Aminolysis of 2,4-Dinitrophenyl and 3,4-Dinitrophenyl Benzoates: Effect of ortho-Nitro Group on Reactivity and Mechanism

Second-order rate constants ($k_N$) have been measured spectrophotometrically for reactions of 3,4-dinitrophenyl benzoates (5b) with a series of alicyclic secondary amines in 80 mol % $H_2O$/20 mol % DMSO at 25.0 ${\pm}$ 0.1 ${^{\circ}C}$. The kinetic data have been compared with the data reported previously for the corresponding reactions of 2,4- dinitrophenyl benzoates (5a) to investigate the effect of changing the nucleofuge from 2,4-dinitrophenoxide to 3,4-dinitrophenoxide on reactivity and mechanism. The kinetic results show that aminolyses of 5a and 5b proceed through the same mechanism, i.e., a zwitterionic tetrahedral intermediate ($T^{\pm}$) with a change in the rate-determining step (RDS). Substrate 5a is more reactive than 5b when breakdown of $T^{\pm}$ is the RDS but less reactive when formation of $T^{\pm}$ is the RDS. Dissection of kN values into the microscopic rate constants (e.g., $k_1$ and $k_2/k_{-1 }$ ratio) has revealed that 5a results in larger $k_2/k_{-1}$ ratios but smaller k1 values than 5b for all the amines studied. Since 2,4-dinitrophenoxide is less basic and a better nucleofuge than 3,4-dinitrophenoxide, the larger $k_2/k_{-1}$ ratios determined for the reactions of 5a than for those of 5b are as expected. The steric hindrance exerted by the ortho-nitro group on 5a contributes to the smaller k1 values found for the reactions of 5a than for those of 5b.