Carbon isotope effects in the decarboxylation of oxaloacetic acid. Part 2.—Studies using 146C

Abstract

Oxaloacetic acid (OAA) enriched in OAA-1-¹⁴C was decarboxylated at 25° in aqueous solutions, alone, and also in presence of various rare-earth cations. These catalyze the reaction through complex formation. Normal isotope effects were found in each case, the reactions producing ¹⁴CO₂ being slower than those producing ¹²CO₂. The effects for the complexes were similar to one another and differed significantly from the result for the uncatalyzed reaction, due to the inductive effects of the cations.