The effect of solvent on the α-effect: C=O, P=O and SO2 centers

Abstract

The α-effect for the reaction of a sulfonyl ester exhibits a bell-shaped dependence of the α-effect on solvent composition as do the corresponding reactions with a carbonyl and a phosphinyl ester, and the magnitude of the α-effect is found to be dependent on the magnitude of the βnuc value, suggesting TS stabilization as the cause of the α-effect.