Proton transfer reactions mechanism

Although the anionic polymerization of 13 tended to form gels, the cationic polymerization proceeded through a proton-transfer reaction mechanism to produce hyperbranched glyco-conjugated polymer Poly 13 mainly consisting of 2,5-anhydro-D-glucitol units. This was the first report of the synthesis of a hyperbranched polymer via a cyclopolymerization mechanism. 

When applied to the synthesis of ethers the reaction is effective only with primary alcohols Elimination to form alkenes predominates with secondary and tertiary alcohols Diethyl ether is prepared on an industrial scale by heating ethanol with sulfuric acid at 140°C At higher temperatures elimination predominates and ethylene is the major product A mechanism for the formation of diethyl ether is outlined m Figure 15 3 The individual steps of this mechanism are analogous to those seen earlier Nucleophilic attack on a protonated alcohol was encountered m the reaction of primary alcohols with hydrogen halides (Section 4 12) and the nucleophilic properties of alcohols were dis cussed m the context of solvolysis reactions (Section 8 7) Both the first and the last steps are proton transfer reactions between oxygens... 

Because proton-transfer reactions between oxygen atoms are usually very fast, step 3 can be assumed to be a rapid equilibrium. With the above mechanism assume4 let us examine the rate expression which would result, depending upon which of the steps is rate-determining. 

Proton transfers between oxygen and nitrogen acids and bases are usually extremely fast. In the thermodynamically favored direction, they are generally diffusion controlled. In fact, a normal acid is defined as one whose proton-transfer reactions are completely diffusion controlled, except when the conjugate acid of the base to which the proton is transferred has a pA value very close (differs by g2 pA units) to that of the acid. The normal acid-base reaction mechanism consists of three steps ... 

This line is both potential and pH dependent, and it represents the zone where an assisted proton transfer reaction occurs. As a matter of fact, an oblique line in the ionic partition diagram always relates to such a mechanism, the slope indicating the number of protons exchanged at the interface. 

In biochemical systems, acid-base and redox reactions are essential. Electron transfer plays an obvious, crucial role in photosynthesis, and redox reactions are central to the response to oxidative stress, and to the innate immune system and inflammatory response. Acid-base and proton transfer reactions are a part of most enzyme mechanisms, and are also closely linked to protein folding and stability. Proton and electron transfer are often coupled, as in almost all the steps of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. 

ApA < 1. In Fig. 2 the region of curvature is much broader and extends beyond — 4 < ApA < + 4. One explanation for the poor agreement between the predictions in Fig. 3 and the behaviour observed for ionisation of acetic acid is that in the region around ApA = 0, the proton-transfer step in mechanism (8) is kinetically significant. In order to test this hypothesis and attempt to fit (9) and (10) to experimental data, it is necessary to assume values for the rate coefficients for the formation and breakdown of the hydrogen-bonded complexes in mechanism (8) and to propose a suitable relationship between the rate coefficients of the proton-transfer step and the equilibrium constant for the reaction. There are various ways in which the latter can be achieved. Experimental data for proton-transfer reactions are usually fitted quite well by the Bronsted relation (17). In (17), GB is a... 

The general features discussed so far can explain the complexity of these reactions alone. However, thermodynamic and kinetic couplings between the redox steps, the complex equilibria of the metal ion and/or the proton transfer reactions of the substrate(s) lead to further complications and composite concentration dependencies of the reaction rate. The speciation in these systems is determined by the absolute concentrations and the concentration ratios of the reactants as well as by the pH which is often controlled separately using appropriately selected buffers. Perhaps, the most intriguing task is to identify the active form of the catalyst which can be a minor, undetectable species. When the protolytic and complex-formation reactions are relatively fast, they can be handled as rapidly established pre-equilibria (thermodynamic coupling), but in any other case kinetic coupling between the redox reactions and other steps needs to be considered in the interpretation of the kinetics and mechanism of the autoxidation process. This may require the use of comprehensive evaluation techniques. 

Quantum-mechanical tunnelling has been recognized as a possible contributor to the rate of a chemical reaction for many years. For instance, the theory of tunnelling for proton transfer reactions was developed by Bell (1959) in his famous book The Proton in Chemistry. Later, Bell (1980a) published a more thorough treatment of tunnelling in his book The Tunnel Effect in Chemistry. 

For reactions in which the decomposition of the zwitterionic intermediate, ZH, is, at least partially, rate-limiting, two major mechanisms are now widely accepted. These are known as the specific base-general acid (SB-GA) and the rate-limiting proton transfer (RLPT) mechanisms and are shown in Scheme lla. 

In recent years there has been a tendency to assume that the mechanisms of substitution reactions of metal complexes are well understood. In fact, there are many fundamental questions about substitution reactions which remain to be answered and many aspects which have not been explored. The question of associative versus dissociative mechanisms is still unresolved and is important both for a fundamental understanding and for the predicted behavior of the reactions. The type of experiments planned can be affected by the expectation that reactions are predominantly dissociative or associative. The substitution behavior of newly characterized oxidation states such as copper-(III) and nickel (III) are just beginning to be available. Acid catalysis of metal complex dissociation provides important pathways for substitution reactions. Proton-transfer reactions to coordinated groups can accelerate substitutions. The main... 

Figure 10. Proposed mechanism for the proton-transfer reactions of metal-...

Eigen s mechanism for proton transfer reactions between. acids (AH) and bases (B) proceeds through a neutral hydro-... 

General Discussion—Proton-Transfer Reaction Rates and Mechanisms... 

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