Dehalogenation of arenes via SN2 reactions at bromine: competition with nucleophilic aromatic substitution.

The gas-phase reactions of carbon- and nitrogen-centered nucleophiles with polyfluorobromobenzenes were examined in a selected-ion flow tube (SIFT) and modeled computationally at the MP2/6-31+G(d,p)//MP2/6-31+G(d) level. In the gas-phase experiments, rate constants and branching ratios were determined. The carbon nucleophiles produce expected nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) and proton transfer products along with unexpected products that result from SN2 reactions at the bromine center (polyfluorophenide leaving group). With nitrogen nucleophiles, the SN2 at bromine channel is suppressed. In the SNAr channels, the "element effect" is observed, and fluoride loss competes with bromide loss. The computational modeling indicates that all the substitution barriers are well below the entrance channel and that entropy and dynamics effects control the product distributions.

C-H bond strengths and acidities in aromatic systems: effects of nitrogen incorporation in mono-, di-, and triazines.

The negative ion chemistry of five azine molecules has been investigated using the combined experimental techniques of negative ion photoelectron spectroscopy to obtain electron affinities (EA) and tandem flowing afterglow-selected ion tube (FA-SIFT) mass spectrometry to obtain deprotonation enthalpies (Δ(acid)H(298)). The measured Δ(acid)H(298) for the most acidic site of each azine species is combined with the EA of the corresponding radical in a thermochemical cycle to determine the corresponding C-H bond dissociation energy (BDE). The site-specific C-H BDE values of pyridine, 1,2-diazine, 1,3-diazine, 1,4-diazine, and 1,3,5-triazine are 110.4 ± 2.0, 111.3 ± 0.7, 113.4 ± 0.7, 107.5 ± 0.4, and 107.8 ± 0.7 kcal mol(-1), respectively. The application of complementary experimental methods, along with quantum chemical calculations, to a series of nitrogen-substituted azines sheds light on the influence of nitrogen atom substitution on the strength of C-H bonds in six-membered rings.

Experimental validation of the α-effect in the gas phase.

The α-effect-enhanced nucleophilicity of an anion with a lone pair of electrons adjacent to the attacking atom-has been well documented in solution; however, there is continuing disagreement about whether this effect is a purely solvent-induced phenomenon or an intrinsic property of the α-nucleophiles. To resolve these discrepancies, we explore the α-effect in the bimolecular nucleophilic substitution reaction in the gas phase. Our results show enhanced nucleophilicity for HOO(-) relative to "normal" alkoxides in three separate reaction series (methyl fluoride, anisole, and 4-fluoroanisole), validating an intrinsic origin of the α-effect. Caution must be employed when making comparisons of the α-effect between the condensed and gas phases due to significant shifts in anion basicity between these media. Variations in electron affinities and homolytic bond strengths between the normal and α-anions indicate that HOO(-) has distinctive thermochemical properties.

A direct comparison of reactivity and mechanism in the gas phase and in solution.

Direct comparisons of the reactivity and mechanistic pathways for anionic systems in the gas phase and in solution are presented. Rate constants and kinetic isotope effects for the reactions of methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, and tert-butyl iodide with cyanide ion in the gas phase, as well as for the reactions of methyl and ethyl iodide with cyanide ion in several solvents, are reported. In addition to measuring the perdeutero kinetic isotope effect (KIE) for each reaction, the secondary alpha- and beta-deuterium KIEs were determined for the ethyl iodide reaction. Comparisons of experimental results with computational transition states, KIEs, and branching fractions are explored to determine how solvent affects these reactions. The KIEs show that the transition state does not change significantly when the solvent is changed from dimethyl sulfoxide/methanol (a protic solvent) to dimethyl sulfoxide (a strongly polar aprotic solvent) to tetrahydrofuran (a slightly polar aprotic solvent) in the ethyl iodide-cyanide ion S(N)2 reaction in solution, as the "Solvation Rule for S(N)2 Reactions" predicts. However, the Solvation Rule fails the ultimate test of predicting gas phase results, where significantly smaller (more inverse) KIEs indicate the existence of a tighter transition state. This result is primarily attributed to the greater electrostatic forces between the partial negative charges on the iodide and cyanide ions and the partial positive charge on the alpha carbon in the gas phase transition state. Nevertheless, in evaluating the competition between S(N)2 and E2 processes, the mechanistic results for the solution and gas phase reactions are strikingly similar. The reaction of cyanide ion with ethyl iodide occurs exclusively by an S(N)2 mechanism in solution and primarily by an S(N)2 mechanism in the gas phase; only approximately 1% of the gas phase reaction is ascribed to an elimination process.

Gas phase reactions of 1,3,5-triazine: proton transfer, hydride transfer, and anionic σ-adduct formation.

The gas phase reactivity of 1,3,5-triazine with several oxyanions and carbanions, as well as amide, was evaluated using a flowing afterglow-selected ion flow tube mass spectrometer. Isotopic labeling, H/D exchange, and collision induced dissociation experiments were conducted to facilitate the interpretation of structures and fragmentation processes. A multi-step (→ HCN + HC(2)N (2) (-) → CN(-) + 2 HCN) and/or single-step (→ CN(-) + 2 HCN) ring-opening collision-induced fragmentation process appears to exist for 1,3,5-triazinide. In addition to proton and hydride transfer reactions, the data indicate a competitive nucleophilic aromatic addition pathway (S(N)Ar) over a wide range of relative gas phase acidities to form strong anionic σ-adducts (Meisenheimer complexes). The significant hydride acceptor properties and stability of the anionic σ-adducts are rationalized by extremely electrophilic carbon centers and symmetric charge delocalization at the electron-withdrawing nitrogen positions. The types of anion-arene binding motifs and their influence on reaction pathways are discussed.