How to drive imine–enamine tautomerism of pyronic derivatives of biological interest – A theoretical and experimental study of substituent and solvent effects

An investigation of the tautomerism of five series of aminated pyronic compounds of pharmacological interest was carried out using NMR experiments and standard quantum mechanical B3LYP/6-311+G** calculations. The obtained results indicate that among four possible tautomers, imine and enamine forms are the two predominating ones in the gas phase as well as in solution. Depending on the nature of the substituting group, the enamine or the imine form is the most stable tautomer, the calculations being in agreement with experiment. The calculated equilibrium constants in the gas phase and in solution show that the enamine form is stabilized by polar solvents, in all cases. NBO analysis explains well the predominance of a form over another one when changing a substituting group. We give indications on how to favour the imine form which is preferred for synthesis purposes.     

Tautomeric behavior of 3-(arylhydrazono)methyl-2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinoxalines between the hydrazone imine and diazenyl enamine forms in acidic media. Solvent and substituent effects

The 3-(arylhydrazono)methyl-2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinoxalines 1a-h and 2a-e showed tautomeric equilibria between the hydrazone imine A and diazenyl enamine B forms in a series of mixed trifluoroacetic acid/dimethyl sulfoxide media. The substituent and solvent effects on the tautomer ratios of A to B in a series of mixed media were studied for compounds 1a-h and 2a-e by the nmr spectroscopy. In compounds 1a-h and 2a-e , the ratios of the tautomer B gradually increased with elevation of acid concentration, and the tautomer B exclusively existed in trifluoroacetic acid media. The various acid concentrations (C v/v%, C' mol/1) giving the 1:1 tautomer ratios [C(A:B = 1:1), C'(A:B = 1:1)] were obtained from all compounds (Figures 1–13), and the linear correlation of the Hammett σ_p values with the log C'(A:B = 1:1) values were observed for compounds 1a-h. The larger Hammett σ_p values brought about the larger acid concentrations C(A:B = 1:1) in compounds 1a-h and 2a-e , indicating that the higher acid concentration was required for the stabilization of tautomer B possessing the electron-withdrawing p-substituents R¹, which weakened the basicity of the azo nitrogen atom. Moreover, the ester group R² of compounds 2a-e was found to decrease the electron density of the azo nitrogen atom, since the acid concentration C(A:B = 1:1) of compound 2c (R¹ = H, R² = COOMe, σ_p = O) was 52%, whose value was larger than that of compound 1b (R¹ = CN, R² = H, σ_p = 0.66) [C(A:B = 1:1) = 42%].     

Keto and enol forms of methyl acetate molecular ions,their stability and interconvertibility prior to fragmentation in the gas phase

The heats of formation of the keto and enol forms of the molecular ion of methyl acetate are 577 ± 4kJ mol^?1 and 477 ± 4KJ mol^?1 respectively. Fragmentation by loss of CH₃O˙ takes place at the thermochemical threshold for [CH₃CO]⁺ formation for both isomers, which may therefore freely interconvert at internal energies corresponding to this decomposition threshold.     

Synthesis of novel 3-(α-arylhydrazono-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ylmethyl)-2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinoxalines and their characteristic tautomerism between the hydrazone imine and diazenyl enamine forms

The reactions of 3-(α-arylhydrazono)hydrazinocarbonylmethyl-2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinoxalines 1a,b with triethyl orthoesters resulted in the intramolecular cyclization to give the 3-(α-arylhydrazono-1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ylmethyl)-2-oxo-1,2-dihydroquinoxalines 4a–d , but not the 1,2,4,5-tetrazepinylquinoxalines 5a–d . The cyclization mode into the 1,3,4-oxadiazole ring was confirmed by the alternate syntheses of 4a,c from the reactions of 3-(1,3,4-oxadiazol-2-ylmethylene)-2-oxo-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxalines 6a,b with o-chlorophenyl diazonium salts, respectively. Moreover, 4a–d exhibited an interesting tautomerism between the hydrazone imine form A and diazenyl enamine form B.     

