Triphenylmethyl radical

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Triphenylmethyl radical
Triphenylmethyl radical.svg
Triphenylmethyl radical ball.png
Names
Preferred IUPAC name
Triphenylmethyl
Identifiers
3D model (JSmol)
ChemSpider
PubChem CID
  • InChI=1S/C19H15/c1-4-10-16(11-5-1)19(17-12-6-2-7-13-17)18-14-8-3-9-15-18/h1-15H Yes check.svgY
    Key: OHSJPLSEQNCRLW-UHFFFAOYSA-N Yes check.svgY
  • c1ccc(cc1)[C](c1ccccc1)c1ccccc1
  • C1=CC=C(C=C1)[C](C1=CC=CC=C1)C1=CC=CC=C1
Properties
C19H15
Molar mass 243.329 g·mol−1
Except where otherwise noted, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C [77 °F], 100 kPa).
Yes check.svgY  verify  (what is  Yes check.svgYX mark.svgN ?)

The triphenylmethyl radical (often shortened to trityl radical after 1927 suggestion by Helferich et al. [1] ) is an organic compound with the formula (C6H5)3C. It is a persistent radical. It was the first radical ever to be described in organic chemistry. Because of its accessibility, the trityl radical has been heavily exploited. [2]

Contents

Preparation and properties

The triphenylmethyl radical can be prepared by homolysis of triphenylmethyl chloride 1 by a metal like silver or zinc in benzene or diethyl ether. The radical 2 forms a chemical equilibrium with the quinoid-type dimer 3 (Gomberg's dimer). In benzene the concentration of the radical is 2%. [3]

Triphenylmethyl radical TriphenylmethylRadical.png
Triphenylmethyl radical

Solutions containing the radical are yellow; when the temperature of the solution is raised, the yellow color becomes more intense as the equilibrium is shifted in favor of the radical rather than the colorless dimer, in accordance with Le Chatelier's principle.

The triphenylmethyl radical exhibits green photoluminescence. Further reaction of the quinoid dimer with another triphenylmethyl radical produces a quinoid radical that exhibits red photoluminescence. [4]

When exposed to air, the radical rapidly oxidizes to the peroxide, and the color of the solution changes from yellow to colorless. Likewise, the radical reacts with iodine to triphenylmethyl iodide.

Triphenylmethyl radical oxidation Triphenylmethyl radical oxidation.png
Triphenylmethyl radical oxidation

While the triphenyl radical itself forms a quinoid dimer, derivatives of the triphenyl radical with certain substituted phenyl groups do form dimers with a hexaphenylethane-like structure. For example, the tris(3,5-di-tert-butylphenyl) radical dimerizes to give hexakis(3,5-di-t-butylphenyl)ethane, with a bond length of 1.67 Å for the central carbon–carbon bond. Theoretical calculations on a very high level of theory indicate that van der Waals attraction between the tert-butyl groups create a potential minimum that is absent in the unsubstituted molecule. [5] [6] Other derivatives have been reported as the quinoid dimer [7]

The class of triaryl-methyl radicals have applications in the synthesis of organic magnets. [8]

History

The radical was discovered by Moses Gomberg in 1900 at the University of Michigan. [9] [10] [11] He tried to prepare hexaphenylethane from triphenylmethyl chloride and zinc in benzene in a Wurtz reaction and found that the product, based on its behaviour towards iodine and oxygen, was far more reactive than anticipated. The discovered structure was used in the development of ESR spectroscopy and confirmed by it. [12] [13] [14] The triphenylmethyl radical, and the larger class of triarylmethyl radicals, are called Gomberg radicals. [4] [8]

The correct quinoid structure for the dimer was suggested as early as 1904 but this structure was soon after abandoned by the scientific community in favor of hexaphenylethane (4). [15] It subsequently took until 1968 for its rediscovery when researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam published proton NMR data. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

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A carbocation is an ion with a positively charged carbon atom. Among the simplest examples are the methenium CH+
3
, methanium CH+
5
, acylium ions RCO+, and vinyl C
2
H+
3
cations.

A carbon–carbon bond is a covalent bond between two carbon atoms. The most common form is the single bond: a bond composed of two electrons, one from each of the two atoms. The carbon–carbon single bond is a sigma bond and is formed between one hybridized orbital from each of the carbon atoms. In ethane, the orbitals are sp3-hybridized orbitals, but single bonds formed between carbon atoms with other hybridizations do occur. In fact, the carbon atoms in the single bond need not be of the same hybridization. Carbon atoms can also form double bonds in compounds called alkenes or triple bonds in compounds called alkynes. A double bond is formed with an sp2-hybridized orbital and a p-orbital that is not involved in the hybridization. A triple bond is formed with an sp-hybridized orbital and two p-orbitals from each atom. The use of the p-orbitals forms a pi bond.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triphenylmethane</span> Chemical compound

Triphenylmethane or triphenyl methane (sometimes also known as Tritan), is the hydrocarbon with the formula (C6H5)3CH. This colorless solid is soluble in nonpolar organic solvents and not in water. Triphenylmethane is the basic skeleton of many synthetic dyes called triarylmethane dyes, many of them are pH indicators, and some display fluorescence. A trityl group in organic chemistry is a triphenylmethyl group Ph3C, e.g. triphenylmethyl chloride (trityl chloride) and the triphenylmethyl radical (trityl radical).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phosphorus pentachloride</span> Chemical compound

