The relationship between the rate–equilibrium coefficient α and transition state properties: a second-order Møller–Plesset perturbation study of SN2 reactions
Abinitio calculations including electron correlation are used to study rate–equilibrium relationships in gas-phase SN2 reactions. The difference between the "intrinsic" α and "group" α is emphasized. In general, the "group" α cannot be used as a measure of the transition state structure. The relationships between the "intrinsic" α and other properties, such as reaction endothermicity, geometry change, and the charge transfer, are discussed. A geometry change parameter Rα, defined by analogy with the definition of the "intrinsic" α, is shown to be linearly related to the "intrinsic" α. The charge transfer at the transition state is related not only to energy changes but also to the electronegativities of the entering nucleophile and leaving group in the product and reactant, respectively, and to the electronic structures at the transition state. Thus, the charge transfer parameter Qα, unlike the "intrinsic" α and Rα, is affected by the electronegativities of the groups involved in the reaction. The systems studied are SN2 reactions of the type N− + CH3X → CH3N + X−, where X = H, NH2, OH, OOH, F, CCH, CN, NC, PH2, SH, and Cl when N = H, and where X = H, NH2, OH, F, CN, NC, PH2, SH, and Cl when N = F. Keywords: SN2 reactions, rate–equilibrium relationships, transition state properties.