The aryl diene undergoes sequential Heck reactions to give a product with the molecular formula \(\mathrm{C}_{15} \mathrm{H}_{18}\). Propose a structural formula for this product.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: The structural formula of the final product is \(\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{5} - (\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{C}_{7} \mathrm{H}_{11})\). This structure represents a triphenylene ring system with a seven-carbon linear side chain.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Heck Reaction

The Heck reaction is a palladium-catalyzed carbon-carbon coupling reaction between an alkene and an aryl, vinyl, or benzyl halide. The reaction results in the formation of a new C-C double bond between the alkene and the partner molecule.
02

Determine the Molecular Formula of the Aryl Diene

We know that the final product has a molecular formula of \(\mathrm{C}_{15} \mathrm{H}_{18}\). The aryl diene must have a molecular formula of \(\mathrm{C}_{n} \mathrm{H}_{m}\), where the values of n and m can be determined by analyzing the difference in the molecular formula after the Heck reaction steps. In each Heck reaction step, one hydrogen atom is replaced by a carbon atom, increasing the carbon count by one. Therefore, n must equal 13 and m must equal 16. So, the molecular formula of the aryl diene is \(\mathrm{C}_{13} \mathrm{H}_{16}\).
03

Identify the Minimum Structure of Aryl Diene

An aryl diene molecule contains a phenyl ring and two double bonds. To fulfill the molecular formula and keep the aryl diene structure intact, the phenyl ring must have one side chain containing two double bonds. Therefore, the aryl diene structure must be \(\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{5} - \mathrm{C}_{7} \mathrm{H}_{11}\). The side chain must have two double bonds and five single bonds or a conjugated diene system.
04

Perform First Heck Reaction

In the first Heck reaction, one of the double bonds in the side chain reacts with an aryl halide and the palladium catalyst to form a new C-C bond, increasing the carbon count by one but keeping the hydrogen count constant. For example, the reaction could be with phenyl bromide (\(\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{Br}\)) to give a new product: \(\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{5} - (\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{C}_{7} \mathrm{H}_{11})\)
05

Perform Second Heck Reaction

In the second Heck reaction, the remaining double bond in the side chain reacts with another equivalent of the aryl halide and the palladium catalyst, forming a new C-C bond and completing the transformation to the final product, which has a molecular formula of \(\mathrm{C}_{15} \mathrm{H}_{18}\). The product will be: \(\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{5} - (\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{C}_{7} \mathrm{H}_{11})\)
06

Write the Resulting Structural Formula

After going through two Heck reaction steps, the resulting structure for the given product with the molecular formula \(\mathrm{C}_{15} \mathrm{H}_{18}\) is \(\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{5} - (\mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{C}_{6} \mathrm{H}_{5} \mathrm{C}_{7} \mathrm{H}_{11})\). This structure represents a triphenylene ring system with a seven-carbon linear side chain.

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