Stereoelectronic effects in brominations of cyclopropylarenes and 9-alkylanthracenes

The free radical bromination of several cyclopropylarenes has been studied. The abstraction of a cyclopropyl hydrogen by bromine atom, which to date has been an unrecognized process, is demonstrated in this study. Specifically, when a cyclopropyl group is attached to the 9-position of an anthracene, an unprecedented hydrogen abstraction product, the corresponding cyclopropyl bromide, is obtained. This is believed to be due to stereoelectronic effects. Molecular mechanics calculations and X-ray crystallography have been used to demonstrate that 9-cycIopropylanthracene, unlike other cyclopropylarenes, is effectively locked in a conformation which places the a-cyclopropyl C-H bond in alignment with the p-orbitals of the aromatic system. This proper alignment activates the a-cyclopropyl hydrogen for abstraction by bromine atom. The relative reactivities of several 9-alkylanthracenes towards bromine atom are established, namely: 9-methyI- > 9-cyclopropyI- > 9-ethyl- >> 9-isopropylanthracene. Semi-empirical molecular orbital theory and molecular mechanics calculations have been utilized to demonstrate that the relative reactivities are not a function of bond dissociation energies but rather a function of the size of the dihedral angle between the a C-H bonds and the plane of the central ring of the various 9-alkylanthracenes in their lowest energy conformations. The absolute rate constants for the abstraction of hydrogen by bromine atom from 9-methyl-, 9-cyclopropyl-, and 9·ethylanthracene are estimated to be 1.1 x 10⁸ M⁻¹ sec⁻¹, 3.8 x 10⁷ M⁻¹ sec⁻¹ and 7.2 x 10⁶ M⁻¹ sec⁻¹ respectively. The value for the primary hydrogen/deuterium isotope effect for the abstraction of hydrogen by bromine atom from 9-cyclopropylanthracene is determined to be 2.6. All of the above observations lend support to the importance of stereoelectronic effects in the free radical bromination of the cyclopropylarenes and 9-alkylanthracenes.