Secondary Isotope Effects on the Ionization of 2-Nitropropane

Abstract

The equilibrium isotope effect on the acid dissociation of 2-nitropropane in wholly aqueous solution at 25° was found to be KH/KD = 1.23 ± 0.03 for complete deuteration of both methyl groups; the kinetic isotope effect for reaction of the same substrate with hydroxide ion, kH/kD = 1.09 ± 0.01; and the kinetic isotope effect for reaction with tris-(hydroxymethyl)-methylamine, kH/kD = 1.10 ± 0.01; both of the latter also refer to wholly aqueous solution at 25° and are for complete deuteration of both methyl groups. It is shown that the equilibrium isotope effect is largely, and the kinetic isotope effects probably partly, hyper conjugative in origin, thus supporting a hyper conjugative explanation of the anomalous effect of methyl groups on nitroalkane ionization.