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VOLUME FIFTY
ADVANCES IN
PHYSICAL ORGANIC
CHEMISTRY
ADVISORY BOARD
ADVANCES IN
PHYSICAL ORGANIC
CHEMISTRY
Edited by
IAN H. WILLIAMS
Department of Chemistry,
University of Bath,
Bath, United Kingdom
NICHOLAS H. WILLIAMS
Department of Chemistry,
University of Sheffield,
Sheffield, United Kingdom
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and
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the Publisher (other than as may be noted herein).
Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and
experience broaden our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices,
or medical treatment may become necessary.
Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in
evaluating and using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described
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the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.
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products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods,
products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein.
ISBN: 978-0-12-804716-3
ISSN: 0065-3160
S. Caprasecca
University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
S. Di Stefano
Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
G. Ercolani
Università di Roma Tor Vergata, Roma, Italy
Marc M. Greenberg
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
C.A. Guido
University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
C.A. Hunter
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
B. Mennucci
University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
P. Motloch
University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
vii j
PREFACE
ix j
x Preface
experimental data and which permit analysis of the relationship between the
nuclear and electronic structure of the probe and its interactions with the
environment.
As the current Editors of Advances in Physical Organic Chemistry, we are
pleased to note the milestone passed with publication of volume 50. We
acknowledge the contributions of previous Editors and of all past and
present authors, and we renew our commitment for this series to continue
to be the definitive resource for authoritative reviews of work in physical
organic chemistry.
NICHOLAS H. WILLIAMS
IAN H. WILLIAMS
CHAPTER ONE
Contents
1. Introduction 2
2. Effective Molarity 3
3. Equilibrium Macrocylizations 10
3.1 Ring-Chain Equilibria 10
3.2 RingeRing Equilibria 15
3.3 Self-Assembly Macrocyclizations 17
4. Dynamic Combinatorial Chemistry 22
4.1 One-Monomer Dynamic Libraries 25
4.1.1 Dynamic Libraries From Transesterification Reaction 25
4.1.2 Dynamic Libraries From Olefin Metathesis Reaction 27
4.1.3 Dynamic Libraries From Transacetalation (Formal Metathesis) Reaction 29
4.1.4 Dynamic Libraries From Imine Metathesis 31
4.1.5 Dynamic Libraries From Hydrogen Bonding Interactions (Supramolecular DLs) 34
4.2 Two-Monomer Dynamic Libraries 36
4.3 Templated Dynamic Libraries 39
5. Cooperativity and Self-Assembly 42
5.1 Statistical Factors and Microscopic Constants 43
5.1.1 The Symmetry Number Method 44
5.1.2 The Direct Counting Method 46
5.2 Allosteric Cooperativity 48
5.3 Chelate Effect and Chelate Cooperativity 51
5.4 Interannular Cooperativity 56
5.5 Stability of an Assembly 59
6. Conclusion 67
References 68
Abstract
The growing interest towards cyclizations under thermodynamic control is witnessed
by the large number of papers dedicated to ring-chain equilibria, dynamic combinato-
rial chemistry, cooperativity and self-assembly. No doubt, in all these topics, cyclic or
polycyclic molecular entities play a dominant role. In this chapter, the concept of equi-
librium effective molarity (EM), which gives a quantification of the ease of formation of a
cyclic compound, is presented as a fil rouge that allows a quantitative analysis of the
phenomenology related to the title matters. Initially, the physicochemical bases on
which the concept of EM is founded are described together with connections to the
JacobsoneStockmayer theory on intramolecular reactions in linear systems. Distribu-
tions of the species in ring-chain and ringering systems in terms of the EM, and con-
ditions to obtain a selected macrocycle (self-assembly macrocyclization) are discussed.
The EM concept is further applied to dynamic combinatorial libraries based on a single
monomer, and two different monomers. The case of a templated dynamic library is also
considered. Finally, after a due discussion of the methods for the evaluation of statistical
factors, the phenomenon of cooperativity in binding processes is analysed by dissect-
ing it into three contributions, namely, allosteric, chelate and interannular cooperativity.
