Is the tert-butyl chloride solvolysis the most misunderstood reaction in organic chemistry? Evidence against nucleophilic solvent participation in the tert-butyl chloride transition state and for increased hydrogen bond donation to the 1-adamantyl chloride solvolysis transition state.

Despite theoretical calculations to the contrary, it has been argued that the 1-adamantyl cation is more stable than the tert-butyl cation in media of high dielectric constant. This argument has been utilized to suggest that the higher rate of solvolysis of tert-butyl chloride in aqueous ethanol is evidence for nucleophilic solvent participation in this classic reaction. Further, in "more highly ionizing" solvents, the rate of 1-adamantyl chloride is nearly the same as that of tert-butyl chloride, which is interpreted as a manifestation of the relative stabilities of the cations. However, the evidence cited does not explain the increased sensitivity of the rate of solvolysis of 1-adamantyl chloride over tert-butyl chloride to solvents which are better able to donate hydrogen bonds. The hypothesis developed here is that 1-adamantyl chloride solvolysis is assisted by hydrogen bond donation departing chloride ion to a greater extent than that of tert-butyl chloride solvolysis, most likely due to lessened steric interactions in a developing pyramidal cation. This hypothesis is supported by multiparameter solvent effect factor analyses utilizing the KOMPH2 equation which, in addition, quantifies the important role of ground-state destabilization due to strong solvent-solvent interactions. An important result from the good correlation of free energies of transfer of the tert-butyl chloride solvolysis transition state is that there is no change in mechanism, and, in particular, no nucleophilic participation even in non-hydroxylic basic solvents. The equation is also applied to the case of dimethylsulfonium ion solvolyses where the tert-butyl salt reacts substantially faster than the 1-adamantyl salt in ethanol and the gas phase. The decreased rate of the former in hydrogen bond donating solvents relative to the gas phase is as yet unclear. Solvent N values that were generated to characterize solvent nucleophilicity are shown not to be correlated by measures of solvent basicity but rather by the negative of measures of solvent hydrogen bond donor ability.