Pyrylium is a

cation An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...

(positive

ion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conv ...

) with formula , consisting of a six-membered ring of five carbon atoms, each with one

hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxi ...

atom, and one positively charged

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as well ...

atom. The bonds in the ring are conjugated as in

benzene Benzene is an organic chemical compound with the molecular formula C6H6. The benzene molecule is composed of six carbon atoms joined in a planar ring with one hydrogen atom attached to each. Because it contains only carbon and hydrogen atoms ...

, giving it an

aromatic In chemistry, aromaticity is a chemical property of cyclic ( ring-shaped), ''typically'' planar (flat) molecular structures with pi bonds in resonance (those containing delocalized electrons) that gives increased stability compared to satu ...

character. In particular, because of the positive charge, the oxygen atom is

trivalent In chemistry, the valence (US spelling) or valency (British spelling) of an element is the measure of its combining capacity with other atoms when it forms chemical compounds or molecules. Description The combining capacity, or affinity of an ...

. Pyrilium is a mono- cyclic and

heterocyclic A heterocyclic compound or ring structure is a cyclic compound that has atoms of at least two different elements as members of its ring(s). Heterocyclic chemistry is the branch of organic chemistry dealing with the synthesis, properties, and ...

compound, one of the

oxonium ion In chemistry, an oxonium ion is any cation containing an oxygen atom that has three bonds and 1+ formal charge. The simplest oxonium ion is the hydronium ion (). Alkyloxonium Hydronium is one of a series of oxonium ions with the formula R''n''H3 ...

Salts

Pyrylium and its derivatives form stable

salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantiti ...

s with a variety of anions.

Derivatives

Many important cations are formally derived from pyrylium by substitution of various

functional group In organic chemistry, a functional group is a substituent or moiety in a molecule that causes the molecule's characteristic chemical reactions. The same functional group will undergo the same or similar chemical reactions regardless of the res ...

s for some or all the hydrogens in the ring. The 2,4,6-triphenylpyrilium, referred to as the Katritzky salt, (after Alan R. Katritzky) is an important example used in many modern examples of metal catalyzed cross-couplings.

Chemical properties

Like other

s, pyrylium is unstable in neutral water. However, pyrylium is much less reactive than ordinary oxonium ions because of aromatic stabilization. The 2,4,6-triphenyl salt is commonly reacted with

aliphatic In organic chemistry, hydrocarbons ( compounds composed solely of carbon and hydrogen) are divided into two classes: aromatic compounds and aliphatic compounds (; G. ''aleiphar'', fat, oil). Aliphatic compounds can be saturated, like hexane, o ...

amine In chemistry, amines (, ) are compounds and functional groups that contain a basic nitrogen atom with a lone pair. Amines are formally derivatives of ammonia (), wherein one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced by a substituent suc ...

s at the 1 position, forming

pyridinium Pyridinium refers to the cation . It is the conjugate acid of pyridine. Many related cations are known involving substituted pyridines, e.g. picolines, lutidines, collidines. They are prepared by treating pyridine with acids. As pyridine is oft ...

salts and activating them towards

oxidative addition Oxidative addition and reductive elimination are two important and related classes of reactions in organometallic chemistry. Oxidative addition is a process that increases both the oxidation state and coordination number of a metal centre. Oxida ...

by metal complexes, most notably ones with

nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow to ...

. Pyrylium cations also react with

nucleophile In chemistry, a nucleophile is a chemical species that forms bonds by donating an electron pair. All molecules and ions with a free pair of electrons or at least one pi bond can act as nucleophiles. Because nucleophiles donate electrons, they are ...

s in the 2, 4, and 6 positions, which can induce a variety of reactions. The high electronegativity of the oxygen results in strong single perturbation by one

heteroatom In chemistry, a heteroatom () is, strictly, any atom that is not carbon or hydrogen. Organic chemistry In practice, the term is usually used more specifically to indicate that non-carbon atoms have replaced carbon in the backbone of the molec ...

in the six-membered ring.

Synthesis

Pyrylium salts are easily produced from simple starting materials through a

condensation reaction In organic chemistry, a condensation reaction is a type of chemical reaction in which two molecules are combined to form a single molecule, usually with the loss of a small molecule such as water. If water is lost, the reaction is also known as a ...

