Double and Triple Resonance Experiments on 2-Bromo-5-Chlorotoluene: Signs of the Ring and Ring-Methyl Proton Coupling Constants

Tickling and decoupling (triple resonance) techniques show that the ortho, meta, and para proton coupling constants have the same sign in 2-bromo-5-chlorotoluene. If the ortho coupling in the ring is positive, then decoupling experiments show that the methyl proton couplings to the ring protons in the ortho and para position to the methyl group are negative, while that to the meta position is positive. These signs are in agreement with the σ–π exchange polarization mechanism.