FRIEDEL-CRAFTS ALKYLATION OF ANISOLE AND ITS COMPARISON WITH TOLUENE. PREDOMINANT ORTHO-PARA SUBSTITUTION UNDER KINETIC CONDITIONS AND THE EFFECT OF THERMODYNAMIC ISOMERIZATIONS

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/ja00330a042

The AlCl3 and BF3, as well as 65percent HPF6, catalyzed Friedel-Crafts alkylation of anisole with alkyl halides and alkohols was investigated.The alkylation of anisole with lower catalyst concentrations under mild conditions shows predominant ortho/para directing effect generally with a ratio of c.a. 2:1, with the amount of meta isomer uniformly less than 3percent.With "swamping" catalyst conditions the amount of meta substitution in methylation and ethylation can substantially increase.The isomer distribution in tert-butylation changes with time due to rapid ortho-para interconversion.Consequently, the AlCl3-catalyzed isomerization of isomeric alkylanisoles was also studied.In case of tert-butylanisoles, the ortho isomer shows relatively rapid conversion into para followed by much slower isomerization to meta.The para and meta isomers show isomerization to meta-para mixtures.Isomerization of ethyl-, isopropyl-, and benzylanisoles is generally slow whereas methylanisoles do not isomerize.Comparing results of the alkylation of anisole with toluene leads to the conclusion that the latter are readily affected by concurrent (and in some cases consecutive) isomerization.As the barrier for isomerization in the benzenium ion intermediates of the alkylations is higher in the case of CH3O- than CH3-substituted systems, anisole tends to give the kinetically controlled ortho-para alkylation products and the amount of meta isomer is low.Study of alkylation of 3,5-di- and 2,4,6-trideuterated toluene and anisole and comparing retained deuterium contents with isomer distributions shows that alkylated product formation in case of toluene, but not of anisole, is proceeded by intramolecular, 1,2-alkyl, and hydrogen-deuterium shifting resulting also in increased meta substitution.This effect is most predominant in methylation and ethylation where the alkyl shifts are intramolecular but not in tert-butylation and benzylation, where alkyl transfer is intermolecular.Isopropylation is intermediate in nature.No simple selectivity-reactivity relationship is indicated in the studied alkylation reactions.As shown in benzylations with increasingly electron-donating and -withdrawing substituted benzyl chlorides overall rate (i.e., substrate selectivity) and isomer distributions (i.e., regioselectivity) are not determined in the same step as significantly decreased substrate selectivity is not accompanied by loss of positional selectivity.Previously reported alkylations showing high degree of meta substitution therefore, must have been affected by thermodynamically controlled rearrangement processes, including intramolecular alkyl and hydrogen shifts in the arenium ion intermediates of the alkylation reactions.These are to be differentiated from possible subsequent product isomerizations.Under predominantly kinetic conditions anisole as well as toluene are substantially ortho-para directing in alkylations, as in other electrophilic aromatic substitutions.