A study of the kinetics and mechanism of the decay of R-acetoxy-N-nitrosopyrrolidine and R-acetoxy-N-nitrosopiperidine are reported. The compounds differ in reactivity by more than 2 orders of magnitude at physiological pH. On the basis of thermodynamic parameters, common ion inhibition and azide ion trapping experiments, both compounds appear to decompose under these conditions by the formation of N-nitrosiminium ion intermediates. The differences in reactivity are rationalized on the basis of results from an ab initio study, described in the accompanying paper. The first direct study of the kinetics of decay of cyclic R-hydroxynitrosamines of nitrosopiperidine and nitrosopyrrolidine and a third compound, 2-hydroxy-2-methylnitrosopyrrolidine is also summarized. These prove to be highly unstable reactive intermediates, in contrast to what might be expected on the basis of earlier reports concerning cyclic R-hydroxynitrosamines.

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A kinetic study of the decay of alpha-(acyloxy)dialkylnitrosamines in aqueous solutions, at 25 degrees C, ionic strength 1 M (NaClO(4)), and 4% acetonitrile by volume, is reported. Rate constants for disappearance of the N-NO chromophore or appearance of benzaldehyde product increase with the introduction of electron-withdrawing groups into the acyloxy moiety. For some compounds, in some regions of pH, the kinetics are non-first-order. For these compounds, in other regions of pH, the rate constants are coincident with those previously reported for the decay of the corresponding alpha-hydroxydialkylnitrosamines. These data provide direct evidence that alpha-hydroxydialkylnitrosamines are intermediates in the pH-independent decomposition of the alpha-(acyloxy)dialkylnitrosamines studied.

A study of the solvolysis of a series of (N-nitrosomethylamino)arylmethyl esters and azides and the products of nucleophilic trapping of the corresponding N-nitrosiminium ion intermediates in aqueous media, 25°C, ionic strength 1 M is reported. Structure-reactivity data for the forward and reverse reactions have been obtained. In three cases, the rate constants for reactions of the cations with nucleophiles have been measured directly by laser flash photolysis. The data allow a comparison of the degree to which the N-methyl-N-nitroso functionality enhances cation stability from a thermodynamic and kinetic perspective. It has been possible to deduce that the carbon basicity of azide ion is less than 1 kcal/mol greater than that of acetate ion.Key words: nitrosiminium ions, α-acetoxynitrosamines, carbocations, iminium ions, nucleophilicity.

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