Reactions of Wheland complexes: base catalysis in re‐aromatization reaction of σ complexes obtained from 1,3,5‐tris(N,N‐dialkylamino)benzene and arenediazonium salts

Abstract

AbstractThe usual idea on the two‐steps mechanism of aromatic electrophilic substitution reactions is that the first step (the attack of the electrophilic reagent on the activated substrate) is rate limiting, while the driving force of the reaction is the fast proton departure to recover the resonance energy of the aromatic substrate. The now examined systems allow the formation of stable σ cationic complexes (Wheland intermediates) which may be investigated by simple procedures. Data here reported represent a clear and simple instance of a measurement of the rate of the proton abstraction from a Wheland intermediate and they indicate that this proton abstraction occurs by base catalysis in a rate determining step. Probably, this feature is more frequent than that usually conceived in the mechanism of electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions, because these reactions are often carried out in reaction mixtures containing large amounts of proton acceptor species which might mask the possible base catalysis. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.