Alkylation with alkyl sulphonates in organic solvents

4 Alkylation with alkyl sulphonates in organic solvents 

The kinetics of alkylation of aromatics with sulphonic acid esters have been 

Since the product of the alkylation reaction is the sulphonic acid, the reactions showed autocatalysis. The reaction mechanism was envisaged, therefore, as involving an intimate ion pair formed via equilibrium (185) 

RATE COEFFICIENTS AND KINETIC PARAMETERS FOR REACTION OF Ph.S020CH2Ar WITH PhH AT VARIOUS TEMPERATURES361 

With dichloroethane as solvent, approximately fourth-order kinetics were obtained, the order in aromatic being approximately one. The rates of reaction of 4-chlorobenzyl benzenesulphonate with mesitylene and pentamethylbenzene at 50 °C were 0.12 and 1.1 respectively, and for reaction of the 3-nitrobenzyl ester with pentamethylbenzene, 0.009 (at 70 °C) and 0.012 (at 80 °C) these results correspond to the previously observed orders of reactivity. 

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