The alpha-Effect in Benzyl Transfers from Benzylphenylmethyl Sulfonium Salts to N-Methylbenzohydroxamate Anions

Effect of medium on reactivity for alkaline hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl acetate and S-p-nitrophenyl thioacetate in DMSO–H2O mixtures of varying compositions: ground state and transition state contributions

Second-order rate constants (kN) for reactions of p-nitrophenyl acetate (1) and S-p-nitrophenyl thioacetate (2) with OH– have been measured spectrophotometrically in DMSO–H2O mixtures of varying compositions at 25.0 ± 0.1 °C. The kN value increases from 11.6 to 32 800 M–1 s–1 for the reactions of 1 and from 5.90 to 190 000 M–1 s–1 for those of 2 as the reaction medium changes from H2O to 80 mol % DMSO, indicating that the effect of medium on reactivity is more remarkable for the reactions of 2 than for those of 1. Although 2 possesses a better leaving group than 1, the former is less reactive than the latter by a factor of 2 in H2O. This implies that expulsion of the leaving group is not advanced in the rate-determining transition state, i.e., the reactions of 1 and 2 with OH– proceed through a stepwise mechanism, in which expulsion of the leaving group from the addition intermediate occurs after the rate-determining step. Addition of DMSO to H2O would destabilize OH– through electronic repulsion between the anion and the negative-dipole end in DMSO. However, destabilization of OH– in the ground state is not solely responsible for the remarkably enhanced reactivity upon addition of DMSO to the medium. The effect of medium on reactivity has been dissected into the ground state and transition state contributions through combination of the kinetic data with the transfer enthalpies (ΔΔHtr) from H2O to DMSO–H2O mixtures for OH– ion.

Hydrazinolysis of aryl cinnamates and related esters: the α-effect arises from stabilization of five-membered cyclic transition state

A kinetic study is reported for nucleophilic substitution reactions of Y-substituted-phenyl cinnamates (1a–1h) with a series of primary amines including hydrazine in H2O containing 20 mol % DMSO at 25.0 °C. The Brønsted-type plot for the reaction of 2,4-dinitrophenyl cinnamate (1a) is linear with βnuc = 0.57 except hydrazine, which exhibits positive deviation from the linear correlation (i.e., the α-effect). The Brønsted-type plots for the reactions of 1a–1h with hydrazine and glycylglycine (glygly) are also linear with βlg = –0.71 and –0.87, respectively, when 1a is excluded from the linear correlation. Thus, the reactions have been concluded to proceed through a concerted mechanism on the basis of the linear Brønsted-type plots and magnitudes of the βnuc and βlg values. The α-effect shown by hydrazine is dependent on electronic nature of the substituent Y in the leaving group, e.g., it increases as the substituent Y becomes a weaker electron-withdrawing group (or as basicity of the leaving aryloxide increases), indicating that the α-effect is not due to destabilization of the ground state but mainly due to stabilization of the transition state. A five-membered cyclic TS structure, which could increase nucleofugality of the leaving aryloxide through H-bonding interaction, has been proposed to account for the leaving-group dependent α-effect found in this study. The theories suggested previously to rationalize the α-effect found for the related systems are also discussed.

Medium effect on the α-effect for nucleophilic substitution reactions of p-nitrophenyl acetate with benzohydroxamates and m-chlorophenoxide in DMSO–H2O mixtures as contrasts with MeCN–H2O mixtures: comparing two very different polar aprotic solvent components

A kinetic study is reported on nucleophilic substitution reactions of p-nitrophenyl acetate (1a) with three α-effect nucleophiles, benzohydroxamate (BHA–), p-methylbenzohydroxamate (MBHA–), and p-methyl-N-methylbenzohydroxamate (M2BHA–), and a reference nucleophile, m-chlorophenoxide (m-ClPhO–), in DMSO–H2O mixtures of varying compositions at 25.0 ± 0.1 °C. Second-order rate constants for the reactions with BHA– and MBHA– decrease upon addition of DMSO to the reaction medium up to 60 mol % DMSO and then increase thereafter only a little. In contrast, M2BHA– and m-ClPhO– become much more reactive as the DMSO content in the medium increases. Such contrasting medium effects on reactivity are consistent with the report that hydroxamic acids behave as OH acids in H2O but as NH acids in dipolar aprotic solvents (e.g., DMSO and MeCN). It has been concluded that BHA– and MBHA– form an equilibrium of a reactive form I with less reactive species II in DMSO–H2O mixtures and the position of the equilibrium is dependent on solvent compositions. BHA– and MBHA– exhibit the α-effect in H2O but not in in 90 mol % DMSO. In contrast, the α-effect yielded by M2BHA– increases steeply up to 70 mol % DMSO and then levels off thereafter.

