Determination of the Absolute Rate Constants of Reactions between Diphenyl Carbonyl Oxide and Alcohols by Flash Photolysis

The rate constants of the reactions of diphenyl carbonyl oxide Ph₂COO with a number of alcohols and water in acetonitrile, benzene, andn-decane solutions (295 K) were measured by flash photolysis. The rate constants vary over a range from 400 (triphenylmethanol in a MeCN solution) to 2.5 × 10⁵ l mol^–1 s^–1 (adamantanol in a benzene solution). -Methoxydiphenylmethyl hydroperoxide is the reaction product of Ph₂COO and MeOH. The absence of a kinetic isotope effect and the dependence of the logarithms of the rate constants on the first ionization potentials of alcohols are indicative of the formation of a C–O bond at the rate-limiting step of the reaction.