Kinetics and mechanism of the aminolysis ofp-nitrophenylN-phenylcarbamates

Kinetic studies of the reactions of p-nitrophenyl N-phenylcarbamates with benzylamines were carried out in acetonitrile at 25·0 °C. Second-order (k2) and third-order (k3) rate constants were observed for all the Y-substituted carbamates except for Y=m−Cl. The relatively large magnitude of ρX (for X-substituted benzylamines) and ρY together with a positive cross-interaction constant ρXY supports a stepwise mechanism involving rate-limiting breakdown of the zwitterionic tetrahedral intermediate T±. Kinetic isotope effect studies with deuterated benzylamine (XC6H4CH2ND2) indicate that in the base-catalyzed path, k3, rate-limiting deprotonation occurs at the amino group of benzylamine within the T± intermediate. The low δH≠ and δS≠ values for the k3 process are in accord with the proposed mechanism © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.