Reactions of proton transfer and exchange with the participation of OH,SH, and CH acids and amines

A comparison of proton exchange reactions between OH, SH, and CH acids and the NH groups of trialkylammonium ions showed that regardless of the nature of the acid XH, the mechanism of exchange includes transfer of a proton in the ion pair N-H⁺ ... X^– as the slow step. At the fast steps of proton exchange XH- N⁺H, i.e., molecular exchange with breaking of a hydrogen bond X-H ... N and transfer of a proton along these bonds, differences appear in the properties of XH acids. In the sequence from OH to SH and CH acids, the hydrogen bonds X-H ... N are weakened. As a result of this, in the same sequence the kinetic acidity (k₂) decreases but the rate of molecular exchange (k_H) increases. The ratio between the values of k₂ and k_H is inverted when the strong bonds O-H ... N (k₂/k_H 1) are replaced by weak bonds C-H ... N (k₂/k_H 1). It was also established that the kinetic stability of the anions increases as the oxygen atoms are replaced by sulfur in the series RCOO^– < RCOS^– < R₂PSS^– as a result of the more effective delocalization of the negative charge on the diffuse orbitals of sulfur.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 23, No. 4, pp. 471–475, July–August 1987.