Gas-phase SN2 nucleophilic substitution

Gas-phase SN2 nucleophilic substitution reactions are particularly interesting because they have attributes of both bimolecular and unimolecular reactions.1 As discovered from experimental studies by Brauman and coworkers2 and electronic structure theory calculations,3 potential energy surfaces for gas-phase SN2 reactions of the type,... 

Though statistical models are important, they may not provide a complete picture of the microscopic reaction dynamics. There are several basic questions associated with the microscopic dynamics of gas-phase SN2 nucleophilic substitution that are important to the development of accurate theoretical models for bimolecular and unimolecular reactions.1 Collisional association of X" with RY to form the X-—RY... 

Additional experimental, theoretical, and computational work is needed to acquire a complete understanding of the microscopic dynamics of gas-phase SN2 nucleophilic substitution reactions. Experimental measurements of the SN2 reaction rate versus excitation of specific vibrational modes of RY (equation 1) are needed, as are experimental studies of the dissociation and isomerization rates of the X--RY complex versus specific excitations of the complex s intermolecular and intramolecular modes. Experimental studies that probe the molecular dynamics of the [X-. r - Y]- central barrier region would also be extremely useful. 

DYNAMICS OF GAS-PHASE Sn2 NUCLEOPHILIC SUBSTITUTION REACTIONS William L. Hase, Haobin Wang, and... 

Trajectories are being used in a series of studies to investigate the dynamics of gas-phase Sn2 nucleophilic substitution reactions ... 

Hase, W. L. Simulation of gas-phase chemical reactions Applications to SN2 nucleophilic substitution, Science, 266 (1994), 998-1002... 

In this chapter, we study the variation in the FF during asymmetric stretching and bending in ammonia, internal rotation in H202, and along the intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) of three prototypical examples of chemical reactions, viz., (1) a thermoneutral reaction, such as a symmetrical gas-phase SN2 type nucleophilic substitution ... 

Both experiments and simulations have shown that the chemical dynamics of gas-phase X + CHjY XCH + Y Sn2 nucleophilic substitution reactions are non-statistical. Reactions, snch as C/ + CH Br CICH3 + Br, have X — CH3Y and XCHj — Y ion-dipole complexes separated by a central barrier (Figure 20.5) and the unimolecular dynamics of these complexes are intrinsically non-RRKM. These dynamics arise in part from weak couplings between the three low freqnency intermolecular modes of the complex and the complex s much higher frequency nine intramolecular modes. 

Sn2 Nucleophilic Substitution. 8. Central Barrier Dynamics for Gas Phase CD + CH3CI. 

Other measures of nucleophilicity have been proposed. Brauman et al. studied Sn2 reactions in the gas phase and applied Marcus theory to obtain the intrinsic barriers of identity reactions. These quantities were interpreted as intrinsic nucleo-philicities. Streitwieser has shown that the reactivity of anionic nucleophiles toward methyl iodide in dimethylformamide (DMF) is correlated with the overall heat of reaction in the gas phase he concludes that bond strength and electron affinity are the important factors controlling nucleophilicity. The dominant role of the solvent in controlling nucleophilicity was shown by Parker, who found solvent effects on nucleophilic reactivity of many orders of magnitude. For example, most anions are more nucleophilic in DMF than in methanol by factors as large as 10, because they are less effectively shielded by solvation in the aprotic solvent. Liotta et al. have measured rates of substitution by anionic nucleophiles in acetonitrile solution containing a crown ether, which forms an inclusion complex with the cation (K ) of the nucleophile. These rates correlate with gas phase rates of the same nucleophiles, which, in this crown ether-acetonitrile system, are considered to be naked anions. The solvation of anionic nucleophiles is treated in Section 8.3. 

