BF3.2CF3CH2OH (BF3.2TFE), an efficient superacidic catalyst for some organic synthetic transformations

BF3.2CF3CH2OH complex was found to be a very effective superacidic catalyst comparable in acid strength to at least that of 100% anhydrous sulfuric acid for various acid-catalyzed organic transformations such as isomerizations, rearrangements, ionic hydrogenation of various ketones, and aromatics with triethylsilane and nitration of aromatics with metal nitrate. Studies of the pivalaldehyde-methyl isopropyl ketone rearrangement and the benzopinacol to phenanthrene transformation suggest that the complex has an acidity comparable to that of 100% anhydrous sulfuric acid. The structure and properties of the 1:2 boron trifluoride-trifluoroethanol complex have been further studied using NMR (1H, 13C, 19F, 11B) and DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++G//B3LYP/6-31G level.     

Can Conventional Bases and Unsaturated Hydrocarbons Be Converted into Gas‐Phase Superacids That Are Stronger than Most of the Known Oxyacids? The Role of Beryllium Bonds

The association of BeX₂ (X: H, F, Cl) derivatives with azoles leads to a dramatic increase of their intrinsic acidity. Hence, whereas 1H‐tetrazole can be considered as a typical N base in the gas phase, the complex 1H‐tetrazole–BeCl₂ is predicted to be, through the use of high‐level G4 ab initio calculations, a nitrogen acid stronger than perchloric acid. This acidity enhancement is due to a more favorable stabilization of the deprotonated species after the beryllium bond is formed, because the deprotonated anion is a much better electron donor than the neutral species. Consequently, this is a general phenomenon that should be observed for any Lewis base, including those in which the basic site is a hydroxy group, an amino group, a carbonyl group, an aromatic N atom, a second‐row atom, or the π system of unsaturated hydrocarbons. The consequence is that typical bases like aniline or formamide lead to BeX₂ complexes that are stronger acids than phosphoric or chloric acids. Similarly, water, methanol, and SH₂ become stronger acids than sulfuric acid, pyridine becomes a C acid almost as strong as acetic acid, and unsaturated hydrocarbons such as ethylene and acetylene become acids as strong as nitric and sulfuric acids, respectively.     

Towards highly powerful neutral organic superacids—a DFT study of some polycyano derivatives of planar hydrocarbons

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations at B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,p)//B3LYP/6-31G(d) level have been carried out on indene, cyclopentaphenanthrene and 1H-phenalene and their heptacyano and nonacyano derivatives, respectively, in order to examine their acidities in the gas-phase and DMSO. It is found that polycyano derivatives represent powerful organic superacids, the most acidic being nonacyano-1H-phenalene. The origin of the highly pronounced acidity is identified as a strong anionic resonance in the resulting conjugate base. Comparison of the calculated ΔH_acid value for 1H-phenalene with the experimental NIST value shows that the latter is too large by 8-11 kcal mol⁻¹. A possible reason for this error is briefly discussed.     

Chiral Phosphoric Acids in Metal–Organic Frameworks with Enhanced Acidity and Tunable Catalytic Selectivity

Chiral phosphoric acids are incorporated into indium‐based metal–organic frameworks (In‐MOFs) by sterically preventing them from coordination. This concept leads to the synthesis of three chiral porous 3D In‐MOFs with different network topologies constructed from three enantiopure 1,1′‐biphenol‐phosphoric acid derived tetracarboxylate linkers. More importantly, all the uncoordinated phosphoric acid groups are periodically aligned within the channels and display significantly enhanced acidity compared to the non‐immobilized acids. This facilitates the Brønsted acid catalysis of asymmetric condensation/amine addition and imine reduction. The enantioselectivities can be tuned (up to >99 % ee) by varying the substituents to achieve a nearly linear correlation with the concentrations of steric bulky groups in the MOFs. DFT calculations suggest that the framework provides a chiral confined microenvironment that dictates both selectivity and reactivity of chiral MOFs.     

Spectrophotometric determination of traces of water in organic solvents (oxygen-free molecules)

Spectrophotometry and potentiometry have been used to determine the self-ionization product of formic acid and the acidity constants of hydrobromic, hydrochloric, methanesulfonic, p-toluenesulfonic, sulfuric, trifluoroacetic, pieric and benzoic acids in formic acid.     

