Functionalization of Phenyl Rings by Imidoylnitrenes. 3 The Effects of Resonance, Steric, and Inductive Properties on the Reactivity or Selectivity of Nitrenes and the Stability of their Precursors

The thermal decomposition of imidoyl azides (ArO-C=N-Z)-N3, (Ar = p-NO2-C6H4-, p-Br-C6H4-, p-Cl-C6H4-, p-C6H5-, p-CH3-C6H4-, 2,4-dimethyl-C6H3-, 2,4,6-trimethyl-C6H2-, p-CH3O-C6H4- and Z = p-CH3-C6H4-SO2-, 2,4,6-trimethyl-C6H2-SO2-,CN) in the solid phase and in anisole has been studied in detail. The sensitivity of nitrenes and nitrene precursors (imidoyl azides) towards substitution changes in the aryloxy (ArO) and Z moieties is examined.