Ring and nitrogen inversion in a flexible highly symmetrical molecule: The conformations of 1,3,7,9,13,15,19,21-octaazapentacyclo[19,3,1,1,3,7,19,13,115,19]

The possible conformations of the title compound and their modes of interconversion via ring and nitrogen inversion processes are delineated. At high temperatures (> +80°) the ¹H NMR spectra are consistent with time averaged D_4th symmetry and rapid ring and nitrogen inversion. At lower temperatures (ca. ?10°) the time-averaged symmetry if D_2d and inversion of the 6-membered rings is frozen out, nitrogen inversion remaining rapid. The free energy of activation for the total inversion of all four 6-membered rings is 13·5 kcal mole ^?1, higher than in similar monocyclic systems. This higher energy is a reflection of the multiple ring inversion pathway required for total inversion of all the 6-membered rings.     

Conformational equilibria in 7-membered ring metal chelate complexes

Bis(diphosphine)metal and (diphosphine)(diene)metal (M = Rh, Ir) cationic complexes containing 7-membered chelate rings have been studied by low temperature ³¹P and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. For cyclooctadiene-1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane- and -DIOP-rhodium, and cyclooctadiene-1,4-bis(diphenylphosphino)butane-iridium complexes, boat and chair conformations may be distinguished at low temperature. ¹H NMR spectra of these and analogous complexes suggest that both boat and chair conformers are significantly populated at room temperature. Bis(diphosphine) complexes of rhodium and iridium show very complex dynamic behaviour.     

8 and 16-Membered ring phosphorus compounds. Ring size dependence of the NMR parameters

The ¹H NMR spectral analysis of four 8-membered rings, 2-thioxo- (or 2-oxo-) 2-R-1,3,6,2- trithiaphocane, is reported. The stereochemistry of the 8-membered ring is discussed. The ³¹P NMR spectral parameters [δ³¹P, ¹J(PC)] obtained on several cyclic 1,3,2-dithiaphospha compounds of variable size (5, 6, 8, 12 and 16-membered rings) are discussed as a function of the ring size and of the geometry of the molecule.     

Synthesis of new crown ethers and their metal complexes: 1H and 13C NMR study

A new type of crown ethers containing a diphenyl ether unit has been prepared, the ring size ranging from 12 to 36. ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra of both free ligands and their metal-ion complexes have been recorded. For 18- and 21-membered compounds a general downfield shift was observed for both methylene and aromatic proton resonances on metal-ion complexation. The stoichiometry of K⁺ and Na⁺ complexes was deduced from chemical shift dependence on metal-ion concentration. The K⁺ and Na⁺ complexes of 18- and 21-membered rings have a guest to host ratio of 1:1, whereas the K⁺ salt of the 15-membered ring exists as a 1:2 complex in solution. The ¹H shift observed on salt formation was attributed to electric-field and conformational effects. The ¹³C resonances for the aryl carbons, C-1, C-2 and C-3, and the α-methylene carbon in 15- and 18-membered rings were shifted upfield when an equivalent amount of KSCN was added in CDCI_3?DMSO-d₆. The shift changes were independent of the anion, and similar results were obtained for SCN^?, Br^?, and I^? salts. The upfield shift is explained by conformational factors. The spectral changes were slight for 12- and 36-membered rings. In 15- and 18-membered rings, complexation induces conformational changes which force the C-α carbon into the plane of the benzene ring. The solution conformation of these molecules is discussed.     

Informational rigidity in mesitylene-based calix[4]arenes adopting a 1,3-alternate conformation

Two chiral derivatives of a mesitylene-based calix[4]arene known to exist in the 1,3-alternate conformation were prepared by the attachment of homochiral residues to the four exo-hydroxy groups. Thus, the enantiotopic protons of the central scaffold became diastereotopic, leading to a doubling of their ¹H NMR signals in one example. From the temperature independence of the NMR spectrum, a lower limit of 24.2 kcal/mol could be estimated for the barrier of ring inversion. MM3 calculations confirm the 1,3-alternate conformation as the energy minimum, and estimate a barrier of 25.7 kcal/mol for the 1,3-alternate-to-1,3-alternate* interconversion process. This high barrier is due to the repulsive steric interactions between exo-methyl groups at vicinal rings when these groups pass each other.     

