The kinetics of cyclization of substituted phenyl N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)carbamates and their N-methyl analogs, prepared by the reaction of 2-(aminomethyl)phenols with substituted phenyl chloroformates, was studied in dioxane or toluene at the temperatures 110-180 °C. Electron-withdrawing substituents in the leaving phenoxy group strongly accelerate the rate of cyclization (ρ = 2.45 ± 0.15) while the substituents in the other ring have virtually no effect. The cyclization was catalyzed with triethylamine in toluene but not in dioxane. On the basis of these results, the most convenient method for preparation of substituted 4H-1,3-benzoxazin-2(3H)-ones was a one-hour reflux of substituted 4-nitrophenyl N-(2-hydroxybenzyl)carbamates in dioxane. Based on the influence of substituents, solvents (dioxane and toluene) and triethylamine, the reaction mechanism and structure of the transition state were proposed.

Base catalyzed cyclization rates have been measured of 22 derivatives of hydantoic and thiohydantoic acid esters in water and methanol. The cyclization of methyl and ethyl esters of hydantoic and 5-methylhydantoic acids is accompanied by hydrolysis of the ester group, whereas with the other derivatives the hydrolysis does not take place. Hydrolysis of the cyclization products (hydantoin and thiohydantoin derivatives) is not significant under the kinetic conditions. The cyclization of methyl ester of 5-phenylhydantoic acid in methanol is reversible; the equilibrium mixture contains 30% of the starting ester. In all the cases the cyclization is subject to specific base catalysis; exceptions are esters of 5-phenylthiohydantoic and 5-phenyl-2-methylthiohydantoic acids whose cyclizations are subject to general base catalysis. Substituents always accelerate the cyclization. The 3-substituents have the greatest effects, the cyclization rate being considerably increased with bulk of the substituents; similarly large effect of 5-phenyl group consists mainly in its polar effects on the pre-equilibrium. The cyclization are slower in methanol at the same concentration of the lyate ion: the greatest difference (up to 3 orders of magnitude) is observed with the 5-phenyl derivatives.

S-Acyl-1-phenylthioureas and their 3-methyl derivatives are rearranged to 1-acyl derivatives of thiourea in methanolic solution. The rearrangement of the 1-acyl-1-phenyl derivative to the thermodynamically more stable 3-acyl derivative is subject to specific base catalysis. The rearrangement of acetyl group is about 2 orders of magnitude slower than that of benzoyl group. 1-Acetyl-l-phenylthiourea undergoes base-catalyzed methanolysis (giving phenylthiourea and methyl acetate) instead of the rearrangement. The methanolysis rates of l-acyl-3-phenylthioureas and their N-methyl derivatives have been measured. The acetylthioureas react at most 3x faster than the benzoyl derivatives. The methyl group at the nitrogen adjacent to acyl group accelerates the solvolysis by almost 2 orders of magnitude; the methyl group at the other nitrogen atom retards the solvolysis by almost 1 order of magnitude. Replacement of hydrogen atom by methyl group at the phenyl-substituted nitrogen increases acidity of the phenylacetylthiourea by 2 orders of magnitude. The same replacement at the benzoyl-substituted nitrogen increases the acidity by 3 orders of magnitude, the increase in the case of the acetyl derivative being as large as 4 orders of magnitude.

Azo coupling reactions of benzenediazonium salts with substituted 4-amino-3-penten-2-ones take place at the C-3 atom. 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy has been used to study the structure of both the starting enaminones and coupling products. In CDCl3, 3-(4-chlorophenylhydrazono)-2-(4-methylphenylimino)-4-pentanone exists in hydrazo form whereas 4-amino-3-(4-chlorophenylazo)-3-penten-2-one is present as a mixture of two azo compounds differing probably in the arrangement of the intramolecular hydrogen bond. The azo coupling reaction kinetics have been studied in acetate buffers and methanol-water or tert-butyl alcohol-water mixtures. The coupling rate has been found independent of pH and buffer concentration. The reaction orders with respect to the starting compounds have been determined and the reaction mechanism is suggested. Linear dependence has been found between log kobs and substituent constants according to the Hammett or Yukawa-Tsuno equations.

Twelve new substituted S-(1-phenylpyrrolidin-2-on-3-yl)isothiuronium bromides and twelve corresponding 2-imino-5-(2-phenylaminoethyl)thiazolidin-4-ones have been prepared and characterised. Kinetics and mechanism of transformation reaction of S-[1-(4-methoxyphenyl)pyrrolidin-2-on-3-yl]isothiuronium bromide and its N,N-dimethyl derivative 5a into corresponding substituted thiazolidin-4-ones 2a and 6a have been studied in aqueous solutions of amine buffers (pH 8.1-11.5) and sodium hydroxide solutions (0.005-0.5 mol l(-1)) at 25 degrees C and at I= 1 mol l(-1) under pseudo-first-order reaction conditions. The kinetics observed show that the transformation reaction is subject to general acid-base, and hydroxide ion catalyses. Acid catalysis does not operate in the transformation of 1a; the rate-limiting step of the base-catalysed transformation is the decomposition of bicyclic tetrahedral intermediate In(+/-) and the Brønsted dependence is non-linear (pK(a) approximately 9.8). In the case of derivative 5a both base and acid catalyses make themselves felt. In the base catalysis, the rate-limiting step consists of the decomposition of bicyclic intermediate In, and the Brønsted dependence is linear (beta = 0.9; pK(a) > 11.5). The acid-catalysed transformation of 5a also proceeds via the intermediate In, and the reaction is controlled by diffusion (alpha approximately equal to 0). With compound 5a in triethylamine and butylamine buffers, the general base catalysis changes into specific base catalysis. The effect of substitution in aromatic moiety of compounds 1a-h and 3a-h on the course of the transformation reaction has been studied in solutions of sodium hydroxide (0.005-0.5 mol l(-1)) at 25 degrees C by the stopped-flow method. The electron-acceptor substituents 4-NO(2) and 4-CN do not obey the Hammett correlation, which is due to a suppression of cross-conjugation in the ring-closure step of the transformation reaction.