Micellar effects upon reactions of the 2,2′,4,4′,4″-pentamethoxytrityl cation with nucleophiles

Abstract

Cationic micelles of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride and bromide (CTACl and CTABr) speed attack of water upon the 2,2′,4,4′,4″-pentamethoxytrityl cation by a factor of ca. 5. The first-order rate constant in water is 5.51 s−1 at 25.0 °C. Anionic micelles of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) have little effect on this reaction, but they strongly inhibit attack of OH−. In water, second-order rate constants for attack of OH−, CN−, and N3− are, respectively, 235, 177, and 2.8 × 105 M−1 s−1. Rate constants of reaction in CTACl go through maxima with increasing [surfactant] and analysis of the data shows that second-order rate constants at the micellar surface are similar to those in water.