Substituent Effects on the Base-Catalysed Hydrolysis of Phenyl Esters of para-Substituted Benzoic Acids

Abstract

Seventeen model phenyl esters of 4-substituted benzoic acids were synthesised by the reaction of substituted benzoyl chlorides with phenol in aqueous alkaline solutions (Schotten-Baumann reaction), in pyridine (Einhorn reaction), or by the reaction of substituted benzoic acids with phosphorus oxychloride. Structures and purity of the model compounds were confirmed by 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopy as well as by HPLC and elemental analysis. Phenyl 4-aminobenzoate was synthesised by reduction of phenyl 4-nitrobenzoate in methanol on palladium. Kinetics of base-catalysed hydrolysis of model phenyl esters occurring by the BAc2 mechanism were measured by UV spectrophotometry in 50% (v/v) aqueous dimethyl sulfoxide solutions at 25 °C under pseudo-first-order conditions, (c[NaOH] = 0.001-1.0 mol l-1). The addition of OH- to phenyl benzoates was used to establish the kinetic J-E acidity scale. Linear relation between J-E and log kobs with the slope near unity was found for all the model compounds. The kinetic constants of hydrolysis of phenyl esters of 4-substituted benzoic acids precisely obey the Hammett relationship (σp) with ρ = 2.44. Quantitatively comparable results have been obtained by application of Alternative Interpretation of Substituent Effects theory (AISE) using the σi set of substituent constants.