Conjugated unsaturated systems stability

Lycopene is a red pigment found in tomatoes, watermelon, papaya, guava, and pink grapefruit. An antioxidant like vitamin E, lycopene contains many conjugated double bonds—double bonds separated by only one single bond—that allow jt electron density to delocalize and give the molecule added stability. In Chapter 16 we learn about such conjugated unsaturated systems. 

Benzylic radicals and benzylic cations are conjugated unsaturated systems and hoth are unusually stable. They have approximately the same stabilities as allybc radicals (Section 10.8) and allylic cations (Section 13-4). This exceptional stability of benzylic radicals and cations can be explained by resonance theory. In the case of each entity, resonance structures can be written that place either the unpaired electron (in the case of the radical) or the positive charge (in the case of the cation) on an ortho or para carbon of the ring (see the following structures). Thus resonance delocalizes the unpaired electron or the charge, and this delocabzation causes the radical or cation to be highly stabibzed. 

The meaning of the word aromaticity has evolved as understanding of the special properties of benzene and other aromatic molecules has deepened. Originally, aromaticity was associated with a special chemical reactivity. The aromatic hydrocarbons were considered to be those unsaturated systems that underwent substitution reactions in preference to addition. Later, the idea of special stability became more important. Benzene can be shown to be much lower in enthalpy than predicted by summation of the normal bond energies for the C=C, C—C, and C—H bonds in the Kekule representation of benzene. Aromaticity is now generally associated with this property of special stability of certain completely conjugated cyclic molecules. A major contribution to the stability of aromatic systems results from the delocalization of electrons in these molecules. 

Conjugation of the 7t-electrons of the carbon-carbon double bond with the LUMO sulfur 3d-orbitals would be expected to stabilize the Hiickel 4n -I- 2 (n = 0) array of n-electrons in the thiirene dioxide system. No wonder, therefore, that the successful synthesis of the first member in this series (e.g. 19b) has initiated and stimulated several studies , the main objective of which was to determine whether or not thiirene dioxides should be considered to be aromatic (or pseudo-aromatic ) and/or to what extent conjugation effects, which require some sort of n-d bonding in the conjugatively unsaturated sulfones, are operative within these systems. The fact that the sulfur-oxygen bond lengths in thiirene dioxides were found to be similar to those of other 802-containing compounds, does not corroborate a Hiickel-type jr-delocalization... 

The chemistries of the benzyiic and allylic positions are very similar. Intermediate carbocations, free radicals and carbanions formed at these positions are stabilized by delocalization with the adjacent ir system, the benzene ring in the case of the benzyiic position. Another aspect of arene chemistry is the enhanced stability of unsaturated arenes having double bonds conjugated with the benzene ring. This property is akin to the stability of conjugated di- and polyenes. 

The formation of carbon-carbon bonds by conjugate addition of carbonucleophiles to a,/3-unsaturated systems has been studied intensively and reviewed over the past few years . Interestingly, applications with simple, unstabilized lithium enolates are relatively rare. Most reported examples are limited to the addition of stabilized enolates, such as those derived from malonates or acetoacetates. Nevertheless, some diastereo- and enantioselective versions of the conjugate addition, even with unstabilized lithium enolates, are well known. In 2004, Tomioka and coworkers studied the influence of a chiral diether (191) on the 1,4-addition of lithium ester enolates (189) to a,-unsaturated ketones (equation 51) . Their investigations showed that good enantioselectivities were obtained with cyclic enones, like 2-cyclopentenone (190) addition to a mixture of 189 and 191 gave the desired 1,4-adduct (R)-192 with 74% ee, but only 47% yield. Unfortunately, also the Peterson product 193 was formed in a yield of 22% by initial 1,2-addition of the enolate to the Michael acceptor. 

In contrast to the stability of furanoid systems having an exocyclic, enolacetal double bond are the less stable (more reactive) furanoid compounds possessing an endocyclic enolacetal linkage. Todd and co-workers and Vizsolyi and Tener reported the instability of the 3,4-unsaturated 3-deoxypentofuranoid conjugates obtained by alkaline j3-elimination of phosphate from terminally oxidized, nucleotide model compounds such as 240. The unstable, endocyclic enolacetal conjugates (241) were transformed by a second elimination reaction into the more-stable furan derivatives (242). The extent to which the stability of the... 

As no fully-conjugated 1,3-diazocine derivatives have been synthesized, the issue of potential aromatic stabilization in such compounds has been addressed only theoretically, as discussed above. Conformational studies of 1,3-diazocines and their polyhydro derivatives appear to be completely lacking, other than the theoretical conclusion that the parent unsaturated system (1) should be nonplanar, with C2v symmetry <83MI 922-03) and the comment that Dreiding models were used to assay the conformation of the ring in (6) <85izvi6l2>. 

The use of carbon nucleophiles stabilized by SR groups has been a feature of sulphur chemistry for many years now, and this year has seen additional uses for these versatile reagents. Thus the carbanion CH(SPh)2 adds in a 1,2-manner to 2-methylacrolein giving the allyl alcohol (175), which is then converted to the activated diene (176) by standard methodology. The latter has been used in studies towards the total synthesis of the Rubradirin antibiotics. The related anion ArC(SPh)2 also adds to a,/3-unsaturated systems however, in the case of lactone (177) conjugate addition is observed. If the initial ion from (177) is trapped with benzylic bromides then frans-butyrolactones (178) are obtained in good yield. ... 

The Birch reductions of C C double bonds with alkali metals in liquid ammonia or amines obey other rules than do the catalytic hydrogenations (D. Caine, 1976). In these reactions regio- and stereoselectivities are mainly determined by the stabilities of the intermediate carbanions. If one reduces, for example, the a, -unsaturated decalone below with lithium, a dianion is formed, whereof three different conformations (A), (B), and (C) are conceivable. Conformation (A) is the most stable, because repulsion disfavors the cis-decalin system (B) and in (C) the conjugation of the dianion is interrupted. Thus, protonation yields the trans-decalone system (G. Stork, 1964B). 

This electron delocalization stabilizes a conjugated system Under conditions cho sen to bring about their mterconversion the equilibrium between a p 7 unsaturated ketone and an a p unsaturated analog favors the conjugated isomer... 

The (Horner-)Wadsworth-Emmons reaction generally is superior to the Wittig reaction, and has found application in many cases for the synthesis of a ,/3-unsaturated esters, a ,/3-unsaturated ketones and other conjugated systems. Yields are often better then with the original Wittig procedure. However the Wadsworth-Emmons method is not suitable for the preparation of alkenes with simple, non-stabilizing alkyl substituents. 

---