The reactivity of CF3C6F4OC6F4Li towards halogens and cyanogen halides

The reaction of 4-(4'-trifluoromethyl-tetrafluorophenoxy)-tetrafuorophenyll ithium (R(F)L1, 1) With halogens, dicyanogen, cyanogen halides, and xenon d ifluoride was examined. The corresponding halogenated aromatics RFCl (2), R FBr (3) and RFI (4) were formed upon reaction with chlorine bromine, and io dine. Essentially the same products were isolated in the reaction of 1 with cyanogen chloride, bromide, and iodide, respectively. The nitrile RFCN (5) was obtained from the reaction of 1 with dicyanogen only as a minor produc t. The reaction of 1 with XeF2 resulted in the isolation of RFCH(CH3)CH2CH3 (6). All products were identified and characterized by analytical and spec troscopic methods. In addition the molecular structures of 2, 3, and 4 have been determined by X-ray crystallography. The reaction enthalpies for the gas phase reactions of pentafluorophenyllithium, C6F5Li, as a model for 1, with XCN (X = F, Cl, Br, I) were calculated.