Kinetics of iodination of ethyl levulinate and ethyl 5-ketohexanoate

Abstract

Kinetic measurements are reported for the catalyzed iodination of ethyl levulinate and ethyl 5-ketohexanoate in aqueous solution at 25°C. Both reactions are of zero order with respect to halogen, and the former shows the usual type of relation between catalytic power and the acid-base properties of the catalyst. The results lend support to the previous interpretation¹ of the halogenation of levulinic and 5-ketohexanoic acid in terms of intramolecular catalysis. A somewhat different mechanism is proposed for the analogous reaction of acetoacetic acid.¹²