Spectroscopic and theoretical investigation of (R)-3-methylcyclopentanone. The effect of solvent and temperature on the distribution of conformers

Temperature-dependent electronic circular dichroism (CD) spectra are reported for (R)-(+)-3-methylcyclopentanone (R3MCP) in 34 solvents. Analysis of these data yielded the enthalpy and entropy differences between axial methyl and equatorial methyl conformers, the dominant conformers for R3MCP. The weakly absorbing n-->pi* transition exhibited a decrease in lambdamax as the solvent polarity increased. Vibrational CD fine structure of the n-->pi* transition was observed in the gas phase in addition to several of the solvents. Vapor-phase CD spectra were compared to both the solution-phase spectra and theoretical calculations of the axial and equatorial methyl conformers. Optical rotation (OR) measurements for R3MCP in cyclohexane solution in the visible region showed excellent agreement with OR DFT calculations of the equatorial and axial methyl conformers. Density functional calculations with B3LYP and the 6-13G* and aug-cc-pVDZ basis sets, which incorporate the solvent dielectric constant, yielded trends in thermodynamic quantities as a function of polarity and solvent dipole moments that are only weakly or not observed in experiments.     

Solvent Effects on IR Modes of (R)-3-Methylcyclopentanone Conformers: A Computational Investigation

Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations of infrared spectra for the optimized geometries of the R-(+)-3-methylcyclopentanone (R3MCP) equatorial-methyl and axial-methyl conformers were performed in eleven common solvents with a wide polarity range, within the framework of polarizable continuum model (PCM). The DFT correlation function type B3LYP, using a powerful basis set (aug-cc-pVDZ), yielded different linear correlations between solvent polarity and R3MCP equatorial and axial conformers for frequencies of IR modes, intensities, and enthalpies. DFT calculations of the dipole moments of R3MCP equatorial and axial conformer components in 3D were also carried out and found to have a linear correlation with the solvent polarity. An increasing trend for the hypsochromic (blue) shift in the equatorial conformer??s IR frequencies is observed, in comparison to bathochromic (red) shift for the axial-methyl conformer IR modes, as a function of the solvent polarity.     

Hyperconjugation and the increasing bulk of OCOCX3 substituents in trans-1,4-disubstituted cyclohexanes destabilize the diequatorial conformer

The trans diesters of 1,4-cyclohexanediol with a number of acetic acid analogues, CX3COOH, of varying steric hindrance and polarity (CX3 = Me, Et, iso-Pr, tert-Bu, CF3, CH2Cl, CHCl2, CCl3, CH2Br, CHBr2, CBr3) were synthesized, and the axial,axial/equatorial,equatorial conformational equilibria were studied by low-temperature 1H NMR spectroscopy in CD2Cl2. The structures and relative energies of the axial,axial and equatorial,equatorial conformers were calculated at both the MP2/6-311G* and the MP2/6-311+G* levels of theory, and it was only by including diffuse functions that a good correlation of deltaG(o)calcd vs deltaG(o)exptl could be obtained. Both the structures and the energy differences of the axial,axial and equatorial,equatorial conformers are discussed with respect to the established models of conformational analysis, viz., steric 1,3-diaxial and hyperconjugative interactions. Interestingly, the hyperconjugative interactions sigma(C-C)/sigma(C-H) --> sigma*(C-O), together with a steric effect which also destabilizes the equatorial,equatorial conformers on increasing bulk of the substituents, proved to dominate the position of the conformational equilibria. In addition, the preference of the axial,axial conformers with respect to their equatorial,equatorial analogues was greater than expected from the conformational energies of the corresponding substituents in the monosubstituted cyclohexyl esters. The reason for this very interesting and unexpected result is also discussed.     

