Interception of Deaminatively Generated Benzyl Carbenium Ions by Acetone.
Essentially free benzyl carbenium ions were generated via protonation of phenyldiazomethane with benzoic acid in acetone. Interestingly, no proton transfer occurred below -20 degrees C. After protonation and dediazoniation of the diazoalkane at -20 degrees C, the solvent was found to intercept the deaminatively generated carbocations to yield initially the corresponding O-benzyl oxonium ion and benzyl benzoate. The onium ion, however, was labile under the reaction conditions, and decomposed into a cascade of products whose concentrations as a function of time were used to trace the reaction pathway. Thus, the O-benzyl oxonium ion reacted with benzoate ion to yield (2-benzyloxy)isopropyl benzoate; subsequent decomposition of this O-benzyl-O-benzoyl ketal produced 2,2-dibenzyloxypropane (a dibenzyl ketal), 2-benzyloxypropene, and benzyl alcohol. In a related study, benzyl cations were generated via thermolyses of N-benzyl-N-nitroso-O-benzoyl hydroxylamine at 0 and -70 degrees C. The product distributions were found to be temperature-dependent and different from that in the PhCHN(2) + PhCO(2)H case.
Song
F
Departments of Chemistry, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218, and McNeese State University, Lake Charles, Louisiana 70609.
Darbeau
RW
White
EH