Collection of Czechoslovak Chemical Communications - digital archive 

Abstract

Kinetics of hydrochloric acid-catalyzed solvolysis of substituted phenyl and methyl N-phenylbenzimidoesters have been studied in methanol, 50 vol. % aqueous methanol, and 50 vol. % aqueous tetrahydrofurane, and the composition of the reaction products has been determined. The rate-limiting step consists in addition of water or methanol to the protonated substrate. The reaction of methyl N-phenylbenzimidoester with both water and methanol and that of substituted phenyl N-phenylbenzimidoesters with methanol produce aniline, the ester (or orthoester) and the corresponding phenol. The reaction of substituted phenyl N-phenylbenzimidoesters with water gives both the neutral tetrahedral intermediate (which is decomposed into phenol and anilide) and the protonated intermediate (which produces aniline and the ester). At the same proton concentration the phenol content increases with increasing value of the σ constant of the substituent.