Homolytic reactions of polyfluoroaromatic compound. Part XI. Confirmation of the proposed mechanism of phenylation of polyfluoroaromatic substrates

The derivatives of dihydrobiphenyl, which were predicted [1,2] to be formed in the thermolysis of benzoyl peroxide in polyfluoroaromatic compounds and which arose from transesterification, have been identified in the reactions of hexafluorobenzene and of octafluorotoluene with this peroxide. The presence of 1,4-dihydro-1,2,3,4,4,5,6-heptafluorobiphenyl (or its positional isomer, 1,2-dihydro-1,2,2,3,4,5,6-heptafluorobiphenyl) in such reaction mixtures also explains the formation of 3,4′-$\text{bis}$(phenyl)-octafluorobiphenyl in the dehalogenation products of the polynuclear residue from the reaction in hexafluorobenzene. Fluorine migration [3] does not need to be postulated.The yield of 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobiphenyl from the thermal decomposition of phenylazotriphenylmethane (PAT) in hexafluorobenzene at 80° is generally increased by the presence of a variety of hydrogen donors. Larger amounts of additive increase the yield of biaryl with respect to PAT, but not usually with respect to the additive.These results are consistent with the mechanism of arylation of polyfluoroaromatic compound previously suggested [1,2].     

Homolytic reactions of polyfluoroaromatic compounds Part VIII. The decomposition of benzoyl peroxide in hexafluorobenzene

The decomposition of benzoyl peroxide in hexafluorobenzene proceeds by a spontaneous first-order process accompanied by an induced decomposition showing 1.5-order dependence upon the concentration of the peroxide. The induced decomposition is associated with the formation of 2,2′,3,4,5,6-hexafluorobiphenyl and benzoic acid. 2,3,4,5,6-Pentafluorobiphenyl is the main product at all concentrations of peroxide; small amounts of other compounds are formed, together with a high-boiling residue probably containing isomeric dodecafluorotetrahydroquaterphenyls. The mechanism is discussed.     

Model reactions for preparing poly(imino-tetrafluoro-1,4-phenylene)

2,3,4,5,6-Pentafluoroformanilide was prepared giving, in addition, two new compounds 4,5,6,7-tetrafluoro-1-pentafluorophenyl-benzimidazole and 2,3,4,5-tetrafluoro-6-[(pentafluorophenyl)amino]formanilide. Sodium 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluoro-formanilide was reacted with hexafluorobenzene in a molar ratio of 1:4 to give oligomers of α-pentafluorophenyl-ω-fluoro-poly(imino-tetrafluoro-1,4-phenylene). Some of the oligomers were isolated. The results indicate that poly(imino-tetrafluoro-1,4-phenylene) could be formed. Model reaction on hexafluorobenzene with sodium acetanilide, molar ratio 1:2, gave a low yield of N,N′-diacetyl-diphenyl-tetrafluoro-1,4-phenylenediamine.     

Physico-chemical aspects of polyethylene processing in an open mixer. Part 32: Formal kinetics of γ-lactone formation from secondary products. Heterogeneous kinetics

Oxidation of aldehydes and γ-hydroxy-trans-vinylene groups can yield γ-lactones. These intermediates account for γ-lactone formation in the advanced stages of polyethylene processing in air. The acyl-peroxy radical formed on free radical induced oxidation of aldehydes can abstract intramolecularly a δ-hydrogen atom to yield a peracid. Reaction of the alkyl radical formed in this reaction with the hydroperoxide group of the peracid gives a γ-lactone with simultaneous release of a hydroxyl radical. The calculated rate of γ-lactone formation according to the mechanism envisaged decreases slightly with increasing temperature (activation energy of about −5 kcal/mol). It is in agreement with the experiments that do not show significant activation energy in the high temperature range for the advanced stages of polyethylene processing. The calculated rate of γ-lactone formation is found to increase by a factor of about 2.7 if the processing experiments are performed in pure oxygen instead of in air. This is close to the experimental factor of about 2.Peroxidation of γ-hydroxy-trans-vinylene groups can also yield γ-lactones. The first possibility involves addition of a peroxy radical to the double bond followed by oxygen addition to the alkyl radical. This reaction possibly yields an α-peroxy-hydroperoxide. Intramolecular decomposition involving the two reactive groups of the α-peroxy-hydroperoxide can give an ozonide that on thermal decomposition yields among others an acid group in 4-position to the alcohol. The activation energy calculated is strongly negative so that the rate should decrease strongly with increasing temperature. Hence, the mechanism cannot contribute significantly to γ-lactone formation in the whole temperature range of the experiments. This is so in spite of the fact that the rate is estimated to increase by a factor of about 1.7 on passing from air to pure oxygen, which is close to the experimental value of approximately 2. The second possibility of transformation of γ-hydroxy-trans-vinylene groups is based on stress-induced oxygen addition to the double bond. Acid catalyzed decomposition of the allylic hydroperoxide that is formed in the reaction yields a pair of aldehydes with one of the aldehyde groups in 4-position to the alcohol group. Peroxidation of the aldehyde pair can give an acid group in 4-position to the hydroxyl group so that a γ-lactone can be formed. The activation energy calculated for the process is very small and the effect of the oxygen concentration corresponds to an increase by a factor of approximately 4.5 on passing from air to pure oxygen. It is postulated that simultaneous contribution by different mechanisms might well account for the experimental value of about 2.The heterogeneous kinetics discussed in detail allows for complementary data interpretation. It is especially suited for the understanding of the advanced stages of polyethylene processing, after some induction time.     

