Electrophilic substitution, aromatic thermodynamic control

The text points out that C-l of naphthalene is more reactive than C-2 toward electrophilic aromatic substitution. Thus, of the two possible products of sulfonation, naphthalene-1-sulfonic acid should be formed faster and should be the major product under conditions of kinetic control. Since the problem states that the product under conditions of thermodynamic control is the other isomer, naphthalene-2-sulfonic acid is the major product at elevated temperature. 

Naphthalene undergoes electrophilic aromatic substitution at C-1 more easily than at C-2. There is a smaller loss of resonance energy in forming the intermediate for reaction at C-1 and reaction takes place more rapidly at this centre. However, the products of aromatic substitution at C-1 suffer interactions with C-8 (peri interactions) and are less stable than the corresponding products of substitution at C-2. Hence those aromatic substitution reactions that are carried out under conditions that allow equilibration between isomers (thermodynamic control) lead to substitution ai C-2, but reactions that are carried out under conditions... 

First, it is important to note that most aromatic electrophilic substitution reactions are under kinetic, and not thermodynamic, control. This is because most of the reactions are irreversible, and the remainder are usually stopped before equilibrium is reached. In a kinetically controlled reaction, the distribution of products (or product spread), i.e. the ratio of the various products formed, is determined not by the thermodynamic stabilities of the products, but by the activation energy barrier that controls the rate determining step. In a two-step reaction, it is a reasonable assumption that the transition state of the rate determining step is close in energy to that of the intermediate, which in this case is the Wheland intermediate and so by invoking the Hammond postulate, one may assume that they have similar geometries. 

Aromatic electrophilic substitution reactions are under kinetic, and not thermodynamic, control. This is because many of the reactions are irreversible, and the remainder are usually stopped before equilibrium is reached. 

On the whole the effect of substituents on the relative stability of isomeric arenium ions (for details see Sect. IV, 1) is described in the same terms as those used to explain the influence of substituents on the orientation and relative rates of electrophilic aromatic substitution. However, the isomeric composition of electrophilic substitution products is often controlled by kinetic factors while the equilibrium composition of isomeric arenium ions formed in aromatic compound protonation is determined by thermodynamic equilibrium. Therefore, no quantitative agreement may be observed between the relative hydrogen substitution rates at different positions of this compound and the ratio of equilibrium concentrations of the respective arenium ions formed in protonating the same compound even under identical conditions (cf. Sect. IV, 7). 

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