Superacids electrophilic substitution

The unusual wiefa-bromination of phenols and their methyl ethers [9] under superacid conditions is quite expected because O-protonation inverts polarity of all the nuclear carbon atoms. This reaction is reminiscent of the better known electrophilic substitutions of aniline in acidic media. 

The usual way to achieve heterosubstitution of saturated hydrocarbons is by free-radical reactions. Halogenation, sulfochlorination, and nitration are among the most important transformations. Superacid-catalyzed electrophilic substitutions have also been developed. This clearly indicates that alkanes, once considered to be highly unreactive compounds (paraffins), can be readily functionalized not only in free-radical from but also via electrophilic activation. Electrophilic substitution, in turn, is the major transformation of aromatic hydrocarbons. 

It is generally admitted that skeletal transformations of hydrocarbons are catalyzed by protonic sites only. Indeed good correlations were obtained between the concentration of Bronsted acid sites and the rate of various reactions, e g. cumene dealkylation, xylene isomerization, toluene and ethylbenzene disproportionation and n-hexane cracking10 12 On the other hand, it was never demonstrated that isolated Lewis acid sites could be active for these reactions. However, it is well known that Lewis acid sites located in the vicinity of protonic sites can increase the strength (hence the activity) of these latter sites, this effect being comparable to the one observed in the formation of superacid solutions. Protonic sites are also active for non skeletal transformations of hydrocarbons e g. cis trans and double bond shift isomerization of alkenes and for many transformations of functional compounds e.g. rearrangement of functionalized saturated systems, of arenes, electrophilic substitution of arenes and heteroarenes (alkylation, acylation, nitration, etc ), hydration and dehydration etc. However, many of these transformations are more complex with simultaneously reactions on the acid and on the base sites of the solid... 

Cyclohexadienyl cations are well known as intermediates in the electrophilic substitution of benzene. Indeed benzene is protonated by superacids to give solutions containing the ion, which can be characterized spectroscopically. These ions are, however, far too reactive to be isolated as salts, and as they are generated only in acidic media, their reactions with nucleophiles cannot be studied. In contrast, cyclohexadienyltricarbonyliron hexafluorophosphate is a stable yellow solid which can be stored indefinitely at room temperature and can even be recrystallized from water. This is an especially striking example of the stabilization of a reactive organic species by coordination to a transition element. 

Various other heteroatom-substituted earbocations were also found to be activated by superacids. a-Nitro and a-cyanocarbenium ions, R2C N02 or R2C CN, for example, undergo O- or N-protonation, respectively, to dicationic species, decreasing neighboring nitrogen participation, which greatly enhances the electrophilicity of their carbo-... 

Olah, G. A. Germain, A. Lin, H. C. Forsyth, D. Electrophilic reactions at Single Bonds. XVIII.1 Indication of Protosolvated de facto Substituting Agents in the Reactions of Alkanes with Acetylium and Nitronium Ions in Superacidic Media. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1975, 97, 2928-2929. 

Oxidation of unfunctionalized alkanes is notoriously difficult to perform selectively, because breaking of a C-H bond is required. Although oxidation is thermodynamically favourable, there are limited kinetic pathways for reaction to occur. For most alkanes, the hydrogens are not labile, and, as the carbon atom cannot expand its valence electron shell beyond eight electrons, there is no mechanism for electrophilic or nucleophilic substitution short of using extreme (superacid or superbase) conditions. Alkane oxidations are therefore normally radical processes, and thus difficult to control in terms of selectivity. Nonetheless, some oxidations of alkanes have been performed under supercritical conditions, although it is probable that these actually proceed via radical mechanisms. 

Cycloalkadienyl cations, particularly cyclohexadienyl cations (benzenium ions), the intermediate of electrophilic aromatic substitution, frequently show remarkable stability. Protonated arenes can be readily obtained from aromatic hydrocarbons244 251 in superacids and studied by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy.252,253 Olah et al.252 have even prepared and studied the parent benzenium ion (C6H7+) 88. Representative 1H NMR spectra of benzenium253 and naphthalenium ions25488 and 89 are shown in Figures 3.11 and 3.12, respectively. 

Other Substituted Diazonium Ions. A series of aminodiazonium ions have been prepared under superacidic conditions [Eq. (4.141)]. Schmidt495 described the preparation and IR spectra of protonated hydrazoic acid 212 and methylazide as their hexachloroantimonate salts. Olah and co-workers496 have carried out a comprehensive study on aminodiazonium ions (protonated azides) by H, 13C, and 15N NMR spectroscopy. Even the electrophilic aminating ability of aromatics of 212 has been explored.496 The tetrachloroaluminate salt of 212 has also been prepared496... 

Jouannetaud and co-workers229 have explored electrophilic trifluoromethylation under superacidic conditions of aniline derivatives229 and /V-heterocycles. Methyl-substituted anilines and substituted acetanilides [Eq. (5.85)] react with the CC13+ cation generated from CC14 in HF-SbF5 followed by fluorination to yield the corresponding trifluoromethyl derivatives. Under similar conditions, indolines are transformed to the 6-triluoromethyl derivatives, whereas substituted indoles yield 5-triluoromethyl derivatives.230... 

Electrophilic ring closure of aryl-substituted compounds such as alkenes, halides, alcohols, and carbonyl compounds called cyclialkylation can be induced by conventional Friedel-Crafts catalysts309 and by superacids. Examples are also known in which an intermolecular alkylation step is followed by intramolecular alkylation of the intermediate to furnish a cyclic product. 

In several recent studies, nitro-substituted olefins have been shown to exhibit high electrophilic reactivities in superacid-promoted reactions.29 NMR studies have been used to identify some of the superelectrophilic intermediates in these reactions. For example, it was found that nitroethy-lene reacts with benzene in the presence of 10 equivalents of CF3SO3H to give deoxybenzoin oxime in 96% yield (eq 29). Since the reaction does not occur with only one equivalent of TfOH, it was proposed that the N,N-dihydroxy-iminium-methylium dication (51) is generated. In spectroscopic studies, l-nitro-2-methyl-l-propene (52) was dissolved in CF3SO3H, and at —5°C the stable dication (53) could be directly observed by and 13 C NMR spectroscopy (eq 30). 

A series of phosphonium-carboxonium dications have also been studied in superacid catalyzed reactions.313 When the dicationic electrophiles are compared with similar monocationic species, it is clear that the phos-phonium group enhances the electrophilic character of the carboxonium center. For example, protonated acetone is incapable of reacting with benzene in condensation reactions, however, the phosphonium-substituted carboxonium ion (124) reacts in high yield (eq 40). 

Ammonium-carbenium dications and related species are also generated readily from olefinic precursors.77 For example, the tetrahydropyridine (226) leads to the 1,3-dication (227) and vinyl-substituted /V-heteroaromatics can give dications (i.e., 228) in superacid, both of which show high electrophilic reactivities (eqs 70-71). 

---