Mechanisms for the solvolytic decompositions of nucleoside analogues—I: Acidic hydrolysis of 2-substituted 1-(1-ethoxyethyl)benzimidazoles

A few 2-substituted 1-(1-ethoxyethyl)benzimidazoles have been prepared and the rate constants for their hydrolysis measured at various temperatures and oxonium ion concentrations. The formal kinetics followed and the effect of varying the 2-substitution on the hydrolysis rate suggest that the acid-catalyzed cleavage of these compounds involves a rapid initial protonation of the benzimidazole ring and a subsequent rate-limiting heterolysis of the protonated substrate to form a free nitrogen base and an ocarbenium ion derived from the ethoxyethyl group. The values obtained for the entropy of activation are consistent with the assumed unimolecular nature of the rate-limiting step. The effects of 2-substituents on the acidities of the protonated substrates and their heterolysis rates have been compared. The latter partial reaction has been suggested to be the subject of steric acceleration.