Comparative studies on the pyrolysis of <i>N</i>‐arylideneaminoamides: Kinetic and mechanistic studies

Abstract

Abstract Rates of thermal decomposition of title compounds have been measured using a static reaction system. They undergo a unimolecular first‐order elimination to give arylnitrile and the corresponding substituted amides. The decomposition parallels that of N ‐arylidenamino cyclic amide. The relative elimination rates at 600 K were calculated. The kinetic data reveal that the electronic effects of substituents, such as methyl, phenyl, benzyl, and allyl groups, are associated with the opposing directions in which the lone pair of electrons on the nitrogen atom of the arylidene moiety is being delocalized. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 39: 59–66, 2007