Pressure and pH dependence of the kinetics of decarboxylative dechlorination of N-chloro-l-alanine

The kinetics of decarboxylative dechlorination of N-chloroalanine were studied at 25° in aqueous HCl solutions covering the pH range 1.4 to 2.8. These data were compared with literature results, and were interpreted in terms of first-order reactions of the cationic, uncharged, and anionic forms of the reactant. Pressure effect studies on the reaction of the anionic species yielded a volume of activation estimate of + 50 ± 3 cm³ mol⁻¹. This result is consistent with a concerted fragmentation process. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.