Ab initio static and molecular dynamics study of 4-styrylpyridine.

We report an in‐depth theoretical study of 4‐styrylpyridine in its singlet S₀ ground state. The geometries and the relative stabilities of the trans and cis isomers were investigated within density functional theory (DFT) as well as within Hartree–Fock (HF), second‐order Møller–Plesset (MP2), and coupled cluster (CC) theories. The DFT calculations were performed using the B3LYP and PBE functionals, with basis sets of different qualities, and gave results that are very consistent with each other. The molecular structure is thus predicted to be planar at the energy minimum, which is associated with the trans conformation, and to become markedly twisted at the minimum of higher energy, which is associated with the cis conformation. The results of the calculations performed with the post‐HF methods approach those obtained with the DFT methods, provided that the level of treatment of the electronic correlation is high enough and that sufficiently flexible basis sets are used. Calculations carried out within DFT also allowed the determination of the geometry and the energy of the molecule at the biradicaloid transition state associated with the thermal cis?trans isomerization and at the transition states associated with the enantiomerization of the cis isomer and with the rotations of the pyridinyl and phenyl groups in the trans and cis isomers. Car–Parrinello molecular dynamics simulations were also performed at 50, 150, and 300 K using the PBE functional. The studies allowed us to evidence the highly flexible nature of the molecule in both conformations. In particular, the trans isomer was found to exist mainly in a nonplanar form at finite temperatures, while the rotation of the pyridinyl ring in the cis isomer was incidentally observed to take place within ≈1 ps during the simulation carried out at 150 K on this isomer.     

All-electron SCF LCAO MO calculations on various conformations of cis- and trans-stilbene

Ab initio SCF calculations of cis- and trans-stilbene at different conformations were performed using two program systems. Minimal energy is obtained for cis-stilbene when the phenyl rings are rotated by 52 ° out of the molecular plane. The deviation from planarity due to steric hindrance is smaller for the trans isomer yielding a rotational angle of 19 °. The trans isomer is calculated to be more stable by 5.7 kcal/mole than the cis isomer, confirming the experimental estimate according to which the energy of isomerization is about 3 kcal/mole. This is an improvement over semiempirical calculations which predict a lower energy for the trans configuration.     

Selective formation of thecis isomer of the nitridotechnetium(V) complex with 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine

The reaction of [TcNCl₂(PPh₃)₂] with 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine producedcis-[TcNCl₂(terpy)] selectively. The resulting complexes were characterized by¹H NMR and IR spectroscopy. The geometries of thecis andtrans isomers were estimated by theoretical calculations following a density functional method. Thecis isomer is likely more stable than thetrans one with respect to thetrans influence of the nitrido ligand. Furthermore, the behavior of nitridotechnetium complexes in polar solvents was compared to Os-analogues.     

Study of <Emphasis Type="Italic">cis</Emphasis>–<Emphasis Type="Italic">trans</Emphasis> isomerization mechanism of 3,3′-azobenzene disulphonate in the lowest singlet and triplet electronic states by density functional theory

Abstract  

The cis–trans isomerization pathways of 3,3′-azobenzene disulphonate in the S₀ and T₁ states are studied by DFT method at the B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level. In the S₀ state, the cis–trans isomerization concerns the complex pathway that is characterized by the inversion of one NNC angle combined with rotation around the NC bond, and the three sequential transition states are also found on the potential energy profile. Therefore, the cis–trans isomerization of 3,3′-azobenzene disulphonate can be understood in terms of a pathway involving successive rotation, inversion, and rotation processes. The energy barrier of the S₀ state is 22.79 kcal mol⁻¹. In the T₁ state, the isomerization mainly concerns the rotational pathway around the NN double bond, and the two isomers are connected through only one transition state. The isomerization of the T₁ state is related to a lower energy barrier, 5.02 kcal mol⁻¹, but requires a change in spin-multiplicity.     

Rotational Isomerism in O-Methylphenol: Matrix-Isolation Infrared Study and MNDO Calculations

Rotational isomerism in o-methylphenol was studied by matrix-isolation infrared spectroscopy and MNDO calculations. Monomer molecules were isolated both in the argon matrix and in the nitrogen matrix near 10°K. The resolution of one weak band from the main hydroxyl absorption in the stretching and torsional regions evidently indicates the existence of two stable rotational isomers. Results of MNDO semi-empirical molecular orbital calculations with full geometry optimization indicate that only two stable conformations can exist with the trans (stag) conformation being more stable than the cis (stag) conformation by 3.32 KJ/mole. The present experimental data are interpreted with the aid of theoretical MNDO calculations. The agreement between experiment and theoretical calculations is excellent. However, it was found that the CNDO/2 calculations would give misleading predictions on the relative stabilities of rotational isomers in the present case.     