It is shown that the chelate effect, as measured by the EM, plays a key role for the quan-
tifications of the latter two contributions, which are crucial for the assessment of multi-
valency, and the stability of molecular assemblies.
1. INTRODUCTION
A cyclization or, more generally, the formation of any covalent or
noncovalent intramolecular bond always occurs in competition with the
corresponding intermolecular process. Thus, a measure of the propensity
for cyclization must take into account the relative driving force of the
two processes. This is customarily done by considering the ratio of the cor-
responding rate constants for kinetically controlled reactions (Fig. 1A and
Eq. [1]), or the ratio of the corresponding equilibrium constants for reactions
occurring under thermodynamic control (Fig. 1B and Eq. [2]):
kintra
EMk ¼ [1]
k
Kintra
EMe ¼ [2]
K
If the concentration is expressed in mol L1, the two ratios have units of
molarity and correspond to the definition of kinetic effective molarity (EMk)
and equilibrium effective molarity (EMe), respectively. The term effective
concentration, which is synonymous with effective molarity, is also in use,
Equilibrium Effective Molarity 3
2. EFFECTIVE MOLARITY
Consider the solution of a chain AeB where eA and eB are two
reactive end groups capable of reacting reversibly with each other so as to
form a new bond AB (Fig. 2).
If the reacting groups belong to the same chain, the reaction is intramo-
lecular and leads to the formation of a ring, whereas if the two groups belong
to different chains, the reaction is intermolecular and leads to the formation
of a dimeric chain. The probability that the reaction is intramolecular is
proportional to Kintra, whereas the probability that the reaction occurs
intermolecularly is proportional to K [AeB]. From these simple consider-
ations, two important conclusions can be drawn: an intramolecular process
is always favoured by an increasing dilution, and the EM represents the
limiting concentration of the chain AeB below which the intramolecular
process is more favoured than its intermolecular counterpart. Thus, for a
given concentration, the larger the EM the easier the cyclization.
4 S. Di Stefano and G. Ercolani
strainless ring is formed, EMH is equal to 1 and the EM coincides with the
entropic component. There are cases in which the chain undergoing ring
closure is more strained than the ring being formed,1 which translates into
EMH >> 1 because of strain relief, but these cases represent the exception
rather than the rule. It goes without saying that the enthalpic component
determines the dependence of the EM on temperature; the EM increases
on increasing temperature if the ring is strained whereas it is independent
of temperature for strainless rings. At present, the strain energy of a ring
can be easily evaluated by theoretical methods such as molecular mechanics
and quantum mechanical methods, whereas the evaluation of the entropic
contribution is more challenging.8 As a rule of thumb, an intramolecular re-
action has a large entropic advantage over the corresponding intermolecular
reaction, since the former is unimolecular whereas the latter is bimolecular.
This advantage is partially dissipated on increasing the number of rotatable
bonds in the linear precursor of the ring since torsional motion is more
restricted in a cyclic structure than in a linear chain. Page and Jencks faced
the question of the maximum entropic advantage for an intramolecular pro-
cess.9e13 They reasoned that when two molecules condense to form one,
three degrees of translational freedom and three degrees of overall rotational
freedom of the reactants are converted into six new degrees of vibrational
freedom of the adduct. Vibrations have a lower entropy content than
translations and rotations; the higher their frequency, the lower the entropy
content. Thus, an intermolecular reaction occurs with an entropy loss that
depends on the strength of the bond being formed. If the new bond is
covalent (tight) the frequencies of the new vibrations are high and the
entropy loss is large. In contrast if the new bond is noncovalent (loose)
the entropy loss is smaller. In the absence of solvent effects, the entropy
change for covalent bonds is about 150 J K1 mol1 at a standard state
of 1 mol L1, whereas in the case of weaker bonds such as hydrogen bonds,
it is about 40 J K1 mol1 at the same standard state. These changes do
not occur in intramolecular reactions and thus these entropic factors can
be translated into maximum EM values of 108 mol L1 and 102 mol L1
for intramolecular reactions involving the formation of tight and loose
bonds, respectively. There are other explanations to the high EM values
found in some intramolecular reactions, such as Koshland’s ‘orbital steer-
ing’,14 Flory’s ‘favourable directional correlation’,15 Menger’s ‘spatiotem-
poral hypothesis’16 and Bruice’s ‘near-attack conformers’,17 in which a
variable combination of entropic and enthalpic effects is invoked. Owing
to its relevance to enzyme catalysis, the question has been the object of
6 S. Di Stefano and G. Ercolani
heated debates and is far from being settled, but the entropy theory of Page
and Jencks appears to be in substantial agreement with experimental data.
