The α-Effect in Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions of Y-Substituted-Phenyl X-Substituted-Cinnamates with Butane-2,3-dione Monoximate

Second-order rate constants ($k_{Ox^-}$) have been measured spectrophotometrically for nucleophilic substitution reactions of 4-nitrophenyl X-substituted-cinnamates (7a-7e) and Y-substituted-phenyl cinnamates (8a-8e) with butane-2,3-dione monoximate ($Ox^-$) in 80 mol % $H_2O$/20 mol % DMSO at $25.0{\pm}0.1^{\circ}C$. The Hammett plot for the reactions of 7a-7e consists of two intersecting straight lines while the Yukawa-Tsuno plot exhibits an excellent linearity with ${\rho}_X$=0.85 and r=0.58, indicating that the nonlinear Hammett plot is not due to a change in the rate-determining step but is caused by resonance stabilization of the ground state (GS) of the substrate possessing an electron-donating group (EDG). The Br${\o}$nsted-type plot for the reactions of Y-substituted-phenyl cinnamates (8a-8e) is linear with ${\beta}_{lg}$ = -0.64, which is typical of reactions reported previously to proceed through a concerted mechanism. The ${\alpha}$-nucleophile ($Ox^-$) is more reactive than the reference normal-nucleophile ($4-ClPhO^-$). The magnitude of the ${\alpha}$-effect (i.e., the $k_{Ox^-}/k_{4-ClPhO^-}$ ratio) is independent of the electronic nature of the substituent X in the nonleaving group but increases linearly as the substituent Y in the leaving group becomes a weaker electron-withdrawing group (EWG). It has been concluded that the difference in solvation energy between $Ox^-$ and $4-ClPhO^-$ (i.e., GS effect) is not solely responsible for the ${\alpha}$-effect but stabilization of transition state (TS) through a cyclic TS structure contributes also to the Y-dependent ${\alpha}$-effect trend (i.e., TS effect).