Solvent medium effects

We shall consider the problems of acidity and basicity of solvents, medium effects, acidity scales, homo- and hetero-conjugation, ionisation and dissociation. Experimental investigations of the most important solvent systems are covered to mid-1970. The selection of a few papers for discussion from the voluminous literature of the subject necessarily reveals the interests and prejudices of the writer. The reader is referred elsewhere for the analytical applications. " The annual Fundamental Reviews published in Analytical Chemistry give full coverage to current developments with extensive references to both fundamental and applied work. 

Inorganic kineticists with an interest in solvent medium effects have not been generously supplied with reviews recently. Solvent paths and solvento-inter-mediates in substitution at square-planar centres have been discussed in a well referenced review. Unfortunately, another fully referenced and undoubtedly important review, on solvent properties of significance in determining reactivity in substitution at nickel(ii), has appeared in a periodical access to which may prove difficult for many readers. The contents of another, more general, review of solvent effects on kinetics, which includes discussion of appropriate physical models, may prove equally elusive. ... 

Whether AH for a projected reaction is based on bond-energy data, tabulated thermochemical data, or MO computations, there remain some fundamental problems which prevent reaching a final conclusion about a reaction s feasibility. In the first place, most reactions of interest occur in solution, and the enthalpy, entropy, and fiee energy associated with any reaction depend strongly on the solvent medium. There is only a limited amount of tabulated thermochemical data that are directly suitable for treatment of reactions in organic solvents. Thermodynamic data usually pertain to the pure compound. MO calculations usually refer to the isolated (gas phase) molecule. Estimates of solvation effects must be made in order to apply either experimental or computational data to reactions occurring in solution. 

Sn2 reactions with anionic nucleophiles fall into this class, and observations are generally in accord with the qualitative prediction. Unusual effects may be seen in solvents of low dielectric constant where ion pairing is extensive, and we have already commented on the enhanced nucleophilic reactivity of anionic nucleophiles in dipolar aprotic solvents owing to their relative desolvation in these solvents. Another important class of ion-molecule reaction is the hydroxide-catalyzed hydrolysis of neutral esters and amides. Because these reactions are carried out in hydroxy lie solvents, the general medium effect is confounded with the acid-base equilibria of the mixed solvent lyate species. (This same problem occurs with Sn2 reactions in hydroxylic solvents.) This equilibrium is established in alcohol-water mixtures ... 

We have defined the solvent effect (medium effect) on a reaction by 8mAC = 8G - hGl =... 

Acid catalysis is an important kinetic phenomenon, and its study often requires the use of concentrated acid solutions, in which the conventional pH scale is not applicable. In sueh solutions (e.g., sulfuric acid-water mixtures covering the full range of compositions) the acid component simultaneously functions both as an acid and as a solvent thus, a medium effect is superimposed on the acidity effect. In this section we briefly describe the acidity function approach to coping with this problem. (A comparable approach can be taken to the study of highly... 

The low conversion initiator efficiency of di-r-butyl pcroxyoxalatc (0.93-0.97)1-1 is substantially higher than for other peroxyeslers [/-butyl peroxypivalale, 0.63 /-butyl peroxyacetate, 0.53 (60 °C, isopropylbenzene)195]. The dependence of cage recombination on the nature of the reaction medium has been the subject of a number of studies. 12I,1<>0 20CI The yield of DTBP (the main cage product) depends not only on viscosity but also on the precise nature of the solvent. The effect of solvent is to reduce the yield in the order aliphatic>aromatie>protic. It has been proposed199 that this is a consequence of the solvent dependence of p-scission of the f-butoxy radical which increases in the same series (Section 3.4.2.1.1). 

Hartshorn and Ridd48 showed that there is a negligible solvent isotope effect on nitrating anilinium ions in sulphuric acid and deuterated sulphuric acid (cf. an earlier less accurate determination by Brickman and Ridd48). The absence of a solvent isotope effect also argues against reaction on the free base because the free base concentration would be lower by a factor of about four in the deuterium-containing medium. Consequently, the differences in the rate coefficients in Table 6... 

VARIATION OF SOLVENT ISOTOPE EFFECT WITH MEDIUM COMPOSITION IN REACTION... 

A treatment partially based on the Bunnett-Olsen one is that of Bagno, Scorrano, and More OTerrall, which formulates medium effects (changes in acidity of solvent) on acid-base equilibria. An appropriate equilibrium is chosen as reference, and the acidity dependence of other reaetions compared with it, by use of the linear free energy equation... 

Many approaches have been used to correlate solvent effects. The approach used most often is based on the electrostatic theory, the theoretical development of which has been described in detail by Amis [114]. The reaction rate is correlated with some bulk parameter of the solvent, such as the dielectric constant or its various algebraic functions. The search for empirical parameters of solvent polarity and their applications in multiparameter equations has recently been intensified, and this approach is described in the book by Reich-ardt [115] and more recently in the chapter on medium effects in Connor s text on chemical kinetics [110]. 

This coefficient has various names (medium effect, solvation activity coefficient, etc.) the name recommended by the responsible IUPAC commission is the transfer activity coefficient. In this book the effect of solvation in various solvents will be expressed exclusively in terms of standard Gibbs transfer energies. 

Seliskar C, Brand L (1971) Electronic spectra of 2-aminonaphthalene-6-sulfonate and related molecules. II. Effects of solvent medium on the absorption and fluorescence spectra. JACS 93 5414-5420... 

Fig. 2.2 Self-Consistent Reaction Field (SCRF) model for the inclusion of solvent effects in semi-empirical calculations. The solvent is represented as an isotropic, polarizable continuum of macroscopic dielectric e. The solute occupies a spherical cavity of radius ru, and has a dipole moment of p,o. The molecular dipole induces an opposing dipole in the solvent medium, the magnitude of which is dependent on e.

Because of its tunable density and low viscosity, synthetic organic chemists are beginning to utilize supercritical C02 as a medium for exploring reaction mechanisms and solvent cage effects [10,11]. Asymmetric catalysis represents an area in which supercritical C02 may be useful as a solvent [12]. For polymerization reactions, in particular, the solvency of C02 as a medium and the plasticization effects of C02 on the resulting polymeric products represent the properties of central importance. These significant properties of C02 are explored in detail below. When all of these factors are combined with the fact that C02 may obviate the use of much more expensive and hazardous solvents,... 

We have also investigated the kinetics of free radical initiation using azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator [24]. Using high pressure ultraviolet spectroscopy, it was shown that AIBN decomposes slower in C02 than in a traditional hydrocarbon liquid solvent such as benzene, but with much greater efficiency due to the decreased solvent cage effect in the low viscosity supercritical medium. The conclusion of this work was that C02 is inert to free radicals and therefore represents an excellent solvent for conducting free radical polymerizations. 

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