Unexpected conformational properties of 1-trifluoromethyl-1-silacyclohexane, C5H10SiHCF3: gas electron diffraction, low-temperature NMR spectropic studies, and quantum chemical calculations

The molecular structure of axial and equatorial conformers of 1-trifluoromethyl-1-silacyclohexane, (C5H10SiHCF3), as well as the thermodynamic equilibrium between these species was investigated by means of gas electron diffraction (GED), dynamic nuclear magnetic resonance (DNMR) spectroscopy, and quantum chemical calculations (B3LYP, MP2, and CBS-QB3). According to GED, the compound exists as a mixture of two Cs symmetry conformers possessing the chair conformation of the six-membered ring and differing in the axial or equatorial position of the CF3 group (axial=58(12) mol%/equatorial=42(12) mol%) at T=293 K. This result is in a good agreement with the theoretical prediction. This is, however, in sharp contrast to the conformational properties of the cyclohexane analogue. The main structural feature for both conformers is the unusually long exocyclic bond length Si--C 1.934(10) A. A low-temperature 19F NMR experiment results in an axial/equatorial ratio of 17(2) mol%:83(2) mol% at 113 K and a DeltaG (not equal) of 5.5(2) kcal mol-1. CBS-QB3 calculations in the gas-phase and solvation effect calculations using the PCM(B3LYP/6-311G*) and IPCM(B3LYP/6-311G*) models were applied to estimate the axial/equatorial ratio in the 100-300 K temperature range, which showed excellent agreement with the experimental results. The minimum energy pathways for the chair-to-chair inversion of trifluoromethylsilacyclohexane and methylsilacyclohexane were also calculated using the STQN(Path) method.     

Vibronically resolved electronic circular dichroism spectra of (R)-(+)-3-methylcyclopentanone: a theoretical study

The vibrationally resolved electronic circular dichroism (ECD) spectra of the two dominant conformers of (R)-(+)-3-methylcyclopentanone in gas phase are computed by density functional response theory, with a full account of Franck-Condon and Herzberg-Teller vibrational contributions at the harmonic level. Proper inclusion of the latter contributions was made possible by the recent implementation of effective-scaling computations of vibrational overlaps and of analytical gradients of time dependent DFT. The Coulomb-attenuated Becke three parameters Lee-Yang-Parr (CAM-B3LYP) functional reproduces both the position and the intensity of the experimental peaks, providing a remarkable improvement over the spectra obtained with the popular hybrid B3LYP functional, and allowing a confident assignment of the CD fine vibrational structure. Franck-Condon and Herzberg-Teller contributions are discussed in detail. The computed decrease of the CD intensity in the gas phase upon increase of the temperature of the sample follows the trend observed experimentally in different solvents.     

The ultraviolet photodissociation of axial and equatorial conformers of 3-pyrroline

Resolved sets of photoproducts arising from the photodissociation of axial and equatorial conformers of 3-pyrroline have been observed using H(Rydberg) atom photofragment translational spectroscopy following excitation in the wavelength range of 250-213 nm. 3-pyrroline (alternatively 2,5-dihydropyrrole) is a five membered partially saturated heterocycle in which the bonding around the N atom is pyramidal (sp(3) hybridized) and the N-H bond can lie either axial or equatorial to the ring. Careful analysis of total kinetic energy release data derived from H atom time-of-flight measurements reveals excitation of the 3-pyrrolinyl cofragment consistent with N-H bond fission in both the axial and equatorial conformers. This allows determination of the energy difference between the ground state conformers to be 340±50 cm(-1) and the N-H bond strength for axial and equatorial conformers as 31,610±50 and 31,270±50 cm(-1), respectively.     

Intrinsic conformational preferences of substituted cyclohexanes and tetrahydropyrans evaluated at the CCSD(T) complete basis set limit: implications for the anomeric effect

