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The second phase of the gold-catalyzed phenol synthesis, the ring opening of the intermediate arene oxide, follows general acid catalysis. The product selectivity is determined by the substrate only and can be explained by the stability of the intermediate arenium ions. Thus, even remote substitutents can be used to control the chemoselectivity of the overall reaction by electronic influences and their influence is stronger than the steric influence of neighboring substituents. This is supported by quantum chemical calculations of the intermediates. The lack of exchange of deuterium labels excludes even equilibria with acetylide or vinylidene intermediates and the observed deuterium distribution in the final products is in accord with the NIH-shift reaction. In addition, these findings now explain previously obtained results.

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A series of N-4-(4'-alkoxybiphenyl)-N',N',N",N"-tetramethylguanidinium salts was synthesized with varying alkoxy chain lengths and additional N-alkyl substituents, each with a number of different counterions. X-ray crystal-structure analyses of 1b I, 1b PF(6), 2a I, and 4a I reveal bilayer structures in the solid state and, for the 1b and 1b PF(6) salts, a hydrogen-bond-type connectivity between the guanidinium N-H group and the anion is found. For the N-alkyl homologues 2a I and 4a I the anion is still oriented close to the head group, although at a larger distance. Ion pairs are present also in solution, as demonstrated by (1)H NMR: the N-H chemical shift shows a good linear correlation with the radius, and hence the hardness, of the anion. The intramolecular conformational flexibility of 1b I, 2b I, 3b I, and 4b I was studied by temperature-dependent (1)H NMR spectroscopy and discrete activation barriers were determined for rotations about each of the three C-N partial double bonds of the guanidinium core. The relative heights of the individual barriers change between the N-H and the N-alkylguanidinium salts. A fourth barrier is observed for the rotation about the N-biphenyl bond. DFT calculations of charge densities show that the positive charge resides primarily on the central carbon atom. Rotational barriers were calculated for N'-substituted 2-amino-1,3-dimethylimidazolidinium cations as models, and are in qualitatively good agreement with the NMR data. Mesomorphic properties were studied by differential-scanning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy, and X-ray diffraction (WAXS/SAXS). All liquid-crystalline guanidinium salts exhibit smectic A mesophases. Clearing temperatures show a linear correlation with the anionic radius. Substitution of the N-H group with methyl, ethyl, or propyl results in decreasing mesophase widths and a concomitant shrinkage of the layer spacings.

Dilute solutions of the (E )-and (Z )-isomers of pent-1,3-dienyl-2-cations (1) were obtained from reaction of 4-chloro-1,2-pentadiene (2) with SbF 5 in SO 2 ClF/SO 2 F 2 at À135°C using high-vacuum co-condensation techniques. The experimental NMR spectra of the mixture of the two isomers were compared with quantum chemical 13 C NMR chemical shift calculations at HF-SCF, MP2, CCSD and CCSD(T) levels using MP2/tzp geometries. Quantum chemical shift calculations were performed with a tzp basis (9s5p1d/5s3p1d) for carbon and a dz basis (4s/2s) for hydrogen using gauge-including atomic orbitals (GIAOs). The HF-SCF calculations deviate significantly for the positively charged carbon atoms of the allyl-type resonance system showing up to 40 ppm too deshielded values compared with the experimentally observed chemical shifts. The HF-SCF approach is therefore not sufficient in predicting satisfactorily the shielding tensors in this type of carbocation. Inclusion of electron correlation, however, allows an unequivocal assignment of the spectra of the Z-and E-isomers. The mean deviation between experimental and calculated NMR chemical shifts at the CCSD(T) level is 1.8 and 2.0 ppm for (Z)-and (E)-1, respectively. The dienyl cations (E/Z)-1 are the smallest vinyl cations ever generated as persistent species in superacidic solutions and observed by 13 C NMR spectroscopy. These carbocations were structurally fully characterized by advanced ab initio quantum chemical calculations of structure and NMR chemical shifts.