Collection of Czechoslovak Chemical Communications - digital archive 

Abstract

Exner method to ascertain the isokinetic relationship (IKR) and obtain isokinetic activation parameters in a reaction series, although well known, is relatively little applied; A great many chemists do not appear to be convinced of the superiority of isokinetic activation parameters over conventional ones, and the IKR itself is still a controversial matter. From our kinetic results on the decarboxylation of a series of 4-substituted-2,6-dinitrobenzoate ions in aqueous solution, activation parameters were calculated, both by Exner method and by a conventional one. The obtained isokinetic activation enthalpies correlate much better (r = 0.998, 5 points) than the conventional ones (r = 0.97, 5 points), with the energies (calculated at the STO-3G ab initio level) for the formation of substituted aryl anions, the latter being a process expected to be energetically related to the decarboxylation reaction. This is the first example of non-statistical evidence in favour of Exner method to determine activation parameters, a method that we strongly advocate.