Water leaving group

The water buffer solvent is very polar. The water leaving group is p aHL= -7, and the carbocation formed has lone pair stabilization by resonance. The Dn step, and therefore the El route is reasonable. 

The SnI must pass three criteria for the Dn step to proceed. The solvent needs to be polar, which this acidic medium is. The leaving group has to be very good, with a p TaHL below zero the water leaving group with a p/faHL of definitely qualifies. Finally, the carbocation must be reasonably stabilized, better than secondary, and this Dn would produce a tertiary carbocation, passing the last criterion. The SnI is very reasonable. 

Bronsted pK, Acidity in water Leaving group departure lySi.cl > 1, more sensitive 1 1 cl < L less sensitive... 

The reactions of alcohols with hydrogen halides to give alkyl halides (Chapter 4) are nucleophilic substitution reactions of alkyloxonium ions m which water is the leaving group Primary alcohols react by an 8 2 like displacement of water from the alkyloxonium ion by halide Sec ondary and tertiary alcohols give alkyloxonium ions which form carbo cations m an S l like process Rearrangements are possible with secondary alcohols and substitution takes place with predominant but not complete inversion of configuration... 

Methyl bromide slowly hydrolyzes in water, forming methanol and hydrobromic acid. The bromine atom of methyl bromide is an excellent leaving group in nucleophilic substitution reactions and is displaced by a variety of nucleophiles. Thus methyl bromide is useful in a variety of methylation reactions, such as the syntheses of ethers, sulfides, esters, and amines. Tertiary amines are methylated by methyl bromide to form quaternary ammonium bromides, some of which are active as microbicides. 

SuIfona.tlon, The sulfonic acid group is used extensively in the dyes industry for its water-solubilizing properties, and for its ability to act as a good leaving group in nucleophilic substitutions. It is used almost exclusively for these purposes since it has only a minor effect on the color of a dye. 

The principal difference hes in the poorer ability of amide ions to act as leaving groups, compared to alkoxides. As a result, protonation at nitrogen is required for breakdown of the tetrahedral intermediate. Also, exchange between the carbonyl oxygen and water is extensive because reversal of the tetrahedral intermediate to reactants is faster than its decomposition to products. 

The catalytic effect of protons has been noted on many occasions (cf. Section II,D,2,c) and autocatalysis frequently occurs when the nucleophile is not a strong base. Acid catalysis of reactions with water, alcohols, mercaptans, amines, or halide ions has been observed for halogeno derivatives of pyridine, pyrimidine (92), s-triazine (93), quinoline, and phthalazine as well as for many other ring systems and leaving groups. An interesting displacement is that of a 4-oxo group in the reaction of quinolines with thiophenols, which is made possible by the acid catalysis. 

In the initial step one hydroxy group is protonated, and thus converted into a good leaving group—i.e. water. Subsequent loss of water from the molecule proceeds in such a way that the more stable carbenium ion species 2 is formed. The next step is a 1,2-shift of a group R to the tertiary carbenium center to give a hydroxycarbenium ion species 4 ... 

The leaving group doesn t have to be a water molecule any group or substituent which upon cleavage from the carbon skeleton under appropriate reaction conditions leaves behind a carbenium ion—e.g. a halogen substituent—will suffice. The other substituents can be hydrogen, alkyl or aryl. ... 

The existence of an electrical potential causes not only cation and anion movement but also migration of moisture toward the cathode. This movement of water (electroendosmosis) is due to the asymmetrical nature of the polar groups of the water molecule. In arid regions water leaving the anode area may cause the soil surrounding the anodes to become so dry that proper current densities cannot be maintained along the line. To alleviate this, some pipe-line companies have had to transport water into desert areas to re-moisten anode beds. 

Note that in the S l reaction, which is often carried out under acidic conditions, neutral water can act as a leaving group. This occurs, for example, when an alkyl halide is prepared from a tertiary alcohol by reaction with HBr or HC1 (Section 10.6). The alcohol is first protonated and then spontaneously loses H2O to generate a carbocation, which reacts with halide ion to give the alkyl halide (Figure 11.13). Knowing that an SN1 reaction is involved in the conversion of alcohols to alkyl halides explains why the reaction works well only for tertiary alcohols. Tertiary alcohols react fastest because they give the most stable carbocation intermediates. 

The mechanism of the S 1 reaction of a tertiary alcohol wilh HBr to yield an alkyl halide. Neutral water is the leaving group. 

I Tertiary7 alkyl halides E2 elimination occurs when a base is used, but SN1 substitution and El elimination occur together under neutral conditions, such as in pure ethanol or water. ElcB elimination takes place if the leaving group is two carbons away from a carbonyl group. 

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