The effect of steric crowding on an E2 transition state

1976 ◽  
Vol 54 (14) ◽  
pp. 2339-2341 ◽  
Author(s):  
George Stanley Dyson ◽  
Peter James Smith

The mechanism of the reaction of 9-(4-substituted benzyl)fluorene-9-trimethylammonium ions with ethoxide is a normal E2 process. The magnitude of the primary hydrogen–deuterium isotope effect at 60 °C increased with increasing electron-donating ability of the 4-substituent, i.e., 4.15, 5.10, 5.34, 5.65, 5.75, and 5.91 for the 4-CF3, 4-Br, 4-Cl, 4-H, 4-CH3, and 4-OCH3 substituents, respectively. The magnitude of the nitrogen isotope effect at 70 °C decreased with increased electron-donating power of the 4-substituent, i.e., [(k14/k15)–1]100 = 1.24, 0.95, 0.92, 0.91, and 0.80 for the 4-CF3, 4-F, 4-H, 4-CH3, and 4-OCH3 substituents, respectively. A small Hammett ρ value of +1.33 was observed for the reaction. It is concluded that the reaction proceeds via a transition state where the proton is more than one-half transferred to base. It is further concluded that for a reaction in which the 4-substituents decrease the rate, both carbon–hydrogen and carbon–nitrogen bond rupture is more advanced in the transition state. This variance with Hammond's postulate is discussed in the light of steric crowding at the transition state.

1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (23) ◽  
pp. 3513-3525 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Schmid ◽  
Arthur Newcombe Bourns

Kinetic isotope effects have been determined for the E2 reactions of a series of 2-phenylethyldimethylanilinium salts containing substituents in the aniline ring with sodium ethoxide in ethanol at 40 °C. The nitrogen isotope effect, (k14/k15−1)100, is not very sensitive to substituent changes but appears to increase slightly with increasing electron-withdrawing ability of the substituents, i.e., 1.19 ± 0.07, 1.13 ± 0.06, 1.12 ± 0.08, 1.30 ± 0.07, and 1.32 ± 0.06 for p-OCH3, p-CH3, p-H, p-Cl, and, m-CF3, respectively. The hydrogen–deuterium isotope effects pass through a minimum in the region of the unsubstituted compound and increase both with increasing electron-donating as well as with electron-withdrawing power of the substituents, i.e. kH/kD = 4.70 ± 0.06, 4.61 ± 0.04, 4.51 ± 0.04, 4.53 ± 0.09, 5.00 ± 0.07, and 5.39 ± 0.07 for p-OCH3, p-CH3, p-H, p-Cl, m-CF3, and p-CF3, respectively. The results are discussed in terms of recent theoretical treatments of the effect of structural variations in the reactants on the nature of the transition state of E2 elimination reactions. The conclusion is reached that the transition states in the present reaction series can be characterized as 'central with slight carbanion character' and that the effect of a change in the ability of the leaving group on the structure of the transition state manifests itself mainly in the direction perpendicular to the reaction coordinate. A simple novel hypothesis is formulated which emphasizes the importance of the location of the transition state in a More O'Ferrall-type potential energy diagram in determining its sensitivity to structural changes in the reactants.


1974 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 749-760 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Smith ◽  
A. N. Bourns

Kinetic isotope effects have been determined for the E2 reaction of some 2-arylethyltrimethyl-ammonium ions with ethoxide in ethanol at 40°. The nitrogen effect, (k14/k15 − 1)100, decreased with increasing electron-withdrawing ability of the para substituent; i.e. 1.37, 1.33, 1.14, and 0.88 for p-OCH3, p-H, p-Cl, and p-CF3, respectively. Furthermore, the primary hydrogen–deuterium isotope effects increased for the same substituents, respectively; i.e. kH/kD = 2.64, 3.23, 3.48, and 4.16. A large positive ρ value of 3.66 was found as well as a small secondary α-deuterium effect of 1.02 for p-H. In addition, the nitrogen isotope effect decreased with increasing strength of the abstracting base for the reaction of ethyltrimethylammonium ion; i.e. 1.86 and 1.41 at 60° for reaction with EtO−–EtOH and t-BuO−–t-BuOH, respectively. The results are discussed in terms of recent theoretical treatments of the effect of base, substituents, and nature of the leaving group on the nature of the transition state for an E2 process. The conclusion is reached that any structural change which causes one bond (C—H) to be weakened more at the transition state will have a corresponding effect on the other bond [Formula: see text]


1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter James Smith ◽  
Lorraine Marion Noble

The carbonyl elimination reaction of 9-fluorenyl nitrate with various nitrogen bases in anhydrous ethanol at 0 °C was examined. In all cases fluorenone was formed in 100% yield indicating that there was not any substitution. A reasonable Brønsted plot was obtained for reaction promoted by structurally similar bases with β = 0.84 which suggests a product-like transition state. As well, deviations from the Brønsted plot are discussed. Primary hydrogen-deuterium isotope effects were measured for reaction promoted by 11 different amine bases. A reasonable correlation was obtained for structurally similar bases when a plot of kH/kDvs. pKa was made. The conclusion is reached that when kH/kD reaches a maximum, ∼9.2 at 0 °C, it remains unchanged and hence is a poor measure of transition state geometry. As well, very poor correlations are found when the abstracting base is tertiary which leads to the conclusion that a comparison of kH/kD values is not warranted for structurally different bases.


