Conformational properties of permethylcyclohexane as compared to cyclohexane: A force field study

The conformational properties of the recently synthesized highly strained permethylcyclohexane molecule 2 have been studied by empirical force field calculations using three different potentials (CFF, MM2, MM2′) and second-derivative optimization methods. A comparison of the results with the conformational behavior of parent cyclohexane 1 leads to the following conclusions: The best conformation of 2 is a chair minimum whose six-membered ring is flatter than that of 1 , due to the strong H…H repulsions introduced by the methyl groups. The twist minimum of 2 is energetically less favorable than the chair by an amount similar to 1 . A potential energy barrier Δ V^# for the chair inversion of 2 of 15.32 kcal/mol results with the CFF, only about three kcal/mol higher than for 1 . The free energy of activation ΔG^# for this process obtained with the CFF is 16.96 kcal/mol (at 333 K) and agrees well with the experimental value of 16.7(2) kcal/mol.¹ MM2 and MM2′ give substantially lower and higher potential energy inversion barriers Δ V^# of 9.03 and 20.29 kcal/mol, respectively, which is attributed to inappropriate torsional energy terms in these force fields. The characteristic difference in the conformational behavior of 2 and 1 concerns the boat forms which are substantially less favorable in the per-methyl compound than in 1 . Expectedly, strong H…H repulsions between the 1,4 diaxial flagpole–bowsprit methyl groups in 2 are responsible for this difference. The particularly high strain of the boat forms of 2 leads to flexibility differences as compared to 1 which in turn affect the relative entropies of the various statiomers (stationary point conformations); e.g., the chair ring inversion activation entropies of 2 and 1 are predicted by the CFF calculations to have opposite signs (?4.82 and 3.41 cal/mol K, respectively, at 298 K). The twist and half-twist statiomers of 2 are much more rigid than those of 1 , which is a consequence of the substantially larger boat barriers along their pseudorotational interconversion paths. The boat transition state separating two enantiomeric twist minima represents a barrier calculated to be more than tenfold higher for 2 than for 1 (CFF Δ V^# values 11.14 and 0.92 kcal/mol, respectively); likewise the half-boat chair inversion barrier of 2 is calculated 5.07 kcal/mol less favorable than the respective half-twist barrier. These statiomers are practically equienergetic in the case of 1 . Except for the axial flagpole–bowsprit CH₃ substituents of the boat forms, the methyl groups of all the relevant calculated statiomers of 2 are more or less staggered. The rotational barrier of the equatorial methyl groups of the chair minimum of 2 is computationally predicted to be 5.78 kcal/mol (ΔG^#), i.e., unusually high. Interesting vibrational effects are brought about by the strong H…H repulsions in 2 ; thus the chair minimum has a largest C? H stretching frequency estimated to be 3050 cm^?1 and involves several particularly low frequencies which have a substantial influence on its entropy. CFF calculations for the lower homologue permethylcyclopentane 5 indicate that its pseudorotational properties are similar to those of cyclopentane 4 , in contradistinction to the pair 2/1 .     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ab initio</Emphasis> Study of Structural and Conformational Properties of Five- to Nine-Membered Cyclic 1,2,3-Trienes

Summary.  The structures and relative energies of fundamental conformations of cyclopenta-1,2,3-triene, cyclohexa-1,2,3-triene, cylohepta-1,2,3-triene, cycloocta-1,2,3-triene, and cyclonona-1,2,3-triene were calculated by the HF/6-31G^* and MP2/6-31G^*//HF/6-31G^* methods. Only a C _2v symmetric planar conformation is available to cyclopenta-1,2,3-triene and cyclohexa-1,2,3-triene. The calculated energy barrier for ring inversion of the C _S symmetric puckerd conformation of cyclohepta-1,2,3-triene via the planar geometry is 62.2 kJ·mol⁻¹. The C ₂ symmetric twist conformation of cycloocta-1,2,3-triene was calculated to be the most stable one. Conformational racemization of the twist form takes place via the C _S symmetric half-chair geometry, which is by 60.8 kJ·mol⁻¹ less stable than the twist conformer. The C _S symmetric chair and unsymmetrical twist-boat conformations of cyclonona-1,2,3-triene were calculated to have similar energies; their interconversion takes place via an unsymmetrical low-energy (18.4 kJ·mol⁻¹) transition state. The twist (C ₂) and boat (C _S) geometries of cyclonona-1,2,3-triene are higher in energy by 13.2 and 33.9 kJ·mol⁻¹, respectively. Ring inversion in chair and twist-boat conformations takes place via a twist form as intermediate and requires 33.6 kJ·mol⁻¹. Corresponding author. E-mail: isayavar@yahoo.com Received March 25, 2002; accepted April 4, 2002     

