The rates of addition of molecular bromine in acetic acid to a number of acetylenes have been found to follow the general equation In the absence of bromide ion and at low bromine concentrations (< 2 x M), only the k 2 process is observable. These k 2 values for a series of ring-substituted phenylacetylenes are correlated well with o+ values and give a p value of -5.17 which is interpreted in terms of a transition state leading to a vinyl cation intermediate. As expected from this intermediate, both cis and trans dibromide products are formed and the bromoacetates are only of the Markownikoff type (I-acetoxy-1-phenylethylene derivatives). An ion pair scheme has been presented to account for the variation in product composition with substrate structure.In contrast to these results for phenylacetylenes, a cyclic bromonium ion intermediate is postulated for alkyl acetylenes on the basis of only trans dibromide formation for 3-hexyne and 1-hexyne.The k,,-values have also been obtained for the ring-substituted phenylacetylenes as well as 3-hexyne. For all the substrates studied, this k,,-process represents a bromide ion catalyzed attack of molecular bromine in an Ade3 mechanism. Thus only trans dibromide products are formed from this rate process. The non-linear a + plot for these values has been interpreted in terms of change in transition state structure with substituent.Canadian Journal of Chemistry, 48, 3332 (1970)
IntroductionAs recent reviews by de la Mare and Bolton (1) and Fahey (2) indicate, the electrophilic addition of bromine to acetylenes has received much less attention than the corresponding reaction with olefins. Furthermore, the results available are so incomplete and, in some cases contradictory, that little confidence can be placed in any of the postulated mechanisms. Thus, Robertson et al. (3) have suggested that the rate equation for the addition of bromine to several substituted acetylenes in acetic acid is similar to that observed for olefins (first order in substrate and both first and second order in bromine) and that the overall rates are in the expected order for an electrophilic process. In contrast, Sinn et al. (4) have measured rates for the brominatioii (by a process second order in bromine) of diphenylacetylenes in bromobenzene, that are best interpreted in terms of a nucleophilic reaction. Only slightly more information is available on the stereochemistry of the products of this addition reaction. Bergel'son and Nazarov (5) have reported that the addition of bromine to 3-hydroxypropyne, 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutyne, propyne, and acetylene gives exclusively trans addition under conditions that favor an ionic reaction. On the other hand, results for the bromination of diphenylacetylene by molecular bromine (6) and