Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation of substituted mandelic acids by acid permanganate

The oxidation of mandelic acid and nine monosubstituted mandelic acids by acid permanganate, in the presence of fluoride ions, have been studied. The reaction is of first order with respect to each the oxidant, the substrate and hydrogen ions. The kinetic isotope effect, k_H/k_D = 3·76 at 25°. The oxidation exhibits a reaction constant ?+= ?2·23 ± 0·07 at 25°. The oxidation does not induce polymerisation of acrylonitrile and does not show any solvent isotope effect. The activation enthalpies entropies are linearly related (r = 0·979). A mechanism involving transfer of a hydride ion to the oxidant is proposed.