- Generation, Thermodynamics, and Chemistry of the Diphenylcarbene Anion Radical (Ph2C.-)
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Dissociative electron attachment with Ph2C=N produced Ph2C.- (m/z 166).The reactions of Ph2C.- with potential proton donors of known gas-phase acidity were used to bracket PA(Ph2C.-) = 380 +/- 2 kcal mol-1 from which ΔHf0(Ph2C.-) = 81.8 +/- 2 kcal mol-1 was calculated.The reactions of Ph2C.- with CH3OH and C2H5OH proceeded with major and minor amounts, respectively, of a H2.+-transfer channel, forming Ph2CH2, RCHO, and an electron.The kinetic nucleophilicity of Ph2C.- in SN2 displacement reactions with CH3X and C2H5X molecules was shown to be medium, which requires a significant intrinsic barrier in these reaction.The reactions of Ph2C.- with various aldehydes, ketones, and esters were fast and established two principal product-forming channels: (1) H+ transfer if the neutral reactant contains activated C-H bonds and (2) carbonyl addition followed by radical β-fragmentation of one of the groups originally attached to the carbonyl carbon.The order for the ease of radical β-fragmentation in the tetrahedral intermediates was RO > alkyl >> H, and CO2CH3 > CH3.Since the reactions of Ph2C.- with the simple esters HCO2CH3 and CH3CO2CH3 were fast, it should now be possible to examine the reactions of carbonyl-containing organic molecules, which are expected to react slower than these esters and obtain their relative reactivities.
- McDonald, Richard N.,Gung, Wei Yi
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p. 7328 - 7334
(2007/10/02)
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- Gas-Phase Nucleophilic Reactivities of Phenylnitrene (PhN-*) and Sulfur Anion Radicals (S-/.) at sp3 and Carbonyl Carbon
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The reactions of PhN-/. with a series of carbonyl-containing molecules (aldehydes, ketones, and esters) were shown to proceed via an addition/fragmentation mechanism, PhN-* + R2C=O -> -)R2> -> PhN=C(O-)R + *R, producing various acyl anilide anion products.In several cases, the tetrahedral intermediate anion radicals were observed as minor ions.The intrinsic reactivity of the carbonyl-containing molecules was aldehydes > ketones > esters, where similar R groups were involved.The overall exothermicities of these reactions did not appear to play the major role in determining the relative rates (krelC=O) for these reactions.From the reaction of PhN-* with cyclobutanone, a new type of anion radical, PhN=C(O-)CH2* (m/z 133) (+ C2H4) was produced; the loss of C2H4 was considered due to the ring strain in the ketone.With cyclopentanone, cyclohexanone, and cycloheptanone, the anion radicals PhN=C(O-)(CH2)n* (n = 4-6) were the exclusive product ions.PhN-* was shown to be a poor nucleophile in SN2 displacement reactions with CH3X molecules (X = Cl, Br, O2CCF3).S-* was shown to exhibit modest SN2 nucleophilicity with CH3Cl and CH3Br.The reactions of S-* with CF3CO2R proceed via both SN2 displacement and carbonyl addition/fragmentation mechanisms: with R = CH3, the anion products were 65percent CF3CO2- and 35percent CF3COS-; from R = C2H5, the product ions were 4percent CF3CO2- and 96percent CF3COS-.These data yield the ratio kCH3/kC2H5 = 16 for SN2 displacement by S-* at these alkyl groups.The reactions of PhN-* with CO2, COS, CS2, and O2 are also reported.The reaction of PhN-* with CS2 to produce S-* as a major channel was used as the source of this atomic anion radical.In several reactions occuring at nearly the collison limit, selectivity was observed for (a) which of two reaction centers were attacked to give products and (b) which of two mechanisms would be dominant in the overall reaction.
- McDonald, Richard N.,Chowdhury, A. Kesem
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p. 198 - 207
(2007/10/02)
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