Gas‐phase tautomerism in hydroxy azo dyes – from 4‐phenylazo‐1‐phenol to 4‐phenylazo‐anthracen‐1‐ol

The tautomeric constants of a series of azo dyes were estimated in the gas phase by using electron ionization mass spectrometry. It was shown that the relative amount of the keto tautomer increases from 4‐phenylazo‐1‐phenol to 4‐phenylazo‐anthracen‐1‐ol, thus confirming the quantum‐chemical predictions. The existence of the enol tautomer of 4‐phenylazo‐anthracen‐1‐ol is shown for the first time by mass spectrometry in the gas phase. This finding is supported by flash photolysis measurements in solution. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Two tautomeric forms of 2‐amino‐5,6‐dimethylpyrimidin‐4‐one

Derivatives of 4‐hydroxypyrimidine are an important class of biomolecules. These compounds can undergo keto–enol tautomerization in solution, though a search of the Cambridge Structural Database shows a strong bias toward the 3H‐keto tautomer in the solid state. Recrystallization of 2‐amino‐5,6‐dimethyl‐4‐hydroxypyrimidine, C₆H₉N₃O, from aqueous solution yielded triclinic crystals of the 1H‐keto tautomer, denoted form (I). Though not apparent in the X‐ray data, the IR spectrum suggests that small amounts of the 4‐hydroxy tautomer are also present in the crystal. Monoclinic crystals of form (II), comprised of a 1:1 ratio of both the 1H‐keto and the 3H‐keto tautomers, were obtained from aqueous solutions containing uric acid. Forms (I) and (II) exhibit one‐dimensional and three‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonding motifs, respectively.     

Controlled Tautomeric Switching in Azonaphthols Tuned by Substituents on the Phenyl Ring

A series of new tautomeric azonaphthols are synthesized and the possibilities for molecular switching are investigated using molecular spectroscopy, X‐ray analysis and density functional theory quantum chemical calculations. Two opposite effects that influence switching are studied: attaching a piperidine sidearm, and adding substituents to the phenyl ring. On the one hand, the attached piperidine moiety stabilizes the enol form leading to a controlled shift of the equilibrium upon protonation. On the other hand, the relative stability of the azonaphthol tautomers strongly depends on the effects of the substituents on the phenyl ring: electron donors tend to stabilize the enol tautomer, whereas electron acceptors lead to stabilization of the keto form. However, these effects do not shift fully the equilibrium towards either of the tautomers. Nevertheless, the effect of the substituents can be an additional tool to affect the switching between “on” and “off” states. Electron‐withdrawing substituents stabilize the keto form and impede switching to the off state, whereas electron donors stabilize the enol form. The effect of the piperidine unit is dominant overall, and with strongly electron‐withdrawing substituents at the phenyl ring, the enol form exists as a zwitterion.     

Application of Privileged Molecular Framework of 7‐Fluoro‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2‐one‐5‐methylcarboxylate to the Synthesis of Its 1‐ and 5‐Disubstituted Analogs of Medicinal Interest

Synthetic potential of the privileged molecular framework of 7‐fluoro‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2‐one containing a methyl carboxylate substituent at its 5‐position was exploited to develop efficient protocols to the synthesis of several novel 5‐(1′,3′,4′)oxadiazole ring incorporated analogs of medicinal interest, appended with the Mannich's base motifs at the nitrogen atom in its seven‐membered ring.     

Synthesis and characterization of benzothiazolyl‐substituted anils

New Schiff bases containing a hydroxynaphthyl ring and substituted benzothiazolyl groups have been synthesized. High‐resolution NMR spectra confirmed that these anils exist as enol–keto tautomers in solution. The results from NMR data demonstrated that the proportion of enol tautomer exceeded 90% in these substituted anils. Some compounds exhibited thermochromism in solid state. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Intramolecular Proton Transfer in 2‐(2′‐hydroxyphenyl)oxazolo[4,5‐b]pyridine: Evidence for Tautomer in the Ground State

The intramolecular proton transfer in a newly synthesized molecule, 2‐(2′‐hydroxyphenyl)oxazolo[4,5‐b]pyridine (HPOP) is studied using UV‐visible absorption, fluorescence emission, fluorescence excitation and time‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. In the ground state, the molecule exists as cis‐ and trans‐enol in all the solvents. However, in dioxane, alcohols, acetonitrile, dimethylformamide and dimethylsulfoxide the keto tautomer is also observed in the ground state. Dual fluorescence is observed in HPOP where the large Stoke shifted emission is due to emission from the excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer product, whereas the other emission is the normal emission from enol form. The fluorescence (both normal and tautomer emission) of HPOP is less than those of corresponding benzoxazole and imidazopyridine derivatives. This reveals that the nonradiative decay becomes more efficient upon substitution of electronegative atom on the charge acceptor group. The pH studies substantiate the conclusion that (unlike in its imidazole analog) the third ground state species is the keto tautomer and not the monoanion. The effect of temperature on cis‐enol‐trans‐enol‐keto equilibrium and the nonradiative deactivation from the excited state are also investigated.     

