Isotope effects and activation parameters for the proton transfer reaction from 1-(4-nitrophenyl)-1-nitroethane to free anions and ion pairs of cesium n-propoxide in n-propanol solvent

Abstract

Rate constants for the proton and deuteron transfer from 1-(4-nitrophenyl)-1-nitroethane to cesium n-propoxide in n-propanol have been measured under pseudo-first-order conditions with an excess of base for four temperatures between 5 and 35 °C. Using literature values of the fraction of cesium n-propoxide ion pairs that are dissociated into free ions, separate second-order rate constants for the proton and deuteron transfer to the ion pair and to the free ion have been calculated. The cesium n-propoxide ion pair is about 2.8 times more reactive than the free n-propoxide ion. The primary kinetic isotope effects for the two reactions are the same (kH/kD = 6.1–6.3 at 25 °C) within experimental error. The enthalpy of activation is smaller for the ion-pair reaction and the entropy of activation more negative than for the free-ion reaction. For proton transfer, ΔH±ion pair = 8.3 ± 0.2 kcal mol−1, ΔH±ion = 9.6 ± 1.0 kcal mol−1, ΔS±ion pair = −12.3 ± 0.6 cal mol−1 deg−1, ΔS±ion = −10.1 ± 3.4 cal mol−1 deg−1. The greater reactivity of the ion pair relative to the free ion is interpreted in terms of the weaker solvation shell of the ion pair in the initial state.