18th Annual Student Research Conference
Science
Correlating Rate Constants with Specific Molecular Properties in Quinone Methide-Nucleophile Reactions
Samuel N. Edeh
Dr. Robert G. Dyer, Faculty Mentor
Quinone methides (QMs) are well studied compounds because of their key role as highly reactive intermediates in the chemistry of antitumor and antibiotic drugs. The reactivity of QMs is due to its high electrophilic nature. QMs are rather reactive with biochemical substances because they are reactive to the nucleophilic centers in organic substances. Reactions between QMs and organic species have been studied both experimentally and computationally. In these studies, it has been found that reactions between QMs and organic compounds may be controlled by several chemical properties. However, the exact identity of these properties has not yet been explored in detail. The aim of this research project is to experimentally determine the rate constants of reactions between selected QMs and nucleophilic compounds, and then compare the determined rates to an identifiable molecular property of the reactions with a view to finding a linear relationship between them. Such a relationship may form the basis for correlating the rate constant of a reaction with these identified molecular properties.
Keywords: Quinone methides, Electrophilic, Nucleophilic, Rate constant, Molecular property, Linear relationship
Topic(s):Chemistry
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 10-1
Location: VH 1432
Time: 8:15