The Substituent Effect of 1‐Arylazonaphthen‐2‐ols on Azo‐hydrazone Tautomerization According to NMR Analysis

The substituent effect on azo‐hydrazone tautomerization of 1‐arylazonaphthen‐ols is studied by means of NMR analysis. Among the ¹³C chemical shifts, the C(2) of this series compound is the most sensitive to the variation in the nature of substituent on the phenyl ring. Therefore, the variation in the chemical shifts of C(2) is used to probe the substituent effect by using the substituent chemical shifts and free energy vs. Hammett’s constant (χρ⁺). Both methods give a negative correlation slope, indicating the electron‐with‐ drawing groups favor the hydrazone tautomer form. The effect on the chemical shifts of C(2) of compound 8 in ten solvents can be classified as the solvent with a proton‐donor, proton‐acceptor and arenes system. The substituent with electron‐donating character is more sensitive to the nature of solvent and it favors the hydrazone form. Free energy obtained from the dynamic NMR technique indicates the tautomerization favors the hydrazone‐form for the substituent with electron‐withdrawing character.     

An X‐ray crystallographic and density functional theory study of (3Z)‐4‐(5‐ethylsulfonyl‐2‐hydroxyanilino)pent‐3‐en‐2‐one and (3Z)‐4‐(5‐tert‐butyl‐2‐hydroxyanilino)pent‐3‐en‐2‐one

The Schiff base enaminones (3Z)‐4‐(5‐ethylsulfonyl‐2‐hydroxyanilino)pent‐3‐en‐2‐one, C₁₃H₁₇NO₄S, (I), and (3Z)‐4‐(5‐tert‐butyl‐2‐hydroxyanilino)pent‐3‐en‐2‐one, C₁₅H₂₁NO₂, (II), were studied by X‐ray crystallography and density functional theory (DFT). Although the keto tautomer of these compounds is dominant, the O=C—C=C—N bond lengths are consistent with some electron delocalization and partial enol character. Both (I) and (II) are nonplanar, with the amino–phenol group canted relative to the rest of the molecule; the twist about the N(enamine)—C(aryl) bond leads to dihedral angles of 40.5 (2) and −116.7 (1)° for (I) and (II), respectively. Compound (I) has a bifurcated intramolecular hydrogen bond between the N—H group and the flanking carbonyl and hydroxy O atoms, as well as an intermolecular hydrogen bond, leading to an infinite one‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded chain. Compound (II) has one intramolecular hydrogen bond and one intermolecular C=O...H—O hydrogen bond, and consequently also forms a one‐dimensional hydrogen‐bonded chain. The DFT‐calculated structures [in vacuo, B3LYP/6‐311G(d,p) level] for the keto tautomers compare favourably with the X‐ray crystal structures of (I) and (II), confirming the dominance of the keto tautomer. The simulations indicate that the keto tautomers are 20.55 and 18.86 kJ mol⁻¹ lower in energy than the enol tautomers for (I) and (II), respectively.     

Supramolecular Stabilization of Metastable Tautomers in Solution and the Solid State

This work presents a successful application of a recently reported supramolecular strategy for stabilization of metastable tautomers in cocrystals to monocomponent, non‐heterocyclic, tautomeric solids. Quantum‐chemical computations and solution studies show that the investigated Schiff base molecule, derived from 3‐methoxysalicylaldehyde and 2‐amino‐3‐hydroxypyridine ( ap ), is far more stable as the enol tautomer. In the solid state, however, in all three obtained polymorphic forms it exists solely as the keto tautomer, in each case stabilized by an unexpected hydrogen‐bonding pattern. Computations have shown that hydrogen bonding of the investigated Schiff base with suitable molecules shifts the tautomeric equilibrium to the less stable keto form. The extremes to which supramolecular stabilization can lead are demonstrated by the two polymorphs of molecular complexes of the Schiff base with ap . The molecules of both constituents of molecular complexes are present as metastable tautomers (keto anion and protonated pyridine, respectively), which stabilize each other through a very strong hydrogen bond. All the obtained solid forms proved stable in various solid‐state and solvent‐mediated methods used to establish their relative thermodynamic stabilities and possible interconversion conditions.     