Origin of regioselectivity in α-humulene functionalization

Humulene is a sesquiterpene with an important biochemical lead structure, consisting of an 11-membered ring, containing three nonconjugated C═C double bonds, two of them being triply substituted and one being doubly substituted. As observed by many groups, one of the two triply substituted C═C double bonds is significantly more reactive. In order to rationalize this peculiar regioselectivity, the conformational space of humulene has been explored computationally using various DFT functionals. Four different conformations were identified. Each conformation is chiral and has two enantiomeric forms, yielding a total of eight conformers. The potential energy surface for the interconversion of these conformers was characterized via intrinsic reaction coordinate analyses. Furthermore, an evaluation of the microcanonical partition functions allowed for a quantification of the entropy contributions and the calculation of the temperature dependent equilibrium composition. The results strongly suggest that the high regioselectivity is related to a strong, hyper-conjugative σ(Cα-Cβ)-π(C═C) orbital overlap in the predominant conformations that discriminates one triply substituted double bond from the other. Furthermore, the order of magnitude of the calculated activation energies for the interconversions of the conformers is supported by NMR measurements at different temperatures.     

Carbon-13 NMR spectra of saturated heterocycles: VIII—tetrahydrofurans and 1,3-dioxolanes

The ¹³C NMR spectra of 17 methyl- and ethyl-substituted tetrahydrofurans and 58 alkyl- and aryl- substituted 1,3-dioxolanes are reported. For the cases in which substituents recur, additive substituent parameters are calculated and compared with similar parameters in cyclopentanes and in 6-membered rings. Considering the conformational flexibility of 5-membered ring systems, additivity of the parameters is surprisingly good.     

30pi aromatic meso-substituted heptaphyrin isomers: syntheses,characterization, and spectroscopic studies

The syntheses of new aromatic 30pi heptaphyrins either through a [5 + 2] or a [4 + 3] acid-catalyzed condensation and oxidative coupling reactions of easily available and air-stable precursors are reported. The methodology followed is not only simple and efficient but also allows synthesis of a range of heptaphyrins with different heteroatoms in the core. The oxidative coupling reactions of modified tripyrranes 11 and tetrapyrranes 12 were found to be dependent on the acid concentration used and as well as the substituents present on the meso position. The change of meso aryl substituents in 11 and 12 to meso mesityl substituents gave a new heptaphyrin 18. The structural characterization has been done with extensive 1H and 2D NMR studies. The heptaphyrins reported here show rich structural diversity when the connections of the heterocyclic rings are altered, and accordingly, one ring and two ring inversions have been observed. By a judicious choice of the precursors it has been possible to control the site of ring inversion either in the bithiophene unit or in the tripyrrane unit. Theoretical calculations performed on three different heptaphyrins, 4, 5, and 17, also reveal that the inverted structures are approximately 35-40 kJ lower in energy relative to the corresponding noninverted structures. Furthermore, one of the heptaphyrins 10c shows the presence of two conformers in solution in the ratio 1:2 and no interconversion between the conformers have been observed in the temperature range of 343-228 K. On protonation, the aromaticity and the ring inversions are retained and the deltadelta values vary in the range 10.07-20.59 ppm. The energies of the Soret maxima and the HOMO-LUMO gap vary linearly with the increase in pi electrons further justifying the aromatic nature of the heptaphyrins.     

