• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.621-625
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• 1993

Kinetic studies are conducted for the reactions of Y-benzoyl, Y-benzenesulfonyl and Y-benzyl halides with X-anilines in acetonitrile, and the transition state (TS) structures and their variations with substituents X and Y are discussed. The magnitude of the cross-interaction constants, $\rho$xy, is the largest and the inverse secondary kinetic isotope effect (SKIE), $k_H/k_D$ < 1.0, with deuterated aniline nucleophiles is the smallest for benzoyl fluoride reflecting the tightest TS for this compound. The SKIEs for sulfonyl halides are relatively large due to a relatively large, diffuse nature of the reaction center, S, causing weaker steric hindrance to the vibrations of the two N-H(D) bonds. For benzoyl and sulfonyl halides, the trends in $k_H/k_D$ and $Ir_XI$ variations with $\sigma$Y contradict each other, which is rationalized by the negative charge accumulation on the reaction center, CO and SO$_2$, causing inefficient transfer for the substrate with an electron donating substituent.