Hammett equation catalytic reactions correlated

The broad applicability of LFERs for heterogeneous catalytic reactions has been demonstrated independently by Kraus (23) and Yoneda (24-27). The first author concentrated mostly on the established relationships such as the Hammett and Taft equations, whereas Yoneda has concentrated particularly on correlations with reactivity indices and other quantities. Since then, LFERs have been widely applied to heterogeneous catalytic reactions, and experience has been gained as to the suitability of each different type. An important step has been made toward an interpretation of the slopes of linear correlations (parameter a in Eq. 3) as the quantities that are closely connected with reaction mechanisms. 

In order to gain an insight into the mechanism on the basis of the slope of a Type A correlation requires a more complicated procedure. Consider the Hammett equation. The usual statement that electrophilic reactions exhibit negative slopes and nucleophilic ones positive slopes may not be true, especially when the values of the slopes are low. The correct interpretation has to take the reference process into account, for example, the dissociation equilibrium of substituted benzoic acids at 25°C in water for which the slope was taken, by definition, as unity (p = 1). The precise characterization of the process under study is therefore that it is more or less nucleophilic than the reference process. However, one also must consider the possible influence of temperature on the value of the slope when the catalytic reaction has been studied under elevated temperatures there is disagreement in the literature over the extent of this influence (cf. 20,39). The sign and value of the slope also depend on the solvent. The situation is similar or a little more complex with the Taft equation, in which the separation of the molecule into the substituent, link, and reaction center may be arbitrary and may strongly influence the values of the slopes obtained. This problem has been discussed by Criado (33) with respect to catalytic reactions. 

The electronic nature of silylsilver intermediate was interrogated through inter-molecular competition experiments between substituted styrenes and the silylsilver intermediate (77).83 The product ratios from these experiments correlated well with the Hammett equation to provide a p value of —0.62 using op constants (Scheme 7.19). Woerpel and coworkers interpreted this p value to suggest that this silylsilver species is electrophilic. Smaller p values were obtained when the temperature of the intermolecular competition reactions was reduced [p = — 0.71 (8°C) and —0.79 (—8°C)]. From these experiments, the isokinetic temperature was estimated to be 129°C, which meant that the product-determining step of silver-catalyzed silylene transfer was under enthalpic control. In contrast, related intermolecular competition reactions under metal-free thermal conditions indicated the product-determining step of free silylene transfer to be under entropic control. The combination of the observed catalytically active silylsilver intermediate and the Hammett correlation data led Woerpel and colleagues to conclude that the silver functions to both decompose the sacrificial cyclohexene silacyclopropane as well as transfer the di-terf-butylsilylene to the olefin substrate. 

An example of a quantitative SMR study correlating electronic properties and catalytic parameters is provided by the glutathione conjugation of para-substituted l-chloro-2-nitro-benzene derivatives (183). The values of log/j2 (second order rate constant of the nonenzy-matic reaction) and log (enzymatic reaction catalyzed by various glutathione transferase preparations) were correlated with the Hammett resonance cr value of the substrates, a measure of their electrophilicity. Regression equations with positive slopes and values in the range 0.88-0.98 were obtained. These results quantitate the influence of substrate electrophilicity on nucleophilic substitutions mediated by glutathione, be they enzymatic or nonenzymatic. 

---