Indeed, as far as ‘covalent’ EMS values are concerned, Mandolini found
that the behaviour of short chains with up to seven single bonds is well
described by linear Eq. [4], where y is the number of skeleton single bonds
in the chain, and the entropy is given in J K1mol1 3,18:
DSintra
0
DS0 ¼ 126 16:7y [4]
The intercept of Eq. [4] refers to an intramolecular reaction taking place
with no conformational entropy loss, that is, DSintra
0 ¼ 0 when y ¼ 0. As a
result, the negative of the intercept corresponds to the loss of entropy
suffered by bimolecular reactions leading to covalent bonds, that is,
DS0 ¼ 126 J K1 mol1. This value translates to EMS ¼ exp(126/R) ¼
3.6 106 mol L1, that is not too far from the value of 108 mol L1
predicted by Page and Jencks. The slope of Eq. [4] implies a drop of
16.7 J K1 mol1 per added single bond, which indicates a nearly complete
freezing of the internal rotation of a CeC bond, which has been estimated as
contributing 19e20 J K1 mol1.19e21
As to noncovalent interactions, the picture is less clear. Based on a limited
number of experimental data regarding H-bonded supramolecular
complexes, Hunter and coworkers obtained a relationship for short chains
between the EM and the number of single bonds in the connecting chain22:
3
EMz10y 2 [5]
Since the noncovalent systems investigated were designed to be
strainless, the EM values obtained by Eq. [5] should be essentially dictated
by entropy. Eq. [5] gives a maximum value of EM ¼ 10 mol L1 for
y ¼ 1. Unfortunately, the value of EM for y ¼ 0 cannot be obtained by
extrapolation of Eq. [5] but, for a perfectly rigid system, it is reasonable to
expect a value consistent with the Page and Jencks upper limit of
102 mol L1. From Eq. [5] one can estimate an average entropy loss per
added single bond of about 3.8 J K1 mol1 in the range 1 y 7, much
lower than that obtained for covalent systems, and indicating that in
noncovalent systems internal rotations are far from being frozen. This loss
of entropy amounts to a free energy cost of 1.1 kJ mol1 at 25 C. The
fact that other studies have estimated that in supramolecular complexes
the cost of restricting torsional motion is in the range 0.5e5 kJ mol1 per
rotor casts doubts on the general applicability of Eq. [5].23e31 However,
Equilibrium Effective Molarity 7
from the available body of experimental data, two conclusions can be drawn:
(1) effective molarities for noncovalent processes are significantly lower than
those observed for covalent processes; (2) the decrease in EM due to the
introduction of conformational flexibility is generally lower than in covalent
systems, indicating that the losses in binding affinity caused by poor
preorganization of the ligands are limited. The group of Hunter carried
out extensive investigations aimed at clarifying the role of solvent and
intrinsic H-bond strength of the linkers on supramolecular effective molar-
ities.23e25,32e37 As expected, EM values are independent of solvent and
intrinsic H-bond strength, but depend on supramolecular architecture and
geometric complementarity. As to solvent effects, there are however, anom-
alies; for example, the phosphonate diesterephenol H-bond showed a
marked dependence of the EM on solvent which was related to the steric
bulk of this group.34e37
In contrast with short chains, the behaviour of long chains, say longer
than 25e30 skeletal bonds, is well established, both theoretically and exper-
imentally. The theory was set forward by Kuhn,38 and further refined by
Jacobson and Stockmayer (JS),7 and Flory and coworkers.15,39,40 In order
to illustrate the theory, which is commonly known as the JS cyclization the-
ory, it is useful to introduce, as JS did, the molar cyclization constant.7,15
This is the equilibrium constant for the reaction shown in Eq. [6], where
a linear oligomer Miþj, formed by i þ j monomer units, splits into a cyclic
oligomer Ci and a linear oligomer Mj. The molar cyclization constant turns
out to be identical to the effective molarity for a series of ring oligomers