1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 911-912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyotsna Pradhan ◽  
Peter James Smith

The solvolytic reaction of several 9-(ortho-substituted benzyl)fluorene-9-trimethylammonium salts in ethanol at 57.3 °C has been found to give both the substitution and elimination products. The observed rate constant for alkene formation increases when both ortho positions have substituents, kobs(s−1) = 2.35 × 10−5 and 268 × 10−5 for 2-Me and 2,6-diMe compounds, respectively. As well, the magnitude of the observed hydrogen–deuterium isotope effect is dependent on ring substituents, kobsH/kobsD = 1.22 and 2.35 for 2-Me and 2,6-diMe substrates, respectively. The results are discussed in the light of steric acceleration favouring loss of the poor leaving group, which leads to only the second example of a trimethylammonium salt reacting via the E1 mechanism.


1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (20) ◽  
pp. 3016-3018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shune-Long Wu ◽  
Peter James Smith

The reaction of 2-aryl-1-phenylethylammonium salts with ethoxide in ethanol at 40 °C for five different amine leaving groups has been investigated. A significant dependence of the rate of reaction on the basicity of the leaving group was found. The variation of the primary hydrogen–deuterium isotope effect and pKa of the leaving group was not linear and it is concluded that the proton is less than one-half transferred to base at the transition state for reactions involving the best two leaving groups. In support of this conclusion is the observed opposite variation of kH/kD with ring substituents for the various leaving groups, i.e., for N-methylpyrrolidine, kH/kD = 4.58, 4.72, and 5.01 for p-Me, H, and p-Cl, respectively; for N-methylmorpholine, kH/kD = 6.13, 5.73, and 5.50 for p-Me, H, and p-Cl, respectively.


1975 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 1319-1326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter James Smith ◽  
Carol Audrey Pollock ◽  
Arthur Newcombe Bourns

Kinetic isotope effects have been determined for the Eco2 reaction of para-substituted benzyl nitrates with ethoxide in 90 vol.% ethanol–water at 20°. The nitrogen isotope effect, (k14/k15−1)100 decreased with increasing electron-withdrawing ability of the para-substituent; i.e. 2.26, 1.95, 1.60, and 0.84 for p-CH3, p-H, p-CF3, and p-NO2, respectively. Furthermore, the primary hydrogen–deuterium isotope effects increased also for electron-withdrawing substituents; i.e. kH/kD = 5.78, 6.06, 6.40, 6.67, and 7.05 for p-CH3, p-H, p-Br, p-CF3, and p-NO2, respectively. The results are discussed in terms of a recent theoretical treatment dealing with the effect of substituents on the nature of the transition state for a concerted E2 process. The conclusion is reached that any structural change which causes one bond (carbon–hydrogen) to be weakened more at the transition state will have a corresponding effect on the other bond (oxygen–nitrogen).


1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (9) ◽  
pp. 2149-2153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter James Smith ◽  
Kenneth Charles Westaway

The secondary α-deuterium kinetic isotope effect has been measured for the thermal reaction of 2-phenylethyldimethylamine oxide in 90 mol% DMSO–H2O at 60.0 °C. A large secondary α-deuterium isotope effect of 1.158 per α-D was found, which indicates significant [Formula: see text] bond rupture and very little double bond formation at the transition state for this concerted syn-elimination process. The observed large normal value for (kH/kD)α is discussed in terms of the use of secondary α-D isotope effects for the determination of stereochemistry for a concerted elimination process. Various isotope effects found for the syn elimination of the above amine oxide and those for the anti elimination of 2-arylethyltrimethylammonium salts with ethoxide are considered with respect to the relative transition state structures for syn- and anti-elimination reactions.


1972 ◽  
Vol 50 (5) ◽  
pp. 678-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. H. Hunter ◽  
S. K. Sim

The mechanism of the cyclization and 1,3-proton shift of 1,3,5-triaryl-2,4-diaza-1,3-pentadienes (1) catalyzed by phenyllithium and by potassium methoxide–methanol has been studied. On the basis of substituent effects, hydrogen–deuterium exchange, isotope effects, and solvent effects, it was deduced that both the cyclization and prototropy involve a common W-shaped carbanion which rapidly cyclizes. A kinetic deuterium isotope effect of 2 was calculated for protonation of this intermediate carbanion in methanol.


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