Kinetics and Mechanism for the Alkaline Homogeneous Hydrolysis of 1,1,1-Trimethylolethane Trinitrate

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo00151a008

The kinetics for the alkaline homogeneous hydrolysis of 1,1,1-trimethylolethane trinitrate (MTN) in 95percent ethanol-water with sodium hydroxide concentrations between 0.25 and 2.1 M and temperatures between 50.0 and 60.0 degC have been investigated.One mole of MTN was found to react with 3 mol of base and to hydrolize by a series of consecutive and competitive bimolecular and internal cyclization reactions involving three nitrate ester intermediates to form the cyclic alcohol ether 3-methyl-3-oxetanemethanol (AE) as the final major product with only trace amounts of the expected trialcohol 1,1,1-tris(hydroxymethyl)ethane (TA).MTN and its intermediates showed good second-order rate constants for the expression -d(MTN)/dt = k₁(MTN) = k₂(B^-)(MTN), where k₁ is the first-order rate constant with excess base, B^-.Relative k₂ values in 95percent ethanol-water, 95percent methanol-water, and water were found to be 1.0, 0.1, and 0.01, respectively.Hydrolysis kinetics and product formation for each nitrate ester intermediate have been determined, and an overall hydrolysis mechanism for MTN is presented.