o-hydroxylmethylphenylchalcogens: synthesis, intramolecular nonbonded chalcogen...OH interactions, and glutathione peroxidase-like activity

[Structure: see text]. The synthesis and characterization of a series of organochalcogen (Se, Te) compounds derived from benzyl alcohol 13 are described. The synthesis of the key precursor dichalcogenides 15, 22, and 29 was achieved by the ortho-lithiation route. Selenide 18 was obtained by the reaction of the dilithiated derivative 14 with Se(dtc)2. Oxidation of 15 and 22 with H2O2 afforded the corresponding cyclic ester derivatives 17 and 24, respectively. Oxidation of selenide 18 with H2O2 affords the spirocyclic compound 19. The presence of intramolecular interactions in dichalcogenides 15 and 22 has been proven by single-crystal X-ray studies. The cyclic compounds 17 and 19 have also been characterized by single-crystal X-ray studies. GP(X)-like antioxidant activity of selenium compounds has been evaluated by the coupled bioassay method. Density functional theory calculations at the mPW1PW91 level on ditelluride 22 have identified a fairly strong nonbonding interaction between the hydroxy oxygen and tellurium atom. The second-order perturbation energy obtained through NBO analysis conveys the involvement of n(O) --> sigma(Te-Te) orbital overlap in nonbonding interaction. Post wave function analysis with the Atoms in Molecules (AIM) method identified distinct bond critical point in 15 and 22 and also indicated that the nonbonding interaction is predominantly covalent. Comparison between diselenide 15 and ditelluride 22 using the extent of orbital interaction as well as the value of electron density at the bond critical points unequivocally established that a ditelluride could be a better acceptor in nonbonding interaction, when the hydroxy group acts as the donor.     

Isomeric ruthenium terpyridine complexes [Ru(trpy)(L)Cl]n+ containing the unsymmetrically bidentate acceptor L=3-amino-6-(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazine. Synthesis, structures, electrochemistry, spectroscopy and DFT calculations

The isomeric title complexes were obtained in almost equimolar ratio from the reaction of Ru(trpy)Cl3 and L. Crystal structure analyses of the perchlorate hemihydrates, electrochemical and spectroscopic (NMR, UV/VIS, EPR) studies, supported by DFT calculations, reveal distinct differences between the isomeric redox series [1]n+(tetrazine-Nt trans to Cl) and [2]n+(pyrazolyl-Np trans to Cl; n= 0, 1, 2). The latter system with the pi acceptors trpy and tetrazine in the equatorial plane and the pyrazolyl and chloride donors in the axial positions exhibits facilitated oxidation, lower energy MLCT transitions, more balanced chelate coordination, and a higher g anisotropy in the oxidised (RuIII) state. According to partially resolved EPR spectra of one-electron reduced neutral compounds and they have the unpaired electron predominantly in the tetrazine ring of L.     

Controlling chemistry with cations: photochemistry within zeolites

The alkali ions present in the supercages of zeolites X and Y interact with included guest molecules through quadrupolar (cation-pi), and dipolar (cation-carbonyl) interactions. The presence of such interactions can be inferred through solid-state NMR spectra of the guest molecules. Alkali ions, as illustrated in this article, can be exploited to control the photochemical and photophysical behaviors of the guest molecules. For example, molecules that rarely phosphoresce can be induced to do so within heavy cation-exchanged zeolites. The nature (electronic configuration) of the lowest triplet state of carbonyl compounds can be altered with the help of light alkali metal ions. This state switch (n pi*-pi pi*) helps to bring out reactivity that normally remains dormant. Selectivity obtained during the singlet oxygen oxidation of olefins within zeolites illustrates the remarkable control that can be exerted on photoreactions with the help of a confined medium that also has active sites. The reaction cavities of zeolites, like enzymes, are not only well-defined and confined, but also have active sites that closely guide the reactant molecule from start to finish. The examples provided here illustrate that zeolites are far more useful than simple shape-selective catalysts.     

