Isotope effects initiation

Wawzonek et al. first investigated the mechanism of the cyclization of A-haloamines and correctly proposed the free radical chain reaction pathway that was substantiated by experimental data. "" Subsequently, Corey and Hertler examined the stereochemistry, hydrogen isotope effect, initiation, catalysis, intermediates, and selectivity of hydrogen transfer. Their results pointed conclusively to a free radical chain mechanism involving intramolecular hydrogen transfer as one of the propagation steps. Accordingly, the... 

In CLTST there appears a kinetic isotope effect owing to the difference in partition functions in the initial state [see eq.(2.12)], and at 2Pf < o > I5... 

A special type of substituent effect which has proved veiy valuable in the study of reaction mechanisms is the replacement of an atom by one of its isotopes. Isotopic substitution most often involves replacing protium by deuterium (or tritium) but is applicable to nuclei other than hydrogen. The quantitative differences are largest, however, for hydrogen, because its isotopes have the largest relative mass differences. Isotopic substitution usually has no effect on the qualitative chemical reactivity of the substrate, but often has an easily measured effect on the rate at which reaction occurs. Let us consider how this modification of the rate arises. Initially, the discussion will concern primary kinetic isotope effects, those in which a bond to the isotopically substituted atom is broken in the rate-determining step. We will use C—H bonds as the specific topic of discussion, but the same concepts apply for other elements. 

Solvent isotope effects are usually in the range / h20+ = 2-3. These values reflect the greater equilibrium acidity of deuterated acids (Section 4.5) and indicate that the initial protonation is a fast preequilibrium. 

The second step in acetal and ketal hydrolysis is conversion of the hemiacetal or hemiketal to the carbonyl compound. The mechanism of this step is similar to that of the first step. Usually, the second step is faster than the initial one. Hammett a p plots and solvent isotope effects both indicate that the transition state has less cationic character than... 

B synchronously moving away from and toward H the H atom does not move (if A and B are of equal mass). If H does not move in a vibration, its replacement with D will not alter (he vibrational frequency. Therefore, there will be no zero-point energy difference between the H and D transition states, so the difference in activation energies is equal to the difference in initial state zero-point energies, just as calculated with Eq. (6-88). The kinetic isotope effect will therefore have its maximal value for this location of the proton in the transition state. 

The mechanism proposed for the production of radicals from the N,N-dimethylaniline/BPO couple179,1 involves reaction of the aniline with BPO by a Sn-2 mechanism to produce an intermediate (44). This thermally decomposes to benzoyloxy radicals and an amine radical cation (46) both of which might, in principle, initiate polymerization (Scheme 3.29). Pryor and Hendrikson181 were able to distinguish this mechanism from a process involving single electron transfer through a study of the kinetic isotope effect. 

Penton and Zollinger (1979, 1981 b) reported that this could indeed be the case. The coupling reactions of 3-methylaniline and A,7V-dimethylaniline with 4-methoxy-benzenediazonium tetrafluoroborate in dry acetonitrile showed a number of unusual characteristics, in particular an increase in the kinetic deuterium isotope effect with temperature. C-coupling occurs predominantly (>86% for 3-methylaniline), but on addition of tert-butylammonium chloride the rate became much faster, and triazenes were predominantly formed (with loss of a methyl group in the case of A V-di-methylaniline). Therefore, the initial attack of the diazonium ion is probably at the amine N-atom, and aminoazo formation occurs via rearrangement. 

Studies of the molar volumes of perdeuteriated organic compounds might be expected to be informative about non-bonded intermolecular forces and their manifestations, and such studies might be considered to obviate the necessity of investigating steric isotope effects in reacting systems. The results from non-reacting systems could then be simply applied to the initial and transition states in order to account for a kinetic steric isotope effect. 

Henrich and WolP have studied the formation of Mo(CO)5 by catching Mo and Mo recoils in Cr(CO)g. The Molybdenum isotopes were produced in several different reactions, so that the recoil energy varied over a wide range. It was found that the yields of Mo(CO)g with the two isotopes differed from each other, but varied only slightly as a function of initial recoil energy. These authors were also able to show that the isotope effect of about 8% is nearly insensitive to radiation received by the sample (and catcher) during the bombardment. They argued that there remains only one possible cause of this isotope effect, that is, differences in the de-excitation schemes of the product nuclei. 

One further approach, which has not properly been explored, is based upon the axiom of Harbottle s (29) that if an isotopic difference is found, there must have been little reaction subsequent to the initial hot stage. That is, these subsequent reactions are expected to be normal chemical reactions with essentially no isotopic preference, such that any such reaction would tend to wash out possible isotope effects. This problem is worth pursuing further, since some isotopic effects have been observed where subsequent exchange is to be expected. 

Both schemes accommodate the kinetics, the primary isotope effect and the induction factor, which indicates that Cr(IV) is the initial stage of reduction of the oxidant. RoCek s mechanism does not accord with the solvent isotope effect of 2.5 per proton, which has just the value to be expected for acid-catalysis, for the O-H bond cleavage should be subject to a primary isotope effect of about 7. The ester mechanism is not open to this criticim. 

An important piece of evidence for this mechanism is the fact that a primary isotope effect is observed when the a-hydrogen is replaced by deuterium.2 The Cr(IV) that is produced in the initial step is not stable and is capable of a further oxidation. It is believed that Cr(IV) is reduced to Cr(II), which is then oxidized by Cr(VI) generating Cr(V). This mechanism accounts for the overall stoichiometry of the reaction.3... 

The kinetics for the oxidation of leuco bases using oxygen has been studied.19 The oxidation involves complex formation between the proto-nated leuco base and the peroxy radical formed by air oxidation of the solvent. Addition of a radical initiator (AIBN) facilitates the reaction, while radical inhibitors retard the dye formation. In addition, oxidation reactions employing 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyanoquinone have shown large isotope effects in acetonitrile.20... 

Additionally, it has been noted that Tetralin operates via hydride transfer, at least in its reduction of quinones. Thus it has been shown that Tetralin readily donates hydrogen to electron-poor systems, such as quinones at 50°-160°C. The reaction is accelerated by electron-withdrawing substituents on the H-acceptor and polar solvents, and is unaffected by free radical initiators (6). These observations are consistent with hydride transfer, as is the more recent finding of a tritium isotope effect for the reaction (7). 

In the mechanism study of /V-benzyl-/V -alkyl hydroxylamines, regarding oxidation with HgO and p-benzoquinone, it has been proposed on the basis of intra- and intermolecular kinetic isotope effects that, initially, there takes place a one-electron transfer from a nitrogen atom to the oxidant, with a subsequent proton abstraction (106—108). 

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