The α-effect in the SNAr reaction of 1-(4-nitrophenoxy)-2,4-dinitrobenzene with anionic nucleophiles: effects of solvation and polarizability on the α-effect

A kinetic study on SNAr reactions of 1-(4-nitrophenoxy)-2,4-dinitrobenzene (1a) with various anionic nucleophiles in 80 mol% water – 20 mol% DMSO at 25.0 °C is reported. The Brønsted-type plot for the reaction of 1a with a series of substituted phenoxides and HOO− results in an excellent linear correlation with βnuc = 1.17. However, OH− exhibits dramatic negative deviation from the Brønsted-type plot, while N3−, C6H5S−, and butane-2,3-dione monoximate (Ox−) deviate positively from linearity. HOO− is 680-fold more reactive than OH− but does not exhibit the α-effect. In contrast, Ox− is 166-fold more reactive than isobasic 4-Cl−C6H4O− and exhibits the α-effect. Differential solvation effects have been suggested to be responsible for the α-effect in this study, i.e., Ox− exhibits the α-effect, since it is 5.7 kcal/mol less strongly solvated than 4-Cl−C6H4O− in the reaction medium, while HOO− does not show the α-effect due to a strong requirement for partial desolvation before nucleophilic attack. The highly enhanced reactivity of polarizable N3− and C6H5S− and extremely decreased reactivity of nonpolarizable OH− are in accord with the hard–soft acid and base principle.

From α-nucleophiles to functionalized aggregates: exploring the reactivity of hydroxamate ion towards esterolytic reactions in micelles

Hydroxamate ions as α-nucleophiles for esterolytic reactions in water and micelles.

In silico study on the mechanism of formation of hydrazine and nitrogen in the reactions of excess hydroxylamine with 2,4-dinitrophenyl diethyl phosphate

Decomposition study of 2,4-dinitrophenyl diethyl phosphate to hydrazine and nitrogen gas with excess of hydroxylamine using quantum chemical calculations.

Concise Synthesis of Functionalized Benzocyclobutenones

A concise approach to access functionalized benzocyclobutenones from 3-halophenol derivatives is described. This modified synthesis employs a [2+2] cycloaddition between benzynes generated from dehydrohalogenation of aryl halides using LiTMP and acetaldehyde enolate generated from n-BuLi and THF, followed by oxidation of the benzocyclobutenol intermediates to provide benzocyclobutenones. The [2+2] reaction can be run on a 10-gram scale with an increased yield. A number of functional groups including alkenes and alkynes are tolerated. Coupling of benzynes with ketene silyl acetals to give 8-substituted benzocyclobutenones is also demonstrated.

Exploration of the α-effect by substitution on hydroxylamine anions. I. Effects of alkyl- and fluoroalkylation

Many explanations for the α-effect have been suggested. Most are simple models conjecturing various sources affecting the nucleophilic behavior. This paper provides a comprehensive study of electronic effects using the single α-atom lone electron pair of substituted hydroxyl amine anions. This substituent scheme shows that the interaction of this lone pair with the negatively charged oxygen atom is an important indicator of reactivity.

Dissection of activation parameters in the bell-shaped α-effect following solvent modulation (DMSO-H2O media)

This paper comprises results of our investigation of the α-effect phenomenon for the reaction of O-p-nitrophenyl thionobenzoate (PNPTB) with butane-2,3-dione monoximate (Ox(-), α-nucleophile) and p-chlorophenoxide (p-ClPhO(-), normal-nucleophile) in DMSO-H2O mixtures of varying compositions at 15.0 °C, 25.0 °C, and 35.0 °C. The reactivity of Ox(-) and p-ClPhO(-) increases significantly as the DMSO content in the medium increases, although the effects of medium on reactivity are not the same for the reactions with Ox(-) and p-ClPhO(-). Ox(-) exhibits the α-effect in all solvent compositions and temperatures. The α-effect increases up to 50 mol % DMSO and then decreases thereafter, resulting in a bell-shaped α-effect profile. Dissection of the activation parameters (i.e., ΔH(‡) and TΔS(‡)) has revealed that the bell-shaped α-effect behavior is due to entropy of activation differences rather than enthalpy terms, although the enthalpy term controls almost entirely the solvent dependence of the reaction rate. Differences in the transition-state (TS) structures for the reactions with Ox(-) (a six-membered cyclic TS) and p-ClPhO(-) (an acyclic TS) are consistent with the entropy-dependent α-effect behavior.

