Solvent effects on kinetics and mechanism of acid-catalyzed decomposition of 1,3-bis(4-methylphenyl)-triazene II. Reactions in aprotic solvents

Abstract

The effect of aprotic solvents (hexane, cyclohexane, dichloromethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, benzene, acetonitrile, acetone, 1,2-dimethoxyethane, ethyl acetate, dioxane) on kinetics and mechanism of acid-catalyzed decomposition of 1,3-bis(4-methylphenyl)triazene has been studied with trichloroacetic acid as the acid catalyst. It has been found that beside the non-dissociated monomer of the acid also its dimer acts as the catalytic species. With regard to the results obtained in protic solvents (the catalysis by proton and general acid) three cases can be encountered of the dependence of observed rate constant on analytical concentration of the acid. The effect of solvents (inclusive of the protic ones) on the catalytic rate constant of the reaction with the non-dissociated monomer of acid is best interpreted by the equation suggested by Koppel and Palm and by the solvent scale suggested by us earlier. The solvent acidity and polarity have positive effect, whereas its basicity has negative effect. The catalytic rate constant of the reaction with the acid dimer decreases with increasing solvent basicity and polarity, due predominantly to the decrease in the equilibrium constant of dimerization.