Methyl isocyanide isomerization,

Rabinovitch and co-workers found that the Lindemann mechanism is adequate for modeling the pressure dependence of bimolecular region unimolecular rate constants for extracting collision efficiencies for the methyl isocyanide isomerization [122]. For the conformer conversion of molecule A at constant temperature, it can be written as,... 

From the results of classical trajectory calculations intrinsic non-RRKM behavior has been predicted for ethane dissociation, ethyl radical dissociation,and methyl isocyanide isomerization. These predictions are supported by classical trajectory calculations for model H-C-C -> H + C=C dissociation. To generalize, classical trajectory calculations have predicted intrinsic non-RRKM behavior for molecules with isolated high frequency modes [e.g, CH3NC, clusters like Li (H20)j, and van der Waals molecules], molecules like acetylene with linear geometries for which bending and stretching motions are nearly separable, and molecules with tight activated complexes. 

Our interest in thermally activated unimolecular reactions is in the change of kuni with pressure from the high to the zero pressure limit, and in the pressure dependence of the isotope effect over that range. One particularly interesting study carried out by Rabinovitch and Schneider (reading list) focused on the isomerization of methyl isocyanide, CH3NC, to methyl cyanide, CH3CN... 

Fig. 14.1 The pressure dependence of the 2°-a-D isotope effect, kn/kn, on the bimolecular isomerization of methyl isocyanide ...

The experimental Arrhenius activation energy and rate constant for the gas phase isomerization of methyl isocyanide have been reported (at the lowest pressure used) thus a = 36.27 kcal mol-1, i.e. 151.8 kJ mol-1, and log A = 10.46, i.e. A = 2.88 x 1010 s-1 [220]. We want to compare our calculated activation free energy with an experimental value, let us calculate AG from a and A. From the Arrhenius equation Eq. (5.174) and the Eyring equation Eq. (5.197) it follows that... 

Use bond energies to predict AH for the isomerization of methyl isocyanide to acetonitrile. 

Methyl isocyanide undergoes homogeneous unimolecular isomerization to acetonitrile, and the limiting rate coefficient is given by ... 

When an alkyl halide is treated with silver cyanide, reaction takes place in the usual way a silver halide and an organic compound are formed. The product, however, is not an alkyl cyanide, as is the case when potassium cyanide is used, but an isomeric compound. The substances prepared from silver cyanide are called isocyanides, isonitriles, or carbylamines. The last name is given to them on account of the fact that they unite with acids and thus resemble the amines. The addition-products do not, however, resemble salts in their chemical properties. When hydrogen chloride is passed into an ethereal solution of methyl isocyanide, a compound of the formula 2CH3NC.3HCI is formed, which is decomposed when brought into contact with water. 

CH3NC — CH3CN has also been carried out, the principal object being the interpretation of the transition state. This particular tautomerism has also been the subject of an investigation in which experiments have been made to assess the importance of radical chain effects in the thermally induced reaction. It is concluded that there is no reason to doubt the fact that the isomerization of methyl isocyanide is an excellent test for the theory of unimolecular reactions. 

As a particular example of an unimolecular reaction, we consider the isomerization of methyl isocyanide to acetonitrile, which has been extensively studied by Schneider and Rabinovitch [18]. The reaction is... 

Although direct measurement of reactant temperatures have enabled more quantitative assessment of such reactions, precise tests of thermal explosion theory require a reaction for which the mechanism and Arrhenius parameters are sufficiently well established to give accurate estimates of rates under explosive conditions. Typically the reaction rates involved will be around ten times those determined by static kinetic methods. In addition the thermal conductivity of each gas mixture used and the stoicheiometry and heat of reaction must be known. Pritchard and Tyler suggest the thermal isomerization of methyl isocyanide as a suitable candidate. They report temperature-time records for diluted mixtures in which temperature excesses of 70—80 K occur without explosion. However, the roll-call of missing data—improved heats of formation, isothermal kinetic data at higher temperatures, thermal conductivity measurements up to 670 K, and the recognition and elucidation of side reactions (if any) indicate the extent of further investigations necessary if their proposal is to be fully realized. 

