Evidence for concerted acid hydrolysis of alkyl nitrites

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Abstract
The results of studying the acid hydrolysis of methyl, ethyl, isopropyl, butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, 2-bromoethyl, 2-chloroethyl and 2-ethoxyethyl nitrites in water show that the reaction is not, as widely accepted in the literature, catalysed by nucleophiles (Cl–, Br–, etc.), but is however subject to general acid catalysis. These findings, and the observed values of the solvent isotope effect, suggest that the substrate is protonated in the rate-controlling step of the reaction. Further, the relative reactivities of the various substrates investigated suggest a concerted mechanism in which the proton transfer occurs concurrently with the breaking of the O–N bond via a slightly imbalanced transition state.

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