Trifluoroacetic acid diprotonation

In addition to phosphate and halide anion binding, carboxylate chelation by sapphyrin macrocycles has been the subject of recent investigation. To date, two crystal structures have been solved. A 2 1 complex formed between diprotonated sapphyrin 3 and trifluoroacetic acid shows that the oxyanions are chelated above and below the sapphyrin plane (Figure 10). ° Greater complexity of organi-... 

Prakash, Olah, and co-workers256 have prepared Mosher s acid analogs by the hydroxyalkylation of substituted benzenes with ethyl trifluoropyruvate [Eq. (5.95)]. Deactivated aromatics (fluorobenzene, chlorobenzene) required the use of excess triflic acid indicative of superelectrophilic activation.3 5 In contrast to these observations, Shudo and co-workers257 reported the formation gem-diphenyl-substituted ketones in the alkylation of benzene with 1,2-dicarbonyl compounds [Eq. (5.96)]. In weak acidic medium (6% trifluoroacetic acid-94% triflic acid), practically no reaction takes place. With increasing acidity the reaction accelerates and complete conversion is achieved in pure triflic acid, indicating the involvement of diprotonated intermediates. 

Octamethyltetrabenzoporphine is a dark-blue powder that, although much more soluble than tetrabenzoporphine, has a low solubility in most common organic solvents. It is, however, very soluble in trifluoroacetic acid, giving a green solution of the diprotonated macrocycle. This molecule is a square-planar tetra-dentate ligand. It reacts with a variety of metal salts to form porphine-metal... 

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