Solvent and electronic effects on kinetics of cyclization of thermolabile aryllithium reagents. A comparison between 1-bromo-2-(2-bromoethyl)benzene and 4,5-dimethoxy-1-bromo-2-(2-bromoethyl)benzene

A dramatic solvent effect on the stability and kinetics of intramolecular cyclization is described for the aryllithium species generated from 2-bromo-4,5-dimethoxy-(2-bromoethyl)benzene. The aryllithium generated by the halogen-metal exchange reaction with n-butyllithium, is stable for > 1h when generated at -95 to -100 oC in diethyl ether/hexane and can be trapped with electrophiles. However, when the reaction is conducted in a THF/hexane mixture, the intermediate undergoes instantaneous intramolecular cyclization to afford 4,5-dimethoxybenzocyclobutene. By comparison, the corresponding 1-lithio-2-(2-bromoethyl)-benzene intermediate is stable for >1h in either THF/hexane or diethyl ether/hexane at -95 to -100 oC. These results indicate that substituent effects as well as the nature of aggregation of these intermediates play key roles in determining the reaction pathway of functionalized aryllithium intermediates when quenched with electrophiles.