Quantum mechanical study of energetics and mechanisms of cis–trans isomerization of some four-membered heterocycles

Ab initio quantum mechanical calculations using density functional (B3LYP) method and 6-311G** basis set have been performed on two cis and trans conformers of 2,4-diphenyl thietane dioxide (DPTD), 2,4-diphenyl thietane (DPT), 2,4-diphenyl azetidine (DPA) and 2,4-diphenyl oxetane (DPO). The calculated stability energy for cis–trans isomerization in gas phase and in different solvents such as benzene, DMSO, water and methanol indicated that the cis conformer is more stable than trans in all above-mentioned compounds about 11–2 kcal mol^?1. In the next step, a transition states for cis–trans inter-conversion for all four-membered heterocycles (DPTD, DPT, DPA and DPO) were proposed in methanol as solvent. Thermodynamic functions such as standard enthalpies of isomerization (?Hº_iso), standard entropy of isomerization (?Sº_iso) and standard Gibbs free energy of isomerization (?Gº_iso) for all studied compounds were also evaluated. The calculation showed that the conversion of trans to cis isomer is exothermic and spontaneous. In all calculations, solvent effects were considered using a polarized continuum model.     

Hindered rotation in thioureas: Steric effects and conformations

The temperature dependent spectra of several mono-, di- and trialkylthioureas have been recorded. Free energy barriers to internal rotation about the C? N bonds have been calculated. In thioureas that were unsymmetrically substituted, free energy barriers were found to be different for each C? N bond with the more substituted amino group exhibiting the higher barrier. The monosubstituted thioureas showed different rotational barriers for the NH₂ groups of the cis and trans isomers, respectively. The free energy barriers for the trans isomers were found to be substituent dependent and substantiate the reassignment of the high and low field substituent signals to the trans and cis isomers, respectively. The spectrum of 1-methyl-3-t-butylthiourea indicates restricted rotation of the t-butyl group at temperatures below 200 K.     

Evaluating the Thermal Vinylcyclopropane Rearrangement (VCPR) as a Practical Method for the Synthesis of Difluorinated Cyclopentenes: Experimental and Computational Studies of Rearrangement Stereospecificity

Vinyl cyclopropane rearrangement (VCPR) has been utilised to synthesise a difluorinated cyclopentene stereospecifically and under mild thermal conditions. Difluorocyclopropanation chemistry afforded ethyl 3‐(1′(2′2′‐difluoro‐3′‐phenyl)cyclopropyl) propenoate as all four stereoisomers ( 18a , 18b , 22a , 22b ) (all racemic). The trans‐E isomer ( 18a ), prepared in 70 % yield over three steps, underwent near quantitative VCPR to difluorocyclopentene 23 (99 %). Rearrangements were monitored by ¹⁹F NMR (100–180 °C). While cis/trans cyclopropane stereoisomerisation was facile, favouring trans‐isomers by a modest margin, no E/Z alkene isomerisation was observed even at higher temperatures. Neither cis nor trans Z‐alkenoates underwent VCPR, even up to much higher temperatures (180 °C). The cis‐cyclopropanes underwent [3,3]‐rearrangement to afford benzocycloheptadiene species. The reaction stereospecificity was explored by using electronic structure calculations, and UB3LYP/6‐31G* methodology allowed the energy barriers for cyclopropane stereoisomerisation, diastereoisomeric VCPR and [3,3]‐rearrangement to be ranked in agreement with experiment.     

Mechanistic insights into the cis-trans isomerization of ruthenium complexes relevant to catalysis of olefin metathesis

The mechanism of the trans to cis isomerization in Ru complexes with a chelating alkylidene group has been investigated by using a combined theoretical and experimental approach. Static DFT calculations suggest that a concerted single‐step mechanism is slightly favored over a multistep mechanism, which would require dissociation of one of the ligands from the Ru center. This hypothesis is supported by analysis of the experimental kinetics of isomerization, as followed by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. DFT molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the variation of geometrical parameters around the Ru center in the concerted mechanism is highly uncorrelated; the mechanism actually begins with the transformation of the square‐pyramidal trans isomer, with the Ru?CHR bond in the apical position, into a transition state that resembles a metastable square pyramidal complex with a Cl atom in the apical position. This high‐energy structure collapses into the cis isomer. Then, the influence of the N‐heterocyclic carbene ligand, the halogen, and the chelating alkylidene group on the relative stability of the cis and trans isomers, as well as on the energy barrier separating them, was investigated with static calculations. Finally, we investigated the interconversion between cis and trans isomers of the species involved in the catalytic cycle of olefin metathesis; we characterized an unprecedented square‐pyramidal metallacycle with the N‐heterocyclic carbene ligand in the apical position. Our analysis, which is relevant to the exchange of equatorial ligands in other square pyramidal complexes, presents evidence for a remarkable flexibility well beyond the simple cis–trans isomerization of these Ru complexes.     

