Substrates leaving groups

Reaction Solvent Nucleophile/base Leaving group Substrate structure... 

In Chapter 9, we introduced the basic principles of nucleophilic substitution and elimination reactions. We focused almost entirely upon the reactions of haloalkanes and alcohols. In this chapter, we will expand upon these reactions and consider a much wider range of nucleophiles, leaving groups, substrates, solvents, and their effects on nucleophilic substitution and elimination reactions. We will ask ... 

Two stereochemical possibilities present themselves In the pathway shown in Fig ure 8 la the nucleophile simply assumes the position occupied by the leaving group It attacks the substrate at the same face from which the leaving group departs This is called front side displacement or substitution with retention of configuration... 

As we have seen the nucleophile attacks the substrate m the rate determining step of the Sn2 mechanism it therefore follows that the rate of substitution may vary from nucleophile to nucleophile Just as some alkyl halides are more reactive than others some nucleophiles are more reactive than others Nucleophilic strength or nucleophilicity, is a measure of how fast a Lewis base displaces a leaving group from a suitable substrate By measuring the rate at which various Lewis bases react with methyl iodide m methanol a list of then nucleophihcities relative to methanol as the standard nucleophile has been compiled It is presented m Table 8 4... 

The carbon that bears the leaving group and a carbon ortho to it become equiva lent m the benzyne intermediate Thus when chlorobenzene 1 is the substrate the ammo group may be introduced with equal likelihood at either position... 

The catalytic triad consists of the side chains of Asp, His, and Ser close to each other. The Ser residue is reactive and forms a covalent bond with the substrate, thereby providing a specific pathway for the reaction. His has a dual role first, it accepts a proton from Ser to facilitate formation of the covalent bond and, second, it stabilizes the negatively charged transition state. The proton is subsequently transferred to the N atom of the leaving group. Mutations of either of these two residues decrease the catalytic rate by a factor of 10 because they abolish the specific reaction pathway. Asp, by stabilizing the positive charge of His, contributes a rate enhancement of 10. ... 

Trifluoromethanesulfonate (triflate) ion is an exceptionally good leaving grov. It can be used for nucleophilic substitution reactions on unreactive substrates. Acetolysis of cyclopropyl triflate, for example, occurs 10 times faster than acetolysis of cyclopropyl tosylate. Table 5.11 gives a conqiarison of the triftate group with some other common leaving groups. 

Thus, in contrast to an ionization process from a neutral substrate, which initially generates an intimate ion pair, deamination reactions generate a cation which does not have an anion closely associated with it. Furthermore, the leaving group, molecular nitrogen, is very stable so that little, if any, nutleophilic participation is needed for bond cleavage. The... 

The order of alkyl halide reactivity in nucleophilic substitutions is the sane as their order in eliminations. Iodine has the weakest bond to carbon, and iodide is the best leaving group. Alkyl iodides are several times more reactive than alkyl bromides and from 50 to 100 times more reactive than alkyl chlorides. Fluorine has the strongest bond to carbon, and fluoride is the poorest leaving group. Alkyl fluorides are rarely used as substrates in nucleophilic substitution because they are several thousand times less reactive than alkyl chlorides. 

In a second possibility, illustrated in Figure 8.Hr, the nucleophile attacks the substrate from the side opposite the bond to the leaving group. This is called back-side displacement, or substitution with inversion of configuration. 

These reactions are often promoted by a strong base, which assists the departure of the proton. X is the leaving group. Both El and E2 mechanisms are known, as is a variant designated Elcb, for unimolecular elimination from the conjugate base of the substrate. ... 

Correlations with o in carboxylic acid derivative reactions have been most successful for variations in the acyl portion, R in RCOX. Variation in the alkyl portion of esters, R in RCOOR, has not led to many good correlations, although use of relative rates of alkaline and acidic reactions, as in the defining relation, can generate linear correlations. The failure to achieve satisfactory correlations with cr for such substrates may be a consequence of the different steric effects of substituents in the acyl and alkyl locations. It has been shown that solvolysis rates of some acetates are related to the pA", of the leaving group, that is, of the parent alcohol. The pK of alcohols has been correlated with but this relationship... 

It is found that m is solvent dependent.The R part of substrate RX cannot be made drastically different from that in the model substrate without causing dispersion into separate lines for different binary solvents. The leaving group X introduces another type of specificity. 

Kevin and co-workershave developed nucleophilicity scales based on the solvolysis of cationic substrates R-X, the leaving group being neutral rather than anionic. Their/V ,jO+ scale is defined in Eq. (8-72). 

The parameters Ci, t2 were postulated to be dependent only upon the substrate, and d, d2, upon the solvent. A large body of kinetic data, embodying many structural types and leaving groups, was subjected to a statistical analysis. In order to achieve a unique solution, these arbitrary conditions were imposed cj = 3.0 C2 for MeBr Cl = C2 = 1.0 for f-BuCl 3.0 Ci = C2 for PhsCF. Some remarkably successful correlations [calculated vs. experimental log (fc/fco)l were achieved, but the approach appeared to lack physical significance and was not much used. Many years later Peterson et al. - showed a correspondence between Eqs. (8-69) and (8-74) in particular, the very simple result di + d, = T was found. 

Strong acids promote SnI substitution reactions by converting an electron-rich ( basic ) atom on the substrate into a good leaving group, e.g., for substitution reactions of tert-butyl derivatives. 

In general, the reaction can be performed between 0-60°C with the majority of the reactions being run at room temperature. The reactivity of the hydrazones with either the acyl or tosyl leaving group with thionyl chloride depends on the substrate. However, the acylated hydrazones generally provide gaseous by-products where as the tosyl chloride reaction products have to be separated from the reaction mixture. 

Since heteroarynes are thus seen to be subject to strong orientation effects, the detection of the occurrence of the aryne mechanism and the evaluation of the extent of its participation require a special approach. Both the aryne and Sj Arl mechanisms can occur together, and variation of the leaving group on a substrate (e.g., 2-halonaphthalenes) can cause a complete shift from the aryne (2-chloro, -bromo, and -iodo) to the Sj Arl mechanism (2-fluoro) see also Section II, D, 1. 

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