The Application of Quantum Mechanics to Certain Cases of Homogeneous Catalysis

(A) In a previous paper (1) the catalytic effect of H + and OHions on the hydrolytic splitting of the C N linkage was investigated by means of quantum mechanical considerations. In this paper will be reported investigations as to the effect of foreign rigid dipoles on the energy of the activated configurations, and thus on the energy of activation. If the latter is lowered a positive catalytic effect is noted, and such a dipole might conceivably constitute the prosthetic group of an enzyme for the reaction in question. The specific problems and method of attack may be briefly sketched as follows: Given some configuration (we shall limit ourselves to the activated one) of the atoms involved in the reaction