(EMi). Indeed, it can be easily verified that the definition given in Eq. [2]
and Fig. 1B corresponds to the effective molarity of the cyclic monomer
EM1 (the value of j is irrelevant, provided that the reactivity of end groups
is independent of the length of the chain, as it is commonly agreed):
EMi
Miþj # Ci þ Mj [6]
The basic tenet of the theory is that the EM corresponds to the local
concentration of one chain end experienced by the other end of the
same chain. With reference to Fig. 2, the end group eA prefers to react
with the group eB of the same chain if the local eB concentration,
EM, is larger than its bulk concentration, [AeB]. This approximation holds
only if the chain is long and flexible enough that the end group eB is free
to assume any possible orientation with respect to the end group eA; in
Flory’s words, if the chain is long enough to suppress directional
8 S. Di Stefano and G. Ercolani
Substituting Eq. [9] into Eq. [8], and Eq. [8] into Eq. [7], Eq. [10] is
obtained, where the factor B, equal to the effective molarity of the mono-
mer, is given by Eq. [11]:
short gap in the range 7 y 12 with an arc of circle tangent to the two
curves.3,18 The obtained data, shown in Fig. 3 and Table 1, fit a large
body of experimental data regarding polymethylenic and polyoxaethylenic
chains in common organic solvents. They have been used both to predict
with good accuracy a large number of EM values related to the formation
of strainless rings4 and to evaluate the catalytic efficiency of supramolecular
catalysts.5,6 The dashed curve in Fig. 3, which is the continuation of the JS
plot, is in good agreement with the equation proposed by Hunter for non-
covalent interactions (Eq. [5]) suggesting that directional correlations for
short chains are less relevant in supramolecular complexes.
3. EQUILIBRIUM MACROCYLIZATIONS
3.1 Ring-Chain Equilibria
JS presented a general theory of ring-chain equilibria as early as 1950.7
Their theory has been extensively used by polymer chemists to describe the
cyclic populations of linear polymeric equilibrates in concentrated solutions
and in the melt,40e42 but for many years the theory has been largely ignored
Eqs [13] and [14] are still valid with the caveat that x now represents the
extent of reaction in the chain fraction only. Considering the definition of
EMi given in Eq. [6] and taking into account Eq. [14], Eq. [16] is easily
obtained:
½Ci ¼ EMi xi [16]
Now, by assuming that the smallest cyclic i-mers, say from i ¼ 1 to n, are
strained, whereas the larger ones follow the JS theory Eq. [10], Eq. [15] is
transformed into:
X
n X
N
1 x
½M1 0 ¼ iEMi xi þ B i3=2 xi þ [17]
i¼1 i¼nþ1
K ð1 xÞ2
Figure 4 Equilibrium concentrations of C1eC5 rings and chain fraction showing the
phenomenon of critical concentration. Curves were calculated for K ¼ 106 mol1 L,
EM1 ¼ 0.010 mol L1, EM2 ¼ 0.015 mol L1 and B ¼ 0.20 mol L1 (see text for details).
Equilibrium Effective Molarity 15
in which both ends of the growing polymer chain remain attached to the
Ru centre. Subsequent intramolecular chain transfer later releases cyclic
polymer 3 from the intermediate complex. The reaction has practical
importance since by this method, Grubbs obtained pure cyclic polyocte-
namers with a number average degree of polymerization of the order of
104.88 To appreciate this figure, one must consider that in ring-chain com-
petitions the final concentrations of large cyclic i-mers decrease as i5/2,
implying that the number average degree of polymerization of the cyclic
fraction is c. 2.92
The features of a system governed by ringering equilibria have been dis-
cussed by Ercolani and Di Stefano.92 For such a system the mass balance is
given by Eq. [18] which can be obtained from Eq. [17] by dropping the
term corresponding to the chain fraction:
X
n X
N
½M1 0 ¼ iEMi x þ B
i
i3=2 xi [18]
i¼1 i¼nþ1
units.92 Thus, at the CC, the collapse of the system into a single giant ring
molecule is consistent with the continuity of the Gibbs energy function.