Expanding molecular dynamics simulations to the NMR time scale. I. Studies of conformational interconversions of 1, 1-difluoro-4, 4-dimethylcycloheptane using MM3-MD

A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation of 35,000 picoseconds (ps) has been carried out to study the conformational interconversions of 1,1-difluoro-4,4-dimethylcycloheptane at room temperature using the MM3 force field. The exchange between axial and equatorial fluorine atoms was the only conformational interconversion that occurred, and it took place via the process of pseudorotation. Ring inversions (twist–chair < twist–boat < twist–chair) were not observed. The axial-equatorial exchange of the two fluorine atoms took place five times during the MD trajectory of 35,000 ps. The two CH₃ groups occupied symmetrical positions (exchangeable by a C₂-like rotations, where C₂-like means it would be C₂ if the fluorines were not present) in the MM3 structures, and during most of the time of the MD trajectory. The methyls occasionally moved off the C₂-like axis in the simulated process, mostly because the C₂-like axis was momentarily moved so that it did not pass through the ring atom to which the two CH₃ groups are bonded. A C₂-like symmetry of the twist-chair conformation was maintained approximately during most of the MD simulation. The conformational geometry with the highest energy obtained during the axial-equatorial exchange process was found and used to locate the transition state. The energy barrier for this axial-equatorial exchange was calculated to be 4.7 kcal/mol, and it compares with the value (5.0 kcal/mol) determined by dynamic nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

rac‐5‐Diphenylacetyl‐2,2,4‐trimethyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1,5‐benzothiazepine and rac‐5‐formyl‐2,2,4‐trimethyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1,5‐benzothiazepine

rac‐5‐Diphenylacetyl‐2,2,4‐trimethyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1,5‐benzothiazepine, C₂₆H₂₇NOS, (I), and rac‐5‐formyl‐2,2,4‐trimethyl‐2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1,5‐benzothiazepine, C₁₃H₁₇NOS, (II), are both characterized by a planar configuration around the heterocyclic N atom. In contrast with the chair conformation of the parent benzothiazepine, which has no substituents at the heterocyclic N atom, the seven‐membered ring adopts a boat conformation in (I) and a conformation intermediate between boat and twist‐boat in (II). The molecules lack a symmetry plane, indicating distortions from the perfect boat or twist‐boat conformations. The supramolecular architectures are significantly different, depending in (I) on C—H...O interactions and intermolecular S...S contacts, and in (II) on a single aromatic π–π stacking interaction.     

Chair, boat and twist conformation of dodecamethylcyclohexasilane and undecamethylcyclohexasilane: a combined DFT and Raman spectroscopic study.

