Fluorescent quenching of the 2-naphthoxide anion by aliphatic and aromatic halides. Mechanism and consequences of electron transfer reactions

Synthesis of an elusive, stable 2-azaallyl radical guided by electrochemical and reactivity studies of 2-azaallyl anions

The super electron donor (SED) ability of 2-azaallyl anions has recently been discovered and applied to diverse reactivity, including transition metal-free cross-coupling and dehydrogenative cross-coupling processes. Surprisingly, the redox properties of 2-azaallyl anions and radicals have been rarely studied. Understanding the chemistry of elusive species is the key to further development. Electrochemical analysis of phenyl substituted 2-azaallyl anions revealed an oxidation wave at E 1/2 or E pa = -1.6 V versus Fc/Fc+, which is ∼800 mV less than the reduction potential predicted (E pa = -2.4 V vs. Fc/Fc+) based on reactivity studies. Investigation of the kinetics of electron transfer revealed reorganization energies an order of magnitude lower than commonly employed SEDs. The electrochemical study enabled the synthetic design of the first stable, acyclic 2-azaallyl radical. These results indicate that the reorganization energy should be an important design consideration for the development of more potent organic reductants.

Copper-Catalyzed Alkylation of Aliphatic Amines Induced by Visible Light

Although the alkylation of an amine by an alkyl halide serves as a "textbook example" of a nucleophilic substitution reaction, the selective mono-alkylation of aliphatic amines by unactivated, hindered halides persists as a largely unsolved challenge in organic synthesis. We report herein that primary aliphatic amines can be cleanly mono-alkylated by unactivated secondary alkyl iodides in the presence of visible light and a copper catalyst. The method operates under mild conditions (-10 °C), displays good functional-group compatibility, and employs commercially available catalyst components. A trapping experiment with TEMPO is consistent with C-N bond formation via an alkyl radical in an out-of-cage process.

Unexpected formation of 4,4-dimethyl-1,2-disubstituted-dicarbonyl cyclopentanes from ketone enolate anions and 1,3-diiodo-2,2-dimethylpropane

Novel access to 1,2-dicarbonyl cyclopentane compounds by tandem dimerization–cyclization reactions under transition-metal-free conditions.

Visible Light-Promoted Metal-Free Reduction of Organohalides by 2-Naphthyl or 2-Hydroxynaphthyl-Substituted 1,3-Dimethylbenzimidazolines

The visible light-promoted reduction reactions of some organohalides were investigated using 2-aryl-1,3-dimethylbenzimidazolines (Ar-DMBIH) possessing 2-naphthyl or 2-hydroxynaphthyl substituents. In these reduction reactions, single-electron transfer from photo-excited Ar-DMBIH, attained by Xe lamp irradiation through an appropriate glass-filter (λ > 390 nm), to the halide substrates leads to the carbon–halogen bond cleavage, followed by the rearrangements of the formed carbon radicals such as 5-exo hexenyl cyclization and the Dowd–Beckwith ring expansion. Addition of 1,8-diazabicyclo[5.4.0]undec-7-ene was found to enhance the reducing ability of hydroxynaphthyl-substituted DMBIH. A household white light-emitting diode was also used as a light source for these reactions.

Nature of the Chain Propagation in the Photostimulated Reaction of 1-Bromonaphthalene with Sulfur-Centered Nucleophiles

The reactivity of -SC(NH)NH2 (1), MeCOS- (2), and PhCOS- (3) toward 1-naphthyl radicals was studied in DMSO. The photostimulated reaction of anions 1, 2, and 3 with 1-bromonaphthalene (4) after quenching with MeI renders 1-(methylthio)naphthalene (6) as a main product together with bis(1-naphthyl) sulfide (7) and naphthalene (5). The thioacetate ion (2) and thiobenzoate ion (3) were unreactive toward 4 as electron-donor under photostimulation; however, in the presence of potassium tert-butoxide anion (entrainment conditions), they gave the mentioned products 5, 6, and 7, after the addition of MeI. Quenching of the triplet state of 4 was assigned as the photoinduced initiation step, with a rate constant value of (4.6+/-0.5)x10(8) M-1 s-1 for tert-butoxide anion and a rough estimated value of (8+/-7)x10(7) M-1 s-1 for anion 1. By using hydrogen abstraction from DMSO as the competitive reaction, the absolute rate constants for the addition of anions 1, 2, and 3 to 1-naphthyl radicals have been determined to be 1.0x10(9), 1.2x10(9), and 3.5x10(9) M-1 s-1, respectively. This reactivity order is in agreement with the stability of the resulting radical anions (ArNu)*- (10-12)*-. The inhibition experiments of the photoinduced substitution reaction in the presence of radical scavengers and the global quantum yield higher than the unity are evidence of a radical chain mechanism for these substitution reactions by anions 1 and 2. Anion 3 adds to the 1-naphthyl radical, but is neither able to initiate nor to keep the propagation cycle. Evaluation of the electron-transfer driving forces for the reaction between (ArNu)*- and 4 together with the absence of a chain reaction for the anion 3 indicate that the propagation in the proposed mechanism is given by an acid-base reaction between the radical .C(O)Me or .C(NH)NH2 (13) and a base.

Indirect Detection of Halide Ions via Fluorescence Quenching of Quinine Sulfate in Microcolumn Ion Chromatography

Halide ions could be visualized via fluorescence quenching in microcolumn ion chromatography. The fluorescence of quinine sulfate, which was contained in an acidic eluent, was quenched by halide ions. The observed fluorescence quenching values increased in this order: iodide, bromide, and chloride. The present detection system was relatively sensitive to halide ions except for fluoride: other anions gave smaller signals than halide ions. The present detection system provided quantitative information, so it could be applied to the determination of chloride in water samples.