Sulphur-oxygen versus carbon-oxygen bond fission in the solvolysis of benzyl sulphenates

In contrast to p-anisyl trichloromethanesulphenate 1, which readily undergoes ethanolysis at room temperature with carbon-oxygen bond fission, the ethanolysis of the corresponding 2-nitrobenzenesulphenate 2 proceeds at a similar rate only at 100°, and involves sulphur-oxygen bond cleavage. While the solvolysis of 1 showed first-order kinetics, the solvolysis of 2 was second-order (first-order with respect to ester and to added base). The solvolysis rate of 2 decreases on going from 100% to 80% ethanol and by using pyridine instead of acetate as base, consistent with an S_N2 type mechanism involving nucleophilic displacement at sulphur by the base or lyate ion. The rate of solvolysis of 1 is greatly enhanced in polar solvents and correlates satisfactorily with the ionization of p-methoxyneophyl tosylate. An ionization mechanism to some ion pair species is suggested for the solvolysis of 1.