Acids super

If acidity functions of -20 to -30 are accessible with super acids, can one protonate alkanes The answer is yes , and in fact, the 1994 Nobel Prize in Chemistry presented to George Olah was partially in acknowledgement of this discovery. The realization of cr bond basicity led to the ability to activate hydrocarbons at low temperature toward various reactions. 

One recent example of this is the carbonylation of methylcyclopentane in HF-SbFs solutions. An array of fascinating reactions occurs upon protonation of an alkane, and they are illustrated in the following scheme. The relative basicity of a bonds in alkanes is 3° C-H C-C 2° C-H 1° C-H. Hence, the protonation of methylcyclo- 

Sommer,Hashoumy, M Culmann, J.-C., and Bukala, J. Activation and Carbonylation of Methylcyclopentane in HF-SbFj. New /. Chem., 21, 939-944(1997). 

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Acid-cataly2ed hydroxylation of naphthalene with 90% hydrogen peroxide gives either 1-naphthol or 2-naphthiol at a 98% yield, depending on the acidity of the system and the solvent used. In anhydrous hydrogen fluoride or 70% HF—30% pyridine solution at — 10 to + 20°C, 1-naphthol is the product formed in > 98% selectivity. In contrast, 2-naphthol is obtained in hydroxylation in super acid (HF—BF, HF—SbF, HF—TaF, FSO H—SbF ) solution at — 60 to — 78°C in > 98% selectivity (57). Of the three commercial methods of manufacture, the pressure hydrolysis of 1-naphthaleneamine with aqueous sulfuric acid at 180°C has been abandoned, at least in the United States. The caustic fusion of sodium 1-naphthalenesulfonate with 50 wt % aqueous sodium hydroxide at ca 290°C followed by the neutralization gives 1-naphthalenol in a ca 90% yield. 

Direct alkylation or acylation of the oxygen of THF by exchange or addition occurs with the use of trialkyl oxonium salts, carboxonium salts, super-acid esters or anhydrides, acyhum salts, and sometimes carbenium salts. 

The catalysts used in the industrial alkylation processes are strong Hquid acids, either sulfuric acid [7664-93-9] (H2SO or hydrofluoric acid [7664-39-3] (HE). Other strong acids have been shown to be capable of alkylation in the laboratory but have not been used commercially. Aluminum chloride [7446-70-0] (AlCl ) is suitable for the alkylation of isobutane with ethylene (12). Super acids, such as trifluoromethanesulfonic acid [1493-13-6] also produce alkylate (13). SoHd strong acid catalysts, such as Y-type zeoHte or BE -promoted acidic ion-exchange resin, have also been investigated (14—16). 

The aromatic ring has high electron density. As a result of this electron density, toluene behaves as a base, not only in aromatic ring substitution reactions but also in the formation of charge-transfer (tt) complexes and in the formation of complexes with super acids. In this regard, toluene is intermediate in reactivity between benzene and the xylenes, as illustrated in Table 2. 

In order to achieve high yields, the reaction usually is conducted by application of high pressure. For laboratory use, the need for high-pressure equipment, together with the toxicity of carbon monoxide, makes that reaction less practicable. The scope of that reaction is limited to benzene, alkyl substituted and certain other electron-rich aromatic compounds. With mono-substituted benzenes, thepara-for-mylated product is formed preferentially. Super-acidic catalysts have been developed, for example generated from trifluoromethanesulfonic acid, hydrogen fluoride and boron trifluoride the application of elevated pressure is then not necessary. 

Allylsilanes react with carbonyl compounds to transfer the allyl group with 1,3-transposition, in the presence of Lewis acids, typically titanium(IV) chloride47. Recently this reaction has been carried out under super-acid catalysis48. Transfer of the allyl group is also induced by tetrabutylammonium fluoride, but in this case reaction takes place regioselectively at the less substituted end of the allyl fragment49. 

Block or graft copolymem can be obtained by cationic polymerization of THF with macromolecular initiators. The recommended groups for the initiation are the dioxolenium cation, the acyl cation and the super acid ester, each of which can be introduced into the backbone polymer by reaction with silver salts of strong acids. Introduction of the dioxolenium group into polystyrene was carried out by the following route32 ... 

The experimental data for the carbonylation and decarbonylation have been obtained in super-acidic solutions with one or more of the following three techniques ... 

However, despite the detailed attention which has been given to many facets of carhonium ion chemistry, there has been, until recently, very little information available regarding their photoreactions. It is specifically through the use of the super acid solvents, e.g. HE—SbPs, FHSO3—SbFs, HE—BE3, etc., that a vast number of stable, long-lived carhonium ions have now become available for study. Many otherwise... 

Neither methyl nor ethyl fluoride gave the corresponding cations when treated with SbFs. At low temperatures, methyl fluoride gave chiefly the methylated sulfur dioxide salt, (CH3OSO) ShF while ethyl fluoride rapidly formed the rert-butyl and ferf-hexyl cations by addition of the initially formed ethyl cation to ethylene molecules also formed ° At room temperature, methyl fluoride also gave the tert-butyl cation. In accord with the stability order, hydride ion is abstracted from alkanes by super acid most readily from tertiary and least readily from primary positions. 

It is by means of successive reactions of this sort that simple alkanes like methane and ethane give rert-butyl cations in super acid solutions (p. 219). °... 

The solid super acids (Zr02-S04 , TiOa-SO/ ) were prepared by mounting H2SO4 on Ti02-nH20, Zr (OH)4, respectively, followed by calcining at 823 K. 

Experiments showed that high methyl ester yields can be achieved with solid bases and super acids under moderate reaction conditions. The solid bases were more effective catalysts than the solid super acids. High stability can be achieved by an ordinary inexpensive preparation process, and the catalyst can be separated easily from the reaction products in the heterogeneous catalysis process. The costly catalyst removal process can be avoided compared with the homogeneous process. Therefore, the heterogeneous process using a solid catalyst should be more economical for biodiesel production. 

The major disadvantage of the alkylation process is that acid is consumed in considerable quantities (up to 100 kg of acid per ton of product). Hence, solid acids have been explored extensively as alternatives. In particular, solid super acids such sulfated zirconia SO/ IZr02) show excellent activities for alkylation, but only for a short time, because the catalyst suffers from coke deposition due to oligomerization of alkenes. These catalysts are also extremely sensitive to water. 

Acidic, high area silica-almnina had received substantial attention in ICC 1, 52-58). Perhaps the most dramatic change in the subsequent catalytic literature was the debut of zeolites. Why acid catalyzed reactions are so much faster on zeolites than on silica-alumina has been extensively discussed but probably not conclusively. One should be able to know the exact structures of catalytic sites in zeolites, but initial hopes that this would do wonders for mechanistic imderstanding have not been fully realized. Super acids and carbonium ions came into heterogeneous catalysis from homogeneous chemistry and in special cases reaction via carbonium ions seems to occur. 

The carbeniiun ion so formed then reacts in the ICC 1 manner except perhaps for not abstracting a hydride ion from another alkane. Although initial views that zeolites in general were super acids have come into question, definite super acids have been found such as calcined H2S04 Zr(0H)4 which catalyze the isomerization of alkanes at low T. 

The dehydration of 1-hexanol to hexene was conducted over heterogeneous sulfated zirconium oxide catalyst [19, 138]. The zirconia was treated with sulfuric acid and is known as super acid catalyst, having well documented performance for many reactions [19]. The reaction conditions are notably milder as for other acid catalysts, such as silica-alumina. 

Highest activity Very high activity Very high activity Super acid... 

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