A gas electron diffraction and ab initio quantum-mechanical investigation into the molecular structure of tricyclo-(3.1.002,4)-hexane

The structure of tricyclo-(3.1.00^2,4)exane has been determined by gas phase electron diffraction. The molecule has an inversion centre. The mean carbon—carbon bond length, averaged over both three- and four-membered rings is 1.508 A. A model with equal C-C bond lengths fits to the measured diffraction intensities. The four-membered ring is planar with valency angles of 90°, while the carbon atoms of the three-membered rings form isosceles triangles. Ab initio quantum mechanical calculations at the STO-3G level support this geometry. The valency angle CCC (between three- and four-membered rings) for the equilateral four-membered ring model has been found experimentally to be 109.9°. The average C-H bond distance (1.080 Å) is small as a result of increased s-character in these bonds in agreement with reported INDO—LMO calculations.     

Local orbital study of bonding in small rings: Cyclopropane,thiirane, oxirane,and aziridine

The nature of the bonding in the three-membered ring molecules cyclopropane, thiirane, oxirane, and aziridine has been investigated throughab initio FSGO calculations. The direct correspondence between floating spherical Gaussian orbitals and specific chemical bonds has been used to study the degree of “bond bending”. In accord with chemical intuition, it is demonstrated that the C-C ring bond becomes progressively more bent as the bond length is reduced. C-C bonds are found to be more flexible than C-N (O, S) bonds. The sizes and locations of carbon-heteroatom bond orbitals and C-H bond orbitals are also discussed.     

The molecular structure of toluene

Discrepancies between two recently reported electron diffraction studies of toluene have provided the incentive for an ab initio structural determination at the 4-21 level. The methyl C-H bonds are on the average 0.011 Å longer than the ring C-H bonds. While the average ring C-C and C-H distances are nearly identical with those of benzene, the ring exhibits marked asymmetry, including an unexpected coupling between the ring C-C distances and the angle of methyl rotation.     

The structural effects of fluorine substitution in pyridine,pyrimidine, and s-triazine: An ab initio study

The structures of 2-fluoropyridine, 3-fluoropyridine, 4-fluoropyridine, pentafluoropyridine, 2-fluoropyrimidine, 5-fluoropyrimidine, and fluoro-s-triazine have been evaluated by the ab initio gradient method with a 4-21 basis set augmented as needed with polarization functions on nitrogen. The structural effects of fluorination on the parent heterocycle are very similar to the effects of fluorination on benzene studied earlier. The ring angle is enlarged by about 2° at the point of fluorination and the adjacent ring bonds are shortened, much more for an adjacent C-N than for C-C. Fluorination of pyridine at the C₂ position causes an in-crease of bond localization in the ring. Rotational constants calculated from the structural parameters corrected with standard offset values are in exceptionally close agreement with experimental constants where these are known.     

Molecular structure and benzene ring deformation of three ethynylbenzenes from gas-phase electron diffraction and quantum chemical calculations

The molecular structures of ethynylbenzene and s-triethynylbenzene have been accurately determined by gas-phase electron diffraction and ab initio/DFT MO calculations and are compared to that of p-diethynylbenzene from a previous study [Domenicano, A.; Arcadi, A.; Ramondo, F.; Campanelli, A. R.; Portalone, G.; Schultz, G.; Hargittai, I. J. Phys. Chem. 1996, 100, 14625]. Although the equilibrium structures of the three molecules have C2v, D3h, and D2h symmetry, respectively, the corresponding average structures in the gaseous phase are best described by nonplanar models of Cs, C3v, and C2v symmetry, respectively. The lowering of symmetry is due to the large-amplitude motions of the substituents out of the plane of the benzene ring. The use of nonplanar models in the electron diffraction analysis yields ring angles consistent with those from MO calculations. The molecular structure of ethynylbenzene reported from microwave spectroscopy studies is shown to be inaccurate in the ipso region of the benzene ring. The variations of the ring C-C bonds and C-C-C angles in p-diethynylbenzene and s-triethynylbenzene are well interpreted as arising from the superposition of independent effects from each substituent. In particular, experiments and calculations consistently show that the mean length of the ring C-C bonds increases by about 0.002 A per ethynyl group. MO calculations at different levels of theory indicate that though the length of the C[triple bond]C bond of the ethynyl group is unaffected by the pattern of substitution, the C(ipso)-C(ethynyl) bonds in p-diethynylbenzene are 0.001-0.002 A shorter than the corresponding bonds in ethynylbenzene and s-triethynylbenzene. This small effect is attributed to conjugation of the two substituents through the benzene ring. Comparison of experimental and MO results shows that the differences between the lengths of the C(ipso)-C(ethynyl) and C(ipso)-C(ortho) bonds in the three molecules, 0.023-0.027 A, are correctly computed at the MP2 and B3LYP levels of theory but are overestimated by a factor of 2 when calculated at the HF level.     

