Mechanisms and kinetics of noncatalytic ether reaction in supercritical water. 2. Proton-transferred fragmentation of dimethyl ether to formaldehyde in competition with hydrolysis

Noncatalytic reaction pathways and rates of dimethyl ether (DME) in supercritical water are determined in a tube reactor made of quartz according to liquid- and gas-phase 1H and 13C NMR observations. The reaction is studied at two concentrations (0.1 and 0.5 M) in supercritical water at 400 degrees C and over a water-density range of 0.1-0.6 g/cm3. The supercritical water reaction is compared with the neat one (in the absence of solvent) at 0.1 M and 400 degrees C. DME is found to decompose through (i) the proton-transferred fragmentation to methane and formaldehyde and (ii) the hydrolysis to methanol. Formaldehyde from reaction (i) is consecutively subjected to four types of redox reactions. Two of them proceed even without solvent: (iii) the unimolecular proton-transferred decarbonylation forming hydrogen and carbon monoxide and (iv) the bimolecular self-disproportionation generating methanol and carbon monoxide. When the solvent water is present, two additional paths are open: (v) the bimolecular self-disproportionation of formaldehyde with reactant water, producing methanol and formic acid, and (vi) the bimolecular cross-disproportionation between formaldehyde and formic acid, yielding methanol and carbonic acid. Methanol is produced through the three types of disproportionations (iv)-(vi) as well as the hydrolysis (ii). The presence of solvent water decelerates the proton-transferred fragmentation of DME; the rate constant is reduced by 40% at 0.5 g/cm3. This is caused by the suppression of low-frequency concerted motion corresponding to the reaction coordinate for the simultaneous C-O bond scission and proton transfer from one methyl carbon to the other. In contrast to the proton-transferred fragmentation, the hydrolysis of DME is markedly accelerated by increasing the water density. The latter becomes more important than the former in supercritical water at densities greater than 0.5 g/cm3.     

Synthesis of Bicyclic Imidazoles via [2 + 3] Cycloaddition between Nitriles and Regioselectively Generated α-Imino Gold Carbene Intermediates

The cyclic α-imino gold carbene intermediate B is most likely generated in situ via regioselective nitrene transfer from an azido group to a tethered terminal alkyne in the presence of a gold catalyst and at ambient temperature. This highly electrophilic intermediate can react with a weakly nucleophilic nitrile, which is used as the reaction solvent, to deliver a bicyclic imidazole rapidly in an overall bimolecular [2 + 2 + 1] cycloaddition and in mostly serviceable yield. The competing intramolecular Huisgen reaction, although likely also catalyzed by gold, is minimized by using AuCl(3) as the catalyst.     

F2＋2HI=2HF＋I2反应机理的研究

根据氯离子型层状复合氢氧化物(LDH-Cl)制备过程中溶液浓度变化的监测结果和不同反应进程时产物的EDS、IR、XRD、TEM、TG-DTA表征结果,研究了合成LDH-Cl的共沉淀反应动力学特征及机理.实验结果表明, LDH-Cl的生成符合多核层表面反应动力学模型;反应过程中LDH的晶胞参数c从2.421 nm变为2.399 nm,通道高度h由0.3321 nm减小为0.3228 nm,粒子直径Da由6.40 nm增大为15.16 nm, Dc由7.43 nm增大到10.93 nm,纵横比由0.86增大为1.39; IR和TG-DTA特征变化表明了层板对阴离子作用的强度和层板的结构稳定性随反应进程而提高.     

Cl_2 2HI=2HCl I_2反应机理的理论研究

分别在MP2/3-21G!!、CCSD(T)/3-21G!!//MP2/3-21G!!和B3LYP/3-21G!!3种水平上,计算研究了气相反应Cl2 2HI=2HCl I2的机理,求得一系列四中心和三中心的过渡态.通过比较六种反应通道的活化能大小,得到了相同的结论:双分子基元反应Cl2 HI"HCl ICl和ICl HI"I2 HCl的最小活化能小于Cl2、HI和ICl的解离能,从理论上证明了反应Cl2 2HI=2HCl I2将优先以分子与分子作用形式分两步完成.用内禀反应坐标(IRC)验证了MP2/3-21G!!方法计算得到的过渡态.     

