Photochemistry of A1E, a retinoid with a conjugated pyridinium moiety: competition between pericyclic photooxygenation and pericyclization

The photochemistry of the retinoid analogue A1E shows an oxygen and solvent dependence. Irradiation of A1E with visible light (lambda(irr) = 425 nm) in methanol solutions resulted in pericyclization to form pyridinium terpenoids. Although the quantum yield for this cyclization is low (approximately 10(-4)), nevertheless the photochemical transformation occurs with quantitative chemical yield with remarkable chemoselectivity and diastereoselectivity. Conversely, irradiation of A1E under the same irradiation conditions in air-saturated carbon tetrachloride or deuterated chloroform produced a cyclic 5,8-peroxide as the major product. Deuterium solvent effects, experiments utilizing endoperoxide, phosphorescence, and chemiluminescence quenching studies strongly support the involvement of singlet oxygen in the endoperoxide formation. It is proposed that, upon irradiation, in the presence of oxygen, A1E acts as a sensitizer for generation of singlet oxygen from triplet oxygen present in the solution; the singlet oxygen produced reacts with A1E to produce cyclic peroxide. Thus, the photochemistry of A1E is characterized by two competing reactions, cyclization and peroxide formation. The dominant reaction is determined by the concentration of oxygen, the concentration of A1E, and the lifetime of singlet oxygen in the solvent employed. If the lifetime of singlet oxygen in a given solvent is long enough, then oxidation (peroxide formation) is the major reaction. If the singlet oxygen produced is quenched by the protonated solvent molecules faster than singlet oxygen reacts with A1E, then cyclization dominates.     

Reactivity of ionic liquids

Ionic liquids are becoming widely used in synthetic organic chemistry and yet relatively little attention has been paid to the intrinsic reactivity of these low temperature molten salts. Clues to the non-innocent nature of many ionic liquids are contained in the reports of altered reactivity of dissolved substrates, unexpected catalytic activity and unforeseen by-product formation. In this review, we focus on the reactivity of ionic liquids, as opposed to reactivity in ionic liquids (although discussion of the latter is often included where it aids understanding of the former).     

Molecular orbital theory of the hydrogen bond. 25. Water–uracil complexes in excited n → π states

Hydrogen bonding of uracil with water in excited n → π* states has been investigated by means of ab initio SCF -CI calculations on uracil and water–uracil complexes. Two low-energy excited states arise from n → π* transitions in uracil. The first is due to excitation of the C₄? O group, while the second is associated with excitation of the C₂? O group. In the first n → π* state, hydrogen bonds at O₄ are broken, so that the open water–uracil dimer at O₄ dissociates. The “wobble” dimer, in which a water molecule is essentially free to move between its position in an open structure at N₃? H and a cyclic structure at N₃? H and O₄ in the ground state, collapses to a different “wobble” dimer at N₃? H and O₂ in the excited state. The third dimer, a “wobble” dimer at N₁? H and O₂, remains intact, but is destabilized relative to the ground state. Although hydrogen bonds at O₂ are broken in the second n → π* state, the three water–uracil dimers remain bound. The “wobble” dimer at N₁? H and O₂ changes to an excited open dimer at N₁? H. The “wobble” dimer at N₃? H and O₄ remains intact, and the open dimer at O₄ is further stabilized upon excitation. Dimer blue shifts of n → π* bands are nearly additive in 2:1 and 3:1 water:uracil structures. The fates of the three 2:1 water:uracil trimers and the 3:1 water:uracil tetramer in the first and second n → π* states are determined by the fates of the corresponding excited dimers in these states.     

Predicted signs of reduced two-bond spin-spin coupling constants (2hKX-Y) across X-H-Y hydrogen bonds

The reduced two-bond Fermi-contact terms and the reduced spin-spin coupling constants (2h)K(X-Y) across X-H-Y hydrogen bonds for complexes stabilized by C-H-N, N-H-N, O-H-N, F-H-N, C-H-O, O-H-O, F-H-O and C-H-F hydrogen bonds are positive. The NMR Triplet Wavefunction Model (NMRTWM) indicates that the signs of the reduced FC terms and (2h)K(X-Y) are determined by excited triplet states that have an odd number of nodes intersecting the X-Y axis between X and Y, thereby leading to an antiparallel alignment of the nuclear magnetic moments of atoms X and Y.     

(4‐Nitrophenylsulfanylmethyl)triphenylstannane and (4‐nitrophenylsulfonylmethyl)triphenylstannane: R(X) rings (X is 10, 18 or 24) and C—H⋯π interactions

In the crystal structures of (4‐nitro­phenyl­sulfanyl­methyl)­tri­phenyl­stannane, [Sn(C₆H₅)₃(C₇H₆NO₂S)], (I), and (4‐nitro­phenyl­sulfonyl­methyl)­tri­phenyl­stannane, [Sn(C₆H₅)₃­(C₇H₆NO₄S)], (II), the mol­ecules are linked by paired C—H?O hydrogen bonds into centrosymmetric dimers which combine to form sheets. In (I), two such dimers form to give R(10) and R(24) rings. In (II), similar dimers form, here with R(10) and R(18) rings, but with an additional dimer due to the presence of the sulfone group, giving R(10) rings. In both structures, C—H?π interactions lead to a doubling of the width of the sheets.     

