Superelectrophilicity

The reaction of trivalent carbocations with carbon monoxide giving acyl cations is the key step in the well-known and industrially used Koch-Haaf reaction of preparing branched carboxylic acids from al-kenes or alcohols. For example, in this way, isobutylene or tert-hutyi alcohol is converted into pivalic acid. In contrast, based on the superacidic activation of electrophiles leading the superelectrophiles (see Chapter 12), we found it possible to formylate isoalkanes to aldehydes, which subsequently rearrange to their corresponding branched ketones. 

Similar to oxonium ions, our studies of sulfonium ions also showed protosolvolytic activation in superacids to give sulfur superelectrophiles. The parent sulfonium ion (HjS ), for example, gives H4S (diprotonated hydrogen sulfide) in superacids. 

Various sulfonium and carbosulfonium ions show remarkably enhanced reactivity upon superelectrophilic activation, similar to their oxygen analogs so do selenonium and telluronium ions. The alkylating ability of their trialkyl salts, for example, is greatly increased by protosolvation. 

In these (and other) solid superacid catalyst systems, bi- or multi-dentate interactions are thns possible, forming highly reactive intermediates. This amounts to the solid-state equivalent of protosolvation resulting in superelectrophilic activation. 

Examples of some superelectrophiles so far studied and their parents are... 

It should be recognized that superelectrophilic reactions can also proceed with only electrophilic assistance (solvation, association) by the superacids without forming distinct depositive intermediates. Pro-tosolvolytic activation of electrophiles should always be considered in this context. 

Friedel-Crafts acylation using nittiles (other than HCN) and HCI is an extension of the Gattermann reaction, and is called the Houben-Hoesch reaction (120—122). These reactions give ketones and are usually appHcable to only activated aromatics, such as phenols and phenoHc ethers. The protonated nittile, ie, the nitrilium ion, acts as the electrophilic species in these reactions. Nonactivated ben2ene can also be acylated with the nittiles under superacidic conditions 95% trifluoromethanesulfonic acid containing 5% SbF (Hg > —18) (119). A dicationic diprotonated nittile intermediate was suggested for these reactions, based on the fact that the reactions do not proceed under less acidic conditions. The significance of dicationic superelectrophiles in Friedel-Crafts reactions has been discussed (123,124). 

Nucleophilic reactions take place in the homocyclic ring, SwAr or AEc when it is activated by electron-withdrawing substituents. It has been described that halides can be displaced by a great number of nucleophiles via a normal and cine substitution [54,55]. Nitro containing Bfx has represented a class of neutral lO-TT-electron-defident system which exhibit an extremely high electrophilic character in many covalent nucleophihc addition and substitution processes. 4,6-Dinitrobenzofuroxan and others 4-nitro-6-substitutedbenzofuroxans (Scheme 2) have been defined as superelectrophiles and used as convenient probes to assess to the C-basicity of... 

Superelectrophilic halonitro-2,l,3-benzoxadiazole 243 undergoes remarkably facile carbon-carbon couplings with some electron-rich aromatics and heteroaromatics, affording quantitatively products exhibiting an intense visible absorption due to strong intramolecular charge transfer (Scheme 62) <2003CC2150>. 

MeZrCp2Cl, by virtue of the presence of the dipolar Cl+-AI bond. Most likely, this reaction exemplifies a widely observable principle of activation of an electrophile by another electrophile to generate a superelectrophilic species that has been termed the two-is-better-than-one principle.13 1... 

This may suggest that fully conjugated charge centers are an important aspect in directing nucleophilic attack to the terminal carbon. Thus, the superacid promoted reactions of the olefinic pyrazines (and related systems) may be viewed as the superelectrophilic version of Michael addition. 

In summary, we have shown that stable cationic charge centers can significantly enhance the reactivities of adjacent electrophilic centers. Most of the studied systems involve reactive dicationic electrophiles. A number of the reactive dications have been directly observed by low temperature NMR. Along with their clear structural similarities to superelectrophiles, these dicationic systems are likewise capable of reacting with very weak nucleophiles. Utilization of these reactive intermediates has led to the development of several new synthetic methodologies, while studies of their reactivities have revealed interesting structure-activity relationships. Based on the results from our work and that of others, it seems likely that similar modes of activation will be discovered in biochemical systems (perhaps in biocatalytic roles) in the years to come. 

G. Prakash, G. K. S. Efficient Chemoselective Carboxylation of Aromatics to Arylcarboxylic Acids with Superelectrophilically Activated Carbon Dioxide-Al2CI6/Al System. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 11379-11391. (d) Klumpp, D. A. Rendy, R. McElrea, A. Superacid Catalyzed Ring-opening Reactions Involving 2-Oxazolines and the Role of Superelectrophilic Intermediates. Tetrahedron Lett. 2004, 45, 7959-7961. 

Zhang, Y. Briski, J. Zhang, Y. Rendy, R. Klumpp, D. A. Superacid-Catalyzed Reactions of Olefinic Pyrazines an Example of Anti-Markovnikov Addition Involving Superelectrophiles. Org. Lett. 2005, 7, 2505-2508. 

The enthalpy of fomation of two such species has been measured, namely the cyclopropane and cycloheptane derivatives. The difference between the values for these two species, both as solids, is 238.1 kJmol . Is this difference plausible Consider the difference between the enthalpies of formation of the parent cycloalkanes as solids, 194 kJ mol . The ca 44 kJ mol discrepancy between these two differences seems rather large. However, there are idiosyncracies associated with the enthalpies of formation of compounds with three-membered rings and almost nothing is known at all about the thermochemistry of compounds with seven-membered rings. Rather, we merely note that a seemingly well-defined synthesis of cycloheptyl methyl ketone was shown later to result in a mixture of methyl methylcyclohexyl ketones, and superelectrophilic carbonylation of cycloheptane resulted in the same products as methylcyclohexane, namely esters of 1-methylcyclohexanecarboxylic acid. The difference between the enthalpies of formation of the unsubstituted alicyclic hydrocarbons cycloheptane and methylcyclohexane as solids is 33 kJmol . This alternative structural assignment hereby corrects for most of the above 44 kJ mol discrepancy in the enthalpies of formation of the two oximes. More thermochemical measurements are needed, of oximes and cycloheptanes alike. 

The protonation of the methyleneiminium cation gives rise to the superelectrophilic methyleniminium dication, 19, which is a gitonic 1,2-dicationic species (carbenium ammonium species). Such a carbodication has been observed by charge stripping mass spectrometry by Schwarz and coworkers.Olah and coworkers have shown by theoretical calculations that the carbenium ammonium species, 19a, is 27.6 kcal/mol more stable than the three-center two-electron (3c-2e) bonded structure, 19b. ... 

Olah GA, Klumpp DA. Superelectrophiles and their chemistry. New York Wiley-Inter-science 2008. 

Fluorination of vinorelbine was thus performed in superacidic medium (HF—SbFs). A superelectrophilic agent, such as a chloromethyl or a Br cation, is generated in situ from a chloromethane (CHCI3, CCLt) or from NBS. It is able to abstract a hydrogen from the protonated alkaloid, leading to a cation that can be trapped by a halide anion present in the medium. Difluorination remarkably occurs selectively at C-4 of the clavamine fragment (Figure 4.49). ... 

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