Would this reaction be exothermic or endothermic?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on whether the rearrangement of a tertiary allylic alcohol to a primary allylic alcohol is exothermic or endothermic. The participant is confused about the energy levels of the reactants and products, noting that while the final product is more stable, the transition from a tertiary to a primary alcohol suggests a decrease in stability. They mention the entropy of activation and solvent isotope effect as factors but struggle with the energy diagram. Key points include the stability of carbocations and the influence of R group induction on reaction energy. Ultimately, understanding the stability differences between alcohols is crucial for determining the reaction's thermodynamics.
Beowulf_8991
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Summary:: A tertiary allylic alcohol rearranges to become a primary allylic alcohol, would it be exothermic because the final product is more stable and lower in energy?

Hi all, this problem's been on my mind for a couple of days now and I'm not making any progress with it. My problem is that with part c), I can't figure out if the reaction as a whole is exothermic or endothermic; the only data they've given me is that the entropy of activation is +20 Jmol-1K-1 and that the solvent isotope effect value is KH/KD = 0.33.

I think I've figured out the main bulk of the energy diagram but it's the product's energy level that's giving me problems. As far as I understand it, the final product is a tertiary allyl (primary alcohol) but the reactant is a primary allyl (tertiary alcohol) and since the tertiary allyl is a more stable alkene, it should be at a lower energy level therefore making the reaction exothermic. However, the fact it also goes from a tertiary alcohol to a primary one (less stable) makes me think it could be endothermic because of the decreased stability.

It's been a while since I covered energy diagrams so apologies for any rookie mistakes! I'm grateful for any pointers you guys can give me :)
 

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To determine the relative stability of the reactant vs the product, try thinking about how the R group induction will stabilize the carbocation formed in the Sn1 reaction.
 
Why is a primary alcohol less stable than a tertiary alcohol?
 
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