Ab initio study of complexes with two cations as N-H donors to F-: structures and spin-spin coupling constants across N-H-F hydrogen bonds

A systematic ab initio study has been carried out to determine the MP2/6-31+G(d,p) structures and EOM-CCSD coupling constants across N-H-F-H-N hydrogen bonds for a series of complexes F(H(3)NH)(2)(+), F(HNNH(2))(2)(+), F(H(2)CNH(2))(2)(+), F(HCNH)(2)(+), and F(FCNH)(2)(+). These complexes have hydrogen bonds with two equivalent N-H donors to F(-). As the basicity of the nitrogen donor decreases, the N-H distance increases and the N-H-F-H-N arrangement changes from linear to bent. As these changes occur and the hydrogen bonds between the ion pairs acquire increased proton-shared character, (2h)J(F)(-)(N) increases in absolute value and (1h)J(H)(-)(F) changes sign. F(H(3)NH)(2)(+) complexes were also optimized as a function of the N-H distance. As this distance increases and the N-H...F hydrogen bonds change from ion-pair to proton-shared to traditional F-H...N hydrogen bonds, (2h)J(F)(-)(N) initially increases and then decreases in absolute value, (1)J(N)(-)(H) decreases in absolute value, and (1h)J(H)(-)(F) changes sign. The signs and magnitudes of these coupling constants computed for F(H(3)NH)(2)(+) at short N-H distances are in agreement with the experimental signs and magnitudes determined for the F(collidineH)(2)(+) complex in solution. However, even when the N-H and F-H distances are taken from the optimized structure of F(collidineH)(2)(+), (2h)J(F)(-)(N) and (1h)J(H)(-)(F) are still too large relative to experiment. When the distances extracted from the experimental NMR data are used, there is excellent agreement between computed and experimental coupling constants. This suggests that the N-H-F hydrogen bonds in the isolated gas-phase F(collidineH)(2)(+) complex have too much proton-shared character relative to those that exist in solution.     

Tetrakis(μ‐guanidino­acetic acid‐κ2O:O′)­bis­[(nitrato‐κO)copper(II)]

The title compound, [Cu₂(NO₃)₂(C₃H₇N₃O₂)₄], forms a centrosymmetric dimer, with the two Cu²⁺ ions separated by 2.6525 (6) Å. The asymmetric unit contains a Cu atom coordinated to two guanidino­acetic acid ligands (via one carboxyl­ate O atom from each ligand) and to a nitrate group. The inversion centre in P generates the entire mol­ecule, in which each Cu atom is coordinated to four carboxyl­ate and to one nitrate O atom; ignoring the Cu—Cu separation, the geometry about each Cu atom is square pyramidal. The amino acid ligand is in the zwitterionic form. Strong N—H?O hydrogen bonds lead to a three‐dimensional supramolecular structure, in which the N?O distances are in the range 2.931 (4)–3.278 (3) Å, with N—H?O angles ranging from 128 to 170°.     

One-bond spin-spin coupling constants of X-1H proton donors in complexes with X-H-Y hydrogen bonds, for X = 13C, 15N, 17O, and 19F: predictions, comparisons, and relationships among 1J X-H, 1K X-H, and X-H distances

Ab initio calculations at the equation-of-motion coupled cluster (EOM-CCSD) level of theory have been carried out to investigate one-bond (13)C-(1)H, (15)N-(1)H, (17)O-(1)H, and (19)F-(1)H coupling constants in a systematic study of monomers and hydrogen-bonded complexes. Computed coupling constants ((1)J(X-H)) for monomers are in good agreement with available experimental data. All reduced Fermi-contact terms and reduced coupling constants ((1)K(X-H)) for monomers and complexes are positive. Plots of (1)K(X-H) versus the X-H distance for the 16 monomers and the 64 complexes in which these monomers are proton donors exhibit significant scatter. However, a linear relationship has been demonstrated for the first time between coupling constants and X-H distances for different X atoms by plotting the ratios of the coupling constants for complexes and corresponding monomers versus the ratios of distances for complexes and corresponding monomers times the square of the Pauling electronegativity. Since the ratio removes the dependence of coupling constants on the magnetogyric ratios of X, this relationship holds for both (1)K(X-H) and (1)J(X-H). The decrease in reduced coupling constants ((1)K(X-H)) as the X-H distance increases is due primarily to the increased proton-shared character of the hydrogen bond.     

New emissive fac-tricarbonylchlorobis(ligand)rhenium(I) complexes prepared from pyridine/thiophene hybrid ligands

Stille coupling between tributyl-(2,3-dihydro-thieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxin-5-yl)-stannane and 4-bromopyridine resulted in the preparation of the new pyridine/thiophene hybrid ligand 4-(2,3-dihydro-thieno[3,4-b][1,4]dioxin-5-yl)-pyridine [4-py-EDOT] (1). Reaction of 1, 4-thiophen-2-yl-pyridine (2), or 4-[2,2^′]bithiophenyl-5-yl-pyridine (3) with ClRe(CO)₅ resulted in the isolation of complexes 4-6, ClRe(L)₂(CO)₃, where L=1, 2, or 3 respectively. The solid-state structure of 4 was determined by X-ray crystallography, which clearly shows the fac arrangement of the three CO ligands and the two 4-py-EDOT ligands arranged cis to one another. The metal complexes 4-6 have been characterized by ¹H and ¹³C NMR, ESI or FAB MS, FTIR, UV-Vis, fluorescence, and elemental analysis.