Pitfalls in assessing the α-effect: reactions of substituted phenyl methanesulfonates with HOO(-), OH(-), and substituted phenoxides in H(2)O

Toward resolving the current controversy regarding the validity of the α-effect, we have examined the reactions of Y-substituted phenyl methanesulfonates 1a-1l with HOO(-), OH(-), and Z-substituted phenoxides in the gas phase versus solution (H(2)O). Criteria examined in this work are the following: (1) Brønsted-type and Hammett plots for reactions with HOO(-)and OH(-), (2) comparison of β(lg) values reported previously for the reactions of Y-substituted phenyl benzenesulfonates 2a-2k with HOO(-) (β(lg) = -0.73) and OH(-) (β(lg) = -0.55), and for those of 1a-1l with HOO(-) (β(lg) = -0.69) and OH(-) (β(lg) = -1.35), and (3) Brønsted-type plot showing extreme deviation of OH(-) for reactions of 2,4-dintrophenyl methanesulfonate 1a with aryloxides, HOO(-), and OH(-), signifying extreme solvation vs different mechanisms. The results reveal significant pitfalls in assessing the validity of current interpretations of the α-effect. The extreme negative deviation by OH(-) must be due, in part, to the difference in their reaction mechanisms. Thus, the apparent dependence of the α-effect on leaving-group basicity found in this study has no significant meaning due to the difference in operating mechanisms. The current results argue in favor of a further criterion, i.e., a consistency in mechanism for the α-nucleophiles and normal nucleophiles.

Reactions of alpha-nucleophiles with alkyl chlorides: competition between S(N)2 and E2 mechanisms and the gas-phase alpha-effect

Reaction rate constants and deuterium kinetic isotope effects for the reactions of BrO(-) with RCl (R = methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, and tert-butyl) were measured using a tandem flowing afterglow-selected ion flow tube instrument. These results provide qualitative insight into the competition between two classical organic mechanisms, nucleophilic substitution (S(N)2) and base-induced elimination (E2). As the extent of substitution in the neutral reactants increases, the kinetic isotope effects become increasingly more normal, consistent with the gradual onset of the E2 channel. These results are in excellent agreement with previously reported trends for the analogous reactions of ClO(-) with RCl. [Villano et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 728.] However, the reactions of BrO(-) and ClO(-) with methyl chloride, ethyl chloride, and isopropyl chloride were found to occur by an additional reaction pathway, which has not previously been reported. This reaction likely proceeds initially through a traditional S(N)2 transition state, followed by an elimination step in the S(N)2 product ion-dipole complex. Furthermore, the controversial alpha-nucleophilic character of these two anions and of the HO(2)(-) anion is examined. No enhanced reactivity is displayed. These results suggest that the alpha-effect is not due to an intrinsic property of the anion but instead due to a solvent effect.

Design of green microorganized systems for decontamination of ecotoxicants

Due to population upsurge, pesticides (derivatives of organophosphorus acids included) find widespread use in agriculture. The toxicity and long-term environmental hazard of such compounds require detailed studies on decomposition mechanisms of the pesticides and development of efficient, readily available, and inexpensive systems for their decontamination. A simple and straightforward method for the decomposition of organophosphorus compounds involves their reactions with nucleophiles. Studies on the reactivity of "normal" and α-nucleophiles toward electron-deficient centers allowed us to state a number of basic principles on the nature of the α-effect. One of the most important conclusions is: It is unlikely that the structure variations in the known α-nucleophiles will result in higher reactivity than that of hydroxylamine anion. As a practical matter, the essential disadvantages of decomposition of organophosphorus compounds in water and organic solvents are: (i) instability of active nucleophiles and oxidizing agents, (ii) corrosiveness, and (iii) extremely low solubility of organophosphorus compounds in water. These dictate the strategy of further studies, namely, carrying out the reaction in microorganized media. The first research line involves the development of the functional imidazole-based detergents functionalized with α-nucleophilic fragments. A number of efficient detergents were first synthesized. An examination of the nucleophilicity of the functional fragments in water and in the micellar phase and quantitative assessment of the factors responsible for the micellar effects showed unambiguously that the main cause of the observed accelerations is the substrate concentrating in the micellar pseudophase. The second research line consists of studies on the reactivity of versatile oxidative/nucleophilic systems involving H2O2/activator and polyhalide ion organocomplexes in water, aqueous alcohols, and micelles of cationic detergents. The novel sources of "active" halogen are highly competitive both with conventional hazardous chlorine derivatives and "green" systems involving H2O2/activator.

