Reactivity effects halogenation, electrophilic

There are a wide variety of methods for introduction of substituents at C3. Since this is the preferred site for electrophilic substitution, direct alkylation and acylation procedures are often effective. Even mild electrophiles such as alkenes with EW substituents can react at the 3-position of the indole ring. Techniques for preparation of 3-lithioindoles, usually by halogen-metal exchange, have been developed and this provides access not only to the lithium reagents but also to other organometallic reagents derived from them. The 3-position is also reactive toward electrophilic mercuration. 

It is concluded that the selectivities of electrophilic additions are not directly related to the reactivities but to the transition-state positions. Extensive comparison with similar data on the bromination and hydration of other ethylenic compounds bearing a conjugated group shows that this unexpected reactivity-selectivity behaviour can arise from an imbalance between polar and resonance effects (Ruasse, 1985). Increasing resonance in the ground state would make the transition state earlier and attenuate the kinetic selectivity more strongly than it enhances the reactivity. Hydration and halogenation probably respond differently to this imbalance. 

These inductive and resonance effects oppose each other. The carbon-halogen bond (shown at left) is strongly polarized, with the carbon atom at the positive end of the dipole. This polarization draws electron density away from the benzene ring, making it less reactive toward electrophilic substitution. 

A few substituent groups, most notably chlorine and bromine, decrease the rate of reaction, but nevertheless direct incoming electrophiles to the ortho and para positions. This is the result of competition between field and resonance effects. The halogens are more electronegative than carbon, and as a result of their electron withdrawal, the electron density in the rings is diminished and reactivity toward... 

Substitution for hydrogen by halogen is an important electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction. The reactivity of the halogen molecules decreases in the order Cl2>Br2 >l2. The molecular halogens are not the only species that can effect halogenation, however. Many reactions are run in the presence of Lewis acids, in... 

Each of these intermediates can be hthiated in the 2-position in good yield. The reactivity toward hthiation is due to the inductive effect of the nitrogen atom and coordination by oxygen from the N-substituent. A wide variety of electrophiles can then carry out substitution at the 2-position. Lithiation at other positions on the ring can be achieved by halogen—metal exchange 3-hthio and 5-hthioindoles have also been used as reactive intermediates. 

The introduction of the halogens onto aromatic rings by electrophilic substitution is an important synthetic procedure. Chlorine and bromine are reactive toward aromatic hydrocarbons, but Lewis acid catalysts are normally needed to achieve desirable rates. Elemental fluorine reacts very exothermically and careful control of conditions is required. Molecular iodine can effect substitution only on very reactive aromatics, but a number of more reactive iodination reagents have been developed. 

The second series of data on protic solvent effects in bromination that are related to transition states comprises the m-values of solvent-reactivity correlations. First, it is important to underline that 7-parameters, the solvent ionizing powers, established from solvolytic displacements, work fairly well in this electrophilic addition. This is expected since bromination, like SN1 reactions, leads to a cation-anion pair by heterolytic dissociation of the bromine-olefin CTC, a process similar to the ionization of halogenated or ether derivatives (Scheme 14). 

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