Acid−Base Properties of Arylnitrenium Ions

Abstract

This study uses a combination of laser flash photolysis (LFP) and product analysis to show that singlet nitrenes from the irradiation of phenyl, 4-biphenylyl, and 2-fluorenyl azide can be trapped by protonation in aqueous solutions forming nitrenium ions. With phenyl azide, the phenylnitrenium ion is indicated by the formation of ring-substituted anilines in yields of up to 50% in 1 M acids. The acidity dependence furnishes the ratio kH:kexp = 1.1, where kH refers to H+-trapping of singlet phenylnitrene and kexp to ring expansion of this species. With kH expected to be 2−4 × 1010 M-1 s-1, kexp is therefore estimated as 2−4 × 1010 s-1. Protonation by solvent water also occurs, but even though the rate constant is of the order of 109 s-1, it constitutes a minor pathway in competition with the ring expansion. LFP studies in acids reveal a transient that is assigned the structure of N-protonated 4-hydroxy-2,5-cyclohexadienone imine, the intermediate formed by water addition to the para position of the phenyln...