Kinetics of the reduction of the tropylium and xanthylium cations by 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives

Abstract

The pH-dependences of the apparent second-order rate constants [Formula: see text] for the reduction of 2,4,6-cycloheptatrien-1-ol and 9-xanthydrol by each of 1-benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide (BNH) and 10-methyl-9,10-dihydroacridine (MAH) have been measured in 20% acetonitrile – 80% water, at 25 °C and ionic strength 1.0. For each of these reactions, the pH-dependence of [Formula: see text] is only consistent with reduction occurring via the aromatic cation (either tropylium or xanthylium) that is present in equilibrium with these alcoholic species. The relative second-order rate constants [Formula: see text] for reductions by these two reducing agents (1700 for tropylium and 770 for xanthylium) are similar for these two cations. These ratios are also similar to those observed for a variety of nitrogen heteroaromatic hydride acceptors, even though the absolute magnitudes of these rate constants vary by 1010-fold. The second-order rate constants for the reductions of the tropylium and xanthylium cations are predicted reasonably well by their [Formula: see text] values, with the latter cation being (7 × 105)-fold more reactive than its π-isoelectronic N-methyl acridinium cation. The xanthylium cation has the greatest [Formula: see text] ratio yet observed for any heteroaromatic cation, and this value further extends the known range of this ratio as a function of reactivity. Keywords: hydride transfer, kinetics of reduction, 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives, tropylium cation, xanthylium cation.