Pyrolysis studies of silica-immobilized benzyl phenyl ether (≈PhOCH2Ph or ≈BPE), a model for related ether structures in fuel resources, have been conducted at 275−325 °C to examine the impact of restricted mass transport on the pyrolysis mechanism compared with previous studies in fluid phases. Significant rearrangement chemistry is observed for ≈BPE occurring through two competitive free-radical pathways that are both promoted by the diffusional constraints. One path involves recombination of incipient benzyl and surface-bound phenoxy radicals to form benzylphenol isomers, 10. The second, previously unreported rearrangement path for ≈BPE involves a 1,2-phenyl shift in an intermediate radical, ≈PhOCH·Ph, leading to formation of benzhydrol (8) and benzophenone (9) as principal products. The rearrangement products 8−10 typically account for ca. 50% of the pyrolysis products. However, the path selectivity is a sensitive function of ≈BPE surface coverage and the presence of spacer molecules that either facilitate or hinder hydrogen atom transfer steps on the surface.
Polarimetric studies on camphor (2) as well as IR studies on crotonaldehyde (CA; 1) and benzonitrile (BN; 3) confirm the conclusion of a previously published NMR study on crotonaldehyde that lithium perchlorate (LP) weakly binds to probe bases in diethyl ether (DE). The weak binding is a consequence of the fact that the lithium ion (actually the LP ion pair and higher aggregates), a powerful Lewis acid in the gas phase, competitively binds to ether and the added base. Methylene camphor (5), (E)-1,3-pentadiene (4), camphene, and phenylacetylene (6) do not bind to LP in DE. Shifts to lower energy of the CO modes of CA in ether solutions containing increasing amounts of LP are consistent with moderate increases in solvent polarity. Only small or no shifts are seen in the C⋮N modes of BN and its 1:1 complex with added LP. Because the C⋮N and especially CO modes are blue shifted under external applied pressure, the large internal pressures of LP/DE do not mimic external applied pressure. Likewise, the small or no changes observed in λmax for the absorption and emission spectra of anthracene (9) and azulene (8) in ether as a function of LP concentration do not conform to what is observed under external applied pressure. Studies of the Diels−Alder reaction of (E)-1,3-pentadiene with methyl acrylate show that the reaction is entirely catalyzed in LP/DE; polarity and internal pressure do not influence product selectivity in this reaction.
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