Thianthrenium ions

A study of reaction of weakly basic nucleophiles (X ) with 5-(alkoxy)thianthrenium ions (18a-e) in MeCN and DMSO has revealed that E2C elimination competes effectively with 5n2 reaction and reaction at sulfonium sulfur when X = r is used. The proportion of E2C product (21, 53, 52, 35 and 6.6% cycloalkene, respectively) is much higher for (18a-e) than found previously for reaction at primary and acyclic secondary alkyloxy groups (RO). 

Some 5-(alkyloxy)thianthrenium perchlorates (15) have been prepared in which the alkyl group may be primary or secondary. Reaction with iodide ions may result in 5 n2 reaction at the alkyl group or NAr reaction at the sulfonium sulfur atom leading to the formation of thianthrene. ... 

In comparison with hydrocarbons, aromatic amines easily transform into cation radicals. Structures of these cation radicals are well documented on the basis of their ESR spectra and MO calculations (see, e.g., Grampp et al. 2005). The stable cation radical of A/,A,A, A -tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (the so-called Wuerster s blue) was one of the first ion radicals that was studied by ESR spectroscopy (Weissmann et al. 1953). The use of this cation radical as a spin-containing unit for high-spin molecules has been reported (Ito et al. 1999). Chemical oxidation of N,N -bis [4-(dimethylamino)-phenyl-A/,A -dimethyl-l,3-phenylenediamine with thianthrenium perchlorate in -butyronitrile in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid at 78°C led to the formation of the dication diradical depicted in Scheme 3.58. 

Species 4, produced from thianthrene by loss of an electron from a sulfur, is correctly known as thianthrene radical ion(l+) most authors have referred to it as the thianthrene radical cation or the thianthrene cation radical. The species produced by loss of two electrons from the central ring, and for which 5 is probably a resonance contributor, is termed thianthrenediium. Sulfonium salts (6) produced formally by utilizing a sulfur lone-pair in bonding to, are 5-R-thianthrenium salts. Thianthrene... 

Electrophilic substitution of thianthrene takes place at C-2. No examples of even minor amounts of 1-mono-substituted product have been reported. Disubstitution gives 2,7- (usually) or 2,8-products. In a few cases, 2,6-derivatives have been claimed. The presence of a sulfoxide or sulfone unit greatly reduces the susceptibility of either ring to electrophilic substitution. Carbon-centered electrophilic addition to sulfur to produce 5-R-thianthrenium salts has been described rarely most examples of the formation of such salts have involved the thianthrene radical ion(l-t-). Treatment of thianthrene with alkyl/aryllithiums produces the 1-lithio-species, and these organometallic derivatives allow the introduction of substituents at this position. 

A great deal of work has been carried out on the thianthrene radical ion(l+), which can be produced from thianthrene by a variety of one-electron oxidations. The radical cation reacts at sulfur with nucleophilic species, giving rise to 5-substituted products, oxides, ylids, and 5-R-thianthrenium salts. 

Combining thianthrene radical ion(l+) with free radicals to produce thianthrenium salts has also been achieved. Decomposition of various cumene hydroperoxides (83MI6) and of azobis(2-phenoxy-2-propane) (85MI1) gave 5-arylthianthrenium ions together with 5-(propen-2-yl)thianthrenium perchlorate in the latter case. 

Treated with c. HCl (65JOC2145) or c. H2SO4, then ice (63JOC2828), thianthrene 5-oxide gave 2-substituted-products 2-chloro (in low yield) and 2-hydroxythianthrene 5-oxide, the latter being reduced to 2-hydroxythianthrene by subsequent exposure to Sn/AcOH. Thianthrene radical ion(H-) may be produced in each case thus the incorporation of phenol into the HCl reaction gave the 5-(4-chlorophenyl)thianthrenium chloride (65JOC2145) (see Section III, A, 3, b). 

The latter two reactions demonstrate the possibility of using thianthrenium perchlorate in preparing magnet-active ion radicals with two or even three unpaired electrons and positive charges. (At this point one very important caution has to be stated Thianthrenium perchlorate is a shock-sensitive explosive solid and should be handled with care.)... 

For the purpose of this review the term heteroaromatic is applied to 7r-radical species when they may be regarded as arising from aromatic heterocyclic molecules or ions by addition or removal of an odd number (usually one) of electrons. Thus, entities such as the anion- and cation-radicals of pyridine (1 and 2) are clearly heteroaromatic. The dilemma whether or not to regard thianthrene (3) as aromatic (its central ring possessing eight electrons) does not arise for the thianthrene cation radical (4) it is heteroaromatic on the grounds that it may formally arise by one-electron reduction of the aromatic thianthrenium dication (5). 

The thianthrene cation-radical (56) shows enhanced stability in trifluoro-acetic acid, which is recommended generally as a solvent in which to prepare cation-radicals. Thianthrenium perchlorate (56 C10 as counter-ion) reacts with substituted benzenes PhR at the para position, rapidly where R = MeO, more slowly where R = Me. The product is a sulphonium salt (58). Kinetic studies show that the reaction is second-order in the thianthrene cation-radical (56). The suggested mechanism features the thianthrene dication (57) as the reactive species, formed in low concentration by disproportionation of the thianthrene cation-radical. 

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