Esters general base catalysis

Aminolysis of esters often reveals general base catalysis and, in particular, a contribution to the reaction rate fi om terms that are second-order in the amine. The general base is believed to function by deprotonating the zwitterionic tetrahedral intermediate. Deprotonation of the nitrogen facilitates breakdown of the tetrahedral intermediate, since the increased electron density at nitrogen favors expulsion of an anion ... 

The similarity in the rate laws does not allow a clear choice to be made between mechanisms, but Mechanism A is required in H20 by the observation of general base catalysis. However, the relative stability of the (red) T° intermediate in Me2SO (this is dependent on the nature of the AA side chain, cf. Section III,C) in the absence of proton-ated amine makes us prefer Mechanism B for reaction in this solvent, since the solvent is unable to assist the departure of MeOH. The similar catalytic rate constants found for B = imidazole, Af-methylimidazole (26) suggest that transfer of the proton from T+ to the alcohol function remains stepwise (i.e., via T°) since N-methylimidazole cannot carry out a concerted transfer. Such general acid-catalyzed loss of MeOH from T° supports a suggestion made many years ago by Burnett and Davies relating to purely organic esters (62). 

Obviously, in such cases the CD is acting as a true catalyst in esterolysis. The basic cleavage of trifluoroethyl p-nitrobenzoate by a-CD occurs by both pathways approximately 20% by nucleophilic attack and approximately 80% by general base catalysis (GBC) (Komiyama and Inoue, 1980c). The two processes are discernible because only the former leads to the observable p-nitrobenzoyl-CD. For the ester, Ks = 3.4 mM and kjka = 4.4 for the GBC route (1.25 for the nucleophilic route), and so KTS = 0.77 mM. For reaction within the ester CD complex [28], it was estimated that the effective molarity of the CD hydroxyl anion was 21-210 m (for Br0nsted /3 = 0.4 to 0.6 for GBC). Such values are quite reasonable for intramolecular general base catalysis (Kirby, 1980). 

E. l Intramolecular general base catalysis of ester hydrolysis 259, E.2 Intramolecular... 

F. l Catalysis of ester hydrolysis 264, F.2 Catalysis of enolization 265 G Intramolecular general base catalysis by nitrogen 266... 

G. 1 Catalysis of ester hydrolysis 266, G.2 Intramolecular general base catalysis of... 

F INTRAMOLECULAR GENERAL BASE CATALYSIS BY PHENOLATE OXYGEN F. 1 Catalysis of ester hydrolysis... 

Fig. 7.2. a) The most common mechanism of base-catalyzed ester hydrolysis, namely specific base catalysis (HCT catalysis) with tetrahedral intermediate and acyl cleavage. Not shown here are an W mechanism with alkyl cleavage observed with some tertiary alkyl esters, and an 5n2 mechanism with alkyl cleavage sometimes observed with primary alkyl esters, particularly methyl esters, b) Schematic mechanism of general base catalysis in ester hydrolysis. Intermolecular catalysis (bl) and intramolecular catalysis (b2). c) The base-catalyzed hydrolysis of esters is but a particular case of nucleophilic attack. Intermolecular (cl) and intramolecular (c2). d) Spontaneous (uncatalyzed) hydrolysis. This becomes possible when the R moiety is... 

A scheme depicting general base catalysis is shown in Fig. 7.2,b. Because the HO anion is more nucleophilic than any base-activated H20 molecule, intermolecular general base catalysis (Fig. 7.2,bl) is all but impossible in water, except for highly reactive esters (see below). In contrast, entropy may greatly facilitate intramolecular general base catalysis (Fig. 7.2,b2) under conditions of very low HO anion concentrations. Alkaline ester hydrolysis is a particular case of intermolecular nucleophilic attack (Fig. 7.2,cl). Intramolecular nucleophilic attacks (Fig. 7.2,c2) are reactions of cyclization-elimination to be discussed in Chapt. 8. 

Intramolecular general base catalysis of hycholysis (21a) was unexpected since the ester has a phenolic leaving group. Felton and Bruice (1968, 1969) reasoned that, if nucleophilic attack occurred, the leaving phenolate ion group would be properly positioned to attack the intermediate acylimidazole and thereby reverse the reaction. The normally less efficient general base reaction then becomes the favoured pathway, as in hydrolysis of acetyl salicylate (see Section 4). Likewise, Fife and McMahon (1970) explained bimolecular general base catalysis by imidazole (21b) in hydrolysis of o-(4-nitrophenylene) carbonate 3 49) by reversibility... 

An immediate objection to this scheme is that it is difficult to believe that general base catalysis, particularly by so weak a base as water, should be necessary for the addition of water to a protonated ester. In other words, the entropically more favourable bimolecular addition... 

In the discussion of the general base catalyzed addition step above (p. 120) the objection was raised that it was difficult to believe that general base catalysis would be necessary for the addition of water to so reactive a species as a protonated ester. An answer to this objection is implicit in the discussion above of the mechanism of hydrolysis of orthoesters. It appears that the protonated orthoester, which would be the initial product of the simple addition of a molecule of water to a protonated ester, is too reactive a species to exist in aqueous solution, and that carbon-oxygen bond-cleavage is concerted with the transfer of the proton to the orthoester. The formation of a protortated orthoester by the addition of a molecule of water to the conjugate acid of an ester will be even less likely, and it seems entirely reasonable, therefore, that the formation of the neutral orthoester, by a general base catalyzed process, should be the favoured mechanism. 

The broad outline of the mechanism of catalysis of ester hydrolysis by hydroxide ion is not in doubt. The reaction is well known to involve acyl-oxygen cleavage, and seems invariably to be of the second order, being first order in both ester and hydroxide anion. General base catalysis in the usual sense is not a possibility, the partial removal of a proton from water cannot generate a species more reactive than hydroxide ion, so direct nucleophilic attack must be involved. (However, if it is accepted that the high ionic nobility of the hydroxide ion in water is explained by a Grotthus-type mechanism... 

The demonstration that the mechanism of catalysis may change to general base catalysis for weakly basic nucleophiles further complicates the interpretation of such plots. The most useful generalizations that can be extracted from the data for aryl acetates are illustrated in Fig. 18. This is a plot of data for the reactions of oxyanions with three esters, phenyl, 4-nitrophenyl, and 2,4-dinitrophenyl acetates under the same conditions. Only nucleophiles showing normal reactivity are included points for hydro, de ion and a-effect nucleophiles have been excluded. The data are those of Jencks and Gilchrist283, who published a slightly different version of this plot. 

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