Stability of nitrogen-oxygen cages N12O2, N14O2, N14O3, and N16O4

Molecules consisting entirely of nitrogen have been studied extensively for their potential as high energy density materials (HEDM). However, many such molecules are too unstable to serve as practical energy sources. This has prompted many studies of molecules that are mostly nitrogen but which incorporate heteroatoms into the structure to provide additional stability. In the current study, cages of three-coordinate nitrogen are viewed as candidates for stabilization by insertion of oxygen atoms into the nitrogen framework. Cages of N12, N14, and N16 with four-membered rings are studied because four-membered rings have been previously shown to be a destabilizing influence. Insertion of oxygen atoms, which converts N-N bonds to N-O-N bonding groups, relieves ring strain and can potentially result in stable molecules. These molecules are studied by theoretical calculations, using Hartree-Fock and Moller-Plesset (MP3 and MP4) theories, to determine the dissociation energies of the molecules. The primary result of the study is that stable molecules can result from oxygen insertion but that oxygen-oxygen proximity destabilizes the insertion products.     

Lewis acid-mediated rearrangement of activated cyclic amines: a facile synthetic protocol for the preparation of amino carbonyl compounds

Ring opening of activated cyclic amines to produce amino carbonyl compounds has been studied in the presence of Lewis acids. Whereas five- and six-membered rings cleave and rearrange via a 1,2-hydride shift, reaction in three- and four-membered rings takes place via a C-C bond migration. In the case of a three-membered ring, a wide variety of Lewis acids proved to be effective for the reaction. Base-induced ring opening of activated alpha,alpha-disubstituted azetidinemethanol and its mechanistic aspects have been studied.     

Dodecamethoxy- and hexaoxotricyclobutabenzene: synthesis and characterization

We report herein the syntheses of dodecamethoxytricyclobutabenzene (TCBB) 1 and hexaoxo-TCBB 2, a class of molecules with structural and theoretical interest. The preparation is based on the 3-fold [2 + 2] cycloadditions of benzyne and ketene silyl acetals (KSAs), where the selectively protected 2-iodophloroglucinol derivative served as a synthetic equivalent of benztriyne I, allowing rapid and regioselective annulation of fully functionalized four-membered rings. Structural study on the former compound showed that the C-C bond lengths in the central benzene ring were essentially the same.     

Structure, Spectra, and Reaction Energies of the Aluminum-Nitrogen (HAl-NH)(2) and (H(2)Al-NH(2))(2) Rings and the (HAl-NH)(4) Cluster

Rings of four-coordinate aluminum and nitrogen are easily synthesized and well studied, as are clusters of four-coordinate Al and N. Only recently, however, have rings that are derivatives of the model compounds (HAl-NH)(n)() (n = 2, 3) with three-coordinate Al and N been synthesized. Ab initio investigations of the structure, bonding, vibrational spectra, and reaction energies for the three-coordinate ring (HAl-NH)(2), the four-coordinate ring (H(2)Al-NH(2))(2), and the four-coordinate cluster (HAl-NH)(4) are presented. Even in the absence of differences in steric factors, the four-membered ring has longer Al-N bonds than either the six-membered ring or the unassociated aluminum amide, H(2)Al-NH(2). This is due to both rehybridization and pi interactions. Theoretical reaction energies for formation of the (HAl-NH)(4) cluster from the (H(2)Al-NH(2))(2) ring are consistent with intermolecular loss of hydrogen, or the necessity of surface catalysis.     

