GAS-PHASE NITRATION OF THIOPHENE AND N-METHYLPYRROLE BY PROTONATED ALKYL NITRATES

Gas‐phase nitration of thiophene (1) and N‐Methylpyrrole (2) was studied by radiolytic tecniques, supported by chemical ionization mass spectrometry. The substrate and positional selectvities of protonated alkyl nitrtes (CH3NO3H+, CF3CH2NO3H+) were deduced from competitive reactions with bezene performed under different conditions. The apparent kS/kB ratios, which are independent of the pressure and unaffected by the presence of a strong base (NEt3), depend on the nature of the electrophile, passing for 1 and 2 from 7·2 and 6·4, respectively, with CH3NO3H+ to 1·1 and 1·0, respectively, with the more reactive fluorinated caution. Predominant (88%) α‐substitution takes place in 1, whereas no appreciable positional discrimination is displaced by 2. The results suggest that the electrophilic attack can also occur a the heteroatom, and point to the same mechanism postulated for gasphase nitration of aromatic substrates, the reactivity being essentially governed by electrostatic interactions within the ‘encounter pair’. Copyright © 1990 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.