A complete active-space self-consistent-field study on cubic N8

Summary Complete Active-Space Self-Consistent-Field (CAS-SCF) calculations for cubic N₈ are presented. We studied the N₈↔4N₂ reaction inD _4h symmetry and found its energy release and activation barrier with three different atomic basis sets. The energy release for this reaction is predicted to be around 526 kcal/mol, while the energy barrier to dissociation is estimated about 159 kcal/mol. These results are in substantial agreement with previousab initio estimates. The authors of this paper have agreed to not receive the proofs for correction.     

The synthesis of N-substituted ureas II: Nucleophilic substitution of ureas at the carbonyl group

Summary N-Arylsubstituted ureas undergo exchange of the N-residue upon reaction with amines. Using kinetic measurements, investigation of product distribution, regioselectivity, catalysis, and substrate influences, it was shown that this reaction proceeds via a second order nucleophilic substitution at the urea carbonyl center. By means of semiempirical calculations using the MNDO method the alternative mechanism of fragmentation was investigated.

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Zur Synthese N-substituierter Harnstoffe II: Nucleophile Substitution von Harnstoffen an der Carbonylgruppe

Zusammenfassung N-Arylsubstituierte Harnstoffe erleiden bei der Reaktion mit Aminen einen Austausch des N-Restes. Durch kinetische Messungen, Untersuchung der Produktverteilung, Regioselektivität, Katalyse und des Einflusses des Edukts konnte abgeleitet werden, daß es sich hiebei um eine nucleophile Substitution zweiter Ordnung am Carbonylzentrum des Harnstoffs handelt. Durch semiempirische Rechnungen mit Hilfe der MNDO Methode wurde der alternative Reaktionsmechanismus einer Fragmentierung untersucht.

     

Conformations, Energy and Spectral Characteristics of 2,3-Trimethylene- and 2,3-Pentamethylene-3,4-dihydro-4-quinazolinones

Quantum-chemical calculations and IR spectroscopy were used to study the conformations as well as the energy and spectral characteristics of 2,3-trimethylene- and 2,3-pentamethylene-3,4-dihydro-4-quinazolinones. The shift of -electron density from the heterocyclic system to the carbonyl group and, thus, the proton affinity of the oxygen atom of this group increase with expansion of the bond angle at the nitrogen atom in going from a five-membered to seven-membered ring.     

Vibrational assignment, <Emphasis Type="Italic">ab initio</Emphasis> calculation and normal coordinate analysis of 2,2′-biquinoline

The vibrational wavenumbers and the fundamental modes of 2,2′-biquinoline were obtained by density functional theory (DFT) with the B3LYP functional using the 6-31G(d,p) basis set. The calculated wavenumbers were scaled by a single factor of 0.965 to correct them for vibrational anharmonicity, but the force constants were overestimated. Normal coordinate analysis of the molecule was also carried out by using the force field of the quinoline molecule and the force field parameters of quinoline are shown to be transferable to 2,2′-biquinoline. The potential energy distribution associated with the normal modes is also given. The theoretical wavenumbers are found to be in good agreement with the experimental data.     

Synthesis,molecular and crystal structures,and characteristic features of electronic structures of salicylamide-based B,Si-containing chelates

The reaction of 4-(2-hydroxybenzoyl)-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-2,6-disilamorpholine with BF₃Et₂O afforded (O-B)-chelate 4-[2-(difluoroboroxy)benzoyl]-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-2,6-disilamorpholine. Treatment of the latter with BF₃Et₂O or SOCl₂ gave rise to products of the disilamorpholine ring opening, viz., (O-B) chelate 2-(difluoroboroxy)-N,N-bis(dimethylfluorosilylmethyl)benzamide or 2-(difluoroboroxy)-N, N-bis(dimethylchlorosilylmethyl)benzamide, respectively. The structures of the compounds synthesized were confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis and ¹H, ¹³C, and ²⁹Si NMR spectroscopy. High-precision X-ray diffraction study and quantum-chemical calculations demonstrated that the coordination OSi bond is absent in the two last-mentioned compounds.Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1846–1853, September, 2004.     

