Gas-phase nucleophilic substitution reactions of Y-benzyl chlorides with X-phenoxide and Xthiophenoxide nucleophiles were investigated theoretically using the PM3 semi-empirical MO method. The LefflerGrunwald rate-equilibrium and Brønsted correlations predict that the degree of bond formation in the transition state (TS) is approximately 45 and 40% on the reaction coordinate for the phenoxides and thiophenoxides, respectively. For a weaker nucleophile, a later TS is obtained with an increased bond making and breaking. The variation of the TS structure with substituents in the nucleophile is thermodynamically controlled and is well correlated by rateequilibrium relationships. In contrast, the TS variation (a tighter TS) with substituent (for a stronger acceptor Y) in the substrate is dependent only on variations of the intrinsic barrier and so cannot be correlated by such thermodynamically based rate-equilibrium relationships. The gas phase r X and r Y values are much greater in magnitude than those in solution. A similar gas-phase theoretical cross-interaction constant, r XY (ca À0.60), is obtained for both phenoxides and thiophenoxides, which is in good agreement with the experimental value (À0.62) for the thiophenoxide reactions in MeOH at 20.0°C. The oxy and sulfur anion bases lead to a similar TS structure, but a lower reactivity for the former is due to a greater endothermicity of the reaction. A relatively wide range variation of the reaction energies, DG°, can be ascribed to the loss of resonance stabilization of anion nucleophiles upon product formation.

Gas‐phase nucleophilic substitution reactions of Y‐benzyl chlorides with X‐phenoxide and X‐thiophenoxide nucleophiles were investigated theoretically using the PM3 semi‐empirical MO method. The Leffler–Grunwald rate‐equilibrium and Brønsted correlations predict that the degree of bond formation in the transition state (TS) is approximately 45 and 40% on the reaction coordinate for the phenoxides and thiophenoxides, respectively. For a weaker nucleophile, a later TS is obtained with an increased bond making and breaking. The variation of the TS structure with substituents in the nucleophile is thermodynamically controlled and is well correlated by rate–equilibrium relationships. In contrast, the TS variation (a tighter TS) with substituent (for a stronger acceptor Y) in the substrate is dependent only on variations of the intrinsic barrier and so cannot be correlated by such thermodynamically based rate–equilibrium relationships. The gas phase ρX and ρY values are much greater in magnitude than those in solution. A similar gas‐phase theoretical cross‐interaction constant, ρXY (ca −0.60), is obtained for both phenoxides and thiophenoxides, which is in good agreement with the experimental value (−0.62) for the thiophenoxide reactions in MeOH at 20.0 °C. The oxy and sulfur anion bases lead to a similar TS structure, but a lower reactivity for the former is due to a greater endothermicity of the reaction. A relatively wide range variation of the reaction energies, ΔG°, can be ascribed to the loss of resonance stabilization of anion nucleophiles upon product formation. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The pi-donating effects of pi-accepting X-substituents in substituted benzylic cations, X-C(6)H(5)-CHR(+) where R = CF(3), H and OCH(3), and X = p-NH(2), p-OCH(3), p-CH(3), H, p-F, p-Cl, p-CHO, m-CN, p-CN, m-NO(2) or p-NO(2), have been studied theoretically by using isodesmic hydride transfer reactions at various levels of theory. It might be difficult to determine the pi-donating effects of pi-acceptors using the simple Hammett-type linear equation, because it is not sensitive enough to include small pi-donating effects. Therefore, this effect was estimated using the NBO deletion energy (DeltaE(D)) of the second-order charge-transfer interaction (DeltaE(ct)) between the pi-orbitals (or lone pair orbitals) of the X-substituent and the pi-orbitals of phenyl ring. The extents of pi-donating effects increased in the order X = p-NO(2) < p-CHO < p-CN << p-Cl for both neutral and cationic species, and these effects were found to be more important for para- than for meta-substituents. Moreover, this could represent a general trend for pi-donation by pi-acceptors. On the other hand, the effects of R-substituents on this pi-donating effect were found to be in the order R = OCH(3) < H congruent with CF(3), as predicted by natural resonance theory (NRT) analyses.