Intra- and intermolecular trapping of cyclopentapyrazine carbenes derived from 1,2-dialkynylimidazoles

The thermolysis of 1,2-dialkynylimidazoles in benzene solution affords high yields of 7-phenyl-5H-cyclopentapyrazines, which presumably form by solvent trapping of cyclopentapyrazine carbene intermediates. In cases where dialkynylimidazole contains side chains that can participate in intramolecular carbene C-H insertion or olefin addition, these processes compete with solvent addition to afford novel tri- and tetracyclic pyrazines, which can be obtained in good yield when the thermolysis is carried out in hexafluorobenzene.     

The synthesis and reactins of ortho bromophenyllithium

Experimental conditions have now been developed whereby o-bromophenyllithium(II) may be prepared in excellent yields and used as an organometallic intermediate for the synthesis of a variety of ortho bromo substituted phenyl compounds (o-BrC₆H₄X). THe thermal stability, decomposition products and reactions of II wre studied. REactions between II and a variety of substrates, e.g., CO₂, dimethylformamide, fluorinated esters, hexafluorobenzene, and organosilicon chlorides were examined.     

Perfluorobarrelene

The title fluorocarbon has been synthesized in three steps from cis-5,6-dichlorohexafluorocyclohexa-1,3-diene, a hexafluorobenzene synthon. Photolysis of perfluorobarrelene yields perfluorocyclooctatetraene. An extremely facile retro-Diels-Alder reaction is also described.     

Synthesis of 5-nitrofuran-2-carboxylic acid

5-Nitrofuran-2-carboxylic acid was obtained in quantitative yield by oxidation of 5-nitrofurfural with hydrogen peroxide and decomposition of the intermediate 5-nitrofurfural α-hydroxyhydroperoxide. The mechanism of the reaction is discussed.     

Reactions of hexafluorobenzene with some organometallic reagents

The inverse addition of trichloro-2-thienyl-lithium to hexafluorobenzene in THF or ether has given 1,4-bis(trichloro-2-thienyl) tetrafluorobenzene in addition to the tetrakis(trichloro-2-thienyl)difluorobenzene. n-Butyl-lithium with hexafluorobenzene gave mono, bis tris and tetrakis compounds whereas t-BuLi afforded only 1,4-bis(t-butyl)tetrafluorobenzene in excellent yield. Other organolithium and organomagnesium reagents gave the expected products. IR, ¹⁹F NMR and UV spectral data are presented for the several new compounds.     

Physico-chemical aspects of polyethylene processing in an open mixer: Part 27: Formal kinetics of aldehyde and carboxylic acid formation in the initial stages

There are many reactions susceptible to yield aldehydes and acids in polyethylene melts. It is β-scission of the alkoxy radicals formed on bimolecular hydroperoxide decomposition that is expected to be one of the main sources of the aldehydes that are formed at increasing rates in the early stages of polyethylene processing. Acid-catalyzed decomposition of allylic hydroperoxides is another source of substantial amounts of aldehydes. Formation and decomposition of α,γ- and α,β-di-hydroperoxides should yield acids. The activation energy estimated for these different processes is very large (about 57 kcal/mol) so that their contribution could be significant in the high temperature range only. This is different for the reaction of aldehydes with hydroperoxides to yield peroxy-hemiacetals. These intermediates can be expected mainly in the low temperature range where hydroperoxides are accumulating. Decomposition of the peroxy-hemiacetals gives acids as one of the main products. Free-radical induced oxidation of aldehydes is likely to yield peracids as far as oxygen addition is competitive with decarbonylation. The main problem is the transformation of the peracids into acids. The reaction with double bonds is expected to yield significantly more acids than thermal decomposition of peracids. If the last occurs, it will be followed mainly by decarboxylation. The overall activation energy for both processes of acid formation is negative (−18 to −20 kcal/mol). It is some combination of the various mechanisms examined that might account for the experimental activation energy for acid formation in the initial stages that is close to 18 kcal/mol.     

