Acid-catalyzed Solvolysis of Isonitriles. I

Abstract

The acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of methyl isonitrile has been examined. The initial hydrolysis product is N-methylformamide which is further hydrolyzed to methyl amine and formic acid at a much slower rate. The hydrolysis to N-methylformamide is pseudo-first order in methyl isonitrile and shows a linear rate dependence on concentration of general (buffer) acid at fixed pH. The significance of general acid-catalysis in terms of the mechanism of the hydrolysis is considered and taken as evidence for carbon protonation rather than nitrogen protonation as the initiating step.