On the Origin of the Enhanced Acidity of Chalcocyclopentadienes (Cyclopentadiene Chalcogenols) in the Gas Phase

The intrinsic acidity of chalcocyclopentadienes (CpXH; X=O, S, Se, Te) is investigated by high‐level G3B3 and G2 ab initio as well as B3LYP DFT calculations, which show that, independent of the nature of the heteroatom, all chalcocyclopentadienes are stronger acids in the gas phase than cyclopentadiene. However the acidity does not increase regularly down the group, and the acidity enhancement for Te derivatives is five times larger than for O derivatives, but only twice that of S‐containing compounds. The most favorable deprotonation process corresponds to loss of the proton attached to the heteroatom, with the sole exception of the 5‐substituted 1,3‐cyclopentadienes, for which the O and S derivatives are predicted to behave as carbon acids. No matter the nature of the heteroatom, the 1‐substituted 1,3‐cyclopentadienes are the strongest acids. The intrinsic acidity of all isomers, namely, 1‐substituted, 2‐substituted, and 5‐substituted 1,3‐cyclopentadienes, increases with increasing aromaticity of the anion formed on deprotonation, and therefore the Te compound is the strongest acid for the three series. However, the intrinsic acidity of chalcocyclopentadienes is not dictated by aromaticity, so that, in general, the most stable deprotonated species do not coincide with the most aromatic ones.     

Acidity trends in alpha,beta-unsaturated alkanes, silanes, germanes, and stannanes.

The gas-phase acidity of ethyl-, vinyl-, ethynyl-, and phenyl-substituted silanes, germanes, and stannanes has been measured by means of FT-ICR techniques. The effect of unsaturation on the intrinsic acidity of these compounds and the corresponding hydrocarbons was analyzed through the use of G2 ab initio and DFT calculations. In this way, it was possible to get a general picture of the acidity trends within group 14. As expected, the acid strength increases down the group, although the acidity differences between germanium and tin derivatives are already rather small. As has been found before for amines, phosphines, and arsines, the carbon, silicon, germanium, and tin alpha,beta-unsaturated compounds are stronger acids( )than their saturated analogues. The acidifying effect of unsaturation is much larger for carbon than for Si-, Ge-, and Sn-containing compounds. The allyl anion is better stabilized by resonance than its Si, Ge, and Sn analogues, [CH(2)(-)(delta)--CH(+)(delta)(') --CH(2)(-)(delta)](-) vs [CH(2)(-)(delta)()II = CH(-)(delta)()III - XH(2)(-)(delta)()IV](-) (X = Si, Ge, Sn). The enhanced acid strength of unsaturated compounds is essentially due to a greater stabilization of the anion with respect to the neutral, because the electronegativity of the alpha,beta-unsaturated carbon group increases with its degree of unsaturation. The phenyl derivatives are systematically weaker acids than the corresponding ethynyl derivatives by 15-20 kJ mol(-)(1). Experimentally, toluene acidity is very close to that of propyne, because the deprotonation of propyne takes place preferentially at the =CH group rather than at the -CH(3) group.     

Calculating The Acidity of Silica Supported Alkyl Sulfonic Acids Considering the Matrix Effect: A Dft Study

Abstract

Density functional theory (DFT) was used to investigate the acidity of the various silica alkyl sulfonic acids. In this regard, cluster models with various alkyl spacer lengths were selected to mimic the surface of silica gel. The effects of distance from the surface and the role of hydrogen bond (H–bond) on the ΔH_acidity values of these catalysts were investigated. DFT calculations revealed that a notable gap of ΔH_acidity values exists between the structures considering lateral hydrogen bonding with the surface of the silica HB structure and the structures with omitted surface interactions (non-HB structures). Natural bonding orbital (NBO) and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analyses were carried out to obtain detailed information about the nature of the H–bonds.     

1,3-Diiodo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin—An efficient reagent for iodination of aromatic compounds

1,3-Diiodo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin in organic solvents successfully iodinates alkylbenzenes, aromatic amines, and phenyl ethers. The reactivity of electrophilic iodine is controlled by acidity of the medium. Superelectrophilic iodine generated upon dissolution of 1,3-diiodo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin in sulfuric acid readily reacts with electron-deficient arenes at 0 to 20°C with formation of the corresponding iodo derivatives in good yields. The structure of electrophilic iodine species generated from 1,3-diiodo-5,5-dimethylhydantoin in sulfuric acid is discussed.     

The origin and development of the acidity function

The acidity function is a thermodynamic quantitative measure of acid strength for non-aqueous and concentrated aqueous Brønsted acids, with acid strength being defined as the extent to which the acid protonates a base of known basicity. The acidity function, which was developed, both theoretically and experimentally, by Louis P. Hammett of Columbia University during the 1930s, has proven useful in the area of physical organic chemistry where it has been used to correlate rates of acid-catalyzed reactions and to quantitate the acidity of superacids, acids with protonating abilities greater than pure sulfuric acid. All Brønsted acids can now be compared using a common measure. Karl Popper’s seminal idea of theory falsification does not apply here because of the many successful applications of the acidity function. Likewise, Thomas Kuhn’s idea of a paradigm shift does not apply here, even though the acidity function concept was revolutionary, because the acidity function is commensurate with classical concepts of acidity.     

