Reactions of alicyclic ketones in carbon tetrachloride. II. Kinetics of the chlorination of 2-chlorocyclopentanone and 2-chlorocyclohexanone, catalyzed by hydrogen chloride

Abstract

The kinetics of the direct chlorination of 2-chlorocyclopentanone (2-mccp) and 2-chlorocyclohexanone (2-mcch) in carbon tetrachloride, catalyzed by hydrogen chloride, were studied. Reaction products are all the possible 2,2-, 2,5-, and 2,6-dichloro compounds. The ratios depend on the concentrations of the monochloro compound and hydrogen chloride. Surprisingly, even at conversions of the monochloro compound as low as 2%, 2,2,5-trichlorocyclopentanone and 2,2,6-trichlorocyclohexanone, respectively, are also formed. The chlorination reaction of both monochloro ketones shows zero order in chlorine. The order in hydrogen chloride is 1.3. The order in 2-mccp and 2-mcch varies somewhat with the concentration of the ketone and was found to be roughly 1.7. The variation in reaction order is explained by a partial self-association of the ketones. The ketones act as substrates as well as basic catalysts in the rate-determining α- or α′-carbon deprotonation. General base catalysis is clearly demonstrated by a strong increase in the rate of chlorination of 2-mccp upon addition of cyclopentanone (cp) to the reaction mixture, which agrees with the mechanism as presented in a previous paper. Kinetic equations derived from the reaction models for the "separate" and "mixed" ketone chlorinations accurately describe the observed rates of the chlorination of 2-mccp and 2-mcch in the concentration range of 0.04–1.0 M.