Polar Substituent Effects in the Solvolysis of Primary and Tertiary Alkyl Halides. Polar Effect IX

When the Hammett-Taft equation log (k/k_o)=ρ^q · σ is applied to the solvolysis of the 3-substituted propyl bromides 6a-6i in ethanol/water 4:1 (v/v) log k correlates linearly with σ except in cases where R exerts an anchimeric effect. The reaction constant ρ^q for 6 is ? 0.12 and is typical for a nucleophilic solvent-assisted k_s process at a primary C-atom. The tertiary halides 1 and 3 , however, which react with little or no nucleophilic solvent assistance, i.e. by k_c processes, lead to larger ρ^q values of ?0.71 and ?1.14, respectively. The reaction constant p^q is therefore a sensitive gauge for charge development in the transition state for solvolysis of saturated compounds.