Reactions of diethylcarbamoyl-lithium and bis(diethylcarbamoyl)mercury with highly fluorinated substrates

Nucleophilic acylations have been carried out using a species reacting as diethylcarbamoyl-lithium. With pentafluorobenzaldehyde it gave the addition product, N,N-diethylpentafluoromandelamide, and with hexafluorobenzene, octafluorotoluene, decafluorocyclohexene and pentadecafluoro-octanoyl chloride it gave products which are formed by the nucleophilic replacement of fluorine or chlorine by the -CONEt₂ group, though in poor yield. Reaction of bis(diethylcarbamoyl)mercury with decafluorocyclohexene, pentafluorobenzyl chloride and pentadecafluoro-octanoyl chloride afforded aminated products in low yields.     

Preparation of poly-(n-phenylimino-perfluoro-phenylene). Solvent effects on reactions between anilides and hexafluorobenzene

Reactions between anilides and hexafluorobenzene have been shown to be accelerated in presence of dipolar aprotic solvents, and the yield of prepared poly(N-phenylimino-perfluoro-phenylene), from 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluoro-N-lithium-phenylanilide and hexafluorobenzene, reflects this solvent effect. The structure and some thermal properties of the insoluble polymer are discussed.     

Proton NMR determination of the 2,4–/2,6–isomer ratio in commercial toluene di-isocyanates

The CH₃-proton resonances for the 2,4- and 2,6-isomers of toluene di-isocyanate separate when hexafluorobenzene is used as a solvent. Integration of these absorptions over an expanded sweep scale gives the isomer ratio with an accuracy of ±0.5% over the range normally encountered with commercial samples.     

Homolytic reactions of polyfluoroaromatic compounds IX. Abstraction reactions of some p-substituted tetra-fluorophenyl radicals

The decomposition of pentafluoroaniline, 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoroaniline and its 4-bromo and 4-methoxy analogues by pentyl nitrite gives the corresponding aryl radicals which, when generated in the presence of chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, or bromotrichloromethane, remove atoms from these solvents to give substituted benzenes. The ease of removal of X from XCCl₃ decreases in the order X = Br,H > Cl.The yield of substituted benzene product depends upon the p-substituent of the polyfluoroaniline and is greatest for tetrafluoro-p-anisidine.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the liquid-phase oxidation of tert-butyl phenylacetate

The oxidation of tert-butyl phenylacetate in ortho-dichlorobenzene at 140°C occurs with short chains. The primary nonperoxide reaction products (tert-butyl α-hydroxyphenylacetate, tert-butyl α-oxophenylacetate, and benzaldehyde) are formed by the decomposition of a hydroperoxide (tert-butyl α-hydroperoxyphenylacetate) and (or) by the recombination of peroxy radicals with and without chain termination. Benzaldehyde and tert-butyl α-hydroxyphenylacetate undergo radical chain oxidation in a reaction medium to result in benzoic acid and tert-butyl α-oxophenylacetate. Homolytic hydroperoxide decomposition is responsible for process autoacceleration and results in benzaldehyde, which is also formed from hydroperoxide by a nonradical mechanism, probably, via a dioxetane intermediate. Both of the reactions are catalyzed by benzoic acid. Benzoic acid has no effect on hydroperoxide conversion into tert-butyl α-oxophenylacetate, which most likely occurs as a result of hydroperoxide decomposition induced by peroxy radicals. The rate constants of the main steps of the process and kinetic parameters have been calculated by solving an inverse kinetic problem.     

