Correlation analysis of reactivity in the oxidation of substituted benzyl alcohols by 2,2' -bipyridinium chlorochromate

Abstract

Oxidation of benzyl alcohol and some ortho-, meta- and para-monosubstituted ones by 2,2'-bipyridinium chlorochromate (BPCC) in DMSO leads to the formation of corresponding benzaldehydes. The reaction is first order in both BPCC and the alcohol. The reaction is promoted by hydrogen ions; the hydrogen-ion dependence has the form : k obs = a + b [H + ]. Oxidation of α,α-dideuteriobenzyl alcohol (PhCD 2 OH) has exhibited a substantial primary kinetic isotope effect (k H /k D = 5.60 at 298 K). The reaction has been studied in nineteen organic solvents and the effect of solvent analysed using Taft's and Swain's multi-parametric equations. The rates of oxidation of para- and meta-substituted benzyl alcohols have been correlated in terms of Charton's triparametric LDR equation whereas the oxidation of ortho-substituted benzyl alcohols with tetraparametric LDRS equation. The oxidation of para-substituted benzyl alcohols is more susceptible to the delocalization effect than that of ortho- and meta-substituted compounds, which display a greater dependence on the field effect. The positive value of η suggests the presence of an electron-deficient reaction centre in the rate-determining step. The reaction is subjected to steric acceleration by the ortho-substituents. A suitable mechanism has been proposed.