Kinetics of the base-catalyzed halogenation of 2-carbetboxycyclobexanone
The kinetics of iodination of 2-carbethoxycyclohexanone have been studied colorimetrically in aqueous buffer solutions. The reaction is of the first order with respect to the ester, of zero order with respect to iodine, and is catalyzed by water molecules and by the anions of carboxylic acids. The catalytic constants of four carboxylate anions obey a relation of the Bronsted type, the exponent of which conforms to regularities previously established for a series of ketones and esters. Under comparable conditions 2-carbethoxycyclohexanone is halogenated 100 to 400 times more slowly than is 2-carbethoxycyclopentanone. This difference is in the opposite direction to that anticipated on the basis of ring strain, though it is paralleled by some other observations on 5- and 6-membered rings.