Carbocation-forming reactions in dimethyl sulfoxide.

Mesylate derivatives of 3-aryl-3-hydroxy-beta-lactams and thiolactams react in DMSO-d(6) by first-order processes to give alcohol products. Substituent effect studies implicate carbocation intermediates (ion-pairs) that are captured by DMSO-d(6) to give transient oxosulfonium ions. Rapid reaction of the oxosulfonium ions with trace amounts of water leads to the alcohol product and regenerates DMSO-d(6). H(2)(17)O labeling studies show that (17)O is incorporated into the DMSO. The mesylate derivatives of endo- and exo-2-hydroxy-2-phenylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-3-one also react in DMSO-d(6) to give the alcohol products. Ion-pair intermediates that capture DMSO giving unstable oxosulfonium ions are again proposed. Exo-2-phenyl-endo-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl trifluoroacetate readily eliminates trifluoroacetic acid in DMSO-d(6) via a cationic mechanism involving loss of the endo-trifluoroacetate leaving group as well as an exo-hydrogen. The O-methyl oxime derivative of alpha-chloro-alpha,alpha-diphenylacetophenone reacts in DMSO-d(6) to give 1-methoxy-2,3-diphenylindole, a product derived from cyclization of a cationic intermediate. A common ion rate suppression provides further evidence for a cationic mechanism. The triflate derivative of pivaloin reacts by a cationic mechanism in DMSO-d(6) to give rearranged products. The rate is even faster than in highly ionizing solvents such as trifluoroethanol or trifluoroacetic acid. 1-Adamantyl mesylate reacts in DMSO-d(6) by a first-order process (Y(OMs) = -4.00) to give a long-lived oxosulfonium ion, 1-Ad-OS(CD(3))(2)(+), which can be characterized spectroscopically. This oxosulfonium ion reacts only slowly with water at elevated temperatures to give 1-adamantanol. DMSO is therefore a viable solvent for k(s), k(C), and k(Delta) cationic processes.