Synthesis, experimental and theoretical NMR study of 2′-hydroxychalcones bearing a nitro substituent on their B ring

The synthesis of several 2′-hydroxynitrochalcones has been accomplished by an aldol reaction of equimolar amounts of the appropriate 2′-hydroxyacetophenones with nitrobenzaldehydes in alkaline medium. The reaction of 2′-hydroxyacetophenones bearing a 6′-methoxy with 2- or 4-nitrobenzaldehydes gave the expected 2′-hydroxynitrochalcones and also 4-methoxynitroaurones, being the latter ones the unique reaction products when using 2 molar equiv of nitrobenzaldehydes. The reaction mechanisms for the formation of both products are discussed. The ¹³C NMR chemical shifts have been discussed first by means of an empirical additive model and then by comparison with GIAO/B3LYP calculated absolute shieldings.     

Solvent and substituent effects on the electrochemical oxidation of para‐ and meta‐substituted anilines

Electrochemical oxidation of 15 para‐ and meta‐substituted anilines in different mole fractions of water in 2‐methylpropan‐2‐ol has been investigated in the presence of 0.1 M sulfuric acid as a supporting electrolyte. The oxidation potential data of anilines correlate well with the Brown–Okamoto's substituent constants affording a negative reaction constant. The effect of para‐ and meta‐substituents on the oxidation potential confirms to Swain's F and R, affording negative reaction constants. The oxidation potential values also correlate satisfactorily with macroscopic solvent parameter such as relative permittivity, ε_r. The results of Kamlet–Taft multiple correlation analysis show that specific solute–solvent interactions play a dominant role in governing the reactivity. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 39: 289–297, 2007     

Synthesis and study of the transfer of substituent electronic effects in substituted 2,5-diphenyloxazoles

A series of para-substituted 2,5-diphenyloxazoles was synthesized using Robinson-Gabriel procedure and the transfer of substituent electronic effects in these compounds was examined.Translated from Khimiya Geterotslklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 193–197, February, 1985.     

Revealing substituent effects on the concerted interaction of pnicogen, chalcogen, and halogen bonds in substituted s-triazine ring

Quantum chemical calculations have been performed to gauge the effect of substituents on concerted interactions of pnicogen, chalcogen, and halogen bonds in the X–TAZ···Y complexes (X = CN, F, Cl, Br, H, CH₃, OH, and NH₂, where TAZ and Y denote s-triazine ring and P, S, and Cl atoms, respectively) at the M06-2X/aug-cc-pVDZ level. The mutual interplay of these interactions is also investigated. The results indicate that diminutive effects are observed when the three kinds of noncovalent interactions pnicogen, chalcogen, and halogen bonds are coexisted in the complexes. These effects are studied in terms of energetic and geometric features of the complexes. In addition, Bader’s theory of “atoms in molecules” is used to analyze their strength of varying electron density at bond critical points. Natural bond orbital (NBO) theory is used to characterize the orbital interactions. The results indicate that the electron-withdrawing/donating substituents decrease/increase the magnitude of the binding energies compared to the unsubstituted X–TAZ···Y (X = H) complex. Good correlations among binding energies, Hammett constants, geometrical, atoms in molecular and NBO parameters are established in X–TAZ···Y complexes. By taking advantage of all the aforementioned computational methods, this study examines how these interactions mutually influence each other.     

DFT calculations of amine‐imine tautomerism in some pyrimidine derivatives and their 1:1 and 1:2 complexes with water

Amine‐Imine tautomerization in 2‐amino‐pyrimidine (I), 2‐amino‐4,6‐dichloropyrimidine (II), 2‐amino‐4,6‐dimethylpyrimidine (III), and 2‐amino‐4,6‐dimethoxypyrimidine (IV) and their 1:1 and 1:2 H‐bonded complexes with water have been studied using the B3LYP/6‐31++G** method. Optimum molecular geometries, electronic properties, and energetics of these systems have been discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

The spin delocalization substituent parameter s̀ 8. The spin-delocalizing abilities of the nitro,cyano, carbomethoxy,carboxy and carbamyl groups

The rate constants (k) of the homo-cycloaddition reactions of five substituted α,β,β-trifluorostyrenes (TFS's), i.e. p-nitrotrifluorostyrene (4), p-cyanotrifluorostyrene (5), p-carbomethoxytri-fluorostyrene (6), p-carboxytrifluorostyrene (7) and p-carbamyltrifluorostyrene (8), have been measured in the temperature range of 110–160°C. The s?_mb polar substituent parameters of these TFS's calculated from ¹⁰F NMR chemical shifts are: NO₂, 0.86; CN, 0.86; CO₃CH₃, 0.40; CO₂H, 0.31; CONH₂, 0.10. The spin delocalization substituent parameters σ_T^˙ of NO₂, CN, CO₂CH₃, CO₂H and CONH₂ are 0.32, 0.38, 0.31, 0.37 and 0.37 respectively. Thus all these electron-pair attracting groups are also very effective spin-stabilizers.     