Investigation of gas chromatographic interaction mechanism on permethylated cyclodextrins by molecular modelling

Summary The capillary gas chromatographic retention behavior of -pinene and tricyclene has been investigated on stationary phases of different polarities. On all but one of the columns employed, tricyclene eluted before -pinene; only permethylated -cyclodextrins dissolved in moderately polar polisiloxanes gave a reversed elution order. The intermolecular interactions which caused the unexpected retention behavior were investigated in detail, applying methods of computer simulation. To achieve this, we have developed a calculation algorithm on the basis of molecular mechanical optimizations and programmed it in a macro. This makes it possible to systematically investigate a given configuration space in which all the possible interactions can take place. It was shown that permethylated -cyclodextrin as host molecule for both guest molecules offers an optimum cavity size. As a result the number of energetically favorable contacts between host and guest molecules as well as the strength of the interactions in this stationary phase were larger. As a consequence the elution order, normally only influenced by the vapor pressure of the compounds at a given temperature, was changed. Nonspecific interactions played an especially important role for these kinds of substances.     

Structural determination of carvone, a component of spearmint, by means of gas electron diffraction augmented by theoretical calculations

The molecular structure and conformation of carvone, a compound with a minty odor, were investigated by means of gas electron diffraction supported by theoretical calculations. Electron diffraction patterns were recorded by heating the nozzle up to 128 °C to obtain enough scattering intensity. The infrared spectrum was also measured by using an absorption cell with a path length of 10 m. The obtained molecular scattering intensities were analyzed with the aid of theoretical calculations and infrared spectroscopy. It was revealed that the experimental data are well reproduced by assuming that carvone consists of a mixture of three conformers that have the isopropenyl group in the equatorial position and mutually differ in the torsional angle around the single bond connecting the ring and the isopropenyl group. It was also found that the puckering amplitude of the ring of carvone is close to those of menthol and isomenthol, a minty compound and its nonminty isomer. The determined structural parameters (r_g and ∠_α) of the most abundant conformer of carvone are as follows: 〈r(C-C)〉=1.520(3) Å; 〈r(CC)〉=1.360(5) Å; r(CO)=1.225(5) Å; 〈r(C-H)〉=1.104(4)Å; 〈∠CC-C〉=121.1(5)°; 〈∠C-C-C〉=110.4(5)°; ∠C-CO-C=117.1(14)°; 〈∠C-C-H〉=111.1(13)°. Angle brackets denote average values and parenthesized values are the estimated limits of error (3σ) referring to the last significant digit.     

Ab initio study of the complexes of halogen-containing molecules RX (X=Cl, Br, and I) and NH3: towards understanding the nature of halogen bonding and the electron-accepting propensities of covalently bonded halogen atoms

Ab initio calculations have been performed on a series of complexes formed between halogen-containing molecules and ammonia to gain a deeper insight into the nature of halogen bonding. It appears that the dihalogen molecules form the strongest halogen-bonded complexes with ammonia, followed by HOX; the charge-transfer-type contribution has been demonstrated to dominate the halogen bonding in these complexes. For the complexes involving carbon-bound halogen molecules, our calculations clearly indicate that electrostatic interactions are mainly responsible for their binding energies. Whereas the halogen-bond strength is significantly enhanced by progressive fluorine substitution, the substitution of a hydrogen atom by a methyl group in the CH(3)X...NH(3) complex weakened the halogen bonding. Moreover, remote substituent effects have also been noted in the complexes of halobenzenes with different para substituents. The influence of the hybridization state of the carbon atom bonded to the halogen atom has also been examined and the results reveal that halogen-bond strengths decrease in the order HC triple bond CX > H(2)C=CHX approximately O=CHX approximately C(6)H(5)X > CH(3)X. In addition, several excellent linear correlations have been established between the interaction energies and both the amount of charge transfer and the electrostatic potentials corresponding to an electron density of 0.002 au along the R-X axis; these correlations provide good models with which to evaluate the electron-accepting abilities of the covalently bonded halogen atoms. Finally, some positively charged halogen-bonded systems have been investigated and the effect of the charge has been discussed.