Although above the CC, a single infinite ring constitutes the thermodynam-
ically stable state, its actual formation is not warranted. Indeed its formation
would require an ideal system, completely free of linear contaminants, and
an infinite time of reaction. In fact, the expected behaviour of the system
above the CC would be analogous to that of an irreversible step-growth
linear polymerization whose hypothetical outcome, given an infinite
amount of time, is the formation of a single chain molecule incorporating
all of the available monomeric units.
Eqs [19] and [20] can be used to build plots of Cn% versus [M1]0/EMn for
a given n that only depend on the product K$EMn. This is done by
compiling a list of x values in the range 0 x < 1 and then calculating,
for a given value of the product K$EMn, the couple of [M1]0/EMn and
Cn% values corresponding to each x, by Eqs [19] and [20], respectively.
Such plots are shown, by way of illustration, in Fig. 5 for the cases n ¼ 4
and K$EMn ¼ 10, 25, 100 and 1000, respectively. It is apparent from
Fig. 5 that the driving force for self-assembly is given by the product K$EMn;
a large value of K$EMn is beneficial not only to the yield of the self-
assembling macrocycle but also to the amplitude of the concentration range
over which self-assembly takes place.
Figure 5 Plots of the yield of a self-assembled cyclic tetramer versus [M1]0/EM4. The
four curves from the bottom up, refer to K$EM4 ¼ 10, 25, 100 and 1000, respectively.
Equilibrium Effective Molarity 19
Fig. 5 shows that the plots of the yield of the assembly go through a
maximum. The coordinates of the maximum are approximately given by:
1
n
ðCn %Þmax z100 1 þ 1:85 [21]
KEMn
n
½M1 0 EMn z10 [22]
max ðCn %Þmax
The plot of Eq. [21] is useful to evaluate the maximum yield of a cyclic
assembly obtainable with a given driving force (Fig. 6).
From Eq. [21], it is easy to show that self-assembly can be virtually com-
plete, that is, (Cn%)max > 99%, when the condition in Eq. [23] is satisfied:
KEMn 2 102 n [23]
Eq. [23] is the second condition for self-assembly, namely, the condition
of stability of the self-assembling macrocycle over the acyclic oligomers. This
is an important relation showing that the required driving force for self-
assembly directly depends on the number of monomer units constituting
the cyclic oligomer. The plot in Fig. 6 illustrates this point, as well as the
plots reported in Fig. 5 showing that only the plot relative to
Figure 6 Plot of the maximum yield of a cyclic n-meric assembly as a function of KEMn/n.
The regions in which self-assembly can be complete, partial and not realizable are
evidenced.
20 S. Di Stefano and G. Ercolani
KEMn ¼ 1000 satisfies the condition in Eq. [23]. Fig. 5 also shows that the
value of the monomer concentration [M1]0 is crucial to determine the
stability of a cyclic assembly in solution. If the concentration is too low,
the assembly lacks the driving force to form and thus only low-order linear
oligomers will be present in solution; on the other hand, if the concentration
is too high, the cyclic assembly loses the competition with the linear poly-
mer. The optimal monomer concentration is obtained by Eq. [22]. It is
interesting to note that when the condition in Eq. [23] is satisfied,
(Cn%)max z 100% and the optimal monomer concentration reduces to
([M1]0)max z 0.1nEMn. From Eq. [21] and Fig. 6 it also appears that a cyclic
assembly does not form to any significant extent at any concentration, that is,
(Cn%)max < 1%, if the condition in Eq. [24] is satisfied:
KEMn 2 102 n [24]
In Fig. 6, three regions are evidenced: the region obeying Eq. [23] in
which self-assembly can be complete in a given range of reactant concentra-
tion, that obeying Eq. [24] in which self-assembly cannot occur at any
reactant concentration, and that in between the two above regions in which
self-assembly can be partial at best.