Triphenylarsine-Catalyzed Cyclopropanation: Highly Stereoselective Synthesis of Trans -2,3-Dihydro-Spiro[Cyclopropane-1,2′-Indan-1′,3′-dione] from Alkene and Phenacyl Bromide

The triphenylarsine-catalyzed approach for the highly stereoselective synthesis of trans-2,3-dihydro-spiro[cyclopropane-1,2′-indan-1′,3′-dione] with alkenes and phenacyl bromide in organic solvent is described. The triphenylarsine-catalyzed cyclopropanation in water was investigated. The mixture of cis/trans isomers is provided with water as a solvent. The cis isomer is formed using water as a solvent. The reactivity of the reaction in water is higher than that in the organic solvent.     

n-Propyl cyanide and isocyantde: rotational and structural isomerization

Ab initio calculations with an STO-3G basis and geometry optimization have been performed on n-propyl cyanide and isocyanide in four rotational conformations, trans, cis, and gauche, with, in the latter case, two different dihedral angles, 90° and 120° from the trans position, being employed. The trans and gauche 120° isomers are predicted to be the most stable for both the cyanide and isocyanide, and the cyanide—isocyanide energy difference is calculated to be approximately 22 kcal mole^?1 for each rotational isomer. The results of a population analysis are employed to discuss the electronic structures of the cyanide, isocyanide, and the isomerization process.     

1H NMR analysis of O‐methyl‐inositol isomers: a joint experimental and theoretical study

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of ¹H NMR chemical shifts for l ‐quebrachitol isomers were performed using the B3LYP functional employing the 6‐31G(d,p) and 6‐311 + G(2d,p) basis sets. The effect of the solvent on the B3LYP‐calculated NMR spectrum was accounted for using the polarizable continuum model. Comparison is made with experimental ¹H NMR spectroscopic data, which shed light on the average uncertainty present in DFT calculations of chemical shifts and showed that the best match between experimental and theoretical B3LYP ¹H NMR profiles is a good strategy to assign the molecular structure present in the sample handled in the experimental measurements. Among four plausible O‐methyl‐inositol isomers, the l ‐quebrachitol 2a structure was unambiguously assigned based only on the comparative analysis of experimental and theoretical ¹H NMR chemical shift data. The B3LYP infrared (IR) spectrum was also calculated for the four isomers and compared with the experimental data, with analysis of the theoretical IR profiles corroborating assignment of the 2a structure. Therefore, it is confirmed in this study that a combined experimental/DFT spectroscopic investigation is a powerful tool in structural/conformational analysis studies. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Conformational Panorama and Chirality Controlled Structure–Energy Relationship in a Chiral Carboxylic Acid Dimer

Chirality recognition in dimers of tetrahydro-2-furoic acid (THFA) was studied in a conformer-specific manner using rotational spectroscopy and theoretical approaches. THFA shows a strong preference for the trans- over the cis-COOH configuration. Two drastically different scenarios are possible for the detectable (THFA)₂: a kinetically preferred dimer bound by feeble interactions between two trans THFAs or a thermodynamically favored dimer with a double hydrogen-bonded ring structure between two cis subunits. To identify the conformers responsible for the extremely dense rotational spectra observed, it was essential not only to locate several hundred homo/heterochiral (THFA)₂ minima in ab initio calculations but also to evaluate the energetic connectivities among the minima. The study further reveals an interesting chirality dependent structure–energy ordering relationship. A method for enantiomeric excess (ee) determination of THFA is presented using a recently proposed chiral self-tag approach.     

