Baker-Nathan Effect

Name:
Baker-Nathan Effect
Detailed information:
Effect originally observed in the reaction of p-substituted benzyl bromides with pyridine and other processes in which the observed rates are opposite to those predicted by the electron-releasing inductive effect of alkyl groups, i.e., CH₃ > CH₃CH₂ > (CH₃)₂CH > C(CH₃)₃. To explain it, a type of electron delocalization involving Σ electrons was proposed, termed hyperconjugation, which manifests itself in systems in which a saturated carbon atom attached to an unsaturated carbon or one with an empty orbital bears at least one hydrogen atom.