13C kinetic isotope effects and reaction coordinate motions in transition states for SN2 displacement reactions

Abstract

Reaction coordinate motions and 13C kinetic isotope effects at 25 °C have been calculated for the SN2 reactions of methyl iodide with iodide, cyanide, and chloride ions and for the SN2 reaction of benzyl bromide with hydroxide ion using transition state models characterized by single interaction force constant, F12, between the bond being formed and the bond being broken. The isotope effect calculations show that the dependence of calculated 13C isotope effects on transition state symmetry found by Willi and Sims etal. holds true for reaction barriers corresponding to small values of νL, while the symmetry dependence observed by Bron holds true for barriers corresponding to large values of νL.νL was also found to have a strong influence on the reaction coordinate motions of the transition states. In particular, for the methyl iodide reactions an increase in νL increases the distortion of the methyl group in the direction expected for a classical SN2 reaction. Finally, reaction coordinate motions were used to show that the model proposed by Bron for the borderline region between SN1 and SN2 reaction mechanisms predicts an increase in the 13C kinetic isotope effect with decreasing total bond order and not the decrease suggested by Bron.