. Pyrylium salts with aromatic substituents, such 2,4,6-triphenylpyrylium tetrafluoroborate, can be obtained from two moles of

acetophenone Acetophenone is the organic compound with the formula C6H5C(O)CH3. It is the simplest aromatic ketone. This colorless, viscous liquid is a precursor to useful resins and fragrances. Production Acetophenone is formed as a byproduct of the cumene p ...

and one mole of

benzaldehyde Benzaldehyde (C6H5CHO) is an organic compound consisting of a benzene ring with a formyl substituent. It is the simplest aromatic aldehyde and one of the most industrially useful. It is a colorless liquid with a characteristic almond-like odo ...

in the presence of

tetrafluoroboric acid Fluoroboric acid or tetrafluoroboric acid (archaically, fluoboric acid) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula +BF4−], where H+ represents the solvated proton. The solvent can be any suitably Lewis-basic entity. For instance, in w ...

and an oxidizing agent (Dilthey synthesis). For pyrylium salts with alkyl substituents, such as 2,4,6-trimethylpyrylium salts, the best method uses the Alexandru Balaban, Balaban- Nenitzescu-Praill synthesis from tertiary butanol and

acetic anhydride Acetic anhydride, or ethanoic anhydride, is the chemical compound with the formula (CH3CO)2O. Commonly abbreviated Ac2O, it is the simplest isolable anhydride of a carboxylic acid and is widely used as a reagent in organic synthesis. It is a colo ...

in the presence of tetrafluoroboric, perchloric, or trifluoromethanesulfonic acids. 2,4,6-Triphenylpyrylium salts are converted by bases into a stable 1,5-enedione (pseudobase), but 2,4,6-trimethylpyrylium salts on treatment with hot alkali hydroxides afford an unstable pseudobase that undergoes an intramolecular condensation yielding 3,5- dimethylphenol. In warm deuterium oxide, 2,4,6-trimethylpyrylium salts undergo isotopic exchange of 4-methyl hydrogens faster than for the 2- and 6-methyl groups, allowing the synthesis of regioselectively deuterated compounds.

Derivatives

The reactivity of pyrylium salts toward nucleophiles makes them useful materials for producing other compounds with stronger aromatic character. Pyrylium salts afford

pyridine Pyridine is a basic heterocyclic organic compound with the chemical formula . It is structurally related to benzene, with one methine group replaced by a nitrogen atom. It is a highly flammable, weakly alkaline, water-miscible liquid with ...

s with

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous wa ...

salts with primary amines, pyridine-''N''-oxides with hydroxylamine, phosphabenzenes with

phosphine Phosphine (IUPAC name: phosphane) is a colorless, flammable, highly toxic compound with the chemical formula , classed as a pnictogen hydride. Pure phosphine is odorless, but technical grade samples have a highly unpleasant odor like rotting ...

derivatives,

thiopyrylium Thiopyrylium is a cation with the chemical formula C5H5S+. It is analogous to the pyrylium cation with the oxygen atom replaced by a sulfur atom. Thiopyrylium salts are less reactive than the analogous pyrylium salts due to the higher polarizab ...

salts with hydrogen sulfide, and benzene derivatives with

acetonitrile Acetonitrile, often abbreviated MeCN (methyl cyanide), is the chemical compound with the formula and structure . This colourless liquid is the simplest organic nitrile (hydrogen cyanide is a simpler nitrile, but the cyanide anion is not classed ...

nitromethane Nitromethane, sometimes shortened to simply "nitro", is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest organic nitro compound. It is a polar liquid commonly used as a solvent in a variety of industrial applications such as in ...

Pyrones

A pyrylium cation with a

hydroxyl In chemistry, a hydroxy or hydroxyl group is a functional group with the chemical formula and composed of one oxygen atom covalently bonded to one hydrogen atom. In organic chemistry, alcohols and carboxylic acids contain one or more hydroxy g ...

anion

substituent A substituent is one or a group of atoms that replaces (one or more) atoms, thereby becoming a moiety in the resultant (new) molecule. (In organic chemistry and biochemistry, the terms ''substituent'' and ''functional group'', as well as ''sid ...

in the 2-position is not the

zwitterion In chemistry, a zwitterion ( ; ), also called an inner salt or dipolar ion, is a molecule that contains an equal number of positively- and negatively-charged functional groups. : With amino acids, for example, in solution a chemical equilibrium w ...

ic aromatic compound (1), but the neutral unsaturated

lactone Lactones are cyclic carboxylic esters, containing a 1-oxacycloalkan-2-one structure (), or analogues having unsaturation or heteroatoms replacing one or more carbon atoms of the ring. Lactones are formed by intramolecular esterification of the co ...