Phosphorus pentachloride is the chemical compound with the formula PCl5. It is one of the most important phosphorus chlorides/oxychlorides, others being PCl3 and POCl3. PCl5 finds use as a chlorinating reagent. It is a colourless, water-sensitive solid, although commercial samples can be yellowish and contaminated with hydrogen chloride.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moses Gomberg</span> American chemist (1866–1947)

Moses Gomberg was a chemistry professor at the University of Michigan. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, and served as president of the American Chemical Society.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triphenylmethanol</span> Chemical compound

Triphenylmethanol is an organic compound. It is a white crystalline solid that is insoluble in water and petroleum ether, but well soluble in ethanol, diethyl ether, and benzene. In strongly acidic solutions, it produces an intensely yellow color, due to the formation of a stable "trityl" carbocation. Many derivatives of triphenylmethanol are important dyes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hexaphenylethane</span> Chemical compound

Hexaphenylethane is a hypothetical organic compound consisting of an ethane core with six phenyl substituents. All attempts at its synthesis have been unsuccessful. The trityl free radical, Ph3·, was originally thought to dimerize to form hexaphenylethane. However, an inspection of the NMR spectrum of this dimer reveals that it is in fact a non-symmetrical species, Gomberg's dimer instead.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triphenylmethyl chloride</span> Chemical compound

Triphenylmethyl chloride or trityl chloride (TrCl) is a white solid with the chemical formula C19H15Cl. It is an alkyl halide, sometimes used to introduce the trityl protecting group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate</span> Chemical compound

Triphenylmethyl hexafluorophosphate is an organic salt with the formula [(C6H5)3C]+[PF6], consisting of the triphenylcarbenium cation [(C6H5)3C]+ and the hexafluorophosphate anion [PF6].

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Gomberg's dimer is the organic compound with the formula Ph2C=C6H5-CPh3, where Ph = C6H5. It is a yellow solid that is air-stable for hours at room temperature and soluble in organic solvents. The compound achieved fame as the dimer of triphenylmethyl radical, which was prepared by Moses Gomberg in his quest for hexaphenylethane.

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References

  1. Helferich, B.; Bredereck, H.; Schneidmüller, A. (1927). "Acylwanderung an partiell acylierten Methyl‐glucosiden". Justus Liebigs Annalen der Chemie (in German). 458 (1): 111–116. doi:10.1002/jlac.19274580108. ISSN   0075-4617.
  2. Tidwell, Thomas T. (2010). "Triarylmethyl and Related Radicals". Stable Radicals. pp. 1–31. doi:10.1002/9780470666975.ch1. ISBN   9780470666975.
  3. Smith, Michael B.; March, Jerry (2007), Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reactions, Mechanisms, and Structure (6th ed.), New York: Wiley-Interscience, ISBN   978-0-471-72091-1
  4. 1 2 Bulgakov, Ramil G.; Kuleshov, Sergei P.; Valiullina, Zemfira S. (2000). "Red photoluminescence in the synthesis of triphenylmethyl radicals by the Gomberg method". Mendeleev Communications. 10: 22–23. doi:10.1070/MC2000v010n01ABEH001115.
  5. Lewars, Errol (2008), "8. Hexaphenylethane", Modeling Marvels, Springer, Bibcode:2008moma.book.....L
  6. Grimme, Stefan; Schreiner, Peter R. (2011). "Steric crowding can stabilize a labile molecule: Solving the hexaphenylethane riddle". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 50 (52): 12639–12642. doi:10.1002/anie.201103615. PMID   22025456.
  7. Uchimura, Y.; Takeda, T.; Katoono, R.; Fujiwara, K.; Suzuki, T. (2015). "New Insights into the Hexaphenylethane Riddle: Formation of an α,o-Dimer". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 54 (13): 4010–4013. doi:10.1002/anie.201500122. PMID   25704856.
  8. 1 2 Shishlov, Nikolay M. (2006). "From the Gomberg radical to organic magnets". Russian Chemical Reviews. 75 (10): 863–884. doi:10.1070/RC2006v075n10ABEH003621.
  9. Gomberg, M. (1900). "An instance of trivalent carbon: triphenylmethyl". Journal of the American Chemical Society . 22 (11): 757–771. doi:10.1021/ja02049a006.
  10. Gomberg, M. (1901). "On trivalent carbon". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 23 (7): 496–502. doi:10.1021/ja02033a015. (Note: radical is also called a cadicle.)
  11. Gomberg, M. (1902). "On trivalent carbon". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 24 (7): 597–628. doi:10.1021/ja02021a001.
  12. Weissman, S. I.; Sowden, John C. (1953). "Electron distribution in triphenylmethyl: Hyperfine structure of the paramagnetic resonance absorption of (C6H5)3C13*". Journal of the American Chemical Society . 75 (2): 503. doi:10.1021/ja01098a522.
  13. Sinclair, J.; Kivelson, D. (1968). "Electron spin resonance studies of substituted triphenylmethyl radicals". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 90 (19): 5074–5080. doi:10.1021/ja01021a004.
  14. "ESR spectrum of the triphenylmethyl radical". School of Chemistry, University of Bristol. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  15. McBride, J. M. (1974). "The hexaphenylethane riddle". Tetrahedron . 30 (14): 2009–2022. doi:10.1016/S0040-4020(01)97332-6.
  16. Lankamp, H.; Nauta, W. Th.; MacLean, C. (1968). "A new interpretation of the monomer–dimer equilibrium of triphenylmethyl- and alkyl-substituted-diphenyl methyl-radicals in solution". Tetrahedron Letters . 9 (2): 249–254. doi:10.1016/S0040-4039(00)75598-5.