Formation of Stable Meisenheimer Adduct Ion Pairs in Apolar Solvents: Implications for Stereoselective Reactions

A detailed study concerning the formation of Meisenheimer adducts in biphasic solvent systems is described. The process relies on utilizing a significantly lipophilic quaternary ammonium salt to transfer a nucleophile (e.g., hydroxide ion) between an aqueous and organic layer containing the electron-deficient aromatic substrate. Provided that the organic layer is sufficiently apolar, the resultant Meisenheimer adduct is considerably stable, likely the result of a strong ion-pairing interaction between the large polarizable anionic complex and the diffusively charged tetraalkylammonium cation. Using the diethylamide of 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid as a model compound, the influence of ion-pairing reagents and solvents on adduct formation was investigated. Dramatically increased equilibrium formation of the Meisenheimer adduct is observed in the biphasic medium (e.g., benzene/2 M NaOH) relative to the same adduct generated in single-phase systems. Spectroscopic studies on this adduct are consistent with those co...