Provided that Eq. [23] holds, it can be useful to establish the initial
monomer concentration at which half of the monomer is assembled into
the cyclic n-mer. This concentration has been dubbed lsac (lower self-
assembly concentration) and is given by101:
2
lsac ¼ 1=ðn1Þ n=ðn1Þ
[25]
n1=ðn1Þ EMn K
The expression in Eq. [25] is due to a slight revision of a previous expres-
sion published by Hunter et al. as the csac (critical self-assembly concentra-
tion),102 and is based on the approximation that the chain fraction is
essentially constituted by the monomer only.
Although the earlier treatment for self-assembly refers to a monomer of
the type AeB, Eqs [19] and [25] also hold for the case AeA þ BeB
provided that the concentrations of the two monomers are exactly equal
and the total monomer concentration is taken as the sum of the initial
concentrations of the two monomers. It must be noted that in the case
AeA þ BeB, only assemblies in which n is an even number are allowed.
In conclusion, a large EMn value is fundamental for the selective forma-
tion of a cyclic architecture. It allows the assembly to win the competition
with both the other cyclic oligomers (first condition for self-assembly) and
Equilibrium Effective Molarity 21
SI-NGAN-FU,
SINGAN FU, The Chinese Imperial Court at.
SIRDAR, Egyptian.
SLAVERY: A. D. 1885.
Emancipation in Cuba.
SLAVERY: A. D. 1895.
New anti-slavery law in Egypt.
SLAVERY: A. D. 1896.
Abolition in Madagascar.
SLAVERY: A. D. 1897.
Compulsory labor in Rhodesia.
SLAVERY: A. D. 1897.
Subjugation of Fulah slave raiders in Nupé and Ilorin.
SLAVERY: A. D. 1899.
Forced labor in Congo State.
SLESWICK:
Complaints of German treatment.
BELGIUM: A. D. 1894-1895;
SWITZERLAND: A. D. 1894-1898;
SOKOTO.
SOUDAN.
See (in this volume)
SUDAN.
{456}
(d) That the South African Colonies and States, either each
for itself or in conjunction with one another, shall
regulate their own native affairs, employing thereto the
forces of the land by means of a satisfactory burgher law;
and
(f) The watching over the public honor, and against the
adulteration of the necessaries of life, and the defiling
of ground, water, or air, as well as against the spreading
of infectious diseases.
See, in volume 4,
SOUTH AFRICA: A. D. 1885-1893.
{457}
{458}
Edward Dicey,
British Suzerainty in the Transvaal
(Nineteenth Century, October, 1897).
In its preamble, the Convention of 1884 recites that—"Whereas
the Government of the Transvaal State, through its Delegates,
consisting of [Kruger, Du Toit and Smit], have represented
that the Convention signed at Pretoria on the 3rd day of
August, 1881, and ratified by the Volksraad of the said State
on the 25th of October, 1881, contains certain provisions
which are inconvenient, and imposes burdens and obligations
from which the said State is desirous to be relieved, and that
the south-western boundaries fixed by the said Convention
should be amended with a view to promote the peace and good
order of the said State, … now, therefore, Her Majesty has
been pleased to direct," &c.—substituting the articles of a
new Convention for those signed and ratified in 1881.
Articles XIV. and XV. read thus: Article XIV. "All persons,
other than natives, conforming themselves to the laws of the
South African Republic, (a) will have full liberty, with their
families, to enter, travel or reside in any part of the South
African Republic; (b) they will be entitled to hire or possess
houses, manufactories, warehouses, shops and premises; (c)
they may carry on their commerce either in person or by any
agents whom they may think fit to employ; (d) they will not be
subject, in respect of their persons or property, or in
respect of their commerce or industry, to any taxes, whether
general or local, other than those which are or may be imposed
upon citizens of the said Republic." Article XV. "All persons,
other than natives, who establish their domicile in the
Transvaal between the 12th day of April, 1877, and the 8th day
of August, 1881, and who within twelve months after such last
mentioned date have had their names registered by the British
resident, shall be exempt from all compulsory military service
whatever." Article XVI. provides for a future extradition
treaty; XVII. for the payment of debts in the same currency in
which they were contracted; XVIII. establishes the validity of
certain land grants; XIX. secures certain rights to the
natives; XX. nullifies the Convention if not ratified by the
Volksraad within six months from the date of its
signature—February 27, 1884.
