Kinetics and Mechanism of the Hydrolysis of Benzyl Ether Bonds in Aqueous–Organic Media

Abstract

Kinetic parameters (rate constant, energy of activation, and entropy of activation) of the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of the benzyl ethers (3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-(2-methoxyphenoxy)methane and (4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)methoxymethane are determined for a wide range of compositions for mixtures of water and organic solvents (dioxane, DMSO, and acetic acid). It is shown that the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of these benzyl ethers in mixtures of water and aprotic solvents occurs as a reaction of bimolecular nucleophilic substitution. In aqueous acetic acid solutions, the mechanism of hydrolysis can be bimolecular or unimolecular, depending on the structure of the ether and the content of the organic solvent. The effect the solvents have on the rate and mechanism of the studied reaction is discussed in terms of solvation concepts.