Steric crowding, effects

Rate IS governed by stability of car bocation that is formed in loniza tion step Tertiary alkyl halides can react only by the SnI mechanism they never react by the Sn2 mecha nism (Section 8 9) Rate IS governed by steric effects (crowding in transition state) Methyl and primary alkyl halides can react only by the Sn2 mecha nism they never react by the SnI mechanism (Section 8 6)... 

The greater stability of an equatorial methyl group compared with an axial one IS another example of a steric effect (Section 3 2) An axial substituent is said to be crowded because of 1,3 diaxial repulsions between itself and the other two axial sub stituents located on the same side of the ring... 

Steric effects may be an even more important factor m controlling the regioselec tivity of addition Boron with its attached substituents is much larger than a hydrogen atom and becomes bonded to the less crowded carbon of the double bond whereas hydrogen becomes bonded to the more crowded carbon... 

These several steric effects are explainable on the basis that any crowding, irrespective of its origin, will make the T.S. (44) that involves the removal of proton from (46a)—Saytzev elimination—relatively more crowded than the T.S. (45) that involves removal of proton (D from (46b)—Hofmann elimination. The differential will increase as the crowding increases (in R, Y or B), and Hofmann elimination will thus be progressively favoured over Saytzev ... 

In many cases it is all but impossible to distinguish, separately, the operation of electronic and steric effects, as they often both operate towards the same end result. Except where crowding becomes extreme, however, it seems likely that the electronic effects are commonly in control. 

Several classes of silyl ethers have been shown to be excellent substrates for the C-H insertion chemistry of donor/ acceptor-substituted carbenoids.81 Effective C-H insertions predominantly occur at methylene sites. Primary sites are not sufficiently activated electronically while tertiary sites are sterically too crowded. Rl -DOSP -catalyzed functionalization of the allyl silyl ether 3 resulted in a highly diastereoselective transformation, leading to the formation of the /3-hydroxyester 4 in 94% yield and 82% ee (Equation (17)).81 This example illustrates the regioselectivity of this chemistry, because 3 contains two allylic sites but only the methylene site adjacent to the siloxy group was functionalized. Even better substrates are the commercially available tetraalkoxysilanes such as 5, because with these substrates, the high diastereoselectivity was retained while the enantioselectivity was increased (Equation (18)).81... 

Mechanistic interpretation of activation volumes on square-planar complexes is complicated by the geometry. The sterically less crowded complexes may have loosely bound solvent molecules occupying the axial sites above and below the plane. Replacing them in the formation of a five-coordinate transition state or intermediate may result by compensation in relatively small volume effects. It is therefore difficult to distinguish between Ia and A mechanisms from the value of the activation volume. Nevertheless, the AV values are negative and together with the second-order rate laws observed, point to an a-activation for those solvent exchange reactions. 

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