Multivalency as a Key Factor for High Activity of Selective Supported Organocatalysts for the Baylis–Hillman Reaction

The polystyrene‐supported N‐alkylimidazole‐based dendritic catalysts for the Baylis–Hillman reaction exhibit one of the strongest beneficial effects of multivalent architecture ever reported for an organocatalyst. The yields in the model reaction of methyl vinyl ketone with p‐nitrobenzaldehyde are more than tripled when a non‐dendritic catalyst is replaced by a second‐ or third‐generation analogue. Moreover, the reaction of the less active substrates will not occur with the non‐dendritic catalyst and will proceed to a significant extent only with the analogous catalysts of higher generations. A substantial additional enhancement of the reaction yield could be achieved by increasing the content of water in the reaction solvent. The plausible cause of the dendritic effect is the assistance of the second, nearby imidazole moiety in the presumably rate‐determining proton transfer in the intermediate adduct, after the first imidazole unit induced the formation of the new carbon–carbon bond.     

Cl2+2HI=2HCl+I2反应机理的理论研究

分别在MP2/3-21G**、CCSD(T)/3-21G**//MP2/3-21G**和B3LYP/3-21G**3种水平上, 计算研究了气相反应Cl₂+2HI=2HCl+I₂的机理, 求得一系列四中心和三中心的过渡态. 通过比较六种反应通道的活化能大小, 得到了相同的结论：双分子基元反应Cl₂+HIHCl+ICl和ICl+HII₂+HCl的最小活化能小于Cl₂、HI和ICl的解离能, 从理论上证明了反应Cl₂+2HI=2HCl+I₂将优先以分子与分子作用形式分两步完成. 用内禀反应坐标(IRC)验证了MP2/3-21G**方法计算得到的过渡态.     

A theoretical study on the hydrolysis process of the antimetastatic ruthenium(III) complex NAMI-A

A hydrolysis process of the anticancer drug ImH[trans-Ru(III)Cl4(DMSO)(Im)] (nicknamed NAMI-A; Im=imidazole, DMSO=dimethyl sulfoxide) has been studied by using density functional theory (DFT) method, and the aqueous solution effect has been considered and calculated by conductor-like polarizable calculation model (CPCM). The stationary points on the potential energy surfaces for the first and second hydrolysis steps (including two different paths) were fully optimized and characterized. The following was found: for the first hydrolysis process, the computed relative free energies DeltaG degrees (aq) and rate constant (k) in aqueous solution are 23.2 kcal/mol and 6.11x10(-5) s(-1), respectively, in satisfactory agreement with the experimental values; for the second hydrolysis step, some disagreement still exists, and thus more accurate solvent model needs to be designed and improved. On the basis of our present limited work, it can reasonably suggest that the hydrolysis process of NAMI-A perform mainly via the first hydrolysis step and then the path 1 of the second hydrolysis step. The theoretical results provide the structural properties as well as the detailed energy profiles for the mechanism of hydrolysis of NAMI-A, such results may assist in understanding the reaction mechanism of the anticancer drug with the biomolecular target.     

Theoretical studies on tautomerism of imidazole-2-selenone

The tautomerism of all possible forms of imidazole selenone (ISe1–ISe6), induced by proton transfer was studied theoretically in different environments including gas phase, continuum solvent, and microhydrated environment with one explicit water molecule. The calculations were performed at the MP2 and CAM-B3LYP levels of theory, separately. It was found that the imidazole selenone, in the form of ISe3, is the most stable isomer in both gas phase and solvent. The activation energy for conversion of ISe3 to imidazole selenol (ISe6), as the second stable form, is 41.72 and 43.0 kcal/mol in the gas phase and water, respectively. The infrared spectral frequencies as well as the vibrational frequency shifts were reported and assigned to their corresponding vibrational modes. In addition, the variation of dipole moments and charges on the atoms with change of solvent was studied. The energies of HOMO, LUMO, and HOMO–LUMO gap were calculated in both gas phase and solvent. Specific solvent effects with addition of water molecule near the electrophilic centers of tautomers and the transition states of proton transfer, assisted by water molecule, were investigated. It was found that the water molecule can form different hydrogen bonds with the molecule. Aggregation of the isomers with water molecule does not change the order of stability of isomers, but proton transfer reaction assisted by a water molecule needs less energy than when the proton shifts through the intramolecular process.     

