Mechanism of rearrangement of alkyl phenyl ethers catalysed by aluminium bromide
Abstract
Rearrangement of [2-2H]isobutyl phenyl ether with aluminium bromide in chlorobenzene leads to a mixture of s-butylphenols and chloro-s-butylbenzenes in which deuterium has been scrambled between the 2- and 3-positions. This result supports a recent conclusion that such rearrangements do not involve π-complex intermediates but are of carbonium ion type.