Methyl isocyanide, CH3NC, isomerizes, when heated, to give acetonitrile (methyl cyanide), CH3CN. 

Critique of RRKM Theory—Isomerization of Methyl Isocyanide... 

The experiments that seem to show the most promise in studying unimolecular dynamics are the ones in which a molecule is vibration-ally excited by one photon absorption. In very elegant experiments Berry and coworkers have studied the intramolecular and unimolecular dynamics of benzene,methyl isocyanide,and allyl isocyanide containing 4-7 quanta of C-H stretch excitation. For the isomerization of allyl isocyanide nonstatistical state-selected effects were observed. These one photon absorption experiments suggest that state-selected behavior may be prevalent in many unimolecular reactions. However, it is apparent that the sensitivity of the experiments should be improved so that excitation and unimolecular reaction occur in a collision-free environment, thus ensuring the elimination of intermolecular effects that may wash out some of the state-selective characteristics. 

K. V. Reddy and M. J. Berry, Intracavity CW dye laser photoactivation of unimolecular reactants Isomerization of state-selected methyl isocyanide, Chem. Phys. Lett. 52 111 (1977). 

The direct combination of selenium and acetylene provides the most convenient source of selenophene (76JHC1319). Lesser amounts of many other compounds are formed concurrently and include 2- and 3-alkylselenophenes, benzo[6]selenophene and isomeric selenoloselenophenes (76CS(10)159). The commercial availability of thiophene makes comparable reactions of little interest for the obtention of the parent heterocycle in the laboratory. However, the reaction of substituted acetylenes with morpholinyl disulfide is of some synthetic value. The process, which appears to entail the initial formation of thionitroxyl radicals, converts phenylacetylene into a 3 1 mixture of 2,4- and 2,5-diphenylthiophene, methyl propiolate into dimethyl thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylate, and ethyl phenylpropiolate into diethyl 3,4-diphenylthiophene-2,5-dicarboxylate (Scheme 83a) (77TL3413). Dimethyl thiophene-2,4-dicarboxylate is obtained from methyl propiolate by treatment with dimethyl sulfoxide and thionyl chloride (Scheme 83b) (66CB1558). The rhodium carbonyl catalyzed carbonylation of alkynes in alcohols provides 5-alkoxy-2(5//)-furanones (Scheme 83c) (81CL993). The inclusion of ethylene provides 5-ethyl-2(5//)-furanones instead (82NKK242). The nickel acetate catalyzed addition of r-butyl isocyanide to alkynes provides access to 2-aminopyrroles (Scheme 83d) (70S593). 

Schneider, F.W. and Rabinovitch, B. S., The unimolecular isomerization of methyl-d3 isocyanide. Statistical-weight inverse secondary intermolecular kinetic isotope effects in nonequilibrium thermal systems. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 85, 2365 (1963). 

The fused pyrrole ring system (204) has been obtained by the reaction of 17/3-hydroxy-17-methylandrosta-l,4-dien-3-one with tosylmethyl isocyanide in the presence of sodium hydride in DMSO,92 and 17/3-hydroxy-17-methyl-7-oxa-5o -androstano-[3,2-c]- (205) or -[2,3-d]-isoxazoles (206 X = O) have been prepared by treating 7-oxa-2-(hydroxymethylene)-17/3 -hydroxy-17-methyl-5 a -androstan-3-one with hydroxylamine hydrochloride.93 In the presence of pyridine, the isox-azole (206 X = O) is formed, but when the reaction is catalysed by sodium acetate in acetic acid the isomeric steroid (205) results. Cycloaddition of hydrazine hydrate to the same 2-hydroxymethylene-7-oxa-steroid results in the [3,2-c]pyrazole (206 X = NH). A similar addition is encountered in the reactions between 3/3-hydroxy-16-(hydroxymethylene)-5a-androstan-17-one and the substituted hydrazines RNHNH2 (R = H, o-COC6H4NH2, or p-COQHUNH ,) when the corresponding [17,16-c]pyrazoles (207) are formed after cyclization of the intermediate hydrazones.94... 

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