Kinetic study of the nitrosation of 1,3-dialkylureas in aqueous-perchloric acid medium

• Published in: International journal of chemical kinetics Vol. 36; no. 5; pp. 273 - 279
• Main Authors: González-Alatorre, Guillermo, Guzmán-Maldonado, Salvador H., Escamilla-Silva, Eleazar M., Loarca-Piña, Guadalupe, Benítez, Carlos Hernández
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.05.2004
• ISSN: 0538-8066; 1097-4601
• DOI: 10.1002/kin.10192

The kinetics of the nitrosation of 1,3‐dimethyl (DMU), 1,3‐diethyl (DEU), 1,3‐dipropylurea (DPU), 1,3‐dibuthyl (DBU), and 1,3‐diallylurea (DAU) were studied in a conventional UV/vis spectrophotometer in aqueous‐perchloric acid media. The kinetic study was carried out using the initial rate method. The reaction rate observed was where Ka is the acidity constant of nitrous acid. The diureas exhibited the reactivity order DMU ≫ DEU > DPU > DAU, which can be interpreted as a function of the steric impediment generated by the R alkyl group in the rate controlling step. A probable relationship between both the chemical reactivity and structure of the nitrosable substrate with the biological activity of the N‐nitroso compounds generated is proposed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 36: 273–279, 2004