Kinetic Study on Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions of 4-Chloro-2-nitrophenyl X-Substituted-benzoates with Cyclic Secondary Amines: Effect of Substituent X on Reactivity and Reaction Mechanism

Second-order rate constants ($k_N$) have been measured spectrophotometrically for the reactions of 4-chloro-2-nitrophenyl X-substituted-benzoates (1a-1h) with a series of cyclic secondary amines in 80 mol % $H_2O$/20 mol % DMSO at $25.0{\pm}0.1^{\circ}C$. The Hammett plot for the reactions of 1a-1h with piperidine consists of two intersecting straight lines, while the Yukawa-Tsuno plot exhibits an excellent linear correlation with ${\rho}_X $ = 1.25 and r = 0.58, indicating that the nonlinear Hammett plot is not due to a change in the rate-determining step (RDS) but is caused by ground-state stabilization through resonance interactions for substrates possessing an electron-withdrawing group in the benzoyl moiety. The Br${\o}$nsted-type plot for the reactions of 4-chloro-2-nitrophenyl benzoate (1d) with a series of cyclic secondary amines curves downward with ${\beta}_2$ = 0.85, ${\beta}_1$ = 0.24, and $pK_a{^o}$ = 10.5, implying that a change in RDS occurs from the $k_2$ step to the $k_1$ process as the $pK_a$ of the conjugate acid of the amine exceeds 10.5. Dissection of $k_N$ into the microscopic rate constants $k_1$ and $k_2/k_{-1}$ ratio associated with the reaction of 1d reveals that $k_2$ is dependent on the amine basicity, which is contrary to generally held views.