THE NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE SPECTRA OF TRIARYL CARBONIUM IONS

Abstract

The N.M.R. spectra of the triphenylmethyl cation and several of its derivatives substituted with methyl, methoxyl, and tert-butyl groups in the meta or para position have been obtained in trifluoroacetic acid – trifluoroacetic anhydride solution. The ring protons and substituent protons are all shifted to lower fields, i.e. are less shielded in the carbonium ions than in the neutral compounds of similar structure. The chemical shifts for the substituent protons are greater for para than for meta substituents and for mono- rather than tri-substituted ions. With each ion only a single peak was observed for the substituent protons but the ring protons were, in some cases, well resolved. The theoretical implications of these results are discussed.