Organic Process Research & Development 2003, 7, 954−956
A Comparison between Kinetic Parameters from the Synthesis of
Tris(p-nitrophenyl)phosphite and Tris(p-nitrophenyl)phosphate Using Reaction
Calorimetry
Rafael C. Seiceira, Carlos F. P. Machado e Silva, Luciana R. M. Esteva˜o, and Joa˜o F. Cajaiba da Silva*
UniVersidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro - UFRJ, Centro de Tecnologia, Instituto de Qu´ımica, Po´lo de Xistoqu´ımica,
21494-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Abstract:
and -20.29 kJ, respectively. The percentages of the total
heat released from these reactions, expressed as heat conver-
sion, are shown in Figure 1.
Tris(p-nitrophenyl)phosphite was prepared by a modification
of a “one-pot” methodology developed for the preparation of
triaryl phosphates. This exothermic reaction was performed in
a Mettler RC-1 calorimeter. The principal aim of this work
was to compare the reactivity of phosphorus trichloride and
phosphorus oxychloride in their reactions with sodium p-
nitrophenoxide. The reaction rate and the reaction rate constant
for the synthesis of tris(p-nitrophenyl)phosphite were evaluated
and compared to the obtained values for the tris(p-nitrophenyl)-
phosphate synthesis. Phosphorus trichloride was found to react
faster than phosphorus oxychloride, but the reaction with the
phosphorus oxychloride proved to be more exothermic.
The synthesis of tris(p-nitrophenyl)phosphate is more
exothermic than the synthesis of tris(p-nitrophenyl)phosphite,
but the heat conversion curve shows clearly that, for a
specified value of time, the percentage of the total heat
released is higher for the reaction of sodium p-nitrophenoxide
with PCl3 than for the reaction using POCl3, indicating that
the reaction synthesis of the phosphite should be faster.
To verify this observation, the reaction rate and the
reaction rate constant k for the tris(p-nitrophenyl)phosphite
synthesis was estimated using the expressions 1 and 2,
respectively.2
-RAV ) NA0 dX/dt
(1)
(2)
Introduction
dX
Vr
A modification of a “one-pot” methodology developed
for the preparation of triaryl phosphates1 was applied to the
synthesis of tris(p-nitrophenyl)phosphite through the reaction
of sodium p-nitrophenoxide with phosphorus trichloride.
The main purpose of this work was the comparison of
the reactivity of phosphorus trichloride with that of phos-
phorus oxychloride in relation to sodium p-nitrophenoxide
and to check if the mathematical model developed for the
evaluation of the kinetic parameters from the synthesis of
triaryl phosphates2 could be applied to this synthesis.
k )
dt
(1 - X)[FB0t - NA0X/3]
The terms dX/dt, (1 - X), and NA0X/3, from eq 2, were
calculated from the points in the conversion curves. All the
data were obtained in intervals of 4 s, so that the term dX/dt
was calculated by dX/dt ) (Xi+1 - Xi)/4. These results are
summarized in Table 1.
The total heat transfer coefficients were nearly the same
for both reactions. The intervals presented in Table 1
correspond to the values measured before and after the
additions of PCl3 and POCl3. The rate of dissipative flow
was greater than the rate of heat production. The graphs
showing these observations are shown as Supporting Infor-
mation.
The reaction rate constant for the phosphite synthesis
(kphosphite) was 4 times greater than the reaction rate constant
for the phosphate synthesis (kphosphate). If these values
correspond to the real behavior of the studied reactions, the
addition of a solution containing the same molar proportion
of PCl3 and POCl3 over a suspension of sodium p-nitro-
phenoxide would furnish the phosphite and phosphate in
yields of 80% and 20%, respectively. This experiment was
performed, and the crude product, a mixture of tris(p-
nitrophenyl)phosphite and tris(p-nitrophenyl)phosphate, was
analyzed by 31P NMR; the percentage area of tris(p-
nitrophenyl)phosphite and tris(p-nitrophenyl)phosphate sig-
nals in the 31P NMR were 77.6 and 22.4%, respectively.
These results are in very good agreement with the predicted
values of kphosphite and kphosphate given by the mathematical
Discussion
The synthesis reactions were carried out in a Mettler RC1
reaction calorimeter where kinetic evaluations based in the
heat flow can be estimated in a noninvasive in-situ way.3
The irreversible second-order reactions applied to the
synthesis of tris(p-nitrophenyl)phosphite and tris(p-nitro-
phenyl)phosphate are outlined in Scheme 1.
Following the methodology showed in Scheme 1, tris(p-
nitrophenyl)phosphite and tris(p-nitrophenyl)phosphate were
obtained in 87% and 95% yields, respectively. The enthalpy
for the reactions of sodium p-nitrophenoxide with 175 mL
of 0.5 molar solutions of PCl3 and POCl3 were -14.59 kJ
(1) Cajaiba da Silva, J. F.; Nakayama, H. T.; Neto, C. C. One-pot synthesis of
a triaryl phosphates: a reaction calorimetry approach. Phosphorus, Sulfur
Silicon Relat. Elem. 1997, 131, 71-82.
(2) Machado e Silva, C. F.; Cajaiba da Silva, J. F. Org. Process Res. DeV.
2002, 6, 829-832.
(3) Crevati, A.; Mascarello, F.; Lenthe, B.; Minder, B.; Kikic, I. Ind. Eng.
Chem. Res. 1999, 38, 4629-4633.
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Vol. 7, No. 6, 2003 / Organic Process Research & Development
10.1021/op034100b CCC: $25.00 © 2003 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 10/09/2003