10.04.2013 Views

My PhD dissertation - Institut Fresnel

My PhD dissertation - Institut Fresnel

My PhD dissertation - Institut Fresnel

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

33<br />

were comparable to those obtained with a more classical butanol/water (8 : 2) mixture at<br />

110 °C, and removal of the alcohol during work up was more convenient, this alcoholic<br />

reaction media was chosen instead.<br />

This study was not meant to be exhaustive but tried to select pertinent starting<br />

substrates which allowed the comparison of primary, secondary and tertiary alkyl anion<br />

stabilities in a systematic manner. Thus different primary alkyl carbanions were first<br />

compared with each other, by studying the alkaline decomposition of three<br />

tetraalkylphosphonium iodides bearing only primary alkyl groups. Decomposition of<br />

tributylneopentylphosphonium iodide (28d) in a butanol/water mixture with an excess of<br />

potassium hydroxide at 110 °C led to a mixture of tributylphosphine oxide and<br />

dibutylneopentylphosphine oxide in a 17 : 83 ratio.<br />

H9C4OH / H2O (8 : 2)<br />

P I P O +<br />

P O<br />

KOH, 110 °C<br />

28d<br />

17 : 83<br />

+ +<br />

This ratio, after statistical corrections, related to a relative rate constant<br />

k1/2 = 1.63 (±0.10) and revealed the butyl group to be cleaved more rapidly than its neopentyl<br />

congener with a difference in activation free enthalpy of ∆∆G ≠ = 0.37 (±0.06) kcal·mol -1 . On<br />

the basis of an expulsion governed by the relative stabilities of the corresponding carbanions<br />

expelled, this difference in energy was expected due to the presence of the strong electron<br />

releasing tertiary carbon center on the neopentyl groups. However, despite the presence of a<br />

tertiary electron releasing carbon on the neopentyl substituent, this value appeared to be<br />

relatively modest. More interestingly, when the two other phosphonium salts bearing four<br />

primary alkyl groups were decomposed, only one phosphine oxide was formed quantitatively<br />

in each case. As a matter of fact, when treated in alkaline conditions for 48 h at 110 °C,<br />

dibutyldimethylphosphonium iodide (28a) and butyltriethylphosphonium iodide (28e)<br />

gave only dibutylmethylphosphine oxide (27j) [162] and butyldiethylphosphine oxide (27e) [37]<br />

respectively. These results suggested that, within the limits of error in determination, the<br />

methyl and the ethyl substituents are more easily expelled than the butyl one with a difference<br />

of activation free enthalpy of ∆∆G ≠ > 4.60 kcal·mol -1 .<br />

27c<br />

[ ] 167

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!