Heterocyclic substituted thiosemicarbazones and their Cu(II) complexes: Synthesis,characterization and studies of substituent effects on coordination and DNA binding

By reacting thiosemicarbazides substituted on the aminic nitrogen with 5-formyluracil, several new 5-formyluracil thiosemicarbazones (H₃ut) derivatives were synthesised and characterized. These ligands, treated with copper chloride and nitrate, afforded two different kinds of compounds. In the complexes derived from copper chloride the metal atom is pentacoordinated, being surrounded by the neutral ligand binding through SNO donor atoms and by two chlorines, while the nitrate derivatives consist of monocations and nitrate anions. The copper coordination (4 + 2) involves the SNO ligand atoms, two water oxygens and an oxygen atom of a monodentate nitrate group. On varying the substituents on the thiosemicarbazidic moiety, remarkable modifications of the coordination geometry are not observed for the complexes with the same counterion. For all the compounds, interactions with DNA (calf thymus) were studied using UV–Vis spectroscopy; the nuclease activity was verified on plasmid DNA pBR 322 by electrophoresis.     

Progress toward the syntheses of (+)-GB 13, (+)-himgaline, and himandridine. new insights into intramolecular imine/enamine aldol cyclizations

A full account of our total synthesis of the galbulimima alkaloids GB 13 and himgaline is provided. Using a strategy adapted from the proposed biosynthesis of the GB alkaloid family, a linear precursor underwent successive intramolecular Diels-Alder, Michael, and imine aldol cyclizations to form the polycyclic alkaloid core. We now show that modification of this strategy can also deliver an advanced intermediate en route to the related alkaloid himandridine. The success of the key imine aldol cyclization is acutely sensitive to substrate structure and solvent, including a case in which cyclization was spontaneous in protic solvents. A detailed computational investigation of the course of the reaction closely correlates with, and suggests a rationale for, the observed patterns of imine aldol reactivity.     

Long-distance structural consequences of H-bonding. How H-bonding affects aromaticity of the ring in variously substituted aniline/anilinium/anilide complexes with bases and acids

The aromaticity of the ring in variously substituted aniline/anilinium/anilide derivatives in their H-bonded complexes with various Broensted acids and bases was a subject of an analysis based on 332 experimental geometries retrieved from the Cambridge Structural Database and geometries optimized at the B3LYP/6-311+G** and MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ levels of theory. Ab initio modeling was applied to the para-substituted aniline, anilinium cation, and anilide anion derivatives (X = NO, NO2, CN, CHO, H, CH3, OCH3, and OH) and their H-bonded complexes (only for X = NO, NO2, CHO, H, and OH) with B (B = F- and CN-) or HB (HB = HF and HCN). In both cases, the harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity index (HOMA) was used, whereas for computational geometries, additionally, the magnetism-based indices NICS, NICS(1), and NICS(1)zz were also applied (NICS = nucleus-independent chemical shift). There is an equivalent prediction of aromaticity by NICSs and HOMA and approximate monotonic dependences of HOMA and NICS on the C-N bond length. The strongest changes in aromaticity estimated by HOMA and NICSs were found for aniline derivatives with NH2...B and anilide derivatives without and with NH-...HB interactions. The changes observed for two other kinds of interactions, NH2...HB and NH3+...base (for anilinium cations), are much smaller. For all four kinds of interactions, the relationships between ipso-bond angle, mean ipso-ortho bond length, and C-N bond length follow the Bent-Walsh rule.     