Time-resolved spectroscopic study of the reaction Cl + n-C5H12 --> HCl + C5H11 in solution

We study the hydrogen abstraction reaction from pentane by chlorine radicals using four different experimental approaches. We use two different solvents (CH2Cl2 and CCl4) and two different chlorine atom sources (photodissociation of dissolved Cl2 and two-photon photolysis of the solvent) to investigate their effects on the recombination and reactivity of the chlorine radical. All four experimental schemes involve direct probing of the transient chlorine population via a charge transfer transition with a solvent molecule. In one of the four approaches, photolysis of Cl2 in dichloromethane, we also monitor the nascent reaction products (HCl) by transient vibrational spectroscopy. Probing both the reactants and the products provides a comprehensive view of this bimolecular reaction in solution. Between one-third and two-thirds of the chlorine radicals that initially escape the solvent cage undergo diffusive geminate recombination with their partner radical (either another chlorine atom or the solvent radical). The rest react with pentane with the bimolecular rate constants k(bi) = (9.5 +/- 0.7) x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1) in CH2Cl2 and k(bi) = (7.4 +/- 2) x 10(9) M(-1) s(-1) in CCl4. The recombination yield phi(rec) depends on both the chlorine atom precursor and the solvent and is larger in the more viscous carbon tetrachloride solutions. The bimolecular reaction rate k(bi) depends only on the solvent and is consistent with a nearly diffusion-limited reaction.     

Reaction paths for bimolecular hydrogen exchange

Several reaction paths are examined from a quantum mechanical viewpoint to assess their likelihood to serve as reaction geometries for a concerted bimolecular hydrogen-deuterium exchange process. It is shown that along each of the paths, the system would be expected to encounter a high activation energy barrier consistent with the concept of a forbidden reaction path in the sense of Woodward and Hoffmann. The results are in accord with calculations of the corresponding potential surfaces.     

Novel nitrogen ligands based on imidazole derivatives and their application in asymmetric catalysis

Recently prepared chiral amines have been used in the preparation of novel tridentate ligands based on an imidazole ring with an additional (hetero)ring. The synthesis was carried out by the reaction of chiral amines with suitable aldehydes (2-phenylimidazole-4-carbaldehyde, 2-hydroxybenzaldehyde or pyridine-2-carbaldehyde) under reductive conditions (H₂/Pd or NaBH₄). All ligands prepared showed strong hydrogen bonds in d₆-DMSO solution, which resulted in hindered imidazole tautomerism. The observed hindered tautomerism was studied by ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The structures of the prepared ligands were also confirmed by APCI mass spectroscopy. Both chiral amines and tridentate compounds have been applied as ligands in copper (II)-catalyzed nitroaldol reactions (Henry reaction). Various reaction conditions for the Henry reaction have been studied (influence of temperature, molar ratio, solvent or copper (II) precursors). The compounds prepared with the two imidazole rings showed fast reaction times and a reversal in enantioselectivity compared to other chiral amines.     

Molecular-dynamics simulations for nonclassical kinetics of diffusion-controlled bimolecular reactions

Molecular-dynamics simulations are presented for the diffusion-controlled bimolecular reaction A+B<==>C in two and three dimensions. The reactants and solvent molecules are modeled as spheres interacting via continuous potential-energy functions. The interaction potential between two reactants contains a deep well that results in a reaction. When the solvent concentration is low and the reactant dynamics is essentially ballistic, the system reaches equilibrium rapidly, and the reaction follows classical kinetics with exponential decay to the equilibrium. When the solvent concentration is high the particles enter the normal diffusion regime quickly and nonclassical behavior is observed, i.e., the reactant concentrations approach equilibrium as t(-d/2) where d is the dimensionality of space. When the reaction well depth is large, however, the reaction becomes irreversible within the simulation time. In this case the reactant concentrations decay as t(-d/4). Interestingly this behavior is also observed at intermediate times for reversible reactions.     

Kinetics of diffusion-controlled reaction between chemically asymmetric molecules. II. Approximate steady-state solution

The previously published equation for the rate of a diffusion-limited bimolecular reaction between chemically asymmetric molecules is studied numerically for the case that one of the reactant molecules is uniform. The results are reproduced quite well by a simple approximate chemical-kinetic steady-state scheme and, in principle, allow estimates of the size of the reactive region and of the activation-controlled rate to be made from the observed dependence of rate on solvent viscosity. The simple scheme is easily generalized to the case of two nonuniform reactants. In general, restriction of reactivity to some fraction of the molecular surface (i.e., a steric factor) must reduce the observable reaction rate, but to an extent which is moderated by the rotational diffusion of the reactant molecules.     

