Kinetics and Mechanism of Pyridinolysis of O,O-Diethyl S-Aryl Phosphorothioates

The kinetic studies on the reactions of O,O-diethyl Z-S-aryl phosphorothioates with X-pyridines have been carried out in dimethyl sulfoxide. The free energy correlations with X in the nucleophiles are biphasic concave upwards with a break point at X = H, while those for substituent Z variations in the leaving groups are linear. The negative sign of ${\rho}_{XZ}$ implies that the reaction proceeds through a concerted mechanism for both the strongly and weakly basic pyridines. The biphasic concave upward free energy relationships with X are rationalized by a change in the nucleophilic attacking direction from frontside with the strongly basic pyridines to backside with the weakly basic pyridines.