Vinyl ether hydrolysis. XXIV. 1-Methoxycyclooctene and the question of reversibility of the carbon protonation step

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An argument is presented which suggests that hydrolysis of the vinyl ether group of 1-methoxycyclooctene may occur by reversible proton transfer from a catalyzing acid to the β-carbon atom of the substrate, instead of by the conventional reaction mechanism in which this proton transfer is rate determining and not reversible. Hydrolysis of this substrate is then examined by measuring rates of reaction in dilute aqueous solutions of strong mineral acids (perchloric and hydrochloric) as well as in buffer solutions of seven carboxylic acids, biphosphate ion, and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol. General acid catalysis is observed and a Brønsted relation with the exponent α = 0.73 is constructed. That, plus the isotope effects kH/kD = 2.9 and 6.0 for catalysis by hydronium ion and acetic acid respectively, as well as the lack of deuterium incorporation into the substrate when the reaction is carried out in D2O with D2PO4−/DPO42− buffer at pD = 8, show that carbon protonation of the substrate is not reversible and that the conventional reaction mechanism is operative. Key words: 1-methoxycyclooctene, vinyl ether hydrolysis, rate-determining proton transfer, Brønsted relation, solvent isotope effect.