The alpha-effect in gas-phase SN2 reactions: existence and the origin of the effect

The origin of enhanced reactivity of alpha-nucleophiles in SN2 reactions was examined on the basis of computational results at the high level G2(+) method for 22 gas-phase reactions: Nu- + RCl --> RNu + Cl- [R = Et and i-Pr; Nu- = HO-, CH3O-, HS-, Cl-, Br-, NH2O-, HOO-, FO-, HSO-, ClO-, and BrO-]. The results clearly indicate the existence of the alpha-effect, whose size varies depending on the R group and the identity of the alpha-atom. The alpha-effect is larger for i-PrCl than EtCl, and for an alpha-nucleophile with a harder alpha-atom. Analyses of the present results, together with previously reported ones for MeF and MeCl reactions, reveal that several rationales so far presented to explain the alpha-effect, such as thermodynamic product stability, transition state (TS) tightness, electrostatic interaction, ET rationale, and polarizability, cannot explain the observed size of the alpha-effect. The importance of deformation energy on going from the reactant to the TS is presented.

Revisiting the reactivity of oximate α-nucleophiles with electrophilic phosphorus centers. Relevance to detoxification of sarin, soman and DFP under mild conditions

Following a potentiometric determination of the relevant pKa values of the (R1R2)C=NOH functionality, the second order rate constants (k(Ox)) for reaction of a large set of oximate bases with two model organophosphorus esters, i.e. bis-(4-nitrophenyl)phenylphosphonate (BNPPP) and bis-(4-nitrophenyl)methylphosphonate (BNPMP), and three toxic compounds, i.e., sarin (GB), soman (GD) and diisopropylphosphorofluoridate (DFP), in aqueous as well as a 30 : 70 (v/v) H2O-Me2SO mixture have been measured. The corresponding Brønsted-type nucleophilicity plots of log k(Ox)vs. pKa(Ox) reveal a clear tendency of the reactivity of the oximates to suffer a saturation effect with increasing basicity in aqueous solution. In the case of BNPMP and the three toxic esters, this behaviour is reflected in a levelling off at pKa approximately 9 but a more dramatic situation prevails in the BNPPP system where the attainment of maximum reactivity at pKa approximately 9 is followed by a clear decrease in rate at higher pKa's. Interestingly, a number of data reported previously by different authors for the sarin, soman and DFP systems are found to conform rather well to the curvilinear Brønsted correlations built with our data. Based on this and previous results obtained for reactions at carbon centers, it can be concluded that the observed saturation effect is the reflection of an intrinsic property of the oximate functionality. An explanation of this behavior in terms of an especially strong requirement for desolvation of the oximates prior to nucleophilic attack which becomes more and more difficult with increasing basicity is suggested. This proposal is supported by the observed changes in pKa(Ox) and k(Ox) brought about by a transfer from H2O to a 30 : 70 H2O-Me2SO mixture. The implications of the saturation effect on the efficiency of oximates as nucleophilic catalysts for smooth decontamination are emphasized. Also discussed is the effect of basicity on the exalted (alpha-effect) reactivity of these bases.

The α-Effect in Reactions of sp-Hybridized Carbon Atom: Michael-Type Reactions of 1-Aryl-2-propyn-1-ones with Primary Amines

[reaction: see text] Second-order rate constants (kN) have been measured for the Michael-type reaction of 1-(X-substituted phenyl)-2-propyn-1-ones (2a-f) with a series of primary amines in H2O at 25.0 +/- 0.1 degree C. A linear Brønsted-type plot with a small beta(nuc) value (beta(nuc) = 0.30) has been obtained for the reactions of 1-phenyl-2-propyn-1-one (2c) with non-alpha-nucleophile amines. Hydrazine is more reactive than other primary amines of similar basicity (e.g., glycylglycine and glycine ethyl ester) and results in a positive deviation from the linear Brønsted-type plot. The reactions of 2a-f with hydrazine exhibit a linear Hammett plot, while those with non-alpha-nucleophile amines give linear Yukawa-Tsuno plots, indicating that the electronic nature of the substituent X does not affect the reaction mechanism. The alpha-effect increases as the substituent X in the phenyl ring of 2a-f becomes a stronger electron-donating group. However, the magnitude of the alpha-effect for the reactions of 2a-f is small (e.g., kN(hydrazine)/kN(glycylglycine) = 4.6-13) regardless of the electronic nature of the substituent X. The small beta(nuc) has been suggested to be responsible for the small alpha-effect. A solvent kinetic isotope effect (e.g., kN(H2O)/kN(D2O) = 1.86) was observed for the reaction with hydrazine but absent for the reactions with non-alpha-nucleophile amines. The reactions with hydrazine and other primary amines have been suggested to proceed through a five-membered intramolecular H-bonding structure VI and a six-membered intermolecular H-bonding structure VII, respectively. The transition state modeled on VI can account for the substituent dependent alpha-effect and the difference in the solvent kinetic isotope effect exhibited by the reactions with hydrazine and other primary amines. It has been proposed that the beta(nuc) value is more important than the hybridization type of the reaction site to determine the magnitude of the alpha-effect.

