Two series of new compounds with sterically shielded, sp2-hybridized C-a atoms are prepared from bromo(chloro)-2,6-diisopropylbenzene. The a-(2,6-diisopropylphenyl) substituent common to all of them is used as an NMR-spectroscopic indicator for the ease of aryl-a single-bond rotation. The corresponding AG* values are >23.8 kcal/mol with methyl or bromine as additional a substituents at a C=C bond, but <8.5 kcal/mol with a-H. The analogous 2,6-diisopropylacetophenone imine has AG* = 18.0 kcaYmol while the N-substituted imines prefer the (Z) conformations with AG* > 23.3 kcaV mol, and AG* = 31.5 kcaYmol for the (Z)-hydrazone. Comparisons of these data with reaction conditions show that chemical transformations are not seriously impeded unless they depend on reagent attack at a K face of the C-a atom in a C = C or C = N group which rotates slowly about the bond to 2,6-diisopropylphenyl.2,6-Dialkylphenyl groups are often used to stabilize sensitive molecules by sterical shieldingI21. With isopropyl as the 2,6 substituents, they can convey additional stereochemical information if displaying diastereotopic (non-equivalent) methyl groups in their 'H-or 13C-NMR ~pectra[~-~]. Thus, the 2,6-diisopropylphenyl moiety may serve as a protective indicator of molecular symmetry; but curiously enough, its application was only rarely reportedL61. This points to synthetic difficulties, caused by steric hindrance whose degree will be exemplified in the present work by reaction conditions and spectroscopy.
ResultsBromo-2,6-diisopropylbenzene (2) prepared from the cheaply available 2,6-diisopropylaniline (1) was found to be heavily contaminated by 1,4-dibrom0-2,6-diisopropylbenzene, such that we could never attain the reported['~*] yield of 44%. Treatment of the Grignard derivativeU9] of 2 with acetaldehyde gave the secondary alcohol 3 and the styrene 4. The latter showed enantiotopic (equivalent) methyl groups ('H NMR) even at low temperature and therefore rapid vinyl rotation, since a non-planar equilibrium conformation could be inferred from the weak UV absorptions. The geminal olefinic proton coupling constant 2J = 2.4 Hz is positive, as deduced from computer simulations of the vinyl 'H-NMR spectrum in combination with selective double irradiation (INDOR). The bromine adduct 5 was dehydrobrominated with complete regio-and stereoselectivity to give only the (E)-P-bromostyrene 6; therefore, the abromostyrene 8 had to be prepared from 6 via the alkyne 7 by addition of hydrogen bromide. With a total yield of ca. 1% over more than 6 steps, however, 8 could not be obtained in a suficient amount and purity to serve as a convenient precursor for further transformations.,CHMe2 1-6