Phenyltetramethylguanidines: substituent effect on rates and isotope effects in their reaction with bis(4-nitrophenyl)cyanomethane in acetonitrile

A series of 22 phenyl substituted derivatives of 2-phenyl-1,1′,3,3′-tetramethylguanidine were used as bases in the proton transfer reaction from bis(4-nitrophenyl)cyanomethane in acetonitrile solvent. Brønsted and Hammett type relationships are examined for this family of closely related substrates. The Brønsted relationship constructed from the pKa values determined in acetonitrile shows β = 0.55 ± 0.03. The best fit of the Hammett relationship, with special values for p-NO2 and p-CN groups, gives the reaction constant ρ = −1.39 ± 0.1. The kinetic isotope effect, kH/kD, increases from 9.6 to 12.4 at 25 °C with decreasing base strength, i.e., when the reaction becomes more thermoneutral. Key words: tetramethylguanidine, proton transfer, deuterium isotope effects.