Differential solvation and tautomer stability of a model base pair within the minor and major grooves of DNA

2-(2'-Hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole (HBO) may be used as a model base pair to study solvation, duplex environment, and tautomerization within the major and minor groves of DNA duplexes. In its ground state, HBO possesses an enol moiety which may be oriented syn or anti relative to the imino nitrogen of the benzoxazole ring. In the absence of external hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors HBO exists as the internally hydrogen-bonded syn-enol, a mimic of the rare base pair tautomer found in DNA, which may be photoinduced to tautomerize and form the keto tautomer, a mimic of the dominant base pair tautomer. Previously, we demonstrated that when incorporated into DNA such that the enol moiety is positioned in the major groove, HBO is not solvated, exists exclusively as the internally hydrogen-bonded syn-enol which is efficiently photoinduced to tautomerize, and the corresponding keto tautomer is preferentially stabilized. In stark contrast, we now show that when HBO is incorporated in DNA such that the enol moiety is positioned in the minor groove, the enol tautomer is preferentially stabilized. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that this results from the formation of a stable hydrogen-bond between the HBO enol and the O4' atom of an adjacent nucleotide, an H-bond acceptor that is only available in the minor groove. The differential stabilization of the enol and keto tautomers in the major and minor grooves may reflect the functions for which these environments evolved, including duplex replication, stability, and recognition.     

Reactions of 2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐1,5‐benzodiazepines and chloroacetyl chlorides: Synthesis of 2a,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐azeto [1,2‐a][1,5] benzodiazepin‐1(2H)‐ones

2a,4‐Disubstituted 5‐benzoyl‐2‐chloro/2,2‐dichloro‐2a,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐azeto [1,2‐a] [1,5]benzodiazepin‐1 (2H)‐ones ( 3a–h ) were synthesized by cycloaddition reactions of 2,4‐disubstituted 1‐benzoyl‐2,3‐dihydr o‐1H‐1,5‐benzodiazepines ( 2a–h ) and ketenes, generated from chloroacetyl chloride or dichloroacetyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine, in anhydrous benzene. In some cases, ring contraction of benzodiazepines has also been observed. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 12:636–640, 2001     

Excited‐State Proton‐Relay Dynamics of 7‐Hydroxyquinoline Embedded in a Solid Matrix of Poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate)

Excited 7‐hydroxyquinoline embedded in a solid matrix of poly(2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate) undergoes a proton‐relay reaction efficiently to form its keto tautomer. However, the reaction mechanism depends on the torsional conformation and the microscopic environment of the molecule at the moment of excitation. Whereas the bridged cis‐enol form undergoes proton relay immediately on absorption of a photon to produce its tautomeric keto species, the unbridged cis form requires 120 ps for bridge formation via solvent reorganization prior to proton relay. Furthermore, the trans form needs 1000 ps for tautomerization because it requires an activated (11 kJ mol^?1) torsional motion to change into its cis form prior to bridge formation and proton relay. Torsional motion rather than solvent reorganization determines the proton relay rate of the trans‐form of the molecule.     

Solid‐phase synthesis of a novel series of 2,3,4,5‐tetrahydro‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2,5‐dione libraries

An efficient solid‐phase synthetic method for 2,3,4,5‐Tetrahydro‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2,5‐diones, having amine derivatives on the benzene ring, was developed. This method has been successfully applied to the synthesis of several spatially separated drug‐like and information‐rich small‐molecule libraries composed of 400 compounds using ACT‐496 automatic synthesizer and the IRORI radio frequency‐encoded split‐mix synthesis technology.     

Methyl 4‐(2‐chloro‐5‐nitro­phenyl)‐2,7,7‐tri­methyl‐5‐oxo‐1,4,5,6,7,8‐hexa­hydro­quinoline‐3‐carboxyl­ate

The title compound, C₂₀H₂₁ClN₂O₅, has potential calcium modulatory properties. The 1,4‐di­hydro­pyridine ring has the usual shallow boat conformation. The 2‐chloro‐5‐nitro­phenyl ring is oriented such that the chloro substituent is in a synperiplanar orientation with respect to the 1,4‐di­hydro­pyridine ring plane, while the nitro substituent sits over the 1,4‐di­hydro­pyridine ring. The cyclo­hexenone ring has a conformation that is approximately half‐way between that of an envelope and that of a half‐chair. The mol­ecules are linked into chains by intermolecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.     

Predicting the tautomeric equilibrium of acetylacetone in solution. I. The right answer for the wrong reason?

