The Effect of Alkali Metal Ions on Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions of Aryl 2-Furoates with Alkali Metal Ethoxides in Ethanol

Rate constants have been measured spectrophotometrically for the nucleophilic substitution reactions of p-and m-nitrophenyl 2-furoates (4 and 5, respectively) with alkali metal ethoxides ($EtO^-M^+$) in absolute ethanol at 25$^{\circ}$C. The reactivity of $EtO^-M^+$ toward 4 is in the order $EtO^-K^+$ > $EtO^-Na^+$> $EtO^-Li^+$ > $EtO^-K^+$+ 18-crown-6 ether. This is further confirmed by an ion pairing treatment method. The present result indicates that (1) ion paired $EtO^-M^+$ is more reactive than dissociated $EtO^-$ ; (2) the alkali metal ions ($K^+,\;Na^+,\;Li^+$) behave as a catalyst; (3) the catalytic effect increases with increasing the size of the metal ion. A similar result has been obtained for the reaction of 5, however, the catalytic effects shown by the metal ions are more significant in the reaction of 5 than in that of 4.