The inductive effect: theory and quantitative assessment

The concept of the inductive effect is defined in terms of thermodynamics a nd its quantitative estimation is reviewed. The electrostatic (through-spac e) and sigma-inductive (through-bond) theories are confronted and experimen tal proofs evaluated, with the result that both theories are very approxima te and neither is in principle correct. The inductive effect in isolated mo lecules (acids, bases, anions, cations) is estimated separately by means of isodesmic reactions. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.