{459}
1st.
The settlement of the boundary, especially on the western
border of the Republic, in which the deputation eventually
acquiesced only under the express conditions with which the
Raad agree.
2nd.
The right of veto reserved to the British Crown upon treaties
to be concluded by the Republic with foreign powers; and
3rd.
The settlement of the debt.
Also in:
State Papers, British and Foreign, volume 75.
"It was not until 1884 that England heard of the presence of
gold in South Africa. A man named Fred Stuben, who had spent
several years in the country, spread such marvellous reports
of the underground wealth of the Transvaal that only a short
time elapsed before hundreds of prospectors and miners left
England for South Africa. When the first prospectors
discovered auriferous veins of wonderful quality on a farm
called Sterkfontein, the gold boom had its birth. It required
the lapse of only a short time for the news to reach Europe,
America, and Australia, and immediately thereafter that vast
and widely scattered army of men and women which constantly
awaits the announcement of new discoveries of gold was set in
motion toward the Randt [the Witwatersrand or
Whitewatersridge]. … In December, 1885, the first stamp mill
was erected for the purpose of crushing the gneiss rock in
which the gold lay hidden. This enterprise marks the real
beginning of the gold fields of the Randt, which now yield one
third of the world's total product of the precious metal. The
advent of thousands of foreigners was a boon to the Boers, who
owned the large farms on which the auriferous veins were
located. Options on farms that were of little value a short
time before were sold at incredible figures, and the prices
paid for small claims would have purchased farms of thousands
of acres two years before. In July, 1886, the Government
opened nine farms to the miners, and all have since become the
best properties on the Randt. … On the Randt the California
scenes of '49 were being re-enacted. Tents and houses of sheet
iron were erected with picturesque lack of beauty and
uniformity, and during the latter part of 1886 the community
had reached such proportions that the Government marked off a
township and called it Johannesburg. The Government, which
owned the greater part of the land, held three sales of
building lots, or 'stands,' as they are called in the
Transvaal, and realized more than $300,000 from the sales. …
Millions were secured in England and Europe for the
development of the mines, and the individual miner sold his
claims to companies with unlimited capital. The incredibly
large dividends that were realized by some of the investors
led to too heavy investments in the Stock Exchange in 1889,
and a panic resulted. Investors lost thousands of pounds, and
for several months the future of the gold fields appeared to
be most gloomy. The opening of the railway to Johannesburg and
the re-establishment of stock values caused a renewal of
confidence, and the growth and development of the Randt was
imbued with renewed vigour. Owing to the Boers' lack of
training and consequent inability to share in the development
of the gold fields, the new industry remained almost entirely
in the hands of the newcomers, the Uitlanders [so called in
the language of the Boers], and two totally different
communities were created in the republic. The Uitlanders, who,
in 1890, numbered about 100,000, lived almost exclusively in
Johannesburg and the suburbs along the Randt. The Boers,
having disposed of their farms and lands on the Randt, were
obliged to occupy the other parts of the republic, where they
could follow their pastoral and agricultural pursuits. The
natural contempt which the Englishmen, who composed the
majority of the Uitlander population, always have for persons
and races not their intellectual or social equals, soon
created a gulf between the Boers and the newcomers."
H. C. Hillegas,
Oom Paul's People,
chapter 3
(with permission of D. Appleton & Co., copyright, 1899).
A. P. Hillier,
Raid and Reform,
pages 24-29 (London: Macmillan & Co.).
SOUTH AFRICA:
Portuguese Possessions: A. D. 1891.
Delagoa Bay Railway question.
SOUTH AFRICA:
The Transvaal: A. D. 1894.
Estimated population.