the development in the spectra is indicated with arrows. Isosbestic points are also indicated. For anthraquinone, the spectra of the radical anion and the dianion could be resolved whereas for anthracene the dianion is protonated and spectra of the radical anion and 9,10-dihydroanthracen-9-ide could be resolved [65].

Two classes of charged radicals derived from ketones have been well studied. Ketyls are radical anions formed by one-electron reduction of carbonyl compounds. The formation of the benzophenone radical anion by reduction with sodium metal is an example. This radical anion is deep blue in color and is veiy reactive toward both oxygen and protons. Many detailed studies on the structure and spectral properties of this and related radical anions have been carried out. A common chemical reaction of the ketyl radicals is coupling to form a diamagnetic dianion. This occurs reversibly for simple aromatic ketyls. The dimerization is promoted by protonation of one or both of the ketyls because the electrostatic repulsion is then removed. The coupling process leads to reductive dimerization of carbonyl compounds, a reaction that will be discussed in detail in Section 5.5.3 of Part B. 

Various other observations of Krapcho and Bothner-By are accommodated by the radical-anion reduction mechanism. Thus, the position of the initial equilibrium [Eq. (3g)] would be expected to be determined by the reduction potential of the metal and the oxidation potential of the aromatic compound. In spite of small differences in their reduction potentials, lithium, sodium, potassium and calcium afford sufficiently high concentrations of the radical-anion so that all four metals can effect Birch reductions. The few compounds for which comparative data are available are reduced in nearly identical yields by the four metals. However, lithium ion can coordinate strongly with the radical-anion, unlike sodium and potassium ions, and consequently equilibrium (3g) for lithium is shifted considerably... 

Samarium(II) iodide also allows the reductive coupling of sulfur-substituted aromatic lactams such as 7-166 with carbonyl compounds to afford a-hydroxyalkylated lactams 7-167 with a high anti-selectivity [74]. The substituted lactams can easily be prepared from imides 7-165. The reaction is initiated by a reductive desulfuration with samarium(ll) iodide to give a radical, which can be intercepted by the added aldehyde to give the desired products 7-167. Ketones can be used as the carbonyl moiety instead of aldehydes, with good - albeit slightly lower - yields. 

The Birch reduction has been used by several generations of synthetic organic chemists for the conversion of readily available aromatic compounds to alicyclic synthetic intermediates. Birch reductions are carried out with an alkali metal in liquid NH3 solution usually with a co-solvent such as THF and always with an alcohol or related acid to protonate intermediate radical anions or related species. One of the most important applications of the Birch reduction is the conversion of aryl alkyl ethers to l-alkoxycyclohexa-l,4-dienes. These extremely valuable dienol ethers provide cyclohex-3-en-l-ones by mild acid hydrolysis or cyclohex-2-en-l-ones when stronger acids are used (Scheme 1). 

In case of benzene, the potassium salt of its anion-radical can be separated as a precipitate after benzene reduction by potassium in the presence of low concentrations of 18-crown-6-ether. For benzene, the heavy-form content is greatest in the solution, not in the precipitate. It is in the solution where most of the nonreduced neutral molecules remain. Since the neutral molecules are inert toward protons, the anion-radicals combine with the protons to give dihydro derivatives (products of the Birch reaction). Therefore, it is possible to conduct the separation chemically. The easiest way is to protonate a mixture after the electron transfer, than to separate the aromatic compounds from the respective dihydroaromatics (cyclohexadiene, dihydronaphthalene, etc.) (Chang and Coombe 1971, Stevenson and Alegria 1976 Stevenson et al. 1986a, 1986c, 1988). 

Consequently, the excited 3 Ru(bipy)32+ state can be produced via three different routes (i) Ru(bipy)3+ oxidation by TPrA"+ cation radical, (ii) Ru(bipy)33+ reduction by TPrA" free radical, and (iii) the Ru(bipy)33 + and Ru(bipy)3 + annihilation reaction. The ECL intensity for the first and second waves was found to be proportional to the concentration of both Ru(bipy)32+ and TPrA species in a very large dynamic range with reported detection limits as low as 0.5 pM155 for Ru(bipy)32+ and 10 nM156 for TPrA. In addition to Ru(bipy)32+, many other metal chelates and aromatic compounds or their derivatives can produce ECL in the presence of TPrA as a coreactant upon electrochemical oxidation (cf. Chapter 4 in the Bard s ECL monograph.32). 

The reductive cleavage of hydroxylamine and its derivatives by electro-generated TP and V forming aminyl radicals and the hydroxide ions has been studied intensively. The aminyl radicals are preferably trapped with alkenes and aromatic compounds. Thus, the reaction of hydroxylamine with electro-generated Tp in the presence of maleic acid yields aspartic acid (Eqs. (66)—(69))... 

Reductions have been performed with radical anions and dianions of mostly aromatic compounds. It is clear that these mediators can not be used in protic media, while viologens can act as electron transfer agents in protic solvents. Their application, however, is limited to potentials of up to about —1.0 V. 

---