Diazo Strategy for the Synthesis of Pyridazines: Pivotal Impact of the Configuration of the Diazo Precursor on the Process

Phosphazenes of vinyldiazocarbonyl compounds having cis stereochemistry of the functional groups on the vinyl bond readily produce pyridazines by a diaza‐Wittig process, whereas their counterparts with trans configuration remain intact under similar reaction conditions. Upon UV irradiation trans‐phosphazenes furnish pyridazines through a tandem trans‐to‐cis isomerization followed by intramolecular cyclization. At elevated temperatures trans‐(triphenyl)phosphazenes dissociate to give the initial vinyldiazo compounds, which produce pyrazoles in high yields. The first theoretical study on the mechanism of the diaza‐Wittig process by DFT calculations at the M06‐2X/6‐31G(d) level of theory suggest that for the cis‐phosphazenes a rapid tandem [2+2] cycloaddition/cycloelimination process with low energy barriers is preferred over trans isomers.     

Synthesis and Structural Characterization of cis- and trans-bis(4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine)cadmium(II) Nitrates Prepared in a One-pot Reaction

The cis and trans isomers of [Cd(dmbpy)₂](NO₃)₂] (dmbpy = 4,4′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine) have been synthesized simultaneously via a one-pot reaction of Cd(NO₃)₂ · 4H₂O with the dmbpy ligand in a MeOH/H₂O mixture; they can be obtained individually by means of the mechanical separation due to their different growing habit of the single-crystals. Different π-stacking interactions are observed in the cis and trans isomers forming different one-dimensional networks. The outcome of the DFT calculations agrees well with the experimental results.     

Theoretical investigation of the conrotatory ring opening of cyclobutene and 1, 2-dihydro-1, 2-diazacyclobutadienes with ab initio and density functional Gaussian-type-orbital approach

The theoretical study of the thermally allowed conrotatory opening of cyclobutene (1) and cis- (2) and trans-1,2-dihydro-1,2-diazacyclobutadiene (3) were performed with ab initio and density functional calculations. The reactants and the transition states were fully optimized by using the 6-31 + G** basis set with RHF , MP2 , SVWN , and BLYP methods. The calculated activation barriers for the ring opening of 1 with both MP2 and SVWN incorporating ZPVF correction give extraordinary agreement with the experimental value. The predicted activation energies for 2 and 3 are lower than in the case of the cyclobutene ring opening. Of the two 1,2-dihydro-1,2-diazacyclobutadiene isomers, the trans isomer has a lower activation barrier. The structural and energy differences and the trend among these compounds are interpreted in terms of orbital overlap and steric interactions in the course of the conrotatory ring opening. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Conformational analysis of N-methyl-m-fluoroaniline by microwave spectroscopy

Conformational analysis of N-methyl-m-fluoroaniline has been performed by low resolution microwave spectroscopy. Two rotational isomers, corresponding in a near-planar configuration to the m-fluorine being either cis or trans with respect to the amino hydrogen, have been detected. The energy difference is found to be 270 ± 70 cal mol^?1, the cis isomer being the more stable. Ab initio calculations indicate a barrier height for the internal rotation of the HNCH₃ group around the C_ph—N bond of 9.04 kcal mol^?1.     

Primary steps of the mechanism of gas-phase monomolecular decomposition of nitropropenes,according to results of quantum-chemical calculations (Review)

The mechanisms of gas-phase monomolecular decomposition of cis- and trans-nitropropenes, 2-nitro-1-propene, and 2-methyl-1-nitro-1-propene were examined by DFT B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculations using GAUSSIAN’98 program package. The most probable pathway of thermal decomposition of these compounds involves formation in the primary step of four-membered cyclic intermediates, substituted oxazetes. For cis-nitropropene and 2-methyl-1-nitro-1-propene, the mechanism whose primary step is 1,5-sigmatropic hydrogen shift from the CH₃ group to the NO₂ group is principally possible.     

Struktur und Eigenschaften des Hydridomethyltetrafluorphosphatanions, [CH3PF4H]—

Structure and Properties of the Hydridomethyltetrafluorophosphate Anion, [CH₃PF₄H]^— Methyltrifluorphosphorane reacts with strong fluoride donors like CsF, (CH₃)₄NF and (CH₃)₄PF with formation of the corresponding hydridomethyltetrafluorophosphates. The salts are characterized by NMR, IR and Raman spectroscopy. The experimental results show that only the trans isomer is formed. For both isomers theoretical calculations (B3LYP/6‐31+G* and RHF/6‐31+G*) were carried out. The difference for the Gibbs free energy between the isomers was calculated to be 35.4 kJ/mol (B3LYP/6‐31+G*). The RHF/6‐31+G* calculation yields, for the almost octahedral trans isomer, bond distances of r(PF) = 167 pm, r(PC) = 184.5 pm and r(PH) = 138.1 pm.