Protium

The ordinary isotope of hydrogen, H, is known as Protium, the other two isotopes are Deuterium (a proton and a neutron) and Tritium (a protron and two neutrons). Hydrogen is the only element whose isotopes have been given different names. Deuterium and Tritium are both used as fuel in nuclear fusion reactors. One atom of Deuterium is found in about 6000 ordinary hydrogen atoms. 

Melander first sought for a kinetic isotope effect in aromatic nitration he nitrated tritiobenzene, and several other compounds, in mixed acid and found the tritium to be replaced at the same rate as protium (table 6.1). Whilst the result shows only that the hydrogen is not appreciably loosened in the transition state of the rate-determining step, it is most easily understood in terms of the S 2 mechanism with... 

Isotopically Labeled Compounds. The hydrogen isotopes are given special names H (protium), H or D (deuterium), and H or T (tritium). The superscript designation is preferred because D and T disturb the alphabetical ordering in formulas. 

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. 

Consider a reactant molecule in which one atom is replaced by its isotope, for example, protium (H) by deuterium (D) or tritium (T), C by C, etc. The only change that has been made is in the mass of the nucleus, so that to a very good approximation the electronic structures of the two molecules are the same. This means that reaction will take place on the same potential energy surface for both molecules. Nevertheless, isotopic substitution can result in a rate change as a consequence of quantum effects. A rate change resulting from an isotopic substitution is called a kinetic isotope effect. Such effects can provide valuable insights into reaction mechanism. 

Table 3.1 Atomic properties of hydrogen (protium), deuterium, and tritium...

The amino acid methionine is formed by a melhylation reaction of homo cysteine with iV-methyltetrahydrofolate. The stereochemistry of the reactior has been probed by carrying out the transformation using a donor with a "chiral methyl group" that contains protium (H), deuterium (D), and tritium (T isotopes of hydrogen. Does the methylation reaction occur with inversion oi retention of configuration ... 

However, Speranza s group (Angelini et al., 1980, 1982) successfully investigated the reaction products from the radiochemical decay of tritiated benzenes, which follows Scheme 8-14 in the case of benzene containing one tritium atom in place of protium (8.18). These authors found the expected reaction products of the aryl... 

Further substrate and solvent isotope effects were measured by Batts and Gold472 for the dedeuteration and detritiation of labelled 1,3,5-trimethoxy-benzene in aqueous protium- and deuterium-containing perchloric acid. Contrary to the observations above, they found the rate coefficients for dedeuteration to detritiation to be independent of the concentration of the catalysing acid (Table 125). Detritiation in the deuterium-containing aqueous perchloric acid media occurred 1.68 times faster than in the protium-containing media. 

However, using acetate buffers, the observations of Eaborn et al.471 were confirmed in that rates were faster in the protium- than in the deuterium-containing media. Furthermore, an earlier observation of Kresge and Chiang473 (see below)... 

Secondly, it has been found that the benzidine rearrangement is subject to a solvent isotope effect d2o/ h2o > 1- If a proton is transferred from the solvent to the substrate in a rate-determining step the substitution of protium by deuterium will lead to a retardation in the rate of reaction (primary isotope effect) whereas if a proton is transferred in a fast equilibrium step preceeding the rate-determining step as in... 

In all non-bonded interactions which we shall discuss below, at least one of the atoms belongs to the element of hydrogen, and it is always hydrogen linked to carbon which is isotopic and consists of either protium or deuterium. It is frequently stated that protium requires more space than deuterium, but it is worth while examining this statement in detail. 

When two similar systems, one containing protium and the other deuterium attached to a carbon atom, are subject to the same perturbation V r) by the approach of a non-bonded atom, we obtain by means of expression (6) the following difference in perturbation energy ... 

The even derivatives of the interaction potential are positive, and thus the prediction in the case of biphenyl mversion is invariably that the enthalpy of activation will be greater for the protium than for the deuterium compoimd. Since no appreciable effect on the entropy of... 

Transition state theory has been useful in providing a rationale for the so-called kinetic isotope effect. The kinetic isotope effect is used by enzy-mologists to probe various aspects of mechanism. Importantly, measured kinetic isotope effects have also been used to monitor if non-classical behaviour is a feature of enzyme-catalysed hydrogen transfer reactions. The kinetic isotope effect arises because of the differential reactivity of, for example, a C-H (protium), a C-D (deuterium) and a C-T (tritium) bond. 

Factors that enhance tunnelling are a small particle mass and a narrow potential energy barrier. In biology, electron transfer is known to occur over large distances (up to about 25 X 10 m). Given the mass of protium is 1840 times that of the electron, the same probability for protium... 

In aqueous solutions, approximately one atom of deuterium, D, is present for every 7000 atoms of the ordinary hydrogen isotope (protium, H). In the evolntion of heavy hydrogen, HD, the polarization is approximately 0.1 V higher than in the evolution of ordinary hydrogen, H2. Hence during electrolysis the gas will be richer in protium, and the residual solution will be richer in deuterium. The relative degree of enrichment is called the separation factor (S) of the hydrogen isotopes,... 

Another result of the cold-fusion epopee that was positive for electrochemistry are the advances in the experimental investigation and interpretation of isotope effects in electrochemical kinetics. Additional smdies of isotope effects were conducted in the protium-deuterium-tritium system, which had received a great deal of attention previously now these effects have become an even more powerful tool for work directed at determining the mechanisms of electrode reactions, including work at the molecular level. Strong procedural advances have been possible not only in electrochemistry but also in the other areas. 

Similar experiments were conducted with deuterium. Comparing the results of these experiments with those obtained with protium, a conclusion was made that the ratio of calculated coefficients of surface diffusion of these particles is close to Vz. In other words, this ratio is a manifestation of a usual isotopic shift for diffusivity given by as one might expect assuming that surface diffusion... 

From experimentally measured sensor signals as functions of distance X we estimated the coefficients of diffusion for protium and deuterium. At T = 345 K they are equal to 1.56-10 and I.OO-IO" m/s, respectively. 

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