Synthesis and isolation of stable thiirenium salts

Attempts to Synthesize a Thiirane, Selenirane, and Thiirene by Dealkylation of Chalcogeniranium and Thiirenium Salts

Thiiranium salts [Ad2 SR]+ X- (5, 8, 9, 11, 12; X- =Tf2 N- (Tf=CF3 SO2 ), SbCl6 - ) and seleniranium salts [Ad2 SeR]+ X- (14, 16, 17, 23-25; X- =Tf2 N- , BF4 - , CHB11 Cl11 - , SbCl6 - ) are synthesized from strained alkene bis(adamantylidene) (1). The disulfides and the diselenides (Me3 SiCH2 CH2 E)2 (4, 13), (tBuMe2 SiCH2 CH2 E)2 (7, 22), and (NCCH2 CH2 E)2 (10, 15; E=S, Se) have been used. The thiirenium salts [tBu2 C2 SR]+ X- (34) and [Ad2 C2 SR]+ X- (35, 36) are prepared from the bis-tert-butylacetylene (2) and bis-adamantyl-acetylene (3) with R=Me3 SiCH2 CH2 and tBuMe2 SiCH2 CH2 . Attempts to cleave off the groups Me3 SiCH2 CH2 , tBuMe2 SiCH2 CH2 , and NCCH2 CH2 resulted in thiiranes 27, 30. No selenirane Ad2 Se (33) is formed from seleniranium salts, instead cleavage to the alkene (1) and diselenide (13, 15) occurs. The thiirenium salt [Ad2 C2 SCH2 CH2 SiMe3 ]+ Tf2 N- (35) does not yield the thiirene Ad2 C2 S (37), the three-membered ring is cleaved, forming the alkyne (3) and disulfide (4). All compounds are characterized by ESI mass spectra, NMR spectra, and by quantum chemical calculations. Crystal structures of the salts 8, 12, 25, 17, 26, 36 and the thiiranes 27, 30 are presented.

Reaction of imidazoline-2-selone derivatives with mesityltellurenyl iodide: a unique example of a 3c-4e Se→Te←Se three-body system embedding a tellurenyl cation

1,2-Bis(3-methyl-4-imidazolin-2-selone)ethane was used to stabilize the first example of an authentic mesityltellurenyl cation, [MesTe]⁺, as a charge transfer adduct featuring a 3c-4e Se→Te←Se three-body system.

N-Heterocyclic carbene stabilized parent sulfenyl, selenenyl, and tellurenyl cations (XH+, X = S, Se, Te)

NHC-stabilized parent sulfenyl (H–S⁺), selenenyl (H–Se⁺) and tellurenyl (H–Te⁺) cations have been achieved by treatment of NHC chalcogen adducts with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid.

A G2 study of SH+ exchange reactions involving lone-pair donors and unsaturated hydrocarbons

The ligand exchange reactions between mono-adducts of the sulfenium ion ([SH-X]-) and either unsaturated hydrocarbons or lone-pair donors have been investigated computationally at the G2 level. The mono-adducts react with acetylene or ethylene to form a thiiranium or a thiirenium ion, in most cases without an overall barrier. In the reactions involving lone-pair donors, the original lone-pair donor is expelled from the [SH-X]- mono-adduct with the formation of a new mono-adduct. The reaction proceeds in this case via an intermediate di-adduct. Both the hydrocarbon and the lone-pair donor attack the mono-adduct with the relevant orbitals aligned in a near-collinear fashion, as was also the case for previously investigated reactions involving PH2+ and Cl+. The reaction energies and the binding energies of the intermediate complexes in the exchange reactions are primarily determined by the electronegativities of the lone-pair donors. The thermochemical data can be rationalized within the framework of qualitative molecular orbital theory, and the results are compared with our previous findings for the corresponding reactions involving PH2+ and Cl+.

X-ray structures and anionotropic rearrangements of Di-tert-butyl-substituted thiiranium and thiirenium ions. A structure-reactivity relationship

The X-ray structures of c-2,t-3-di-tert-butyl-r-1-methylthiiranium 8 BF(4)(-), t-2,t-3-di-tert-butyl-r-1-methylthiiranium ion 10 BF(4)(-), and 2,3-di-tert-butyl-1-methylthiirenium 11 BF(4)(-) have been determined. The DeltaG()(298) values for the rearrangements from the cis and the trans tert-butyl groups of 8 SbCl(6)(-) to thietanium ion (two intramolecular S(N)2 displacements) and for the rearrangement of 11 SbCl(6)(-) to thietium ion (an intramolecular S(N)2-Vin displacement) are linearly correlated with the strengths of the C-S breaking bonds, suggesting that the two mechanisms are, in the absence of steric hindrance, uniquely governed by the nucleofugality of the sulfonium leaving group.