Synthesis 2017; 49(15): 3422-3432
DOI: 10.1055/s-0036-1590792
short review
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Impact of Electronic Effects on the Nucleofugality of Leaving Groups

Bernard Denegri
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Ante Kovačića 1, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia   Email: bdenegri@pharma.hr   Email: mmatic@pharma.hr   Email: okronja@pharma.hr
,
Mirela Matić
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Ante Kovačića 1, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia   Email: bdenegri@pharma.hr   Email: mmatic@pharma.hr   Email: okronja@pharma.hr
,
Olga Kronja*
University of Zagreb, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biochemistry, Ante Kovačića 1, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia   Email: bdenegri@pharma.hr   Email: mmatic@pharma.hr   Email: okronja@pharma.hr
› Author Affiliations
The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support of this research by the Croatian Science Foundation (grant no. IP-1021).
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 12 May 2017

Accepted after revision: 24 May 2017

Publication Date:
20 June 2017 (online)


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This paper is dedicated to Professor Herbert Mayr on the occasion of his 70th birthday.

Abstract

A short review of the development of nucleofugality and electrofugality scales based on solvolysis rates of benzhydryl derivatives is presented. Accordingly, the rate of the heterolytic step in the SN1 displacement reaction and the leaving group ability (nucleofugality) in a given solvent are related with the special linear free-energy relationship (LFER) equation: log k = s f (N f + E f). The impact of electronic effects in the leaving group (nucleofuge) on the overall SN1 reactivity of the substrate is given. The importance of inductivity, resonance, polarity and field effects in the leaving group moiety in the transition state is analyzed. Also, the effect of the negative hyperconjugation and the influence of other electronic effects in the leaving group on the height of the reaction intrinsic barrier are considered.

1 Introduction

2 Development of the Nucleofugality Scale

3 Inductive and Resonance Effects

4 Negative Hyperconjugation

5 Intrinsic Barrier

6 Conclusions