Intramolecular interactions between chalcogen atoms: organoseleniums derived from 1-bromo-4-tert-butyl-2,6-di(formyl)benzene

[structure: see text] The synthesis and characterization of a series of low-valent organoselenium compounds derived from 1-bromo-4-tert-butyl-2,6-di(formyl)benzene (22) is described. The synthesis of diselenide 25 was achieved by the lithiation route whereas bis(4-tert-butyl-2,6-di(formyl)phenyl) diselenide (26) was synthesized by treating 22 with disodium diselenide. A series of monoselenides (27, 28, and 29) was obtained by facile nucleophilic substitution of bromine in 22, using the corresponding selenolates as nucleophiles. The halogenation reactions of bis(4-tert-butyl-2,6-di(formyl)phenyl) diselenide (26) did not afford the corresponding selenenyl halides but resulted in the isolation of an unexpected cyclic selenenate ester 34 as a product. The selenide 32 was synthesized by the treatment of dimethoxymethyl diselenide with trilithiated 2-bromo-5-tert-butyl-N,N'-di(phenyl)isophthalamide. The existence of potential Se...O intramolecular nonbonding interactions was examined by IR, (1)H, and (77)Se NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and computational studies. The X-ray crystal structures of 26 and 27, having two ortho formyl groups, reveal the absence of any Se...O interactions. However, the Se...O interactions were observed in the selenenate ester 34 where one of the formyl groups has been utilized for the selenenate ring formation. The crystal structures of 26 and 27 exhibited intermolecular short-range C-H...Se interactions (hydrogen bonding). Although there are four heteroatoms in carbamoyl moieties ortho to selenium capable of forming a five-membered ring on intramolecular coordination, no such intramolecular Se...X (X = N, O) interaction was observed in the crystal structure of 32. The density functional theory calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G* level predicted that for all the diformyl systems (47a-c, 48a-c), the anti,anti conformer (when both formyl oxygen atoms point away from the selenium) is more stable. This preference was found to be reversed in the monoformyl-substituted systems (50a,b, 51a,b), where the syn conformer (when formyl oxygen is near the selenium) is energetically more favorable than the anti conformer.     

Tale of the Breslow intermediate,a central player in N-heterocyclic carbene organocatalysis: then and now

N-Heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) belong to the popular family of organocatalysts used in a wide range of reactions, including that for the synthesis of complex natural products and biologically active compounds. In their organocatalytic manifestation, NHCs are known to impart umpolung reactivity to aldehydes and ketones, which are then exploited in the generation of homoenolate, acyl anion, and enolate equivalents suitable for a plethora of reactions such as annulation, benzoin, Stetter, Claisen rearrangement, cycloaddition, and C–C and C–H bond functionalization reactions and so on. A common thread that runs through these NHC catalyzed reactions is the proposed involvement of an enaminol, also known as the Breslow intermediate, formed by the nucleophilic addition of an NHC to a carbonyl group of a suitable electrophile. In the emerging years of NHC catalysis, enaminol remained elusive and was largely considered a putative intermediate owing to the difficulties encountered in its isolation and characterization. However, in the last decade, synergistic efforts utilizing an array of computational and experimental techniques have helped in gaining important insights into the formation and characterization of Breslow intermediates. Computational studies have suggested that a direct 1,2-proton transfer within the initial zwitterionic intermediate, generated by the action of an NHC on the carbonyl carbon, is energetically prohibitive and hence the participation of other species capable of promoting an assisted proton transfer is more likely. The proton transfer assisted by additives (such as acids, bases, other species, or even a solvent) was found to ease the kinetics of formation of Breslow intermediates. These important details on the formation, in situ detection, isolation, and characterization of the Breslow intermediate are scattered over a series of reports spanning well over a decade, and we intend to consolidate them in this review and provide a critical assessment of these developments. Given the central role of the Breslow intermediate in organocatalytic reactions, this treatise is expected to serve as a valuable source of knowledge on the same.

Molecular insights on the formation, detection, and even isolation of the Breslow intermediate, which is the most important species in N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalysis, as obtained from experimental and computational studies, are presented.     

Anomalous excited-state dynamics of lucifer yellow CH in solvents of high polarity: evidence for an intramolecular proton transfer

The photophysics of the fluorescent probe Lucifer yellow CH has been investigated using fluorescence spectroscopic and computational techniques. The nonradiative rate is found to pass through a minimum in solvents of intermediate empirical polarity. This apparently anomalous behavior is rationalized by considering the possibility of predominance of different kinds of nonradiative processes, viz. intersystem crossing (ISC) and excited-state proton transfer (ESPT), in solvents of low and high empirical polarity, respectively. The feasibility of the proton transfer is examined by the structure determined by the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The predicted energy levels based on the time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) method in the gas phase identifies the energy gap between the S(1) and nearest triplet state to be close enough to facilitate ISC. Photophysical investigation in solvent mixtures and in deuterated solvents clearly indicates the predominance of the solvent-mediated intramolecular proton transfer in the excited state of the fluorophore in protic solvents.