Effect of the acyl substituent on the equilibrium constant for hydration of esters

Abstract

Heats of hydrolysis have been measured for the trimethyl orthoesters of isobutyric, propionic, benzoic, methoxyacetic, chloroacetic, and cyanoacetic acids using aqueous acid with an organic cosolvent where necessary, and of the corresponding esters in alkaline solution. Solubilities or free energies of transfer from gas to aqueous solution have been measured, permitting calculation of the free energies of formation of the aqueous orthoesters, and by methods which we have published previously, calculation of the free energies of formation of the covalent hydrates of the esters, and the free energy changes for hydration of these esters.Using estimated pKa values equilibrium constants were calculated for the addition of hydroxide to the esters. The data are in good agreement with the appropriate Marcus equation relating rate and equilibrium constants with a value for b of 8.99 ± 0.17. This line was used to estimate the equilibrium constant for addition of hydroxide, and thence of water, to some additional esters where only the rate constant was available. Rate constants for hydrolysis of methyl esters in aqueous solution at 25 °C were calculated from literature data, correcting for the effect of other conditions as necessary. From the equilibrium constants for addition of water we could estimate the rate constants for uncatalyzed hydrolysis; for the cases where this rate constant has been measured, the agreement was satisfactory. For acid catalyzed hydrolysis the data permit a test of the two alternative mechanisms considered previously, namely specific acid catalysis and general acid catalysis with hydronium ion acting as a general acid. For esters the mechanism is clearly specific acid catalysis, but for aldehydes and ketones it appears very likely that the mechanism is general acid catalysis.