The alpha-effect in methyl transfers from S-methyldibenzothiophenium fluoroborate to substituted N-methylbenzohydroxamates

Studies of the alpha-effect show increased reactivity of nucleophiles having lone pairs of electrons on atoms neighboring the lone pair involved in reactivity when compared to the basicity of the nucleophiles. Hammett-type plots and Brönsted-type plots of substituted methylphenyl sulfates vs hydrogen peroxide anions and substituted N-methylbenzohydroxanates (NMBH) with substituted methylarenesulfonates or substituted arenedimethylsulfonium ions have large rho or beta(nuc) values, indicating a putative tightening of the usual S(N)2 transition states (anti-Hammond effect). Electrochemical studies of S(N)2-SET or reactivity indicate that SET character occurs in looser transition states, whereas S(N)2 transition states are associated with greater tightness. The alpha-effects for the series of sulfonium salts in completion reactions for 3-ClNMBH anions and 3-nitrophenolate anions are (log k(alpha)/k(normal)) 1.124 for dimethylphenyl sulfonium, 1.512 for dimethyl-1-naphthyl sulfonium, 1.835 for dimethyl-9-anthracenyl sulfonium, and 1.137 for S-methyldibenzylthiophenium. Correlations of the sizes of alpha-effects with typical SET (or ET) experimental parameters and the inverse dependence of the size of the alpha-effect on electron demand indicate inclusion of SET character in these S(N)2 transition states, vs no (or at least diminished) SET character in normal transition states. This dichotomy of tighter S(N)2 transition states, but looser SET transition states indicated in the alpha-effect, is examined in the present work.

Reactions of oximate alpha-nucleophiles with esters: evidence from solvation effects for substantial decoupling of desolvation and bond formation

This communication is concerned with deviations from linearity in Brønsted-type nucleophilicity plots as indicators of changes in transition-state structures, in particular as related to solvational effects. Increasing dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) content of DMSO-water mixtures removes the leveling off observed in Brønsted type plots of the reaction of p-nitrophenylacetate (PNPA) with oximate alpha-nucleophiles. This is interpreted as due to virtually complete decoupling between desolvation of the oxyanion nucleophile and bond formation in the rate-determining transition state (solvational imbalance).

Solvent effect on the alpha-effect for the reactions of aryl acetates with butane-2,3-dione monoximate and p-chlorophenoxide in MeCN-H2O mixtures

Second-order rate constants have been measured spectrophotometrically for the nucleophilic reactions of three substituted phenyl acetates with butane-2,3-dione monoximate (Ox(-)) as an alpha-nucleophile and p-chlorophenoxide (ClPhO(-)) as corresponding normal nucleophile, in MeCN-H2O mixtures of varying compositions at 25.0 +/- 0.1 degrees C. The reactivity of Ox(-) toward the aryl acetates decreases upon addition of MeCN to the reaction medium up to ca. 30 mol % MeCN, followed by a gradual increase in rate upon further addition of MeCN. A similar result has been obtained for the reaction of ClPhO(-) with the aryl acetates. However, the decrease in rate is more significant for the less reactive ClPhO(-) than for the more reactive Ox(-). Thus, for all the aryl acetates studied, Ox(-) exhibits a sizable alpha-effect (k(Ox)-/k(ClPhO)-) whose magnitude increases as the mol % MeCN in the reaction medium increases. The relative basicities (DeltapK(a)) of Ox(-) and ClPhO(-) have been determined spectrophotometrically using piperazine as a reference base. The DeltapK(a) values increase on increasing the mol % MeCN in the medium for both Ox(-) and ClPhO(-). The difference in the relative basicities of these nucleophiles (DeltaDeltapK(a)) becomes larger with increasing mol % MeCN. The plots of log k(Ox)-/k(ClPhO)- vs DeltaDeltapK(a) for the three substrates are linear with near-unit slope, indicating that the difference in the relative basicity of the nucleophiles is largely responsible for the increasing alpha-effect with medium composition in this system.