Eliminations promoted by weak bases. IX. Stereochemistry of olefin formation from trans-2-Phenylcyclopentyl p-bromobenzenesulfonate promoted by lithium chloride in acetone

Abstract

Parker, Winstein, and their coworkers have previously established that in the E2C elimination of trans-2-phenylcyclopentyl p-bromobenzenesulfonate induced by Bu₄NCl in acetone some 9% of the olefinic product is produced by a syn-elimination. In view of the current idea that syn-eliminations in solution are assisted by association of the base with its counterion, the stereochemistry of the reaction induced by lithium chloride in acetone has been studied. There is no increase in the amount of syn-elimination, and kinetic analysis reveals that lithium chloride ion pairs are completely unreactive.

1-Phenylcyclopentene is not produced by rate-limiting attack of chloride ion on a preformed symmetrical phenonium ion pair. These results do not serve to distinguish between two alternative models of the E2C transition state.