Determination of the preferred conformation of the bicyclic Galerucella pheromone using density functional theory optimization and calculations of chemical shifts

A pheromone from the beetle, Galerucella calmariensis, was recently isolated and identified (Bartelt, R. J. et al. J. Chem. Ecol. 2006, 32, 693-712) as a 14-carbon, bicyclic dimethylfuran lactone, with the systematic name 12,13-dimethyl-5,14-dioxabicyclo[9.2.1]tetradeca-1(13),11-dien-4-one. The main 12-membered lactone ring is very flexible; as a result, there exist multiple possible conformations. The preferred conformation cannot be deduced solely from room-temperature NMR measurements. Using density functional (DFT) studies, 26 unique conformers with energies within 10.0 kcal/mol of the global minimum-energy structure were found. A mirror-image plane exists so that each conformer has an "inverse" structure with the same energy, for which the dihedral angles around the flexible ring have opposite sign. The isotropic 1H and 13C NMR chemical shifts of the DFT-optimized structures were calculated using the gauge-including atomic orbital (GIAO) method. By considering the relative energies of the conformers and the calculated and observed NMR spectra, we concluded that the molecule exists primarily as a mixture of two distinct conformers at room temperature, each being present with its mirror-image inverse. Structural interconversions among these likely occur on a time scale that is fast compared to the NMR experiments. Using mode-following and dihedral-driving techniques, several potential pathways were found for the conversion of the lowest-energy conformer to its mirror-image structure. Ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) using the 4-31G basis set was carried out for 50 ps to test the availability of various low-energy minima and the transition states found from the searches noted above.     

Synthesis and structure of some imines containing furoxan ring derived from isosafrole

A series of 14 imines containing furoxan and benzene rings has been prepared starting from isosafrole. The structure of reported compounds have been confirmed by elemental analysis, EI MS, UV, IR, and NMR spectroscopy. It is shown that, on treatment with Na₂S₂O₄, the nitro group on the benzene ring was reduced to amino group, but the N→O group of the furoxan ring was not. The ¹H‐ and ¹³C NMR signals are assigned based on their spin‐spin splitting patterns, in some cases, NOESY and HMBC spectra are used. The NOESY spectra indicate that for reported imines, the benzene and the furoxan rings could not be co‐planar; the imine group has E‐configuration.     

Stereodynamics and conformational chirality of the atropisomers of ditolyl anthrones and anthraquinone

Syn and anti conformers in similar proportions were observed at ambient temperature for the title compounds. The conformational assignment of the two anthrones was obtained by the observation of different multiplicity of the methylene NMR signals, whereas that of the anthraquinone derivative was determined by NOE experiments. The anti-to-syn interconversion barriers were obtained by line-shape simulation of the temperature-dependent NMR spectra, and by saturation transfer experiments. In one case the X-ray diffraction indicated that the syn is the only structure observed in the crystals.     

Conformationally constrained macrocycles that mimic tripeptide beta-strands in water and aprotic solvents

The beta-strand conformation is unknown for short peptides in aqueous solution, yet it is a fundamental building block in proteins and the crucial recognition motif for proteolytic enzymes that enable formation and turnover of all proteins. To create a generalized scaffold as a peptidomimetic that is pre-organized in a beta-strand, we individually synthesized a series of 15-22-membered macrocyclic analogues of tripeptides and analyzed their structures. Each cycle is highly constrained by two trans amide bonds and a planar aromatic ring with a short nonpeptidic linker between them. A measure of this ring strain is the restricted rotation of the component tyrosinyl aromatic ring (DeltaG(rot) 76.7 kJ mol(-1) (16-membered ring), 46.1 kJ mol(-1) (17-membered ring)) evidenced by variable temperature proton NMR spectra (DMF-d(7), 200-400 K). Unusually large amide coupling constants ((3)J(NH-CHalpha) 9-10 Hz) corresponding to large dihedral angles were detected in both protic and aprotic solvents for these macrocycles, consistent with a high degree of structure in solution. The temperature dependence of all amide NH chemical shifts (Deltadelta/T 7-12 ppb/deg) precluded the presence of transannular hydrogen bonds that define alternative turn structures. Whereas similar sized conventional cyclic peptides usually exist in solution as an equilibrium mixture of multiple conformers, these macrocycles adopt a well-defined beta-strand structure even in water as revealed by 2-D NMR spectral data and by a structure calculation for the smallest (15-membered) and most constrained macrocycle. Macrocycles that are sufficiently constrained to exclusively adopt a beta-strand-mimicking structure in water may be useful pre-organized and generic templates for the design of compounds that interfere with beta-strand recognition in biology.     