The conformations of dodecamethylcyclohexasilane Si6Me12 and undecamethylcyclohexasilane Si6Me11H have been investigated by ab initio calculations employing the B3LYP density functional with a 6-31+G(d) basis set. Local minima as well as transition structures were calculated with imposed symmetry constraints. For Si6Me12, three unique minima, which correspond to the chair, twist and boat conformations were located with relative zero-point-vibration-corrected energies of 0.0, 7.8 and 11.4 kJ mol(-1). A half-chair conformation with four coplanar silicon atoms connects the chair and twisted minima via an energy barrier of 16.0 and 8.2 kJ mol(-1), respectively. A second transition structure with a barrier of 3.9/0.3 kJ mol(-1) connects the twist with the boat structure. Solution Raman spectra of Si6(CH3)12 and Si6(CD3)12 fully corroborate these results. Below -40 degrees C, the symmetric SiSi ring breathing vibration is a single line, which develops a shoulder (originating from the twist conformer) at longer wavelengths whose intensity increases with increasing temperature. From a Van't Hoff plot, the chair/twist enthalpy difference is 6.6+/-1.5 kJ mol(-1) for Si6(CH3)12 and 6.0+/-1.5 kJ mol(-1) for Si6(CD3)12, which is in reasonable agreement with the ab initio results. Due to the low barrier, the boat conformation cannot be observed, because either the lowest torsional vibration level lies above it or a rapid interconversion between the twist and boat conformations occurs, resulting in averaged Raman spectra. For Si6Me11H, six local minima were located. The chair with the hydrogen atom in the axial position (axial chair) is the global minimum, followed by the equatorial chair (+1.9 kJ mol(-1)) and the three twist conformers (+5.3, +8.0 and +8.1 kJ mol(-1)). The highest local minimum (+11.9 kJ mol(-1)) is a C(s) symmetric boat with the hydrogen atom in the equatorial position. Two possible pathways for the chair-to-chair interconversion with barriers of 13.9 and 14.5 kJ mol(-1) have been investigated. The solution Raman spectra in the SiSi ring breathing region clearly show that below -50 degrees C only the axial and equatorial chairs are present, with an experimental deltaH-value of 0.46 kJ mol(-1). With increasing temperature a shoulder develops which is attributed to the combined twist conformers. The experimental deltaH-value is 6.9 kJ mol(-1), in good agreement with the ab initio results. Due to the low interconversion barriers, the various twist conformers cannot be detected separately.     

AB INITIO MOLECULAR ORBITAL STUDY OF 1,2-DITHIANE AND 1,2,4,5-TETRATHIANE

Ab initio calculations at HF/6-31+G? level of theory for geometry optimization, and MP2/6-31+G?//HF/6-31+G? and B3LYP/6-31+G?//HF/6-31+G? levels for a single-point total energy calculation, are reported for the chair and twist conformations of 1,2-dithiane (1), 3,3,6,6-tetramethyl-1,2-dithiane (2), 1,2,4,5-tetrathiane (3), and 3,3,6,6-tetramethyl-1,2,4,5-tetrathiane (4). The C₂ symmetric chair conformations of 1 and 2 are calculated to be 21.9 and 8.6 kJ mol^?1 more stable than the corresponding twist forms. The calculated energy barriers for chair-to-twist processes in 1 and 2 are 56.3 and 72.8 kJ mol^?1, respectively. The C_2h symmetric chair conformation of 3 is 10.7 kJ mol^?1 more stable than the twist form. Interconversion of these forms takes place via a C₂ symmetric transition state, which is 67.5 kJ mol^?1 less stable than 3-Chair. The D₂ symmetric twist-boat conformation of 4 is calculated to be 4.0 kJ mol^?1 more stable than the C_2h symmetric chair form. The calculated strain energy for twist to chair process is 61.1 kJ mol^?1.     

Conformational analysis of mesocyclic polythioethers : Crystal and molecular structures of 1,4-dithiacycloheptane, 1,5-dithiacyclononane and 1,6-dithiacyclodecane

The crystal and molecular structures of 1,4-dithiacycloheptane (1,4-DTCH), 1,5-dithiacyclononane (1,5-DTCN), and 1,6-dithiacyclodecane (1,6-DTCD) have been determined by single crystal X-ray studies. These compounds crystallize in the space groups P2₁2₁2₁ (No. 19), P2₁/c (No. 14), and P2₁/n, respectively with a = 5.409(1), b = 10.883(2), c = 11.390(2) Å, Z = 4; a = 9.600(4), b = 12.378(8), c = 7.904(3) Å, /gb = 113.31(3)°, Z = 4; and a = 5.290(1), b = 12.853(3), c = 6.850(2) Å, β = 93.39(2)°, Z = 2, respectively. The nonhydrogen atoms were located using direct methods and the hydrogen atoms were found by Fourier difference maps. Full-matrix least-squares refinement led to conventional R factors of 0.0459, 0.0558 and 0.0314, respectively. The conformations adopted by 1,4-DTCH, 1,5-DTCN and 1,6-DTCD, in the crystalline slate, are twist chair (C₂ symmetry), twist boat chair (C₂ symmetry), and boat chair boat (C_2k symmetry), respectively. The transannular S-S distances are 3.583, 4.108 and 4.864 Å, respectively.     

