title: Photosensitized oxidation of alkyl phenyl sulfoxides. C-S bond cleavage in alkyl phenyl sulfoxide radical cations.
abstract: The 3-cyano-N-methylquinolinium perchlorate (3-CN-NMQ(+)ClO4(-))-photosensitized oxidation of phenyl alkyl sulfoxides (PhSOCR1R2R3, 1, R1 = R2 = H, R3 = Ph; 2, R1 = H, R2 = Me, R3 = Ph; 3, R1 = R2 = Ph, R3 = H; 4, R1 = R2 = Me, R3 = Ph; 5, R1 = R2 = R3 = Me) has been investigated by steady-state irradiation and nanosecond laser flash photolysis (LFP) under nitrogen in MeCN. Steady-state photolysis showed the formation of products deriving from the heterolytic C-S bond cleavage in the sulfoxide radical cations (alcohols, R1R2R3COH, and acetamides, R1R2R3CNHCOCH3) accompanied by sulfur-containing products (phenyl benzenethiosulfinate, diphenyl disulfide, and phenyl benzenethiosulfonate). By laser irradiation, the formation of 3-CN-NMQ(*) (lambda(max) = 390 nm) and sulfoxide radical cations 1(*+) , 2(*+), and 5(*+) (lambda(max) = 550 nm) was observed within the laser pulse. The radical cations decayed by first-order kinetics with a process attributable to the heterolytic C-S bond cleavage leading to the sulfinyl radical and an alkyl carbocation. The radical cations 3(*+) and 4(*+) fragment too rapidly, decaying within the laser pulse. The absorption band of the cation Ph2CH(+) (lambda(max) = 440 nm) was observed with 3 while the absorption bands of 3-CN-NMQ(*) and PhSO(*) (lambda(max) = 460 nm) were observed just after the laser pulse in the LFP experiment with 4. No competitive beta-C-H bond cleavage has been observed in the radical cations from 1-3. The C-S bond cleavage rates were measured for 1(*+), 2(*+), and 5(*+). For 3(*+) and 4(*+), only a lower limit (ca. >3 x 10(7) s(-1)) could be given. Quantum yields (Phi) and fragmentation first-order rate constants (k) appear to depend on the structure of the alkyl group and on the bond dissociation free energy (BDFE) of the C-S bond of the radical cations determined by a thermochemical cycle using the C-S BDEs for the neutral sulfoxides 1-5 obtained by DFT calculations. Namely, Phi and k increase as the C-S BDFE becomes more negative, that is in the order 1 < 5 < 2 < 3, 4, which is also the stability order of the alkyl carbocations formed in the cleavage. An estimate of the difference in the C-S bond cleavage rate between sulfoxide and sulfide radical cations was possible by comparing the fragmentation rate of 5(*+) (1.4 x 10(6) s(-1)) with the upper limit (10(4) s(-1)) given for tert-butyl phenyl sulfide radical cation (Baciocchi, E.; Del Giacco, T.; Gerini, M. F.; Lanzalunga, O. Org. Lett. 2006, 8, 641-644). It turns out that sulfoxide radical cations undergo C-S bond breaking at a rate at least 2 orders of magnitude faster than that of corresponding sulfide radical cations.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica and Istituto CNR di Metodologie Chimiche-IMC, Sezione Meccanismi di Reazione c/o Dipartimento di Chimica, Sapienza Universita di Roma, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baciocchi
authors.forename: Tiziana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Del Giacco
authors.forename: Osvaldo
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lanzalunga
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mencarelli
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Procacci
mesh_terms: D000478:Alkylation; D001555:Benzene Derivatives / Q000737:chemistry*; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D002412:Cations / Q000737:chemistry; D005609:Free Radicals / Q000737:chemistry; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010782:Photolysis; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents / Q000737:chemistry*; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D013455:Sulfur / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D001555:Benzene Derivatives; D002412:Cations; D005609:Free Radicals; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; C048860:diphenyl sulfoxide; D013455:Sulfur; D002244:Carbon