Effect of Solvent on Elimination versus Substitution. Increasing polarity of solvent favors Sn2 reactions at the expense of E2. In the classical example, alcoholic KOH is used to effect elimination, while the more polar aqueous KOH is used for substitution. Charge-dispersal discussions, similar to those on page 450, only partially explain this. In most solvents, SnI reactions are favored over El. The El reactions compete best in polar solvents that are poor nucleophiles, especially dipolar aprotic solvents" A study made in the gas phase, where there is no solvent, has shown that when 1-bromopropane reacts with MeO only elimination takes place no substitution even with this primary substrate." ... 

As noted in Section 4.2.1, the gas phase has proven to be a useful medium for probing the physical properties of carbanions, specifically, their basicity. In addition, the gas phase allows chemists to study organic reaction mechanisms in the absence of solvation and ion-pairing effects. This environment provides valuable data on the intrinsic, or baseline, reactivity of these systems and gives useful clues as to the roles that solvent and counterions play in the mechanisms. Although a variety of carbanion reactions have been explored in the gas phase, two will be considered here (1) Sn2 substitutions and (2) nucleophilic acyl substitutions. Both of these reactions highlight some of the characteristic features of gas-phase carbanion chemistry. 

Figure 7 Qualitative depiction of the energy profile along the reaction co-ordinate for the Sn2 reaction Cl ICII3CI >CICn3 I Cl, which involves nucleophilic substitution of the chloride of methylchloride by a chloride ion. The potential energy curves drop as the two reactants approach until a loose complex is formed. Then the energy rises rapidly to the transition state, which has two equal C-Cl interatomic distances (zero on the abscissa). The energy profile looks quite different in the gas and solution phases. Compared to the reactants (or products), the loose complex and the TS are poorly solvated, so the energies for these are much higher in solution than in a vacuum.

This ambiguity was removed by the results of a comprehensive investigation on the gas-phase acid-induced nucleophilic substitution on several allylic alcohols showing that the concerted S 2 reaction competes with the classical SN2 pathway in the absence of solvation and ion-pairing factors.507-509 Assessment of the... 

Fig. 4. The reaction steps during nucleophilic substitution in the dilute gas phase. The upper route corresponds to backside displacement (the traditional SN2 mechanism) and the lower route is the frontside displacement mechanism. The latter is possible in weakly bonded RX+...

The study of reactions of isolated ions and molecules in the gas phase without interference from solvents has led to very surprising results. Gas-phase studies of proton-transfer and nucleophilic substitution reactions permit the measurement of the intrinsic properties of the bare reactants and make it possible to distinguish these genuine properties from effects attributable to solvation. Furthermore, these studies provide a direct comparison of gas-phase and solution reactivities of ionic reactants. It has long been assumed that solvation retards the rates of ion-molecule reactions. Now, using these new techniques, the dramatic results obtained make it possible to show the extent of this retardation. For example, in a typical Sn2 ion-molecule reaction in the gas phase, the substrates react about 10 times faster than when they are dissolved in acetone, and about 10 ( ) times faster than in water cf. Table 5-2 in Section 5.2). 

Theoretical studies of the gas-phase hydrolysis or methanolysis of methylsul-fonyl chloride indicated a concerted Sn2 process involving a four-membered cyclic transition state. The tertiary amine-catalysed hydrolysis of benzenesul-fonyl chloride was shown to be inhibited by chloride ion and a nucleophilic mechanism of catalysis was favoured. Kinetic studies" of the solvolysis of p-substituted benzenesulfonyl chlorides in aqueous binary mixtures with acetone, methanol, ethanol, acetonitrile and dioxime showed that the reactions were third order processes, with first order rate constants determined mainly by the molar concentrations of the protic solvent, so that the reaction rates appear to be dominated by solvent stoichiometry. The solvolyses in methanol and ethanol yield both an alcoholysis (ap) and a hydrolysis product (hp). Solvolyses of electron-rich arylsulfonyl chlorides, under neutral or acidic conditions, exhibited surprising maxima in solvent-dependent S values as defined by Equation 15. 

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