Primary kinetic isotope effects

Kinetic isotope effects primary and secondary deuterium kinetic isotope effects. Heavy atom isotope effects. Solvent isotope effects. SnI and Sn2 mechanisms. 

It has been found that the measured kinetic isotope effects (primary and secondary) are sometimes significantly higher than the expected values. Maximum isotope effects will be observed when there is practically no difference between the zero-point energies of isotopically labeled substrates in the reaction transition state (eq. 1.14.6). Then, as already pointed out, the difference between the energies of activation E - E. ... 

It is clear, then, that the measurement of primary kinetic isotope effects will not give a wholly unambiguous clue to mechanism in the absence of other evidence. Nevertheless, the absence of a kinetic isotope effect is most easily understood in terms of the /S 2 mechanism... 

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. 

Fig. 4.9. DifiBoing zero-point energies ofprotium- and deuterium-substituted molecules as the cause of primary kinetic isotope effects.

The details of proton-transfer processes can also be probed by examination of solvent isotope effects, for example, by comparing the rates of a reaction in H2O versus D2O. The solvent isotope effect can be either normal or inverse, depending on the nature of the proton-transfer process in the reaction mechanism. D3O+ is a stronger acid than H3O+. As a result, reactants in D2O solution are somewhat more extensively protonated than in H2O at identical acid concentration. A reaction that involves a rapid equilibrium protonation will proceed faster in D2O than in H2O because of the higher concentration of the protonated reactant. On the other hand, if proton transfer is part of the rate-determining step, the reaction will be faster in H2O than in D2O because of the normal primary kinetic isotope effect of the type considered in Section 4.5. 

Bromination has been shown not to exhibit a primary kinetic isotope effect in the case of benzene, bromobenzene, toluene, or methoxybenzene. There are several examples of substrates which do show significant isotope effects, including substituted anisoles, JV,iV-dimethylanilines, and 1,3,5-trialkylbenzenes. The observation of isotope effects in highly substituted systems seems to be the result of steric factors that can operate in two ways. There may be resistance to the bromine taking up a position coplanar with adjacent substituents in the aromatization step. This would favor return of the ff-complex to reactants. In addition, the steric bulk of several substituents may hinder solvent or other base from assisting in the proton removal. Either factor would allow deprotonation to become rate-controlling. 

Indicate mechanisms that would account for the formation of each product. Show how the isotopic substitution could cause a change in product composition. Does your mechanism predict that the isotopic substitution would give rise to a primary or secondary deuterium kinetic isotope effect Calculate the magnitude of the kinetic isotope effect from the data given. 

A kinetic isotope effect that is a result of the breaking of the bond to the isotopic atom is called a primary kinetic isotope effect. Equation (6-88) is, therefore, a very simple and approximate relationship for the maximum primary kinetic isotope effect in a reaction in which only bond cleavage occurs. Table 6-5 shows the results obtained when typical vibrational frequencies are used in Eq. (6-88). Evidently the maximum isotope effect is predicted to be very substantial. 

Table 6-5. Calculated Hydrogen/Deuterium Primary Kinetic Isotope Effects" ...

Calculate the difference in activation energies corresponding to a primary kinetic isotope effect of kyi/ko = 7 at 25°C. 

Important additional evidence for aryl cations as intermediates comes from primary nitrogen and secondary deuterium isotope effects, investigated by Loudon et al. (1973) and by Swain et al. (1975 b, 1975 c). The kinetic isotope effect kH/ki5 measured in the dediazoniation of C6H515N = N in 1% aqueous H2S04 at 25 °C is 1.038, close to the calculated value (1.040-1.045) expected for complete C-N bond cleavage in the transition state. It should be mentioned, however, that a partial or almost complete cleavage of the C — N bond, and therefore a nitrogen isotope effect, is also to be expected for an ANDN-like mechanism, but not for an AN + DN mechanism. 

The conclusions from the foregoing studies with phenol have been challenged by Challis and Lawson121, who find that rates of nitrosation (shown graphically) pass through a maximum at about 8 M perchloric acid, and also that the reaction shows a large primary kinetic isotope effect at 0.7 °C (Table 27). Hence loss of a... 

Calculated primary kinetic isotope effects for hydrogen/deuterium at 298 K... 

A second reason for the larger isotope effect observed by Jones and Maness (140) might be that in the less polar acetic acid solvent, there might be a small degree of E2 elimination (with solvent acting as base) superimposed on the dominant Sn 1 mechanism. Such an elimination would involve a primary kinetic deuterium isotope effect with a kn/ko s 2 to 6, and hence even a 1 to 5% contribution from such a pathway would have a significant effect on the experimentally observed kinetic isotope effect. 

The oxidation by Cr(VI) of aliphatic hydrocarbons containing a tertiary carbon atom has been studied by several groups of workers. Sager and Bradley showed that oxidation of triethylmethane yields triethylcarbinol as the primary product with a primary kinetic isotope effect of about 1.6 (later corrected by Wiberg and Foster to 3.1) for deuterium substitution at the tertiary C-H bond. Oxidations... 

Interest has been shown by several groups on the effect of solvent and of added anions upon the oxidation of alcohols. The oxidation of isopropanol proceeds 2500 times faster in 86.5 % acetic acid than in water at the same hydrogen ion concentration . The kinetics and primary kinetic isotope effect are essentially the same as in water. Addition of chloride ion strongly inhibits the oxidation and the spectrum of chromic acid is modified. The effect of chloride ion was rationalised in terms of the equilibrium,... 

The kinetic parameters are E = 6.3 kcal.mole" and AS = —38.4 eu, and at 25 °C the reaction exhibits a primary kinetic isotope effect of 6.6. When 0-labelled MnO was employed, no labelled oxygen appeared in the benzophenone. The mechanism involves abstraction of hydrogen, either as a hydride ion or a hydrogen atom, from the anion of the alcohol... 

The oxidation by basic permanganate of phenyltrifluoromethyl carbinols which has the same rate law as benzydrol, is characterised by very large primary kinetic isotope effects (c/. Cr(VI) p. 307). 

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