Solvent and substrate isotope effects on the enolization and carbon-acid ionization of isobutyrophenone

Abstract

Bromine scavenging was used to measure rates of acid-catalyzed enolization of isobutyrophenone in H2O and in D2O solution and of isobutyrophenone-α-d in D2O solution. The results provide the solvent isotope effect kH +/kD + = 0.56 and the substrate isotope effect kH/kD = 6.2 on the enolization reaction, both of which are consistent with the generally accepted mechanism for this process. The present results in combination with literature information also provide the solvent isotope effect on the enolization equilibrium, KE(H2O)/KE(D2O) = 0.92, and the solvent isotope effect on the ionization of isobutyrophenone as a carbon acid, kaK(H2O)/kaK(D2O) = 5.4, as well as the product of isotopic fractionation factor and medium effect, [Formula: see text], for isobutyrophenone enol and the medium effect, Φ = 0.47, for its enolate ion. The isotope effect on KE is the first ever determined for the keto–enol equilibrium of a simple aldehyde or ketone; its near-unit value is consistent with expectation on the basis of fractionation factors for the species involved. Key words: isobutyrophenone, keto–enol equilibrium, carbon-acid ionization, solvent isotope effects, isotopic fractionation factors.