Blind Angel - 24-3-2010 at 11:03
Does anybody have laying around or in their head the mechanism of the oxidation of alpha-carbon on aryl compound (i.e. 1-Phenylethane) using CrO3 or
Cr2O7 in acidic condition, I'm guessin it involve radical but I have a hard time seeing it and all then info I'm finding is about oxidation of
alcohol.
Sandmeyer - 3-4-2010 at 07:55
Correct, this is a radical process - the hydrogen abstraction (by the oxygen of chromic acid) will initially take place at the carbon giving the most
stable radical (i.e benzylic -CH2-), hence:
PhCH2CH3 + Cr6+ ---> [PhCH(Cr5+)CH3] --[C-O bond formation to give Cr(IV)ester]--> PhCHO(Cr4+)CH3 followed by hydrolysis of ester to alcohol,
PhCHO(Cr4+)CH3 + H2O --[hydrolysis]--> PhCH(OH)CH3 + Cr4+ further oxidation of alcohol to ketone gives acetophenone.
[Edited on 3-4-2010 by Sandmeyer]
Sandmeyer - 3-4-2010 at 10:03
For a more detailed discussion on mechanism see the following article by Wiberg and Foster (attached) - highly recomended.
Kenneth B. Wiberg, Gordon Foster
J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1961, 83 (2), pp 423–429
DOI: 10.1021/ja01463a041
Attachment: ja01463a041.pdf (996kB)
This file has been downloaded 976 times
kmno4 - 13-5-2010 at 01:48
I have just found this article :
"On the mechanism of the oxidation of hydrocarbons with chromic acid and chromyl chloride"
http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S004040200198982...
It should be helpful.
[Edited on 13-5-2010 by kmno4]