A Study of the Jacobsen Rearrangement of 6-N-Propyl-7
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A STUDY OF Tth JLCOSEN RARI GE} OF 6-rt-PROPYL-7 -f.1ETHYLT ETRAL IN by PATRICK GORDON OLAFSSON THESIS submitted to ORGON STATE COLLEGES in partial fulfillment of the recuirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY June 1959 JPPROVFD: .As8oeiate Professor of Chemistry In charge of Major Date thesis is presented____________________ Typed by Janette Crane ACKNOVLEPGMNT The author wishes to express his apore- oiaion to Pr. N. iarve1i roi' his helpful suggestions and criticisms during the course of this work. Grateful thaiks ar 4veri to Dr. C. u. ang for his spirit of 000eration during Pr. iarvell's sabbatical leave. TA OF CO1ThNS Pa ge INTRODUCTION. ............ i lIST OR ICAL. 3 DISCIJSSIO1 . ..... 9 I. The Nature of the Starting ateria1 9 II. Products of the Reaction . 14 PERIi1sNTAL . ........... 18 C(NCLiS1ON . 33 B IBLIOGR.APkIY . 32 A STUDY 0F TJi JACOBSEN REARRAGENT OF 6-n-FR0FYL-7-M1THYLThTRAL IN INTRODUCT ION Rearrsngements involving polyalkybenzenes, halogenated ooly- a1iybenzenes an polyhalogenated bnzenes, which occur when these substances are sulfonated and their sulfonic acids are allowed to remain in contact with sulfuric acid, are classified as Jacobsen rearrengements. Although this rearrangement was discovered in 1S86, it was not till 1944 that a plausible mechanism for the rearrangement was pro- posed by Arnold and darnes (1, o. 961). ihile this mechanism ac- counted for the necessity Lf having sulfuric acid present, e fact which previous mechanisms had completely ignored, it will neverthe- less require further refinement if it is to be applicable to all cases. in 1948 Smith and Lo set out to test the validity of the pro- posed mechanism. Arrcld and Larnes regarded the igrating sikyl group as being split off as a cation. This cation in tian displaced the more hindered sulfonic ada group of the resulting disulfonic acid and thus gave rise to the rearranged sulfonia acid. Smith and Lo (18, p. 2210) concluded that if the mikrating group was n-propyl, it would rearrange to an isopropyl group under the rearrangement conditions. On choosing 6-propyl-7-methyltetralin as the compound undergoing rearrengeinent, Smith and Lo (18, p. 2210) found the product to be 5-propyl -6-methyl te tralin. 2 The formation of this product necessitated the migration of a propi group ureltered or alternatively, the migration of the non- eromtic ring. The prosen work was undertaken to obtain more cori elusive evidence about the identity of this migratory grout. 3 iiIST0 ICAL The present work concerns only that part of the Jacoosen rear- rangement involving polya1k:oenzenes so this section will review onl' directly related terial. In 1886 Jacobsen had noted that durene underwent rearrangennt in sulfuric acid (5, ç. 1209-1212). During e process, the liquid darkened and sulfur dioxide was liberated. The products obtained were l,2,3,4-tetrarnethylbenzene-5-sulIonio acid, 1,2,4-trimethyl-- benzene-6-sulfonic acid and hexamethylbenzene. Ihe main product was 1,2,3,4-tetramethyloenzene--5-sulfonic acid. entEmnethylbenzene when subjected to the same ooitions gave rise to hexaxnethylbenzene and l,2,3,4-tetramethylbenzene--5-sulfonic acid (, p. 896-898). Since hexrsubstituted benzenes are found in these reactions they may be regarded as eni products of the reaction and must be stable to sulfuric acid. On the other hand, trimethylated benzenes do not rearrange but are merely sulfonated (15, . 1614). It can, therefore, be ccnc1ed that rearrangement is possible only in the case of tetrc-and-penta-alkylbenzenes. un investigating the reaction of sulfuric acid on durene, Smith and Caes (15, p. 1614-1615) found that whilst aurene underwent rear rangement on heating with sulfuric acid, no rearrangement occurred on refluxing with phosphoru8 pentoxide. Durenesulfonic acid, however, rearranged in the presence of sulfuric acid or phosphorua pentoxide. ientamethylcenzsriesulfonic acid when placed in a dessicator c&er sulfuric acid underwent rearrangement w}e reas rent amethyl benzene under the seme conditions did not. It is, therefore, evident that it is the sulforuio acid which urderoes rearrangement. The products resulting from the treatment of durene with sul- furie sold indicate that an intermolecular rearrangement must occur. Thus, l,2,4,5-tetraiieth1benzene gives rise to tri-, penta- and hexa- methylbenzonos. In the 088 Of the conversion from 1,2, 4, 5-tetre- methylbenzene to l,2,3,4-tetramethylbenzone the mode of migration is not ocvious. That an intramolecular rearrangement does occur at least in sons cases is clearly demonstrated in the conversion of octahydroanthracene to octahydrophenanthrene (13, ç. 2036). 