Theoretical investigation of isotopic scrambling mechanisms in 2-chloroethyl methyl sulfide

Ab initio and semiempirical molecular orbital calculations have been applied to study the concerted and stepwise isotopic scrambling mechanisms of 2-chloroethyl methyl sulfide in the gas phase and in aqueous solution. The calculations reveal the structural details of the reactants, transition structures, and intermediates involved in this reaction and provide relative energy estimates. The concerted mechanism is found to be competitive with the stepwise mechanism in the gas phase, but the stepwise mechanism is favored in aqueous solution as no true transition structure for the concerted mechanism could be found using the solvation models. A combined approach of evaluating solvation energies with the generalized-Bom-plus-surface-tensions SM _x solvation models of Cramer and Truhlar at ab initio optimized geometries is found to deliver the best agreement with experimentally determined reaction barriers. Together with the recent experimental results of McManus and co-workers, the present study provides insights into the controlling factors involved in the elementary reaction steps of sulfur mustards and a solid foundation for investigations into more complex reactions of related compounds.