Nucleophilic Substitution at a Four-Coordinate Sulfur Atom: VI. Reactivity of Oximate Ions

The kinetics of the reaction of oximate ions with 2,4-dinitrophenyl p-toluenesulfonate, 4-nitrophenyl p-toluenesulfonate, diethyl 4-nitrophenyl phosphate, and ethyl 4-nitrophenyl ethylphosphonate in H₂O-DMSO mixtures (0 to 95 vol % of DMSO) cannot be described in terms of a single Bro/nsted equation. Regardless of the nature of the reaction center and leaving group, both in water and in 80% DMSO fast leveling of the reactivity of oximate ions is observed, the -effect decreases at pK _a 9.0 and disappears at pK _a 12.0 owing to difference in the solvation of weakly (pK _a 9.0) and strongly basic (pK _a 9.0) oximate ions rather than to change of the transition state. Just unfavorable solvation effects are responsible for the fact that the limiting nucleophilic reactivity of oximate ions (as typical -nucleophiles) is not higher than the reactivity of strongly basic alkoxide ions.