Studies on Sulphamic Acid and Related Compounds. II. Kinetics and Mechanism of Hydrolysis of Trimethylamine- and of Triethylamine Sulphur Trioxide Addition Compounds

Abstract

The kinetics of hydrolysis of trimethylamine- and of triethylaminesulphur trioxide addition compounds have been studied in water and in aqueous acetone. Reaction occurs according to the equation,              f - + R,N.SO,+H,O-tR,XH+HSO~.The solvolysis reactions are first-order and are not catalyzed by acids. The halide ions, Cl', Br', and 1', show only a normal salt effect on the rate of hydrolysis of + - (CH,),N.SO, but in the presence of fluoride ions, the rate constant for the production + - of acid from (C,H,),N.SO, in water at 95 OC is about one-seventh of that in the absence of fluoride under the same conditions. It is suggested that the fluorosulphonate ion is formed rapidly, and that this ion then undergoes slow hydrolysis : In the presence of alkali, using water as the solvent, second-order kinetics are observed, the equation for the reaction being,               + - R,N.SO,+~OH-+R,X+SO~= +H,O. Assuming the reaction with water is bimolecular, the ratio of the (bimolecular) rate constants at 35 OC, ko~-/k~,o is approximately lo8 for each complex. In aqueous acetone, at low water concentrations, the hydrolysis reactions of the trialkylaminesulphur trioxide complexes show second-order kinetics. At 35 OC for the hydrolysis of + - (CH,),N.SO, the ratio of the second-order rate constant in aqueous acetone to the + - (calculated) second-order rate constant in water is approximately 550 ; for (C,H,),N.SO, the same ratio is 6900. It is considered that hydrolysis occurs in water and in aqueous acetone via a bi- molecular attack at sulphur.