ORGANIC PEROXIDES: IV. CATALYSIS OF AROYL PEROXIDE REACTIONS BY ALUMINUM CHLORIDE: THE DIRECT INTRODUCTION OF <i>O</i>-AROYL GROUPS INTO AROMATIC NUCLEI

Abstract

In inert solvents in the presence of aluminum chloride, aroyl peroxides decompose to esters and carbon dioxide. In highly nucleophilic solvents such as anisole or mesitylene, p,p′-dinitrobenzoyl peroxide effects a Friedel–Crafts type of substitution of the solvent molecule. Both decomposition and substitution reactions probably depend on a heterolytic fission of the peroxide linkage catalyzed by aluminum chloride.