A series of MP2 and CCSD(T) computations have been carried out with correlation consistent basis sets as large as aug-cc-pV5Z to determine the intrinsic equatorial-axial conformational preference of CH(3)-, F-, OCH(3)-, and OH-substituted cyclohexane and tetrahydropyran rings. The high-accuracy relative electronic energies reported here shed new light on the intrinsic energetics of these cyclic prototypes for the anomeric effect. At the CCSD(T) complete basis set (CBS) limit, the energy of the equatorial conformation relative to the axial position (DeltaE (CBS)(CCSD(T))) is -1.75, -0.20, -0.21, and -0.56 kcal mol(-1) in methyl-, fluoro-, methoxy-, and hydroxycyclohexane, respectively, while DeltaE(CBS)(CCSD(T) is -2.83, +2.45, +1.27, and +0.86 kcal mol(-1) for 2-methyl-, 2-fluoro-, 2-methoxy-, and 2-hydroxytetrahydropyran, respectively. Note that the equatorial and axial conformers are nearly electronically isoenergetic in both fluoro- and methoxycyclohexane. For all eight cyclic species, a zero-point vibrational energy correction decreases Delta by a few tenths of a kilocalorie per mole. Relative energies obtained with popular methods and basis sets are unreliable, including Hartree-Fock theory, the B3LYP density functional, and the 6-31G and 6-311G families of split-valence basis sets. Even with the massive pentuple-zeta basis sets, the HF and B3LYP methods substantially overestimate the stability of the equatorial conformers (by as much as 0.99 and 0.73 kcal mol(-1), respectively, for 2-methoxytetrahydropyran). Only because of a consistent cancellation of errors do these popular approaches sometimes provide reasonable estimates of the anomeric effect.     

A carbon-13 cp/mas NMR investigation of the conformation of substituted cyclohexanes in thiourea inclusion compounds

Inclusion compounds of several monosubstituted cyclohexanes and thiourea have been studied using high-resolution ¹³C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy. The ¹³C NMR chemical shifts of the substituted cyclohexane ring are sensitive to the conformation of the substituent and allow one to predict qualitatively the relative populations of the axial and equatorial conformers. For methylcyclohexane trapped in thiourea the methyl substituent prefers the equatorial conformation while for the cyclohexyl halides (Cl, Br and I) the axial conformer is preferred. In the case of fluorocyclohexane the equatorial conformer appears to predominate; however, this conformer is in rapid equilibrium with the axial conformer.     

Conformational Studies of Marine Polyhalogenated α-Chamigrenes Using Temperature-Dependent NMR Spectra. Cyclohexene-ring flipping and rigid-chair cyclohexane ring in the presence of equatorial halogen atoms at C(8) and C(9)

Temperature-dependent NMR spectra indicate that the α-chamigren-3-ones (?) -11 , (+) -12 , (+) -14 (?) -15 , (+) -16, 18 , and 19 bearing equatorial halogen atoms at C(8) and C(9) undergo slow conformational flipping of the envelope-shaped enone ring, while the cyclohexane ring is maintained in the chair conformation. The α-chamigren-3-ols (+) -20 and (+) -21 , obtained by hydride reduction of (+) -12 , behave similarly, with slow half-chair inversion of the cyclohexenol ring. In each case, both conformers are about equally populated and detectable by NMR, except in the case of (+) -15 , where repulsive interactions between Br? C(2) and H_eq?C(7) make the population of the conformer 15b with Me—C(5) faced to H_ax?C(10) so low that it escapes direct ¹H-NMR detection. The energy barriers to these conformational motions are viewed to arise mainly from repulsive interactions between Me—C(5) and the axial H-atoms at C(8) and C(10), while, contrary to previous beliefs, no twist-boat conformations of the cyclohexane ring intervene. Similar conclusions hold for the 4,5-epoxides of both (?) -6 and (+) -7 . Clean Jones oxidatio of (?) -2 to 17 , where the CH₂?C(5) bond is maintained, and acid dehydration-isomerization of the α-chamigrene (+) -21 to the β-chamigrene (+) -24 , reflect the special stability of β-chamigrenes, providing a reason for their frequent occurrence in nature.     

Chair, boat and twist conformation of dodecamethylcyclohexasilane and undecamethylcyclohexasilane: a combined DFT and Raman spectroscopic study.

