Basic hydrolysis of some N-phenylcarbamates and basic methanolysis of some N-phenylacetamides containing an ortho nitro substituent

Abstract

Kinetic studies of the basic methanolysis of N-(2-nitropheny1)acetamides indicate that unlike the 4-nitro isomer, no change of mechanism occurs on inclusion of an N-methyl group. Reaction occurs with rate-determining C-N bond breaking for both the N-H and N-methyl compounds.

Basic hydrolysis of some methyl N-(2-nitropheny1)carbamates occurred by the B_AC2 mechanism and the tetrahedral intermediate formed during the hydrolysis decomposed with preferential C-O bond breaking. This is in contrast to the basic hydrolysis of methyl N-methyl-N-4-nitrophenyl- carbamate, which has previously been shown to occur with preferential C-N bond breaking. For the hydrolysis of methyl N-methyl-N-(2-nitrophenyl)carbamate, an induction period in amine production was detected at 0.45 M hydroxide ion. This was interpreted to mean that the tetrahedral intermediate breaks down by loss of methoxide ion. At 0.93 M hydroxide ion, however, no induction period in amine production was observed. The possibility of reaction through a dianionic intermediate was raised to explain this observation.

The amide ion (2-NO₂C₆H₄NMe-) is a poorer leaving group than its 4-nitro isomer. This is explained by steric crowding in the 2-nitro compound, resulting in twisting of the nitro group out of the plane of the benzene ring and a consequent reduction in the electron-withdrawing resonance effect of the 2-nitro group compared to the 4-nitro group.