Second-order rate constants (k(N)) have been measured spectrophotometrically for the reaction of 4-nitrophenyl X-substituted benzoates with a series of alicyclic secondary amines in H(2)O containing 20 mol % dimethyl sulfoxide at 25.0 degrees C. The magnitude of the k(N) values increases with increasing the basicity of amines and with increasing the electron-withdrawing ability of the acyl substituent X. The Hammett plots obtained are not linear but show a break or curvature as the acyl substituent X becomes electron withdrawing for all the amines studied, while the Bronsted-type plots are linear with large beta(nuc) values for all the substrates investigated. The nonlinear Hammett plots suggest a change in the rate-determining step upon changing the acyl substituent X, whereas the linear Bronsted-type plots indicate that the rate-determining step does not change upon changing amine basicity. The Yukawa-Tsuno plots obtained are also linear with positive rho(X) and large r values, suggesting that the nonlinear Hammett plots are not due to a change in the rate-determining step upon changing the acyl substituent X, but due to resonance demand of the pi-electron donor substituent on the acyl moiety. The magnitude of the rho(X) and beta(nuc) values increases with increasing the basicity of amines and with increasing the electron-withdrawing ability of the acyl substituent X, respectively, while that of the r values decreases with increasing rho(X) values and amine basicity.

A kinetic study is reported for the reaction of the anionic nucleophiles OH-, CN-, and N 3 - with aryl benzoates containing substituents on the benzoyl as well as the aryloxy moiety, in 80 mol % H2O - 20 mol % dimethyl sulfoxide at 25.0 degrees C. Hammett log k vs sigma plots for these systems are consistently nonlinear. However, a possible traditional explanation in terms of a mechanism involving a tetrahedral intermediate with curvature resulting from a change in rate-determining step is considered but rejected. The proposed explanation involves ground-state stabilization through resonance interaction between the benzoyl substituent and the electrophilic carbonyl center in the two-stage mechanism. Accordingly, the data are nicely accommodated on the basis of the Yukawa-Tsuno equation, which gives linear plots for all three nuceophiles. Literature reports of the mechanism of acyl transfer processes are reconsidered in this light.

2000 amide formation, amide hydrolysis amide formation, amide hydrolysis O 0320 -058Effect of Acyl Substituents on the Reaction Mechanism for Aminolyses of 4-Nitrophenyl X-Substituted Benzoates. -Based on Hammett and Broensted correlations as well as Yukawa-Tsuno plots it is found that the title aminolyses proceed through the same mechanism independent on the nature of acyl substituents. The nonlinear Hammett plots obtained arise from large resonance demand of the π-electron donor substituent on the acyl moiety, but not from a change in the rate-determining step upon changing the acyl substituent.

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