Revising Advanced Organic Chemistry  Doc Brown's GCE Chemistry

Revision Notes PART 10 Summary of organic reaction mechanisms - A mechanistic introduction to organic chemistry and explanations of different types of organic reactions

Part 10.8 Aromatic Hydrocarbons - Arenes - Electrophilic substitution reactions - SULFONATION

Part 10.8 AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (ARENES) - introduction to arene electrophilic substitutions. Sulfonation/sulfonation to give a sulfonic/sulfonic acid like benzenesulfonic acid/benzenesulfonic acid, The orientation of products in aromatic substitution (1,2-; 1,3-; and 1,4- positions for two substituents in the benzene ring, old names - ortho/meta/para substitution products). The revision notes include full diagrams and explanation of the mechanisms and the 'molecular' equation and reaction conditions and other con-current reaction pathways and products are also explained for the reaction mechanisms of aromatic hydrocarbons like benzene and methylbenzene.

See also INDEX of all AROMATIC COMPOUND chemistry revision notes

Why do aromatic hydrocarbon molecules primarily react via electrophilic substitution reaction?

The five reactions described Part 10.8 are electrophilic substitution reactions involving the generation of a powerful electrophile (electron pair acceptor) which subsequently attacks the electron rich π (pi) electron system of the benzene ring.

Arenes tend to undergo substitution, rather than addition, because substitutions allows the very stable benzene ring to remain intact.

• Examples of aromatic sulfonation substitution reactions

• (i) + H₂SO₄ ==> + H₂O

  • benzene + sulfuric acid ==> benzenesulfonic acid + water

  • shows the full structure of the sulfonic acid group

• (ii) + H₂SO₄ ==>    + H₂O

  • methylbenzene + sulfuric acid ==> 2/3/4-methylbenzenesulfonic acid + water

  • Three structural-positional isomers C₇H₈SO₃ formed in different proportions

• What is the mechanism for sulfonating benzene or methyl benzene?

• for R = H, benzene: C₆H₆ + SO₃ ==> C₆H₅SO₂OH  [see mechanism 44 below]

• or C₆H₆ + H₂SO₄ ==> C₆H₅SO₂OH + H₂O

• Benzene is heated with concentrated sulfuric acid or even better, 'fuming' sulfuric acid, which has a higher sulfur trioxide content and more efficient at introducing the sulfonic acid group into the benzene ring.

mechanism 25 - electrophilic substitution by a sulfonate group in the benzene ring

• [mechanism 44 above]  

  • Step (1) Sulfur trioxide is formed (or already present). It is a powerful electrophile, i.e. electron pair acceptor because of the effect of the three very electronegative oxygen atoms bonded to the central sulfur atom.

  • Step (2) An electron pair from the delocalised pi electrons of the benzene ring forms a C-S bond with the electron pair accepting sulfur trioxide forming a second highly unstable intermediate. It is very unstable because the stable electron arrangement of the benzene ring pi electrons is partially broken to give a 'saturated' C (top right of ring).

  • Step (3) A hydrogensulfate ion removes a proton and the complete benzene ring of pi electrons is reformed giving the anion of the aromatic sulfonic acid.

  • Step (4) is a proton transfer to give the sulfonic acid.

• for R = CH₃, methylbenzene: C₆H₅CH₃ + H₂SO₄ ==> CH₃C₆H₄SO₂OH + H₂O

  • and again there is the potential to form three position isomers by substituting in the 2, 3 or 4 position on the ring, the mechanism diagram shows the formation of methyl-2-benzenesulfonic acid.

• FURTHER COMMENTS

  • The overall sulfonation reaction is the substitution of -H by -SO₂OH

10.8.7 The orientation of products in aromatic electrophilic substitution reactions

• Certain groups, already present, can increase the electron density of the benzene ring and make the aromatic compound more reactive towards electrophiles such as those described above. However the effect seems to enhance the reactivity at the 2 and 4 substitution positions more than the 3 substitution position.

  • Groups that increase reactivity are e.g. -CH₃, -Cl, -OH, -NH₂, -NHCOCH₃, and favour substitution at the 2 and 4 positions (typically 90-100% combined).

  • They all, by some means, have a small, but significant, electron donating (+I inductive effect) on the ring of pi electrons.

  • For example, methyl benzene is significantly more reactive than benzene and when nitrated, over 90% of the products are either methyl-2-nitrobenzene or methyl-4-nitrobenzene.

• Certain groups, already present, can decrease the electron density of the benzene ring and make the aromatic compound less reactive towards electrophiles such as described above. However the effect seems to decrease the reactivity at the 2 and 4 substitution positions more than the 3 substitution position.

  • Groups that decrease reactivity, by some means, are e.g. -NO₂, COOH, -CHO, -SO₂OH, and favour substitution at the 3 position (typically 70-90%) and their effect does fit in with them all being strongly electronegative groupings giving a -I inductive effect.