The conformations of dodecamethylcyclohexasilane Si6Me12 and undecamethylcyclohexasilane Si6Me11H have been investigated by ab initio calculations employing the B3LYP density functional with a 6-31+G(d) basis set. Local minima as well as transition structures were calculated with imposed symmetry constraints. For Si6Me12, three unique minima, which correspond to the chair, twist and boat conformations were located with relative zero-point-vibration-corrected energies of 0.0, 7.8 and 11.4 kJ mol(-1). A half-chair conformation with four coplanar silicon atoms connects the chair and twisted minima via an energy barrier of 16.0 and 8.2 kJ mol(-1), respectively. A second transition structure with a barrier of 3.9/0.3 kJ mol(-1) connects the twist with the boat structure. Solution Raman spectra of Si6(CH3)12 and Si6(CD3)12 fully corroborate these results. Below -40 degrees C, the symmetric SiSi ring breathing vibration is a single line, which develops a shoulder (originating from the twist conformer) at longer wavelengths whose intensity increases with increasing temperature. From a Van't Hoff plot, the chair/twist enthalpy difference is 6.6+/-1.5 kJ mol(-1) for Si6(CH3)12 and 6.0+/-1.5 kJ mol(-1) for Si6(CD3)12, which is in reasonable agreement with the ab initio results. Due to the low barrier, the boat conformation cannot be observed, because either the lowest torsional vibration level lies above it or a rapid interconversion between the twist and boat conformations occurs, resulting in averaged Raman spectra. For Si6Me11H, six local minima were located. The chair with the hydrogen atom in the axial position (axial chair) is the global minimum, followed by the equatorial chair (+1.9 kJ mol(-1)) and the three twist conformers (+5.3, +8.0 and +8.1 kJ mol(-1)). The highest local minimum (+11.9 kJ mol(-1)) is a C(s) symmetric boat with the hydrogen atom in the equatorial position. Two possible pathways for the chair-to-chair interconversion with barriers of 13.9 and 14.5 kJ mol(-1) have been investigated. The solution Raman spectra in the SiSi ring breathing region clearly show that below -50 degrees C only the axial and equatorial chairs are present, with an experimental deltaH-value of 0.46 kJ mol(-1). With increasing temperature a shoulder develops which is attributed to the combined twist conformers. The experimental deltaH-value is 6.9 kJ mol(-1), in good agreement with the ab initio results. Due to the low interconversion barriers, the various twist conformers cannot be detected separately.     

Conformational equilibrium in 8-methyl-cis-2-thiahydrindane and 8-methyl-cis-2-oxahydrindane by 13C NMR spectroscopy

The preferred conformation of 8-methyl-cis-thiahydrindane has been both estimated by ¹³C NMR chemical shifts and determined by low temperature ¹³C NMR spectroscopy to be the conformer with the methyl group equatorial with respect to the cyclohexane ring. This result is in disagreement with the interpretation of the temperature dependence of the CD spectra of (+) and (?) 8-methyl-cis-2-thiahydrindane, whereby the conformation with the methyl group axial with respect to the cyclohexane ring was claimed to be the preferred conformation. The preferred conformation of the related oxygen heterocycle, 8-methyl-cis-2-oxahydrindane, has been estimated by ¹³C NMR chemical shifts to be the conformer with the methyl group axial with respect to the cyclohexane ring. Possible reasons for these observations are discussed.     

Recognition and simultaneous determination of ofloxacin enantiomers by synchronization-1st derivative fluorescence spectroscopy

Under controlling pH 3, R-(+)- and S-(-)-ofloxacin (OFLX) enantiomers can be well recognized and resolved by the synchronization-1st derivative fluorescence spectroscopic techniques, and the interference from urine blank also can be eliminated. The linear dynamic ranges are 0.36-2.16 (R), 0.36-2.89 and 3.16-31.6 mug/ml (S), respectively, for determining OFLX in urine samples. The limits of detection are 0.36 mug/ml (R) and the recoveries of R-(+)- and S-(-)-OFLX in urine samples are 97-104%. Relative standard deviation is <6.6%. Pharmacokinetic study of OFLX and levofloxacin shows that R-(+)- and S-(-)-ofloxacin reach their peak concentration in urine samples after a healthy subject has taken tablets for approximately 3 and 6 h, respectively. R-(+)-OFLX can be obviously detected in 5-6 h after a healthy subject has taken tablets, indicating the transformation of S-(-)- to R-(+)-OFLX enantiomer in human body (in vitro).     

