Photoreactivity of some .alpha.-arylvinyl bromides in acetic acid. Selectivity toward bromide versus acetate ions as a mechanistic probe

Why Are Vinyl Cations Sluggish Electrophiles?

The kinetics of the reactions of the vinyl cations 2 [Ph₂C═C⁺-(4-MeO-C₆H₄)] and 3 [Me₂C═C⁺-(4-MeO-C₆H₄)] (generated by laser flash photolysis) with diverse nucleophiles (e.g., pyrroles, halide ions, and solvents containing variable amounts of water or alcohol) have been determined photometrically. It was found that the reactivity order of the nucleophiles toward these vinyl cations is the same as that toward diarylcarbenium ions (benzhydrylium ions). However, the reaction rates of vinyl cations are affected only half as much by variation of the nucleophiles as those of the benzhydrylium ions. For that reason, the relative reactivities of vinyl cations and benzhydrylium ions depend strongly on the nature of the nucleophiles. It is shown that vinyl cations 2 and 3 react, respectively, 227 and 14 times more slowly with trifluoroethanol than the parent benzhydrylium ion (Ph)₂CH⁺, even though in solvolysis reactions (80% aqueous ethanol at 25 °C) the vinyl bromides leading to 2 and 3 ionize much more slowly (half-lives 1.15 yrs and 33 days) than (Ph)₂CH-Br (half-life 23 s). The origin of this counterintuitive phenomenon was investigated by high-level MO calculations. We report that vinyl cations are not exceptionally high energy intermediates, and that high intrinsic barriers for the sp² ⇌ sp rehybridizations account for the general phenomenon that vinyl cations are formed slowly by solvolytic cleavage of vinyl derivatives, and are also consumed slowly by reactions with nucleophiles.

Photochemical generation of a primary vinyl cation from (E)-bromostyrene: mechanisms of formation and reaction

The photochemistry of (E)-bromostyrene was investigated to determine the nature of the product-forming intermediates and to clarify the mechanism of formation of vinylic cations and vinylic radicals. Both a cation- and a radical-derived product are formed, and the ionic origin of the former product is demonstrated by significant scrambling of the label, starting from specifically deuterated (E)-bromostyrene. MO calculations show that the isolated incipient primary vinyl cation is not a metastable species, but that specific interaction with a counterion in combination with a polar environment makes it metastable. The effects of variation of the wavelength of irradiation, solvent polarity, temperature, and isotopic substitution all agree with a mechanism of direct heterolytic C-Br bond cleavage producing an ion pair followed by formation of a radical pair via electron transfer. The vinylic cation is proposed to stem directly from the indirectly populated lowest excited singlet state of bromostyrene with an energy of activation of 6.7 kcal/mol. Branching between proton loss and electron transfer in the resulting ion pair determines the ratio of cation- to radical-derived product. The E/Z-isomerization occurs in a separate process and does not involve C-Br bond cleavage.

A facile synthetic route to a third-generation dendrimer with generation-specific functional aryl bromides

The synthesis of three third-generation dendrimers that selectively carry one aryl bromide functional group in the first, second, or third generation, respectively, is described. These functions, regardless of their location, can be chemically modified by Suzuki cross-coupling chemistry with p-tert-butylbenzene boronic ester.