Methanolysis of 4-bromobenzenediazonium ions. Effects of acidity, [MeOH] and temperature on the formation and decomposition of diazoethers that initiate homolytic dediazoniation

Abstract

We have investigated the effects of solvent composition, acidity and temperature on the dediazoniation of 4-bromobenzenediazonium (4BrBD) ions in MeOH–H₂O mixtures by employing a combination of spectrometric and chromatographic techniques. The kinetic behaviour is quite complex; in the absence of MeOH, dediazoniations follow first-order kinetics with a half-life t_1/2 ≈ 3000 min (T = 45 °C), but addition of small concentrations of MeOH lead to more rapid but non-first-order kinetics, suggestive of a radical mechanism, with t_1/2 ≈ 125 min at 25% MeOH. Further increases in the MeOH concentration slow down the rate of dediazoniation and reactions progressively revert to first-order behaviour, and at percentages of MeOH higher than 90%, t_1/2 ≈ 1080 min. Analyses of reaction mixtures by HPLC indicate that three main dediazoniation products are formed depending on the particular experimental conditions. These are 4-bromophenol (ArOH), 4-bromoanisole (ArOMe), and bromobenzene (ArH). At acidities (defined as −log[HCl]) < 2, the main dediazoniation products are the substitution products ArOH and ArOMe but, upon decreasing the acidity, the reduction product ArH becomes predominant at the expense of ArOH and ArOMe, indicating that a turnover in the reaction mechanism takes place under acidic conditions. At any given MeOH content, the plot of k_obs or t_1/2 values against acidity is S-shaped, the inflexion point depending upon the MeOH concentration and the temperature. Similar S-shaped variations are found when plotting the dediazoniation product distribution against the acidity. The acid-dependence of the switch between the homolytic and heterolytic mechanisms suggests the homolytic dediazoniation proceeds via transient diazo ethers. The complex kinetic behaviour can be rationalized by assuming two competitive mechanisms: (i) the spontaneous heterolytic dediazoniation of 4BrBD, and (ii) an O-coupling mechanism in which the MeOH molecules capture ArN₂⁺ to yield a highly unstable Z-adduct which undergoes homolytic fragmentation initiating a radical process. Analyses of the effects of temperature on the equilibrium constant for the formation of the diazo ether and on the rate of splitting of the diazo ether allowed, for the first time, estimation of relevant thermodynamic parameters for the formation of diazo ethers under acidic conditions.