2-pyrone or pyran-2-one (2). Important representatives of this class are the

coumarin Coumarin () or 2''H''-chromen-2-one is an aromatic organic chemical compound with formula . Its molecule can be described as a benzene molecule with two adjacent hydrogen atoms replaced by a lactone-like chain , forming a second six-membered ...

s. Likewise a 4-hydroxyl pyrylium compound is a γ-pyrone or pyran-4-one (4), to which group belong compounds such as

maltol Maltol is a naturally occurring organic compound that is used primarily as a flavor enhancer. It is found in the bark of larch tree, in pine needles, and in roasted malt (from which it gets its name). It is a white crystalline powder that is so ...

Chemical properties

2-Pyrones are known to react with

alkyne \ce \ce Acetylene \ce \ce \ce Propyne \ce \ce \ce \ce 1-Butyne In organic chemistry, an alkyne is an unsaturated hydrocarbon containing at least one carbon—carbon triple bond. The simplest acyclic alkynes with only one triple bond and n ...

s in a

Diels–Alder reaction In organic chemistry, the Diels–Alder reaction is a chemical reaction between a conjugated diene and a substituted alkene, commonly termed the dienophile, to form a substituted cyclohexene derivative. It is the prototypical example of a peric ...

to form

arene Aromatic compounds, also known as "mono- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons", are organic compounds containing one or more aromatic rings. The parent member of aromatic compounds is benzene. The word "aromatic" originates from the past grouping ...

compounds with expulsion of carbon dioxide, for example:

Polycyclic pyrylium ions

Chromenylium ion

One

bicyclic In chemistry, a bicyclic molecule () is a molecule that features two joined rings. Bicyclic structures occur widely, for example in many biologically important molecules like α-thujene and camphor. A bicyclic compound can be carbocyclic (all ...

pyrylium ion is called benzopyrylium ion (

IUPAC The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC ) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations working for the advancement of the chemical sciences, especially by developing nomenclature and terminology. It is ...

: chromenylium ion) (formula: , molar mass: 131.15 g/mol, exact mass: 131.04968983). It can be seen as a charged derivative of 2''H''-1-

benzopyran Benzopyran is a polycyclic organic compound that results from the fusion of a benzene ring to a heterocyclic pyran ring. According to current IUPAC nomenclature, the name chromene used in previous recommendations is retained; however, systemat ...

(IUPAC: 2''H''-chromene, ), or a (charged) substituted heterocyclic derivative of

naphthalene Naphthalene is an organic compound with formula . It is the simplest polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, and is a white crystalline solid with a characteristic odor that is detectable at concentrations as low as 0.08 ppm by mass. As an aromati ...

().

Flavylium ion

In biology, the 2-phenylbenzopyrylium (2-phenylchromenylium) ion is referred to as

flavylium Pyrylium is a cation (positive ion) with formula , consisting of a six-membered ring of five carbon atoms, each with one hydrogen atom, and one positively charged oxygen atom. The bonds in the ring are conjugated as in benzene, giving it an aroma ...

. A class of flavylium-derived compounds are

anthocyanidin Anthocyanidins are common plant pigments, the sugar-free counterparts of anthocyanins. They are based on the flavylium cation, an oxonium ion, with various groups substituted for its hydrogen atoms. They generally change color from red through ...

s and

anthocyanin Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart gave the name Anthokyan to a chemical com ...

s, pigments that are responsible for the colors of many flowers.

Naphthoxanthenium cation

Higher polycyclic derivatives of pyrylium also exist. One good example is naphthoxanthenium. This dye is highly stable, aromatic, and planar. It absorbs in the UV and blue region and presents exceptional photophysical properties. It can be synthesized by chemical or photochemical reactions. File:Benzopyryliumchlorid.svg, Benzopyrylium chloride (chromenylium chloride), a salt with

chloride The chloride ion is the anion (negatively charged ion) Cl−. It is formed when the element chlorine (a halogen) gains an electron or when a compound such as hydrogen chloride is dissolved in water or other polar solvents. Chloride salts ...

as the

counterion 160px, Polystyrene sulfonate, a cation-exchange resin, is typically supplied with as the counterion.">cation-exchange_resin.html" ;"title="Polystyrene sulfonate, a cation-exchange resin">Polystyrene sulfonate, a cation-exchange resin, is typical ...

File:Flavylium cation.svg, Flavylium cation File:Naphthoxanthenium.tif, Naphthoxanthenium cation

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyrylium salt Oxygen heterocycles Six-membered rings

Salts

Derivatives

Chemical properties

Synthesis

Derivatives

Pyrones

Chemical properties

Polycyclic pyrylium ions

Chromenylium ion

Flavylium ion

Naphthoxanthenium cation

See also

References