Conformational analysis of some 1R,4S‐2‐arylidene‐p‐menthan‐3‐ones by 1H NMR spectroscopy and molecular simulation

Based on ¹H NMR spectral analysis combined with molecular simulation, conformational states of the cyclohexanone ring were studied for some 1R,4S‐2‐(4‐X‐benzylidene)‐p‐menthan‐3‐ones (X = COOCH₃ or C₆H₅) in CDCl₃ and C₆D₆. The co‐existence of chair conformers with an axial orientation of both alkyl substituents and twist‐boat forms was established for the compounds studied at room temperature (22–23° C). The substituent X does not influence appreciably the ratio of these conformers, but the fraction of twist‐boat forms increases noticeably in benzene solutions as compared with CDCl₃ solutions. Rotameric states of the isopropyl fragment were also characterised for the compounds studied. Distinctions in conformational states for the 1R,4S‐2‐arylidene‐p‐menthan‐3‐ones and (?)‐menthone were revealed and are discussed. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ab Initio Study of Conformational Properties of ( Z, Z)-, ( E, Z)-, and ( E, E)-Cyclonona-1,5-dienes

Summary. Ab initio calculations at the HF/6-31G^* level of theory for geometry optimization and MP2/6-31G^*//HF/6-31G^* for a single point total energy calculation are reported for the important energy-minimum conformations and transition-state geometries of (Z,Z)-, (E,Z)-, and (E,E)-cyclonona-1,5-dienes. The C₂ symmetric chair conformation of (Z,Z)-cyclonona-1,5-diene is calculated to be the most stable form; the calculated energy barrier for ring inversion of the chair conformation via the C_s symmetric boat-chair geometry is 58.3kJmol^–1. Interconversion between chair and twist-boat-chair (C₁) conformations takes place via the twist (C₁) as intermediate. The unsymmetrical twist conformation of (E,Z)-cyclonona-1,5-diene is the most stable form. Ring inversion of this conformation takes place via the unsymmetrical chair and boat-chair geometries. The calculated strain energy for this process is 63.5kJmol^–1. The interconversion between twist and the boat-chair conformations can take place by swiveling of the trans double bond with respect to the cis double bond and requires 115.6kJmol^–1. The most stable conformation of (E,E)-cyclonona-1,5-diene is the C₂ symmetric twist-boat conformation of the crossed family, which is 5.3kJmol^–1 more stable than the C_s symmetric chair–chair geometry of the parallel family. Interconversion of the crossed and parallel families can take place by swiveling of one of the double bonds and requires 142.0kJmol^–1.     

Computational study of sulfoxides of thiacyclohexane, 4‐silathiacyclohexane, 4‐fluoro‐4‐silathiacyclohexane,and 4,4‐difluoro‐4‐silathiacyclohexane: Relative energies of conformations and sulfinyl oxygen stabilized pentacoordinate silicon in boat and twist structures