Br2+Cl2=2BrCl反应机理的理论和实验研究

用(U)MP2方法, 取6-311G*基组, 研究了反应Br2+Cl2=2BrCl的机理, 求得四中心和三中心的过渡态, 通过比较反应通道的活化能的大小, 得到如下结论: 双分子基元反应的最小活化能小于Cl2和Br2的离解能, 在没有光引发的条件下, 标题反应将以分子与分子作用形式完成; 若有光引发, Br2或Cl2先解离成原子, 再经过Br原子与Cl2反应或Cl原子与Br2反应, 能较快完成标题反应. 分别测定了光照和避光两种条件下的反应体系在412 nm处吸光度的变化, 证实了理论研究的结果.     

Chemical relaxation studies on the system liver alcohol dehydrogenase, NADH and imidazole.

Several years ago, Theorell and Czerlinski conducted experiments on the system of horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and imidazole, using the first version of the temperature jump apparatus with detection of changes in fluorescence. These early experiments were repeated with improved instrumentation and confirmed the early experiments in general terms. However, the improved detection system allowed to measure a slight concentration dependence of the relaxation time of around 3 ms. Furthermore, the chemical relaxation time was smaller than the one determined earlier (by factor 2). The data were evaluated much more rigorously than before, allowing an appropriate interpretation of the results. The observed relaxation time is largely due to rate constants in an interconversion of ternary complexes, which are faster than three (of the four) dissociation rate constants, determined previously by Theorell and McKinley-McKee.1,2 This fact contributed to earlier difficulties of finding any concentration dependence. However, the binding of imidazole to the binary enzyme-coenzyme complex can be made to couple kinetically into the interconversion rate of the two ternary complexes. The observed signal derives largely from the ternary complex(es). A substantial fluorescence signal change is associated with the observed relaxation process, suggesting a relocation of the imidazole in reference to the nicotinamide moiety of the bound coenzyme. Nine models are considered with two types of coupling of pre-equilibria (none-all). Quantitative evaluations favor the model with two ternary complexes connected by an interconversion outside the four-step (bimolecular) cycle. The ternary complex outside the cycle has much higher fluorescence yield than the one inside. The interconversion equilibrium is near unity for imidazole. If it would be shifted very much to the side of the "dead-end" complex (as in isobutyramide?!), stimulating action could not take place.     

Tunnel effects on inter- and intramolecular hydrogen transfer reactions of transient dihydro- and hexahydrocarbazoles

We examine inter- and intramolecular hydrogen-transfer processes in two related metastable dihydrocarbazoles in nonpolar solvents of different viscosity and compare them with similar transfer processes in transient hexahydrocarbazoles. N-ethyldiphenylamine (A′) and N-ethyl-2,6-dimethyldiphenylamine (A) photocyclize in their triplet states, yielding the triplet states of the zwitterionic dihydrocarbazoles ³Z′* and ³Z*, respectively, which subsequently relax to their metastable singlet ground states ¹Z′ and ¹Z′. In spite of their similarity, the two transients ¹Z′ and ¹Z stabilize by completely different pathways: the unsubstituted transient ¹Z′ is converted into N-ethylcarbazole (C) and an N-ethyltetrahydrocarbazole (THC) by a bimolecular disproportionation reaction. The methylsubstituted intermediate ¹Z is converted into a stable dihydrocarbazole (D) by a sigmatropic, intramolecular [1,8]-H-shift and by an intermolecular, mutual hydrogen-exchange reaction within the encounter complex ¹(ZZ) which yields two molecules of D. The rates of the intra- and of the intermolecular transfer reaction of ¹Z are governed by tunnel effects. The rate of the intramolecular tunnel process does not depend on solvent friction and becomes temperature independent at low temperatures. The rate of the intermolecular, reaction-controlled exchange reaction ¹(ZZ) → 2 ¹D becomes also temperature independent if the solvent is fluid enough. In more viscous solvents the reaction becomes diffusion controlled and, therefore, strongly temperature dependent. The intermolecular disproportionation reaction 2 ¹Z′ → C + THC is also reaction controlled but no tunnel effects are observed.     

Theoretical Study on the Azido-cyclization of 3,6-Di(azido)-1,2,4,5-tetrazine

The reactions of azido‐cyclization in 3,6‐di(azido)‐1,2,4,5‐tetrazine were studied by B3LYP hybrid density functional method. The geometries of the reactants, transition states and products were optimized, and the conformation of the initial reactant was determined by IR spectra. In addition, the nucleus‐independent chemical shift (NICS) indices were used to discuss the aromaticity of the products. Moreover, solvent effects were investigated. Results show that the polar solvent DMSO can hardly influence the activation barriers of all the reaction paths; however, it can stabilize the products. Since the activation barriers of azido‐rotation are far less than that of the rate‐determining step (the cyclization of second azido), the products are most probably the mixtures of two isomers (DAT2c and DAT2c').     