Laser mass spectrometry with circularly polarized light: two-photon circular dichroism

Extensive studies of two-photon circular dichroism (TPCD) on 3-methylcyclopentanone are presented following the first TPCD experiment of gas phase molecules by Compton et al. [J. Chem. Phys.125 (2006) 144304]. (2 + 1)-Multiphoton ionization in a specially designed time-of-flight mass analyzer has been used to perform these studies. CD of two-photon transitions from the molecular ground state to low lying Rydberg states is strongly enhanced with respect to corresponding one-photon transitions in good agreement with Compton. Differences between CD values determined via the molecular ion and via fragment ions indicate strong molecular ion CD effects. This would be the first time that circular dichroism of isolated molecular ions has been measured.     

Structural analysis of (R)-3-methylcyclohexanone conformers

Structural Chemistry - The electronic circular dichroism (CD) spectra as a function of temperature for R-(?+)-3-methylcyclohexanone (R3MCH) were reported in 11 solvents of wide polarity range...     

K selection in one-photon mass-analyzed threshold ionization of CH3I and CD3I to the X2E3/2 state cations

One-photon mass-analyzed threshold ionization (MATI) spectra for the X (2)E(3/2) states of CH(3)I(+) and CD(3)I(+) were measured using vacuum ultraviolet radiation generated by four-wave mixing in Kr. Spin-orbit density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ level and spin-orbit/Jahn-Teller calculations were made to aid vibrational assignment. Each vibrational band consisted of several peaks due to different DeltaK transitions, which could be assigned by using molecular parameters determined in the previous high resolution photodissociation spectroscopic study. Possibility of generating mass-selected, vibronically selected and K-selected ion beam with decent intensity by one-photon MATI was demonstrated. The ionization energies to the X (2)E(3/2) states of CH(3)I(+) and CD(3)I(+) corrected for the rotational contribution were 9.5386+/-0.0006 and 9.5415+/-0.0006 eV, respectively.     

Short-range interactions within molecular complexes formed in supersonic beams: structural effects and chiral discrimination

One- and two-color, mass-selected R2PI spectra of the S1<--S0 transitions in the bare chiral chromophore R-(+)-1-phenyl-1-propanol (R) and its complexes with a variety of alcoholic solvent molecules (solv), namely methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, S-(+)-2-butanol, R-(-)-2-butanol, 1-pentanol, S-(+)-2-pentanol, R-(-)-2-pentanol, and 3-pentanol, were recorded after a supersonic molecular beam expansion. Spectral analysis, coupled with theoretical calculations, indicate that several hydrogen-bonded [R.solv] conformers are present in the beam. The R2PI excitation spectra of [R.solv] are characterized by significant shifts of their band origin relative to that of bare R. The extent and direction of these spectral shifts depend on the structure and configuration of solv and are attributed to different short-range interactions in the ground and excited [R.solv] complexes. Measurement of the binding energies of [R.solv] in their neutral and ionic states points to a subtle balance between attractive (electrostatic and dispersive) and repulsive (steric) forces, which control the spectral features of the complexes and allow enantiomeric discrimination of chiral solv molecules.     

Absolute configuration, predominant conformations, and vibrational circular dichroism spectra of enantiomers of n-butyl tert-butyl sulfoxide

Alkylation of the alpha-carbanion of (R)-(-)-tert-butyl methyl sulfoxide (4) with n-propyl bromide afforded (+)-n-butyl tert-butyl sulfoxide (1) to which the absolute configuration (R) was ascribed. This assignment was confirmed by X-ray analysis of the complex 6 obtained from the enantiomerically pure sulfoxide (-)-1 and mercury chloride. Vibrational absorption and circular dichroism spectra of (+)-1 were measured in CDCl3 solution in the 2000-900 cm(-1) region and compared with the ab initio predictions of absorption and VCD spectra obtained with density functional theory using the B3LYP/6-31G basis set for different conformers of (R)-1. This comparison indicated also that (+)-1 is of the (R)-configuration.     