Squaramides: physical properties, synthesis and applications

Squaramides are remarkable four-membered ring systems derived from squaric acid that are able to form up to four hydrogen bonds. A high affinity for hydrogen bonding is driven through a concomitant increase in aromaticity of the ring. This hydrogen bonding and aromatic switching, in combination with structural rigidity, have been exploited in many of the applications of squaramides. Substituted squaramides can be accessed via modular synthesis under relatively mild or aqueous conditions, making them ideal units for bioconjugation and supramolecular chemistry. In this tutorial review the fundamental electronic and structural properties of squaramides are explored to rationalise the geometry, conformation, reactivity and biological activity.     

Acetylene cyclotrimerization catalyzed by TiO2 and VO2 in the gas phase: a DFT study

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been used to investigate acetylene cyclotrimerization catalyzed by titanium and vanadium dioxides. The calculated results illustrate that the overall process is highly favorable at room temperature from both thermodynamic and kinetic points of view. The mechanism of C2H2 cyclotrimerization over MO2 (M = Ti, V) can be understood as four steps: (1) a four-membered ring (-O-M-C=C-) formation that coordinates and activates the first C2H2 molecule; (2) the second C2H2 insertion into the M-C bond to form a six-membered ring (-O-M-C=C-C=C-); (3) the third C2H2 insertion into the M-C bond to form an eight-membered ring (-O-M-C=C-C=C-C=C-); and (4) contraction of the eight-membered ring and benzene formation and desorption. All of the reaction steps are overall barrierless with respect to the separated reactants (MO2C2xH2x + C2H2, x = 0, 1, 2). This theoretical study predicts that the M=O double bond in MO2 is very catalytic toward the C2H2 cyclotrimerization. The metal center in this study can be considered always in the same +4 oxidation state (Ti4+ and V4+). In contrast, two-electron cycling of the metal center is present in the documented mechanism for the C2H2 cyclotrimerization. The C2H2 cyclotrimerization over the Ti atom and TiO molecule is also studied, and the documented mechanism applies in this case. The new mechanism is suggested to apply to reactions using titanium and vanadium oxides as catalysts.     

C60O2可能异构体的结构,电子光谱和NMR谱的理论研究

用ＩＮＤＯ系列方法研究Ｃ６０Ｏ２可能异构体的结构，两个氧原子分别加在两个六元环相邻边或五六元环相邻边形成环氧结构，为Ｃｓ对称性，得６种可能构型，计算表明，两个氧原子加在同个六元环的六六元环相邻边所形成环氧结构Ｃｓ构型最稳定，环氧处Ｃ－Ｃ键不断开，与实验结果一致，其电子光谱计算结果亦与实验值相吻合，这种Ｃｓ构环氧结构所在六元环上的另一个Ｃ－Ｃ键有大的键序，为高活性位置，因此Ｃ６０Ｏ２可能有较好的化学     

2,4-Bis{[6-(2,2-dimethylpropyl)-3-ethyl-1,3-benzothiazol-2(3H)-yl­idene]methyl}cyclobutenediylium-1,3-­diolate

The title compound, C₃₄H₄₀N₂O₂S₂, adopts a trans conformation. The four conjugated Csp²—Csp² single and double bonds of the polymethinic moiety, which bridges both heterocyclic end groups and the central four-membered ring, display nearly equal bond lengths. The mol­ecule is nearly planar, with interplanar angles between the benzo­thia­zole end groups and the central four-membered ring of 6.9 (1) and 7.7 (1)°; the angle between the heterocyclic systems is 1.8 (1)°. The crystal packing involves π-stacking effects, with intermolecular C⃛C distances varying from 3.755 (3) to 3.991 (3) Å.     