The quaternisation reaction of phosphines and amines in aliphatic alcohols. A similarity analysis using the isokinetic, isosolvent and isoselective relationships

Accurate second-order rate constants were measured at 5 K intervals in the temperature range 298.15-328.15 K for the quaternisation reaction of triethylphosphine with iodoethane in methanol, ethanol, propan-1-ol and butan-1-ol. These data are complemented previously reported rate constants for the quaternisation reaction of triethylamine with iodoethane in the same solvents and at similar temperatures. Each of these two reaction series is analysed in terms of the isokinetic relationship (IKR) with respect to solvent variation and of the isosolvent relationship (ISoR) with respect to temperature variation, using in the latter case five different empirical solvent scales. Statistically validated IKR and ISoR have been found for both reaction series. The resulting isokinetic temperatures of 347 K (phosphine series) and of 730 K (amine series) are discussed in terms of Linert's theory of the isokinetic relationship. The best ISoR correlation is obtained using the Dimroth-Reichardt E(T)(N) solvent scale for the phosphine series and the Kamlet-Taft alpha(KT) solvent scale for the amine series. It is demonstrated that no real solvent can be envisaged as having the characteristics of an isokinetic solvent. The selectivity of the nucleophiles triethylphosphine and triethylamine in the attack on iodoethane is examined by treating together both reaction series in terms of the isoselective relationship (ISeR). The isoselective temperature with respect to solvent is found to be 289 K, which is close to the value of 302 K predicted by Exner and Giese's formula on the basis of the individual isokinetic temperatures. A novel ISeR analysis with respect to temperature is performed. It reveals that the alpha(KT) scale is the most appropriate solvent scale for describing this selectivity series, and that it is feasible to find an isoselective solvent. A new equation is developed for predicting the isoselective solvent parameter from individual isosolvent parameters and is shown to yield realistic values. The present similarity analysis shows that there are significant differences between the courses of these quaternisation reactions. On the basis of the experimentally determined isoparameter values, in liquid alcohols as solvent it is proposed that the reaction between triethylphosphine and iodoethane follows a classic bimolecular nucleophilic substitution pathway, whereas the desolvation of triethylamine molecules has to be taken into account to describe the mechanism of the original Menshutkin reaction.     

Mechanisms and kinetics of noncatalytic ether reaction in supercritical water. 1. Proton-transferred fragmentation of diethyl ether to acetaldehyde in competition with hydrolysis

Noncatalytic reaction pathways and rates of diethyl ether in supercritical water are determined in a quartz capillary by observing the liquid- and gas-phase 1H and 13C NMR spectra. The reaction is investigated at two concentrations (0.1 and 0.5 M) in supercritical water at 400 degrees C and over a water-density range of 0.2-0.6 g/cm3, and in subcritical water at 300 and 350 degrees C. The neat reaction (in the absence of solvent) is also studied for comparison at 0.1 M and 400 degrees C. The ether is found to decompose through (i) the proton-transferred fragmentation to ethane and acetaldehyde and (ii) the hydrolysis to ethanol. Acetaldehyde from reaction (i) is consecutively subjected to the unimolecular and bimolecular redox reactions: (iii) the unimolecular proton-transferred decarbonylation forming methane and carbon monoxide, (iv) the bimolecular self-disproportionation producing ethanol and acetic acid, and (v) the bimolecular cross-disproportionation yielding ethanol and carbonic acid. Reactions (ii), (iv), and (v) proceed only in the presence of hot water. Ethanol is produced through the two types of disproportionations and the hydrolysis. The proton-transferred fragmentation is the characteristic reaction at high temperatures and is much more important than the hydrolysis at densities below 0.5 g/cm3. The proton-transferred fragmentation of ether and the decarbonylation of aldehyde are slightly suppressed by the presence of water. The hydrolysis is markedly accelerated by increasing the water density: the rate constant at 400 degrees C is 2.5 x 10(-7) s(-1) at 0.2 g/cm3 and 1.7 x 10(-5) s(-1) at 0.6 g/cm3. The hydrolysis becomes more important in the ether reaction than the proton-transferred fragmentation at 0.6 g/cm3. In subcritical water, the hydrolysis path is dominant at 300 degrees C (0.71 g/cm3), whereas it becomes less important at 350 degrees C (0.57 g/cm3). Acetic acid generated by the self-disproportionation autocatalyzes the hydrolysis at a higher concentration. Thus, the pathway preference can be controlled by the water density, reaction temperature, and initial concentration of diethyl ether.