  • For example, nitrobenzene is much less reactive than benzene and on nitration, 93% of the product is 1,3-dinitrobenzene.

• -

keywords phrases: reaction conditions formula intermediates organic chemistry reaction mechanisms electrophilic substitution benzene methylbenzene C6H6 + SO3 ==> C6H5SO2OH or C6H6 + H2SO4 ==> C6H5SO2OH + H2O R = CH3, benzene: C6H5CH3 + H2SO4 ==> CH3C6H4SO2OH + H2O sulfonation reaction is the substitution of -H by -SO2OH Sulfonation

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APPENDIX

See also INDEX of all AROMATIC COMPOUND chemistry revision notes

  COMPLETE MECHANISM and Organic Synthesis INDEX (so far!)

• PART 10 An Introduction to organic chemical reaction mechanisms and technical terms explained

• Organic Synthesis - MECHANISMS INDEX

• Part 10.2 ALKANES - introduction

to their chemistry *

• Free radical chlorination/bromination to give halogenoalkanes (haloalkanes, alkyl halides)

• Free radical mechanism for cracking hydrocarbons to give shorter alkanes and alkenes

• Ionic mechanism for cracking hydrocarbons

• Part 10.3 ALKENES - introduction to their chemistry

  • Electrophilic addition of hydrogen bromide [HBr_{(conc. aq)} and HBr_{(g/non-polar solvent)}] to form halogenoalkanes

  • Electrophilic addition of bromine with pure bromine or in non-polar solvent (non-aqueous Br_2(l/solvent)) to give dibromoalkanes AND addition using bromine water [aqueous Br_2(aq)] to give bromo-alcohols

  • Electrophilic addition of sulfuric acid AND electrophilic addition of water [acid catalyst] to form alcohols

  • Free radical polymerisation to give poly(alkene) polymers e.g. ethene ==> poly(ethene)

  • Hydrogenation to give saturated alkanes

• Part 10.4 HALOGENOALKANES - introduction to the chemistry of haloalkanes/alkyl halides

  • Nucleophilic substitution by water/hydroxide ion [S_N1 or S_N2, hydrolysis to give alcohols]

    • with extra notes on kinetics, rds, molecularity, rate expression, activated complex etc.

  • Nucleophilic substitution by cyanide ion to give a nitrile [S_N1 or S_N2]

  • Nucleophilic substitution by ammonia/primary amine to give primary/secondary amines etc. [S_N1 or S_N2]

  • Elimination of hydrogen bromide to form alkenes [E1 and E2]

• Part 10.5 ALCOHOLS - introduction to their chemistry

  • Conversion of an alcohol to a halogenoalkane

  • Elimination of water from an alcohol to give an alkene [acid catalysed, E1 and E2]

• Part 10.6 Carbonyl compounds - ALDEHYDES and KETONES - introduction to their chemistry

  • Nucleophilic addition of hydrogen cyanide to form a hydroxy-nitrile

  • Addition of hydrogen - reduction with LiAlH₄ or NaBH₄ to give alcohols

  • The iodination of ketones e.g. a 2-one like propanone (a methyl ketone) to give iodo-ketones

• Part 10.7 Carboxylic Acids and ACID CHLORIDES - introduction - all nucleophilic addition-elimination reactions

  • Hydrolysis of acid chlorides with water to give a carboxylic acid

  • Esterification of acid chlorides with alcohols to give an ester

  • Amide formation from reaction of acid chlorides with ammonia or primary amines

• Part 10.8 AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS - introduction to arene electrophilic substitutions

  • Nitration to give nitro-aromatics like nitrobenzene

  • Chlorination to chloro-aromatics like chlorobenzene

  • Alkylation to give alkyl-aromatics like methylbenzene [Friedel-Crafts reaction]

  • Acylation to give aromatic ketones [Friedel-Crafts reaction]

  • Sulfonation/sulfonation to give a sulfonic/sulfonic acid like benzenesulfonic acid/benzenesulfonic acid

  • The orientation of products in aromatic substitution (2,4,6 or 3,5 positions, ortho, para & meta substitution products)

• Other important associated links

  • Isomerism - chain isomerism, positional isomerism, functional group isomerism & Tautomerism
  • Stereoisomerism introduction, E/Z isomerism ('ex' Geometric/Geometrical cis/trans Isomerism)
  • R/S Optical Isomerism and chiral auxiliary synthesis
  • All Advanced Organic Chemistry Notes
  • Summary of Organic Functional Groups
  • Quiz on Organic Structure Recognition
  • Summary of organic chemistry functional group tests
  • The shapes and bond angles of simple organic molecules
  • Aliphatic structure & nomenclature m/c BUMPER QUIZ
  • Type in name aliphatic structure and nomenclature BUMPER QUIZ

See also INDEX of all AROMATIC COMPOUND chemistry revision notes

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