Alkyne and ketone induced novel cleavage of a CC bond and a CSi bond in zirconacyclobutene-silacyclobutene fused ring compounds

Novel cleavage patterns of CC bonds and CSi bonds were achieved via alkyne- or ketone-induced reactions of zirconacyclobutene-silacyclobutene fused ring compounds; thermodynamically favored six-membered zirconacyclohexadiene derivatives were formed in excellent yields from the four-membered zirconacyclobutenes via this unprecedented alkyne-induced CC bond and CSi bond cleavage process.     

Mechanism and selectivity of nickel-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of cyclopropenones and α,β-unsaturated ketones: A computational study

Density functional theory calculations have been performed to investigate the nickel-catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition of cyclopropenones and α,β-unsaturated ketones. The computations show that the overall catalytic cycle consists of four major steps, including: (1) C-C oxidative addition of the cyclopropenone to afford the four-membered nickelacycle, (2) isomerization, (3) migratory insertion via a 4,1-insertion fashion, and (4) C-C reductive elimination to deliver the [3 + 2] cycloaddition product. The enantioselectivity is mainly attributed to the π-π interaction between the diphenylcyclopropenone moiety and the phenyl substituent of the oxazoline ring of the ligand. The chemoselectivity of the C = O versus C = C insertion was rationalized in terms of the steric effect.     

Synthese und Molekülstruktur neuer Ringsysteme aus 1,1,3,3-Tetrachlor-1,3-diphosphapropan

Synthesis and Molecular Structure of new Ring Systems from 1,1,3,3-Tetrachloro-1,3-diphosphapropane 1,1,3,3-Tetrachloro-1,3-diphosphapropane 1 reacts in two different ways to form new heterocycles. Partial oxidation of 1 with tetrachloroorthobenzoquinone furnishes the methylene-bridged λ³P, λ⁵P species 3 . Subsequent reactions with di- and triethylamine lead to the condensed ring system 6 with the P?C bonds connected to a central four-membered ring. Compound 6 displays crystallographic inversion symmetry, a short transannular P? P distance and an extremely distorted tetrahedral coordination geometry at the four-membered ring phosphorus atoms. 1 reacts with 7 to give the heterocycle 8 with a central eight-membered ring involving four phosphorus atoms. The eight – membered ring shows a ?bent”? crown conformation, the condensed five – membered rings display envelope conformation.     

小螺桨烷中C—C中心键的量子化学研究

用MNDO半经验分子轨道理论对一系列小环螺桨烷[1.1.1]螺桨烷、[2.1.1]螺浆烷、[2.2.1]螺浆烷及[2.2.2]螺桨烷中的C—C中心键进行了研究.结果表明小螺桨烷的边键与一般环状分子的C—C键强度接近,而在中心C—C上则形成一种比正常环状分子稍弱的共价键;随着螺浆烷环的增大,其C—C中心键强度增大,计算结果与前人实验和理论研究的结论一致。     

Aluminium triflate-catalysed regioselective cycloisomerisation of non-activated unsaturated oximes

A novel cycloisomerisation of oximes bearing non-activated C-C double bonds occurs in an Al(III)-catalysed reaction. This process leads to 5-, 6- and 7-membered ring oxygen and nitrogen-containing heterocycles in good yields.     

CH3SS与XO (X＝F,Cl, Br)反应过程的电子密度拓扑研究

利用MP2/6-311＋＋G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-311＋＋G(d,p)对CH3SS与XO (X＝F, Cl, Br)的反应机理进行了研究. 着重从电子密度拓扑分析角度讨论了化学键的生成和断裂. 计算结果表明单线态反应为主要反应通道, 且由于该通道的反应能垒低、放热明显, 说明CH3SS与XO在大气中比较容易进行. 电子密度拓扑分析表明, 在单线态抽氢反应通道中存在着四元环状过渡结构, 随着反应进行, 此四元环状过渡结构通过一个T-型结构变为三元环状过渡结构, 最后环状结构消失得到产物.