Physico-chemical aspects of polyethylene processing in an open mixer. Part 28: Formal kinetics of aldehyde and carboxylic acid formation in the advanced stages

The rate of acid formation at high temperature is constantly increasing but temperature independent. Two main mechanisms can account for this behavior in the advanced stages of polyethylene processing. The first mechanism is based on free radical induced oxidation of aldehyde pairs that are formed on acid-catalyzed decomposition of allylic hydroperoxides. The last will be formed essentially on mechanical stress-induced oxygen addition to trans-vinylene groups. Peroxidation of one of the aldehydes might yield an acyl-peroxy radical that is likely to abstract the labile hydrogen atom from the second aldehyde. The acyl radical formed in the reaction will abstract a hydroxyl group from the peracid formed in the same reaction. This yields an acid and an acyl-oxy radical that will give a primary alkyl radical on decarboxylation. The second mechanism involves oxidation of ketones and alcohols that accumulate in the oxidizing melt. Acid-catalyzed decomposition of the α-keto-hydroperoxides yields simultaneously an acid and an aldehyde. Formal kinetics based on each mechanism shows that they do not involve significant activation energy, as it is required by the experimental data. The dependency on the oxygen concentration deduced from the formal kinetics for the oxidation of aldehyde pairs is in agreement with the experiments.     

Physico-chemical aspects of polyethylene processing in an open mixer. Part 18: Mechanisms and kinetics of trans-vinylene group formation

Numerous reactions can yield trans-vinylene groups on polyethylene oxidation. The first problem on data interpretation consists in the separation of the experimental data into components corresponding to well-defined mechanisms. This is achieved by fitting the experimental data into an equation comprising a linear and a parabolic term. The linear term corresponds to trans-vinylene formation at a constant rate from the beginning of the experiments. It can be attributed to trans-vinylene formation on direct decomposition of polyethylene peroxy radicals. The second term accounts for trans-vinylene group formation on cage reactions of various free radicals resulting from hydroperoxide decomposition.The first mechanism can be interpreted by formal homogeneous kinetics. Formation of trans-vinylene groups according to the second mechanism can be accounted for by the heterogeneous kinetics. It proceeds in parallel with the formation of alcohols and ketones. However, reaction of the double bonds with various reactive species in the oxidizing polymer melt does not only lead to a limiting value of the concentration in the advanced stages of polyethylene processing, but also affects the accuracy of the calculations already in the early stages.     

A new approach to high temperature photoresists based on styrylpyridinium units

Four linear polyesters containing styrylpyridinium units were prepared from 2,6-bis(p-hydroxystyryl)pyridine and terephthalic acid, isophthalic acid, adipic acid, and sebacic acid, respectively. The polyesters are thermally stable in the 365 to 450°C range. The decomposition temperature is higher for aromatic polyesters, lower for their aliphatic analogs. The polyesters are photoreactive and crosslink on irradiation with UV. The crosslinking mechanism is 2 + 2 cycloaddition. The polyesters form protonated complexes with CF₃COOH which absorb at longer wavelengths and are also photoreactive. The quantum yield of the photoreaction and the relative photosensitivities of the polyesters and their complexes were determined.     

Determination of227Ac in environmental samples by ion-exchange and alpha spectrometry

A new method of²²⁷Ac determination is based on total sample decomposition, followed by preconcentration as oxalate and hydroxides, and purification from thorium isotopes and rare earths on ion-exchange columns with nitric acid. The actinium is electroplated on stainless-steel discs with near 100% yield from a water/propanol medium and measured by alpha spectrometry.²²⁵Ac is used as a yield monitor. An immediate first count gives overall tracer recovery (typically around 80%). A second count two months later gives a sensitive measure of²²⁷Ac through its decay products at 5.5–6.1 MeV. Analysis of reference samples gave satisfactory results.     

Asymmetric syntheses of methyl N-Boc-2-deoxy-2-amino-l-erythroside,methyl N-Boc-2-deoxy-2-amino-d-threoside and methyl N-Boc-2,3-dideoxy-3-amino-l-arabinopyranoside

The asymmetric syntheses of methyl N-Boc-2-deoxy-2-amino-l-erythroside and methyl N-Boc-2-deoxy-2-amino-d-threoside have been achieved from sorbic acid, in six and eight steps, and in 35 and 13% overall yield, respectively. Diastereoselective aminohydroxylation of tert-butyl sorbate gives access to two diastereoisomeric α-hydroxy-β-amino-γ,δ-unsaturated esters. Reduction of the ester functionality and ozonolysis of the double bond gives the corresponding aldehyde, which exists exclusively in the ring-closed (furanose) form. An alternative synthesis of methyl N-Boc-2-deoxy-2-amino-l-erythroside was also developed, reliant on aminohydroxylation of an α,β-unsaturated ester bearing an acetal functionality at the γ-position, and this synthesis proceeded in five steps and 54% overall yield from acrolein diethyl acetal. This approach was extended to permit the synthesis of methyl N-Boc-2,3-dideoxy-3-amino-l-arabinopyranoside in six steps and 58% overall yield from ethyl 3,3-diethoxypropanote.