Second‐order Møller‐Plesset theory (MP2) has been used to calculate the equilibrium geometries and relative energies of the chair, 1,4‐twist, 2,5‐twist, 1,4‐boat, and 2,5‐boat conformations of thiacyclohexane 1‐oxide (tetrahydro‐2H‐thiopyran 1‐oxide), 4‐silathiacyclohexane 1‐oxide, cis‐ and trans‐4‐fluoro‐4‐silathiacyclohexane 1‐oxide, and 4,4‐difluoro‐4‐silathiacyclohexane 1‐oxide. At the MP2/6‐311+G(d,p) level of theory, the chair conformer of axial thiacyclohexane 1‐oxide is 0.99, 5.61, 5.91, 8.57, and 7.43 kcal/mol more stable (ΔE) than its respective equatorial chair, 1,4‐twist, and 2,5‐twist conformers and 1,4‐boat and 2,5‐boat transition states. The chair conformer of equatorial thiacyclohexane 1‐oxide is 4.62, 6.31, 7.56, and 7.26 kcal/mol more stable (ΔE) than its respective 1,4‐twist and 2,5‐twist conformers and 1,4‐boat and 2,5‐boat transition states. The chair conformer of axial 4‐silathiacyclohexane 1‐oxide is 1.79, 4.26, 3.85, and 5.71 kcal/mol more stable (ΔE) than its respective equatorial chair, 1,4‐twist, and 2,5‐twist conformers and 2,5‐boat transition state. The 2,5‐twist conformer of axial 4‐silathiacyclohexane 1‐oxide is stabilized by a transannular interaction between the sulfinyl oxygen and silicon, to give trigonal bipyramidal geometry at silicon. The chair conformer of equatorial 4‐silathiacyclohexane 1‐oxide is 2.47, 7.90, and 8.09 kcal/mol more stable (ΔE) than its respective 1,4‐twist, and 2,5‐twist conformers and 2,5‐boat transition state. The chair conformer of axial cis‐4‐fluoro‐4‐silathiacyclohexane 1‐oxide is 4.18 and 5.70 kcal/mol more stable than its 1,4‐twist conformer and 2,5‐boat transition state and 1.51 kcal/mol more stable than the chair conformer of equatorial cis‐4‐fluoro‐4‐silathiacyclohexane 1‐oxide. The chair conformer of axial trans‐4‐fluoro‐4‐silathiacyclohexane 1‐oxide is 5.02 and 6.11 kcal/mol more stable than its respective 1,4‐twist conformer and 2,5‐boat transition state, but is less stable than its 2,5‐twist conformer (ΔE = ?1.77 kcal/mol) and 1,4‐boat transition state (ΔE = ?1.65 kcal/mol). The 2,5‐twist conformer and 1,4‐boat conformer of axial trans‐4‐fluoro‐4‐silathiacyclohexane 1‐oxide are stabilized by intramolecular coordination of the sulfinyl oxygen with silicon that results in trigonal bipyramidal geometry at silicon. The chair conformer of axial 4,4‐difluoro‐4‐silathiacyclohexane 1‐oxide is 3.02, 5.16, 0.90, and 6.21 kcal/mol more stable (ΔE) than its respective equatorial chair, 1,4‐twist, and 1,4‐boat conformers and 2,5‐boat transition state. The 1,4‐boat conformer of axial 4,4‐difluoro‐4‐silathiacyclohexane 1‐oxide is stabilized by a transannular coordination of the sulfinyl oxygen with silicon that results in a trigonal bipyramidal geometry at silicon. The relative energies of the conformers and transition states are discussed in terms of hyperconjugation, orbital interactions, nonbonded interactions, and intramolecular sulfinyl oxygen–silicon coordination. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Computational study of 4‐fluoro‐4‐chloro‐ and 4‐fluoro‐4‐bromo‐4‐silathiacyclohexane S‐oxides: Effect of halogen on the SO→Si intramolecular coordination in the boat and twist conformers

Chair, twist, and boat conformations of axial and equatorial 4‐fluoro‐4‐chloro‐ and 4‐fluoro‐4‐bromo‐4‐silathiacyclohexane S‐oxides have been calculated at the second‐order Møller–Plesset (MP2) and density functional theory (DFT) levels of theory. The 2,5‐twist and 1,4‐boat conformers of the axial sulfoxides are stabilized by transannular interaction between the sulfinyl oxygen and silicon to give trigonal bipyramidal geometry at silicon. The stability of conformers containing pentacoordinate silicon is governed by the balance of the transannular sulfinyl oxygen–silicon coordination, nonbonded H…H and O…Hlg_ax interactions, electronegativity of Hlg_ax and nucleofugality of Hlg_eq, and may approach the stability of the lowest‐energy chair conformers. The effect of pentacoordination on the energy and geometry of Si‐halogenated 4‐silathiane S‐oxides is analyzed as a function of the halogen nature and position. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Conformational analysis of cycloheptane,oxacycloheptane, 1,2‐dioxacycloheptane, 1,3‐dioxacycloheptane,and 1,4‐dioxacycloheptane

