Kinetics and mechanism of the pyridinolysis of 4-nitrophenyl and 2,4-dinitrophenyl S-methyl thiocarbonates.

The reactions of 4-nitrophenyl and 2,4-dinitrophenyl S-methyl thiocarbonates (1 and 2, respectively) with a series of 3- and/or 4-substituted pyridines in aqueous solution, at 25.0 degrees C and an ionic strength of 0.2 M (KCl), are subjected to a kinetic investigation. The reactions are studied by following spectrophotometrically the release of 4-nitrophenoxide (400 nm) or 2,4-dinitrophenoxide (360 nm) anions. Under amine excess, pseudo-first-order rate coefficients (kobsd) are found. Plots of kobsd vs [pyridine] are linear and pH-independent, with slope kN. The Brønsted-type plot (log kN vs pKa of pyridinium ions) for the reactions of 1 is linear, with slope beta = 1.1, in contrast to the plot for the reactions of 2, which is biphasic, with slopes beta1 = 0.25 (high pKa) and beta2 = 0.90 (low pKa) and the curvature center at pKa = p = 7.3. The latter Brønsted plot is consistent with a stepwise mechanism, through a zwitterionic tetrahedral intermediate (T+/-) on the reaction path, and a change of the rate-determining step, from breakdown to formation of T+/-, as pyridine basicity increases. For the reactions of 1 the beta value indicates that the mechanism is also stepwise with expulsion of the nucleofuge from T+/- as the rate-determining step. By comparison of the reactions under investigation among each other and with similar aminolyses, the following conclusions can be drawn. (i) Thiocarbonate 2 is more reactive than 1 toward pyridines. (ii) The pka0 value for the pyridinolysis of 2,4-dinitrophenyl methyl carbonate (4) is larger than that for thiocarbonate 2. (iii) The k1 values (pyridine attack to form T+/-) are smaller for thiocarbonates 1 and 2 than the corresponding oxy carbonates 3 and 4, respectively. This is not in accordance with the electronic effects of MeS and MeO and could be attributed to steric hindrance of the MeS group toward pyridine attack. (iv) The kN values for the pyridinolysis of carbonates 3 and 4 are larger than those for thiocarbonates 1 and 2, respectively, when the k2 step is rate-limiting.