The
reactivity of sulfur- and selenium-centered nucleophiles toward
1-naphthyl radicals was studied in dimethylsulfoxide. The photostimulated
reaction of sulfide anions, –SC(NH)C6H5 (1), –SC(NH)NH2 (2), and –SC(NH)CH3 (3), renders, after the addition of MeI, methyl 1-naphthylsulfide
as a main product together with bis(1-naphthyl) sulfide and naphthalene
under irradiation. Concordantly, the reaction of selenide anions, –SeC(NH)C6H5 (4), –SeC(NH)NH2 (5), and –SeCN (6), produces methyl 1-naphthyl selenide, bis(1-naphthyl)
selenide, and naphthalene in the presence of potassium tert-butoxide anion (entrainment conditions). Absolute rate constants
for the coupling of ions 1–6 to 1-naphthyl
radicals were determined; as a general trend, the selenide-centered
nucleophiles enhance in 2 times the reactivity of their sulfide analogues.
From the mechanistic study, it is proposed that the unstable radical
anion produced by the addition of the nucleophile to 1-naphthyl radical
affords, after fragmentation, 1-naphthylsulfide/selenide anion. In
addition, experimental results are discussed in terms of density functional
theory calculations. There is a generally good agreement between the
experimental and the calculated reactivities, the spin density being
the main parameter to describe the difference found among the anions
under study. Moreover, the calculations predict that anion –SeC(NH)CH3 (7) would be a good candidate
for the synthesis of selenide derivatives.