ISSN 1017-2548(Print)
ISSN 2234-8530(Online)
Volume 34, Number 2
JKCSEZ 34(2)
April 20, 1990 

Rates for reactions of substituted phenacyl bromides with imidazole and those of substituted imidazoles with phenacyl bromide were measured by an electric conductivity method. The rates were accelerated by electron-withdrawing substituents of phenacyl bromide and these reactions obeyed well both the linear free energy relationship and the isokinetic relationship. The relation between pKa's of substituted imidazoles and reaction constants fit the Brφnsted rule. However, the case of 2-methylimidazole deviated far from this rule exerting steric hindrance. The reaction proceeded much faster in acetonitrile than in methanol and the observed ratio, k2 (acetonitrile)/k2 (methanol), was considerably larger than the value calculated from the Kirkwood equation.