The conformational analysis of tetrahydro-1,4,2-dioxazines

A conformational study of some tetrahydro-1,4,2-dioxazines by use of ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy is reported. The conformational characteristics of this ring are compared to those of the related systems, tetrahydro-1,2- and 1,3-oxazine. A study of model compounds allows the assignment of ring and nitrogen inversion processes in the variable temperature NMR spectra. Ring inversion is found to be a lower energy process than nitrogen inversion. The barriers to these processes are measured in several derivatives and the implications of the results for studies of nitrogen inversion in other 6-membered rings are pointed out. The conformational free energy differences of N-Me and N-Et groups are measured and discussed. It is somewhat easier to put an N-Et group axial than N-Me (ca.0.25 kcal mole^?1). It also appears than an Et group at C-6 goes axial more readily than does a Me.     

Synthesis of Ethylene‐bridged Heterocyclic Bidentate P(III)N‐Ligands — Oxidation and Complexation Studies

A series of phosphor(III)inanone ligands 4‐7 , linked by ethylene bridges between the nitrogen atoms of the heterocyclic rings, were synthesized by the reaction of the bis‐PCl derivative 3 with the appropriate trimethylsilylamines. The bis‐phosphor(V)inanone compounds 8‐11 were obtained by the oxidation of 4‐7 with hexafluoroacetone (HFA). Oxidation of 4 and 6 with tetrachloro‐orthobenzoquinone (TOB) gave the bis‐phosphor(V)inanones 12 and 13 . The reaction of 4‐6 with [Pt(COD)Cl₂] led to the platinum complexes 14‐16 . All the σ³‐phosphorinanone compounds 4‐7 and the σ⁵‐phosphorinanone compounds 8‐10 , 12 and 13 exist as a mixture of two conformers, as indicated by two signals in the ³¹P‐NMR spectra. However, compounds 9 and 11 exist as single conformers, both display only one sharp singlet in the ³¹P‐NMR spectra. The Pt‐complexes 15 and 16 contain two conformers; one conformer of 16 could be isolated by crystallization. X‐ray crystal structure determinations for compounds 8 , 14 and 16 were conducted, revealing inversion symmetry for 8 and cis arrangement for 14 and 16 .     

Conformational studies of 5-acetyl-10-cyano-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenz[b,f]azepine

5 - Acetyl - 10 - cyano - 10,11 - dihydro - 5H - dibenz[b,f]azepine, 3, has been synthesized and its conformations in solution have been studied by variable temperature NMR. At ?55° in CDCl₃ solution, 3 shows the signals due to four different conformational isomers. At 55°, signals due to only two conformers can be seen. The ABX pattern of each of the four conformers was analyzed using double resonance experiments and the LAOCN3 computer program. The relative abundances of the isomers in the mixtures were estimated by computer additions of different proportions of the spectra calculated for the separate isomers. These spectral observations are discussed in detail and interpreted in terms of slow inversion of the seven-membered ring by torsion of the 4a55a bonds and restricted twisting of the C10C11 ethylene bridge.     

Observable azacyclobutenone ylides with antiaromatic character from 2-diazoacetyl-azaaromatics

