Kinetics and Mechanism of Oxidation of 4-Oxoacids by N-Bromosuccinimide in Aqueous Acetic Acid Medium

Kinetics and mechanism of oxidation of substituted and unsubstituted 4-oxoacids (S) by N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) in aqueous acetic acid medium have been studied potentiometrically. The reaction follows first-order kinetics, each in 4-oxoacids, NBS and H+. The effect of changes in the electronic nature of the substrate reveals that there is a development of positive charge in the transition state. Based on the kinetic results and the product analysis, a suitable mechanism has been proposed for the reaction of NBS with 4-oxoacids