Abstract
The kinetics of oxidation of 11 para‐ and meta‐substituted benzylamines by imidazolium fluorochromate (IFC) in different organic solvent media has been investigated in the presence of p‐toluenesulfonic acid (TsOH). The reaction was run under pseudo‐first‐order conditions. The rate of the reaction was found to be first order in IFC and found to increase with increase in [TsOH]. Solution IR studies in combination with kinetic measurements were used to get a better insight into the mechanism of the oxidation process. The product analysis was carried out using GC–MS. Various thermodynamic parameters for the oxidation have been reported and discussed along with the validity of the isokinetic relationship. The specific rate of oxidizing species benzylamines reaction (k~2~) correlates with Hammett's substituent constants affording positive reaction constants. The rate data failed to correlate with macroscopic solvent parameters, such as ε~r~ and E^N^~T~, while showing satisfactory correlation with Kamlet–Taft's solvatochromic parameters (α, β, and π*) which suggests that the specific solute–solvent interactions play a major role in governing the reactivity, and the observed solvent effects have been explained on the basis of solute–solvent complexation. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 39: 362–369, 2007