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Beyond Acid Strength in Zeolites: Soft Framework Counteranions for Stabilization of Carbocations on Zeolites and Its Implication in Organic Synthesis
Author(s) -
CabreroAntonino Jose R.,
LeyvaPérez Antonio,
Corma Avelino
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201500864
Subject(s) - carbocation , chemistry , delocalized electron , lewis acids and bases , brønsted–lowry acid–base theory , zeolite , yield (engineering) , selectivity , molecule , acid strength , organic chemistry , catalysis , materials science , metallurgy
The generation of a carbocation with an acid depends not only on the acid strength but also on the ability of the counteranion to stabilize the positive charge left behind. Here we report that despite their relatively weak acidity, zeolites are able to generate and stabilize medium‐size (molecular weight ≈300 Da) delocalized carbocations on their surface under mild reaction conditions, as it can be done by strong Brønsted or Lewis acids in solution. The zeolite thus acts as a soft macroanion, prolonging the lifetime of the carbocation sufficiently to perform multifunctionalization reactions with amides, thioamides, and phenols, with high yield and selectivity. Biological studies show that some of the products obtained here present significant inhibition activity against colon cancer cells, illustrating the new possibilities of zeolites to prepare complex organic molecules.