1y-products of Jacobsen rearrangements, exceçt those involving tetraethlrenzene, are sulfur dioxide and polymeric materials ranging fruta tars to insoluble infusible solids. It has been ooncii1ed that the 1ibers:io. of si1fur dioxide is not an integral part of the rear- rangement process. Herre, it need not be accounted for in a rear- rangennt mechanism. Based on the foregoing chemical evidence, any mechanism proposed for the Jacobsen rearrangement must be able to account for the fol- lowing fsctors;- (1) The fact that tetralkylbenzenes and pentalkylbenzenes undergo rearrangement whereas the tria1ky1benzenes, 1,2,3,4-tetral- kylbenzenes and hoxalkylbenzenes do not. (2) hat it is not the hdrcoarbon but the sulfonic acid de- rivative of that hdrocarbcn which undergoes rearrangement. 3) That intra as well as intermolecular migration occurs. 5 Jacobsen end later Smith and Casa proposed mechanisms for the rearrangement but neither was able to meet all the above requirements. In 1944 rnold arid carnes (1, . 961) proposed a mechanism which had certain similarities to the previous mechanisms but which had a more satisfactory theoretical basis. It was based on two enera1iza- tions whioh imediate1y accounted for marj of the differences in cehavior of the various pc1yalkylbenzenes:- (i) It is neoessar: to he able to sulfonate the hydrocarbon by entry of the sulfonic acid group into an unsubs-tituted position on the ring. (2) Rearrangement is only poseible when that sulfone acid group is flanked by two ortho alkyl groups. The key to the rearrangement, therefore, lies in the fact that the sulfonic acid group must be flanked :: two alkyl groups. T} presence of the two ortho substituents reduces the co-planarity of the ring with the sulfonic acid group. As a result, the contribution of the quiriold structure () to resonance is redued. ' R R R R QSo1 00e (A) Q" The tetralkylbenzenesulfonic acids which are subject to steno inhibition of resonance are, therefore, less deactivating but are nevertheless meta-di.reoting. Consequentlì, such sulfonic acids may be converted to disulfonic acid8, the entry of the secor sulfonic acid rroup occurring meta to the first. Also, as a result of reduc- tion in tht contribution of the quinoid structure it is possible for sorno of the p-disulfonic acid to be founì which accounts for an in-torinoleou].ar displacement occurring. Smith showed that t1 most hindered sulfonic acid group was most readily hydrolyzed. Similarly, it might be expected th.t the most hindered sulfonlo acid group would also be the most readily replaced by cationio reagents. Thu, Arnold and Bernes (i, p. 969) essentially proposed the following meohanisin - cN3r._l;rtN CNj7:1 S03t1 WZ5CM. f130 cM;L,#Ica.f. $03,4 j. so 1NaSO 503M cil ui3/kSo1ii HO Q (NH5I 5M3 C3 $03H -Ql u5 : - ç c,t3' ÇH tL)°,___ M3 _ (S43%lO43 ;u - cM !1 Since the more hindered sulfonic acid group is considered to undergo preferential displacement by a methyl carbonium ion, the formation of 2,3,4,5-tetramethylborizenesulfonic acid (1V), which experimental data indicate is the preferred pathway, is accounted for. 7 Uti1izin -propy1-7-rnethy1tetr1in .s the substrate, Smith and Lo (18 p. 2210) set out to test the validity of the rnechaism pro- posed b Jrno1d and Barnes Since the migrating group in the nro- pcsed nchanism was free cation c n-propyl. group undergoing mi- gration would be exeoted to isorer'ize to an isopropyl carboni ion. This iopropy1 carboriium ion wcuId then be expoatd to dis - place the uore hincered 8u1fono acid group from the disulfonic acid to complete the rearrsnement. Thus, Siith and Lo postu1ted that if the rearran;ement proceeded through a free cerbonium ion the product obtained from the rearrangemoift of 6-propyl-7-methyl- tetralin should involve the formation of 5-isopropl-6-methyl- tetral.in. subjected to the conditions necessary to bring aoix rearrangement. A portion of the rearranged uateïrial was oxidized and yielded as expected 1,2,3,4-benzenetetre,- carboxylic acid. The other portion was dehydrogenated over pelladium on charcoal yielding l-n-propyl-2-mothylnaphthalene . 'mith and Lo (is, p. 2210) considered the migration of the propyl group as unlikely. On the assumption that Arnold and Barnes' mechanism was correct, this would result in the formation of l-isopropyl-2-methylnaphthalene. Further- more, they showed that -isopropy1-7-methy1tetra1in on rearrengement formed 6-methyltetralin. Thus, the isopropyl group became detached but did not re-enter the molecule, Due to the bulkiness of the isopropyl group it may be impossible for it to displace the sulfonic acid group. This experimental evidence makes the migration of a [t] propyl croup seem highly improbable. Thus, the only alternative was to assume an opening c1 the ring followed by its closing ortho to the propyl group. TT NTSTÛ'PJ it is the intent of this disoussion to consider in soi detail the influence o hot concentrated sulfuric acid on -propy1-7-sthy1- tetralin. Ps noted previously this reection hes been reported by Smith and Lo l8, p. 2210) to íive 5-propy1-6-meth-1tetra1in in 25., yield. In the study of anj reaction mechanism it ìs important that r" the nature of the starting material be proven both as to identity and purity.