LC Determination of Trace Short-Chain Organic Acids in Wheat Root Exudates Under Aluminum Stress

A novel and reliable high-performance liquid chromatographic method for trace short-chain organic acids measurement in wheat root exudates under aluminum stress has been optimized and validated. The chromatographic separation of the short-chain organic acids (citric, oxalic, malonic, succinic, tartaric, malic, and acetic acids) was achieved with Bio-rad Aminex HPX-87H cation exchange resin column. These seven organic acids were identified and quantified in 25 min. Well-shaped peaks were obtained for trace organic acids using dilute sulfuric acid as mobile phase. Under optimum conditions, Bio-rad Aminex HPX-87H column showed distinct advantages of the ability to well separate different short-chain organic acids (especially for tartaric and malic acids, as well as malonic and acetic acids) in wheat root exudates under aluminum stress, and offered accurate and precise results for the analysis of these organic acids. This HPLC method can efficiently eliminate the aluminum’s interference and is quite suitable to the trace detection of trace organic acids in wheat root exudates under aluminum stress.

     

Radicals derived from uric acid and its methyl derivatives in aqueous solution: an EPR spectroscopy and theoretical study

The oxidation of uric and of four N-methyluric acids in aqueous solution was studied by EPR spectroscopy. The primary oxidising radicals react with uric acid and its methyl derivatives by formal hydrogen abstraction from an NH group to yield radical-anions in neutral or moderately basic solutions and the respective radical-dianions in basic media. In the case of uric acid, the radical-trianion was detected at very high pH. The pKa values of the radical-anions were determined to be in the range 9.5-11.2. The pKa of uric acid radical-dianion was estimated to be 13.0. DFT calculations were performed to assign the hyperfine coupling constants and to determine the predominant tautomeric structure of the radicals. The uric acid radical-anion exists as the N1H, N9H tautomer, while in the radical-dianion the N1H structure is the most stable one. The intrinsic acidity of the NH protons both in uric acid and in its radicals seems to follow the order N1H < N9H < N3H.     

Some new protocols for the assignment of absolute configuration by NMR spectroscopy using chiral solvating agents and CDAs

The utility of enantiopure BINOL (1,10-Bi-2-naphthol), in a ternary ion-pair complex, which is obtained using a carboxylic acid and an organic base, as a versatile chiral solvating agent (CSA) has been demonstrated for chiral analysis and the absolute configuration assignment of hydroxy acids. Another protocol where the utility of NOBIN as a CSA has been developed for discrimination and absolute configuration assignment of acids, hydroxy acids and their derivatives with a distinct strategy where a third ingredient, p-toluenesulfonic acid (p-TsOH) serves as a linker. In addition some three component chiral derivatization protocols have been introduced, such as the use of 2-formylphenylboronic acid and enantiopure mandelic acid or a primary amine for the determination of the configuration of primary amines and hydroxy acids, respectively. A simple, rapid and highly efficient three component chiral derivatizing protocol has also been discussed which was developed for assigning the absolute configuration of chiral α-hydroxy acids and their derivatives, which involves the coupling of 2-formylphenylboronic acid with (R)-[1,1-binaphthalene]-2,2-diamine, and (S)-[1,1-binaphthalene]-2,2-diamine separately. In a few examples, the DFT based theoretical calculations have been carried out to determine the geometry optimized structures of the complexes.     

Isolation and bioactivities of organic acids and phenols from walnut shell pyroligneous acid

Based on differences in acidity, organic acids and phenols were enriched by pH gradient extraction method from walnut shell pyroligneous acid. Contents of organic acids and phenols were measured by acid-base titration method and Folin colorimetric assay, respectively to assess the effectiveness of the extraction. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of the organic acids and antioxidant activity of phenols extracted were investigated. Chemical components of the extracts that were from the optimal concentrations of NaHCO₃ and NaOH were measured by GC-MS. The results showed that 5% NaHCO₃ could enrich the highest amount of organic acids, whereas 4% NaOH could enrich the highest amount of phenols. The enriched organic acids exhibited high antimicrobial activity, and the enriched phenols exhibited antioxidant activity under low concentrations, and demonstrated dosage dependency.     

Probing the Mechanism of Allylic Substitution of Morita–Baylis–Hillman Acetates (MBHAs) by using the Silyl Phosphonite Paradigm: Scope and Applications of a Versatile Transformation

A P?C bond‐forming reaction between silyl phosphonites and Morita–Baylis–Hillman acetates (MBHAs) is explored as a general alternative towards medicinally relevant β‐carboxyphosphinic structural motifs. Conversion rates of diversely substituted MBHAs to phosphinic acids 9 or 14 that were recorded by using ³¹P NMR spectroscopy revealed unexpected reactivity differences between ester and nitrile derivatives. These kinetic profiles and DFT calculations support a mechanistic scenario in which observed differences can be explained from the “lateness” of transition states. In addition, we provide experimental evidence suggesting that enolates due to initial P‐Michael addition are not formed. Based on the proposed mechanistic scenario in conjunction with DFT calculations, an interpretation of the E/Z stereoselectivity differences between ester and nitriles is proposed. Synthetic opportunities stemming from this transformation are presented, which deal with the preparation of several synthetically capricious phosphinic building blocks, whose access through the classical P‐Michael synthetic route is not straightforward.     