The conformational analysis of cycloheptane (1), oxacycloheptane (2), 1,2‐dioxacycloheptane (3), 1,3‐dioxacycloheptane (4), and 1,4‐dioxacycloheptane (5) has been carried out using B3LYP, CCD, CCSD, and QCISD with the 6‐311+G(d,p) and cc‐pVDZ basis sets. The twist chair conformers are predicted to be lower in energy than their corresponding boat and chair conformations. All levels of theory predict (4) to be lower in energy than (3) and (5). CCSD predicts remarkably similar activation barriers for the conformational interconversion of the twist chair conformers to their corresponding boat conformers. Small barriers to pseudorotation are also predicted. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008     

3‐Fluoro‐2,4‐dioxa‐7‐aza‐3‐phosphadecalin 3‐Oxides as Rigid Acetylcholine Mimetics: Conformational Analysis and Direct Evidence of the Anomeric Effect

Conformational analyses of the P(3)‐axially and P(3)‐equatorially F‐substituted (±)‐cis‐ and (±)‐trans‐2,4‐dioxa‐7‐aza‐3‐phosphadecalin 3‐oxides (3‐fluoro‐2,4‐dioxa‐7‐aza‐3‐phosphabicyclo[4.4.0]decane 3‐oxides) were performed. The results are based on independent studies in both solution and the solid state by ¹H‐ and ³¹P‐NMR experiments and computational and X‐ray crystallographic data. As expected, the axial epimers adopt neat double‐chair conformations in solution and in the crystal. Due to the anomeric effect of the electron withdrawing F‐substituent, the 2,4‐dioxa‐3‐phospha moiety in the equatorial epimers adopts a mixture of conformations in solution, mainly chair and twist‐boat; whereas a neat twist‐boat (trans‐isomer) and the unusual envelope conformation (cis‐isomer) were detected in the solid state. This is the first report of a straight visualization of these conformations and the impact of the anomeric effect in such systems.     

The Cyclohexasilanes Si6H11X and Si6Me11X with X=F,Cl, Br and I: A Quantum Chemical and Raman Spectroscopic Investigation of a Multiple Conformer Problem

The conformers of the monohalocyclohexasilanes, Si₆H₁₁X (X=F, Cl, Br or I) and the haloundecamethylcyclohexasilanes, Si₆Me₁₁X (X=F, Cl, Br or I) are investigated by DFT calculations employing the B3LYP density functional and 6‐31+G* basis sets for elements up to the third row, and SDD basis sets for heavier elements. Five minima are found for Si₆H₁₁X—the axial and equatorial chair conformers, with the substituent X either in an axial or equatorial position—and another three twisted structures. The equatorial chair conformer is the global minimum for the X=Cl, Br and I, the axial chair for X=F. The barrier for the ring inversion is ～13 kJ mol^?1 for all four compounds. Five minima closely related to those of Si₆H₁₁X are found for Si₆Me₁₁X. Again, the equatorial chair is the global minimum for X=Cl, Br and I, and the axial chair for X=F. Additionally, two symmetrical boat conformers are found as local minima on the potential energy surfaces for X=F, Cl and Br, but not for X=I. The barrier for the ring inversion is ～14–16 kJ mol^?1 for all compounds. The conformational equilibria for Si₆Me₁₁X in toluene solution are investigated using temperature dependent Raman spectroscopy. The wavenumber range of the stretching vibrations of the heavy atoms X and Si from 270–370 cm^?1 is analyzed. Using the van′t Hoff relationship, the enthalpy differences between axial and equatorial chair conformers (H_ax?H_eq.) are 1.1 kJ mol^?1 for X=F, and 1.8 to 2.8 kJ mol^?1 for X=Cl, Br and I. Due to rapid interconversion, only a single Raman band originating from the “averaged” twist and boat conformers could be observed. Generally, reasonable agreement between the calculated relative energies and the experimentally determined values is found.     

