Organo-phosphorus compounds—LXVI : The influence of some solvents on the racemization of (+)-methyl-n-propylphenylphosphine
Abstract The recemization kinetics of (+)-methyl-n-propylphenylphosphine were studied in several solvents of widely varying polarity. The recemization followed first order kinetics in every solvent with approximately equal activation energies of 30 ±3 kcal/mole. The rate of racemization showed no dependence on solvent polarity and could not be correlated with any known solvent parameters. The unusually slow racemization in caproic acid and in tributyl borate were attributed to partial salt and adduct formation respectively.