International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Vol.13, No.1, 665-682, 2012
Use of Linear Free Energy Relationships (LFERs) to Elucidate the Mechanisms of Reaction of a gamma-Methyl-beta-alkynyl and an ortho-Substituted Aryl Chloroformate Ester
The specific rates of solvolysis of 2-butyn-1-yl-chloroformate (1) and 2-methoxyphenyl chloroformate (2) are studied at 25.0 degrees C in a series of binary aqueous-organic mixtures. The rates of reaction obtained are then analyzed using the extended Grunwald-Winstein (G-W) equation and the results are compared to previously published G-W analyses for phenyl chloroformate (3), propargyl chloroformate (4), p-methoxyphenyl choroformate (5), and p-nitrophenyl chloroformate (6). For 1, the results indicate that dual side-by-side addition-elimination and ionization pathways are occurring in some highly ionizing solvents due to the presence of the electron-donating gamma-methyl group. For 2, the analyses indicate that the dominant mechanism is a bimolecular one where the formation of a tetrahedral intermediate is rate-determining.
Keywords:solvolysis;nucleophilicity;ionizing power;gamma-Methyl-beta-alkynyl chloroformate;2-butyn-1-yl-chloroformate;aryl chloroformate;2-methoxyphenyl chloroformate;Grunwald-Winstein equation;Linear Free Energy Relationships (LFERs)