Infrared, and Raman spectra, conformational stability, normal coordinate analysis, ab initio calculations, and vibrational assignment of 1-chlorosilacyclobutane

The infrared spectra (3500–40 cm⁻¹) of gaseous and solid and the Raman spectra (3500–30 cm⁻¹) of liquid and solid 1-chlorosilacyclobutane, c-C₃H₆SiClH, have been obtained. Both the axial and equatorial conformers with respect to the chlorine atom have been identified in the fluid phases. Variable temperature (−105 to −150°C) studies of the infrared spectra of the sample dissolved in liquid krypton have been carried out. From these data, the enthalpy difference has been determined to be 211±17 cm⁻¹ (2.53±0.21 kJ/mol), with the equatorial conformer being the more stable form and the only conformer remaining in the annealed solid. At ambient temperatures, approximately 26% of the axial conformers are present in the vapor phase. A complete vibrational assignment is proposed for the equatorial conformer, and many of the fundamentals of the axial conformers have also been identified. The vibrational assignments are supported by normal coordinate calculations utilizing ab initio force constants. Complete equilibrium geometries, conformational stabilities, harmonic force fields, infrared intensities, Raman activities, and depolarization ratios have been determined for both rotamers by ab initio calculations employing the 6-31G(d) basis set at the levels of restricted Hartree–Fock (RHF) and/or Moller–Plesset (MP) to second order. Structural parameters have also been obtained using MP2/6-311+G(d,p) ab initio calculations. The r₀ parameters for both conformers are obtained from a combination of the ab initio predicted values and the twelve previously reported microwave rotational constants. The results are discussed and compared to those obtained for some similar molecules.     

Absolute configuration of tert-butyl-1-(2-methylnaphthyl)phosphine oxide

The enantiomers of tert-butyl-1-(2-methylnaphthyl)phosphine oxide 1 have been separated using a homemade HPLC column and an analytical gradient system. Vibrational absorption and circular dichroism spectra for both enantiomers have been measured in CD2Cl2 and CH2Cl2 solutions in the 2000-900 cm(-1) region. The fully relaxed potential energy surface of (S)-tert-butyl-1-(2-methylnaphthyl)phosphine oxide, obtained using the B3LYP functional with a 6-31G basis set, indicated two stable conformers with their populations in a approximately 2:1 ratio. The vibrational absorption and VCD spectra are predicted for these two conformers using the B3LYP functional with a 6-31G basis set. The comparison of predicted and experimental spectra indicated that (+)-tert-butyl-1-(2-methylnaphthyl)phosphine oxide is in the (S)-configuration. This assignment is supported by the ab initio prediction of positive optical rotation for the most stable conformer with an (S)-configuration and the nonequivalence sense of the tert-butyl group chemical shift observed in the 1H NMR spectrum of this enantiomer measured in the presence of (+)-(S)-mandelic acid as a chiral solvating agent.     

Mass‐Selected Circular Dichroism of Supersonic‐Beam‐Cooled [D4]‐(R)‐(+)‐3‐Methylcyclopentanone

UV spectroscopy and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) experiments on supersonic‐beam‐cooled deuterated (R)‐(+)‐3‐methylcyclopentanone ([D₄]‐(R)‐(+)‐3‐MCP) have been performed by using a laser mass spectrometer. The spectral resolution not only allowed excitation and CD measurements for single vibronic transitions but also for the rotational P, Q, and R branches of these transitions. The investigated transition showed the largest anisotropy factor ever observed for chiral molecules in the gas phase, which, due to residual saturation of the excited transition, represents only a lower limit for the real anisotropy factor. Furthermore, one‐color (1+1+1) and two‐color (1+1′) resonance‐enhanced multiphoton ionization (REMPI) measurements were performed and the effusive‐beam (room temperature) and supersonic‐beam results for [D₄]‐(R)‐(+)‐3‐MCP were compared. These results allowed a differentiation between single‐step ECD (comparable to conventional ECD) and cumulative ECD (only possible in multiphoton excitation) under supersonic‐beam conditions.