Study of Kinetics, Equilibrium and the Influence of Steric Effects on Proton‐Transfer in the Reactions of 2, 2, 4‐ and 2, 6‐ Substituted Anilines with 2‐Phenoxy‐3,5‐dinitropyridine in DMSO

Abstract

Kinetic and equilibrium results for the reactions of 2-phenoxy-3,5-dinitropyridine (1), with a series of 2, 2, 4- and 2, 6- substituted anilines (2a-f), in the presence of DABCO in DMSO are reported. The reactions yield the 2-anilino derivatives (5), without the accumulation of intermediates. Kinetics studies are compatible with a two-step mechanism involving initial nucleophilic attack by amine at the ring carbon substituted by phenoxy group followed by either base-catalyzed or uncatalyzed conversion to the product. The base-catalyzed pathway is likely to involve rate-limiting proton-transfer from the zwitterionic intermediate to base. This work indicates a steric effect to proton transfer in reactions involving 2, 6-disubstituted anilines. The results were compared with those for reactions of 1, 3, 5-trinitrobenzene with anilines.