This study investigates how the various components (method, basis set, and treatment of solvent effects) of a theoretical approach influence the relative energies between keto and enol forms of acetylacetone, which is an important model system to study the solvent effects on chemical equilibria from experiment and theory. The computations show that the most popular density functional theory (DFT) approaches, such as B3LYP overestimate the stability of the enol form with respect to the keto form by ～10 kJ mol^?1, whereas the very promising SCS‐MP2 approach is underestimating it. MP2 calculations indicate that in particular the basis set size is crucial. The Dunning Huzinaga double ζ basis (D95z(d,p)) used in previous studies overestimates the stability of the keto form considerably as does the popular split‐valence plus polarization (SVP) basis. Bulk properties of the solvent included by continuum approaches strongly stabilize the keto form, but they are not sufficient to reproduce the reversal in stabilities measured by low‐temperature nuclear magnetic resonance experiments in freonic solvents. Enthalpic and entropic effects further stabilize the keto form, however, the reversal is only obtained if also molecular effects are taken into account. Such molecular effects seem to influence only the energy difference between the keto and the enol forms. Trends arising due to variation in the dielectric constant of the solvent result from bulk properties of the solvent, i.e., are already nicely described by continuum approaches. As such this study delivers a deep insight into the abilities of various approaches to describe solvent effects on chemical equilibria. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2010     

Synthesis,characterization and 1,3‐butadiene polymerization behaviors of cobalt complexes bearing 2‐pyrazolyl‐substituted 1,10‐phenanthroline ligands

A series of cobalt(II) complexes containing tridentate 2‐pyrazolyl‐substituted 1,10‐phenanthroline ligands (L) with the general formula [LCoCl₂] have been successfully synthesized and fully identified by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis and mass spectroscopy. Cobalt complexes Co4–Co8 were further confirmed by X‐ray crystallographic analysis, and all the complexes adopted distorted trigonal pyramid geometries around the cobalt center. In combination with methylaluminoxane, the complexes exhibit high cis‐1,4‐selectivity for 1,3‐butadiene polymerization. The catalytic activities of the complexes mainly depend on the nature of the substituent and its position at the pyrazolyl ring of the ligand. Complexes having a bulkier substituent on the pyrazolyl ring of the ligand show lower catalytic activity and the incorporation of electron‐withdrawing substituent enhances the activity. Polymerization behaviors were almost not affected with varying [Al]/[Co] ratio, but both activity and the cis‐1,4 content decrease slightly as polymerization temperature increasing. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tetramethyl‐m‐benziporphodimethene and Isomeric α,β‐Unsaturated γ‐Lactam Embedded N‐Confused Tetramethyl‐m‐benziporphodimethenes

The condensation reaction of α,α′‐dihydroxy‐1,3‐diisopropylbenzene, pyrrole, and an aldehyde leads to the formation of tetramethyl‐m‐benziporphodimethene and outer α‐pyrrolic carbon oxygenated N‐confused tetramethyl‐m‐benziporphodimethenes containing a γ‐lactam ring in the macrocycle. Two isomers with the carbonyl group of the lactam ring either close to (O‐Up) or away from (O‐Down) the neighboring sp³ meso carbon were synthesized and characterized. The single crystal X‐ray diffraction analysis on the regular and γ‐lactam containing tetramethyl‐m‐benziporphodimethenes showed highly distorted macrocycles for all compounds. For O‐Up and O‐Down isomers, dimeric structures, assembling by intermolecular hydrogen‐bonding interactions through lactam rings, were observed in the solid state. Fitting the concentration dependent chemical shifts of the outer NH proton using the non‐linear regression method give a maximum association constant of 108.9 M ^?1 for the meso 4‐methylcarboxyphenyl substituted O‐Down isomer. The DFT calculations concluded that the O‐Up isomer is energetically more stable, and the keto form is more stable than the enol form.     

Hetaryl‐1,5 Benzodiazepines—Part I: Synthesis of 3‐pyrimidinyl‐ and Imidazolyl‐1,5‐benzodiazepines

Nucleophilic substitution of 3‐bromo‐4‐phenyl‐1H‐[1,5]benzodiazepin‐2‐one ( 1 ) with thiourea or guanidine in presence of potassium carbonate afforded 1,5‐benzodiazepin‐3‐ylimidothiocarbamate 2 or 1,5‐benzodiazepin‐3‐ylguanidine 3 , respectively. Pyrimidylthiobenzodiazepines 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 were obtained via the reaction of compound 2 with malononitrile dimer, diethyl malonate, methylenemalononitriles, or a mixture of an aldehyde and β‐keto esters or acetylacetone, catalyzed using ceric ammonium nitrate. Reaction of compound 2 or 3 with α‐halo esters, nitriles, and/or ketones afforded imidazoles 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , respectively.     

4‐Hydroxy‐7‐methoxy‐2‐methyl‐5H‐1‐benzopyrano[4,3‐b]pyridin‐5‐one

The title compound, C₁₄H₁₁NO₄, consists of a methoxy‐substituted coumarin skeleton fused to a 2‐methyl‐4‐pyridone ring. The ring system of the mol­ecule is approximately planar and the methoxy group is roughly coplanar with the ring plane. The 4‐pyridone ring exists in a 4‐hydroxy tautomeric form and is stabilized by an intramolecular hydrogen bond between the O—H and C=O groups. Comparison of the results with those found for other structures containing the 4‐pyridone substructure reveals a substantial effect of the nature of the substituents bonded to the pyridine ring on the keto–enol tautomerism.