Combined QM/MM Study of the Mechanism and Kinetic Isotope Effect of the Nucleophilic Substitution Reaction in Haloalkane Dehalogenase

2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (6) ◽  
pp. 1532-1540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lakshmi S. Devi-Kesavan ◽  
Jiali Gao
1979 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 1089-1097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth Charles Westaway ◽  
Syed Fasahat Ali

A very large secondary α-deuterium kinetic isotope effect of 1.179 ± 0.007 (1.086 ± 0.003 per α-deuterium) has been observed for the SN2 reaction of thiophenoxide ion with benzyldimethylphenylammonium ion in DMF at 0°C. This large isotope effect which is far outside the range reported for SN2 reactions, is attributed to the fact that the extraordinarily large steric crowding around the Cα—H bonds in the substrate is reduced in the SN2 transition state. The structure of the transition state is shown to be consistent with this hypothesis.


1998 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 758-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yao-ren Fang ◽  
Zhu-gen Lai ◽  
Kenneth Charles Westaway

The effect of ion-pairing in an SN2 reaction is very different when the nucleophilic atom is changed from sulfur to oxygen, i.e., changing the nucleophile from thiophenoxide ion to phenoxide ion. When the nucleophile is sodium thiophenoxide, ion-pairing markedly alters the secondary α -deuterium kinetic isotope effect (transition state structure) and the substituent effect found by changing the para substituent on the nucleophile. When the nucleophile is sodium phenoxide, ion-pairing does not significantly affect the secondary α -deuterium or the chlorine leaving group kinetic isotope effects (transition state structure) or the substituent effects found by changing a para substituent on the nucleophile or the substrate. The different effects of ion-pairing may occur because the electron density on the hard oxygen atom of the sodium phenoxide is not affected significantly by ion-pairing.Key words: nucleophilic substitution, SN2, kinetic isotope effect, transition state, substituent effects, ion-pair.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document