Bond Strength and Reactivity Scales for Lewis Superacid Adducts: A Comparative Study with In(OTf) and Al(OTf).

Metal triflates, often called Lewis superacids, are potent catalysts for organic synthesis. However, the reactivity of a given Lewis superacid toward a given base is difficult to anticipate. A systematic screening of catalysts is often necessary when developing synthetic methodologies. Presented herein is the development of quantitative reactivity and bond strength scales by using mass spectrometry (MS). By applying a collision-induced dissociation (CID) technique to the adducts formed between Lewis superacids Al(OTf) or In(OTf) with a series of amides bases, including monodentate and bidentate ligands, different dissociation pathways were observed. Quantitative relative energy scales were established by performing energy-resolved mass spectrometry (ERMS) analysis on the adducts. ERMS of the adducts affords a bond strength scale when the fragmentation leads to the loss of a ligand, and reactivity scales when the dissociation leads to the C-F bond activation of one triflate anion or the deprotonation of the ligand. Al(OTf) was found to bind stronger to amides than In(OTf) and to provide the most reactive adducts.