Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation of substituted benzaldehydes by benzyltrimethylammonium chlorobromate

The oxidation of 35 monosubstituted benzaldehydes by benzyltrimethylammonium chlorobromate (BTMACB) in aqueous acetic acid leads to the formation of the corresponding benzoic acids. The reaction is first order with respect to both benzaldehyde and BTMACB. The reaction failed to induce the polymerization of acrylonitrile. There is no effect of benzyltrimethylammonium chloride or potassium bromide on the reaction rate. The oxidation of (2)H]benzaldehyde (PhCDO) indicated the presence of a substantial kinetic isotope effect. The effect of solvent composition indicated that the reaction rate increases with an increase in the polarity of the solvent. The rates of oxidation of meta- and para-substituted benzaldehydes were correlated in terms of Charton's triparametric LDR equation, whereas the oxidation of ortho-substituted benzaldehydes was correlated with the tetraparametric LDRS equation. The oxidation of para-substituted benzaldehydes is more susceptible to the delocalization effect, whereas the oxidation of ortho-and meta-substituted compounds displayed a greater dependence on the field effect. The positive value of eta suggests the presence of an electron-deficient reaction center in the rate-determining step. The reaction is subjected to steric hindrance by the ortho substituents.