Propionic general discussion

One of the most sensitive tests of the dependence of chemical reactivity on the size of the reacting molecules is the comparison of the rates of reaction for compounds which are members of a homologous series with different chain lengths. Studies by Flory and others on the rates of esterification and saponification of esters were the first investigations conducted to clarify the dependence of reactivity on molecular size. The rate constants for these reactions are observed to converge quite rapidly to a constant value which is independent of molecular size, after an initial dependence on molecular size for small molecules. The effect is reminiscent of the discussion on the uniqueness of end groups in connection with Example 1.1. In the esterification of carboxylic acids, for example, the rate constants are different for acetic, propionic, and butyric acids, but constant for carboxyUc acids with 4-18 carbon atoms. This observation on nonpolymeric compounds has been generalized to apply to polymerization reactions as well. The latter are subject to several complications which are not involved in the study of simple model compounds, but when these complications are properly considered, the independence of reactivity on molecular size has been repeatedly verified. 

The general plan of Organic Syntheses has been discussed in the prefaces of the previous volumes. In this volume are published two distinctly different methods of preparation for each of two compounds. The directions for producing /3-chloro-propionic acid first from acrolein and second from trimethylene chlorohydrin, and for producing trimethylacetic acid first from terJ-butyl chloride and second from pinacolone, have been included. This has been deemed advisable since in some countries one raw material is more readily available than the other. 

Steric effects were evaluated by a study of the DMAP-catalysed acylation of 1 y, 2y and 3y alcohols by acetic, propionic, isobutyric, isovaleric, and pivalic anhydrides in CH2C12 at 20 °C. In all cases the reaction kinetics could be described by rate laws containing a DMAP-catalysed term and an uncatalysed (background) term. Steric effects were evident in both reactions, but were generally greater for the DMAP-catalysed reaction. For example, the uncatalysed reactions between cyclohexanol and acetic and pivalic anhydrides differed about 500-fold, but for the corresponding DMAP-catalysed reactions the factor was 8000-fold. The implications of these findings for the kinetic resolution of alcohols were discussed.32... 

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