Experimental and theoretical investigation of epoxide quebrachitol derivatives through spectroscopic analysis

Two synthetic epoxide derivatives, important intermediates in organic synthesis, were obtained from L-quebrachitol, and their conformations were proposed based on spectroscopic analysis. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations of infrared and NMR spectra were shown to be reliable enough for organic chemistry applications. The observed structures were determined with the aid of the DFT spectroscopic data, stressing the relevance and utility of combined experimental/theoretical studies and also the usefulness of the (13)C NMR B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) calculations.     

Theoretical investigation of interaction of dicarboxylic acids with common aerosol nucleation precursors

Dicarboxylic acids are important products from photooxidation of volatile organic compounds and are believed to play an important role in the formation and growth of atmospheric secondary organic aerosols. In this paper, the interaction of five dicarboxylic acids, i.e., oxalic acid (C(2)H(2)O(4)), malonic acid (C(3)H(4)O(4)), maleic acid (C(4)H(4)O(4)), phthalic acid (C(8)H(6)O(4)), and succinic acid (C(4)H(6)O(4)), with sulfuric acid and ammonia has been studied, employing quantum chemical calculations, quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM), and the natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis methods. Several levels of quantum chemical calculations are considered, including coupled-cluster theory with single and double excitations with perturbative corrections for the triple excitations (CCSD(T)) and two density functionals, B3LYP and PW91PW91. The free energies of formation of the heterodimer and heterotrimer clusters suggest that dicarboxylic acids can contribute to the aerosol nucleation process by binding to sulfuric acid and ammonia. In particular, the formation energies and structures of the heterotrimer clusters show that dicarboxylic acids enhance nucleation in two directions, in contrast to monocarboxylic acids.     

汽油中有机硫化物的酸富集和结构分析

石油中发现的硫化物已超过250种，其中约有1／4存在于汽油中。由于汽油中每种硫化物的含量都很低，又有十分复杂的烃组分和含氮组分的干扰，单纯使用仪器方法对汽油中的有机硫化物进行结构分析是十分困难的。通常的做法是对汽油样品进行预处理，使硫化物从混合烃体系中分离出来，再通过仪器和相应标样进行类型分析或结构鉴定。目前研究者在此方面做了很多工作，花瑞香等用29种硫化物标样，采取GC／SCD辅以选择性化学反应对汽油馏分的硫化物形态分布研究。     

Reversed phase liquid chromatographic determination of organic acids using on-line complexation with copper(II) ion

We describe a simple and sensitive liquid chromatographic method for the analysis of organic acids using on-line complexation with copper(II) ion. Organic acids complexed with copper(II) ion were separated on a reversed-phase C18 column and detected by UV absorption at 240 nm. The copper(II) ion concentration in the mobile phase had a great influence on separation and sensitivity. A mobile phase consisting of 10 mM copper(II) sulfate in 5 mM sulfuric acid (pH 2.3) was used to separate nine organic acids (tartaric, malic, malonic, lactic, acetic, citric, maleic, succinic and fumaric acids). The detection limits of the examined organic acids calculated at S/N = 3 ranged from 0.6 to 100 μM. The detector signal was linear over three orders of magnitude of organic acid concentration. The method successfully measured organic acids in juice and vinegar samples.     

Accurate pKa determination for a heterogeneous group of organic molecules.

Single-molecule studies that allow to compute pKa values, proton affinities (gas-phase acidity/basicity) and the electrostatic energy of solvation have been performed for a heterogeneous set of 26 organic compounds. Quantum mechanical density functional theory (DFT) using the Becke-half&half and B3LYP functionals on optimized molecular geometries have been carried out to investigate the energetics of gas-phase protonation. The electrostatic contribution to the solvation energies of protonated and deprotonated compounds were calculated by solving the Poisson equation using atomic charges generated by fitting the electrostatic potential derived from the molecular wave functions in vacuum. The combination of gas-phase and electrostatic solvation energies by means of the thermodynamic cycle enabled us to compute pKa values for the 26 compounds, which cover six distinct chemical groups (carboxylic acids, benzoic acids, phenols, imides, pyridines and imidazoles). The computational procedure for determining pKa values is accurate and transferable with a root-mean-square deviation of 0.53 and 0.57 pKa units and a maximum error of 1.0 pKa and 1.3 pKa units for Becke-half&half and B3LYP DFT functionals, respectively.