Acid-catalyzed amino-migration of O-phenylhydroxylamines

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja00051a012

The mechanism of amino-migration of O-phenylhydroxylamine (1a) was studied. It was found that 1 rearranges to give 2-aminophenol (50%) and 4-aminophenol (7%) in trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). The predominance of the ortho rearrangement of 1 clearly distinguishes this process from the Bamberger rearrangement. From cross-coupling experiments employing stable isotopes, it was clarified that the ortho rearrangement proceeds intramolecularly and the para rearrangement involves both intra- and intermolecular processes. Good first-order kinetics were obtained for the rearrangement. The Hammett plot (σ⁺) with a large negative slope (ρ = -7.8) indicates that initial heterolytic N-O bond cleavage of 1 occurs and generates a positive charge on the oxygen atom with considerable delocalization into the aromatic ring. An ion-molecule pair involving a phenoxenium ion and an ammonia molecule as an intermediate rationalizes all of the results. In this pair, intramolecular combination to the ortho position proceeds preferentially over that to the para position. Formation of catechol and hydroquinone can be explained in terms of nucleophilic attack of TFA on the phenoxenium ion in a solvent-separated pair.