Metal Ion Catalysis and Inhibition in Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions of 4-Nitrophenyl Nicotinate and Isonicotinate with Alkali Metal Ethoxides in Anhydrous Ethanol

• Published in: Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society Vol. 32; no. 6; pp. 1951 - 1956
• Main Authors: Choi, Seo-Young, Hong, Yeon-Ju, Um, Ik-Hwan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Korean
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Ion pair; Alkali metal ions; Inhibition; Metal ion catalysis; Cyclic transition state
• ISSN: 0253-2964; 1229-5949

A kinetic study is reported on nucleophilic substitution reactions of 4-nitrophenyl nicotinate 5 and isonicotinate 6 with alkali metal ethoxide EtOM (M = K, Na, and Li) in anhydrous ethanol at $25.0{\pm}0.1^{\circ}C$. Plots of pseudo-first-order rate constant $k_{obsd}$ vs. EtOM concentration exhibit upward curvature for the reactions of 5 and 6 with EtOK and EtONa but are almost linear for those with EtOLi. Dissection of $k_{obsd}$ into $k_{EtO^-}$ and $k_{EtOM}$ (i.e., the second-order rate constant for the reaction with dissociated $EtO^-$ and ion-paired EtOM, respectively) has shown that $k_{EtOK}$ ${\geq}$ $k_{EtONa}$ > $k_{EtO^-}$ but $k_{EtOLi}$ < $k_{EtO^-}$. It has been concluded that $K^+$ and $Na^+$ ions catalyze the reactions by increasing the electrophilicity of the carbonyl carbon atom through formation of a 4-membered cyclic transition state $TS_3$ or $TS_4$. However, $M^+$ ion catalysis has been found to be much less significant for the reactions of 5 and 6 than for the corresponding reactions of 4-nitrophenyl picolinate 4, which was reported to proceed through a 5-membered cyclic transition state $TS_2$. Although 5 and 6 are significantly more reactive than 4-nitrophenyl benzoate 3, the reactions of 5 and 6 result in smaller $k_{EtOK}/k_{EtO^-}$ ratios than those of 3. The electron-withdrawing ability of the nitrogen atom in the acyl moiety of 5 and 6 has been suggested to be responsible for the increase in reactivity and the decrease in the $k_{EtOK}/k_{EtO^-}$ ratio.