Alkylation of benzene by alkyl cations. Stability of the tert-butyl benzenium ion

Abstract

The kinetics and equilibria of the gas phase reaction [1] tert-C4H9+ + C6H6 = tert-C4H9C6H6+ were studied with a high ion source pressure pulsed electron beam mass spectrometer. Equilibria [1] could be observed in the temperature range 285–325 K. van't Hoff plots of the equilibrium constants led to [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The rate constants at 305 K were klf = 1.5 × 10−28 molecules−2 cm6 s−1 and klr = 2.9 × 10−1 molecules−1 cm3 s−1. tert-C4H9C6H6+ dissociates easily via [lr] not only because of the low dissociation energy [Formula: see text] but also because of the unusually favorable entropy [Formula: see text]. The occurrence of transalkylation reactions: tert-C4H9C6H6+ + alkylbenzene = tert-C4H9 alkylbenzene+ + benzene, was discovered in the present work.