Azacyclobutenone ylides 2 and 11 were generated in solution by laser flash photolysis of 2-diazoacetylpyridine (1) and 3-diazoacetylpyridazine (10), respectively, together with the corresponding ketenes. The ylides were identified by their characteristic IR and UV spectra: 2, nu (CH3CN) 1725 cm(-1), lambdamax 360 and 550 (br) nm; 11, nu (CH3CN) 1776 cm(-1), lambdamax 370 and 550 (br) nm. 2-Triisopropylsilyldiazoacetylpyridine 20 upon photolysis at 5 degrees C in CH3CN forms the ylide 21 as a rather persistent (T1/2 2 h at 25 degrees C) purple solution, nu (CH3CN) 1718 cm(-1), lambdamax 245, 378 and 546 (br) nm, but no ketene is observed. Quinolyl ylide 14 and pyridyl ylides 17 and 19 with Me and 2-pyridyl substituents, respectively, with characteristic IR and UV spectra were also generated. The 1H NMR spectrum of the pyridyl ring of 21 shows substantial upfield shifts relative to those of 20. Calculated nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS) for 2, 11, and 21 are comparable to those for benzocyclobutadiene (22) and benzocyclobutenone enolate (23), with substantial positive values for the 4-membered rings, while the NICS values for the 6-membered rings are significantly more positive than for benzene or pyridine. Significant bond alternation is also found in the calculated ylide structures, and these results suggest strong antiaromatic character for the 4-membered rings of 2, 11, 14, 17, 19, and 21, and greatly reduced aromatic character for the 6-membered rings.     

Model of silicooxygen ring vibrations

In order to assign the bands in the IR spectra of silicates to the appropriate normal vibrations, a vibrational model has been proposed. A complex silicooxygen ring is considered as a ‘unit cell' composed of the appropriate number of [SiO₄]⁴⁻ tetrahedra. According to this model, in the ring silicates spectra we have to observe bands due to internal vibrations of individual tetrahedra and bands corresponding exclusively to the ring structure. Change in the tetrahedra symmetry from T_d (ideal tetrahedron) to C_2v (tetrahedron in a ring) and then to the ring symmetry: D_3h, D_4h and D_6h (ideal rings) with respect to reducible representations makes it possible to differentiate between the bands due to ring structure (pseudo-lattice vibrations) and internal modes of tetrahedra. It has been established that in the case of all ideal rings there is only one IR active vibrational mode, namely the one symmetric with respect to the axis of the highest fold, i.e. A₂″ in the case of 3-membered rings and A_2u in the case of 4- and 6-membered rings. The model proposed has been verified for different membered ring silicates.     

Exocyclic Diastereotopic Protons as a Probe for Conformational Bias in Eight-Membered Rings Containing Phosphorus and Titanium

Abstract

The conformation in solution of eight-membered 12H-dibenzo[d,g][1,3,2]-dioxametallocin rings containing phosphorus and titanium, respectively, were studied by the NMR spectroscopy using ring substituents containing diastereotopic protons as a probe for conformational bias. The results of this study suggest that in addition to steric effects, an electronic effect due to donation of the lone pair of electrons on the ring oxygen atoms to the metal center influences the preferred conformation in solution.     

Ring closing enyne metathesis: control over mode selectivity and stereoselectivity

Ring closing enyne metathesis to form 10-15-membered rings was achieved by using a tartrate-derived linker to attach ene and yne subunits. The exo/endo selectivity of the ring closure reaction of these substrates was found to be a function of ring size, whereby larger rings (12-15) give endo-products selectively, while smaller rings (5-11) give exo-products. The E/Z selectivity of the resultant macrocyclic 1,3-dienes was not predictable except for 10- and 11-membered rings. However, both the exo/endo-mode selectivity of the ring closure and the E/Z selectivity of the 1,3-dienes were improved by performing these reactions under ethylene atmosphere. The presence of ethylene induces a selective cross metathesis between the alkyne moiety and ethylene to generate an acyclic 1,3-diene which can undergo ring closing diene metathesis between the isolated olefin and the distal monosubstituted double bond of the 1,3-diene to generate exclusively the endo-product with high E-selectivity.     

NMR evidence for planar chirality in natural porphyrins

The ¹H NMR spectra of several six-coordinate cobalt(III) porphyrins of general formula L₂Co(DPDME)CI, where DPDME=deuteroporphyrin dimethyl ester and L is an optically active ligand, have been measured at 250 or 400 MHz. In a few cases, two signals of equal intensity are observed for the L ligand protons. This magnetic non-equivalence, which never exceeds 0.04 ppm, is thought to arise from the planar chirality of the porphyrin ring, which makes a proton in the ligand L above the porphyrin ring and the corresponding proton below this ring diastereotopic.