Formation of Columnar Liquid Crystals on the Basis of Unconventional Triazine‐Based Dendrimers by the C3‐Symmetric Approach

Two series of unconventional triazine‐based dendrimers with C₂ symmetry and C₃ symmetry were prepared. The newly prepared C₃‐symmetrical dendrimers were characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and elemental analysis. Differential scanning calorimetry, polarizing microscopy, and powder XRD showed that the C₃‐symmetrical dendrimers display columnar liquid‐crystalline phases during thermal treatment, but the C₂‐symmetrical dendrimers were not observed to behave correspondingly. The molecular conformations of C₃‐ and C₂‐symmetrical dendrimers were obtained by computer simulation with the MM2 model of the CaChe program in the gas phase. The simulation results reasonably explain the different mesogenicities of C₃‐ and C₂‐symmetric dendrimers. This new strategy should be applicable to other types of unconventional dendrimers with rigid frameworks for displaying columnar liquid‐crystalline behavior.     

Ab initio molecular orbital study of dications of 1,5‐dichalcogenacyclooctanes

The molecular and electronic structures of the dications of three homonuclear and three heteronuclear dichalcogenacyclooctanes (chalcogen = S, Se, or Te) were investigated by ab initio molecular orbital calculations. Four energy‐minimum structures were located for each dication. Three of those (chair‐chair, boat‐boat, and boat‐chair) have the cis configuration with respect to the chalcogen lone pairs, and the remaining one has the trans configuration. The cis isomers were found to be much more stable than the trans isomer. Among the three cis structures, the stability is in the order of boat‐chair > boat‐boat > chair‐chair for all dications. This order can be explained by considering the nonbonding H···H interactions. The chair‐chair structure (C_2v symmetry) of the 1,5‐dithiacyclooctane dication has a very low vibrational frequency of a₂ symmetry, and its LUMO energy is lower than those of boat‐boat and boat‐chair. These can rationalize the fact that in the crystalline state the dication adopts a distorted C₂ chair‐chair conformation. The transition states between the three conformers of the homonuclear dications were also located. The corresponding energy barriers are relatively low, which is consistent with their NMR spectra. The relative stabilities of the homonuclear and heteronuclear dications were elucidated on the basis of their energies and those of the corresponding neutral compounds. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 11:31–41, 2000     

Simulation of the structure of some silicon carbide clusters by the MNDO method

Simulations of the geometric and electronic structure of C₄₄, C₄₅, Si₄₅, C₄₀Si₅, and C₄₄Si clusters were performed by the MNDO method. The geometries of the filled clusters, calculated by the MM2 method, were used as initial approximations. It was found that the filled clusters C₄₅ and C₄₄Si are transformed into endohedral clusters X@C₄₄ (X-C or Si, respectively) after energy optimization. The highest occupied energy level of the HOMO of the filled tetrahedral cluster Si₄₅ ofT symmetry is triply degenerate and is only occupied by four electrons. The structure of Si₄₅ ²⁻ dianion ofT symmetry was calculated. Two filled structures for the C₄₀Si₅ cluster were found. The coordination numbers of the central Si atom in these structures are 4 and 3, respectively. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk, Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 1, pp. 54–56, January, 1997.     

4‐Deoxy‐4‐fluoro‐β‐d‐glucopyranose

4‐Deoxy‐4‐fluoro‐β‐d ‐glucopyranose, C₆H₁₁FO₅, (I), crystallizes from water at room temperature in a slightly distorted ⁴C₁ chair conformation. The observed chair distortion differs from that observed in β‐d ‐glucopyranose [Kouwijzer, van Eijck, Kooijman & Kroon (1995). Acta Cryst. B 51 , 209–220], (II), with the former skewed toward a B^C3,O5 (boat) conformer and the latter toward an ^O5TB_C2 (twist–boat) conformer, based on Cremer–Pople analysis. The exocyclic hydroxymethyl group conformations in (I) and (II) are similar; in both cases, the O—C—C—O torsion angle is ∼−60° (gg conformer). Intermolecular hydrogen bonding in the crystal structures of (I) and (II) is conserved in that identical patterns of donors and acceptors are observed for the exocyclic substituents and the ring O atom of each monosaccharide. Inspection of the crystal packing structures of (I) and (II) reveals an essentially identical packing configuration.