DFT Study of substituent effects of 2‐substituted alkyl ethyl methylcarbonates in homogeneous,unimolecular gas phase elimination kinetics

Theoretical studies on the gas phase elimination of 2‐substituted alkyl ethyl methylcarbonates were performed at the B3LYP/6‐31G* and B3LYP/6‐31+G** level of theory. The results of these calculations provide additional evidence that the mechanism of carbonates with a C_β H bond proceeds through a concerted nonsynchronous six‐membered cyclic transition state to produce methylcarbonic acid and the corresponding olefin. The unstable intermediate, methylcarbonic acid, rapidly decomposes through a four‐membered cyclic transition state to methanol and carbon dioxide. The correlation of the logarithm of theoretical rate coefficients against Hancock's steric parameters E gave an approximate straight line (δ = 0.30, r = 0.996 at 400°C). An additional fact is that when experimental log k_re.l is plotted against the theoretical log k_re.l. for 2‐alkyl ethyl methylcarbonates an approximate straight line (r = 0.997 at 400°C) is obtained. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 38: 184–193, 2006     

Solvent and substituent effects on the reaction of 2‐ and 4‐chloro‐3,5‐dinitrobenzotrifluorides with substituted anilines

The solvent effect on a nucleophilic substitution reaction of 2‐ and 4‐chloro‐3,5‐dinitrobenzotrifluoride with substituted anilines was studied in methanol, acetonitrile, and toluene at 25°C. This reaction is of second order, except 2‐chloro‐3,5‐dinitrobenzotrifluoride in toluene shows third order. The k_A values are found to be dependent on the substituent in aniline and give good Hammett correlations. The obtained ρ values are ?4.07 and ?4.62, for the reaction of anilines with 2‐chloro‐3,5‐dinitrobenzotrifluoride in methanol and acetonitrile, respectively. The ρ values for the reaction of the anilines with 4‐chloro‐3,5‐dinitrobenzotrifluoride are ?3.38, ?4.11, and ?4.34 in methanol, acetonitrile, and toluene, respectively. The reaction of the former compound with anilines in toluene shows a second order in aniline. The dependence of the reaction on the external base such as DABCO suggests a proton transfer controlling step. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 41: 777–786, 2009     

Substituent effects in the ring‐chain tautomerism of 4‐alkyl‐2‐aryl substituted oxazolidines and tetrahydro‐1,3‐oxazines

The condensation products of 2‐aminoethanol or 3‐aminopropanol (bearing an alkyl substituent on the carbon adjacent to the nitrogen) with substituted benzaldehydes proved to exist in CDCl₃ at 300 K as threecomponent tautomeric mixtures of the diastereomeric five‐ or six‐membered 1,3‐O,N‐heterocyclic ring forms and the corresponding imines. For each equilibrium, the electronic effects of the 2‐aryl substituents were characterized by the Hammett equation. The steric effects of the alkyl groups could be described by Hansch‐type equations for the equilibria involving oxazolidine ring forms. While the alkyl substituents did not cause any significant effect on the ring cis‐chain and the ring trans‐chain equilibria for tetrahydro‐1,3‐oxazines, increasing bulk of the 4‐alkyl group increased the stability of the cyclic tautomers for the analogous oxazolidines.     

An investigation of keto–enol tautomerism in N-vinyl-2-, and 3-pyrrolidinones using ab initio and density functional theory calculations

We investigated the protomeric tautomerism of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NV2P) and N-vinyl-3-pyrrolidinone (NV3P) molecules, and considered the three neutral tautomers for NV2P (1a, 1b, 1c) and the five for NV3P (2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e). Full geometry optimizations were carried out at the HF/6-31G**, HF/6-31+G** and B3LYP/6-31+G** levels in the gas phase and in water. Additionally, single-point MP2/6-31+G** calculations were performed on the HF/6-31+G** optimized geometries. The tautomerization processes in water (=78.54) were studied using the self-consistent reaction field theory. According to our estimations, the tautomerization of NV2P and NV3P molecules are not strongly influenced by the polar solvents, the improvement of the basis set quality and the electron correlation effects in the gas phase and in water. The calculated relative free energies (ΔG) predict that 1a and 2a are the energetically preferred tautomers in the gas phase and in water.     

Transmission of substituent effects through unsaturated systems. I—relative magnitudes of proton and carbon substituent chemical shifts in ethylenes,butadienes, α-enones and benzenes

The carbon-13 shifts of C-1, C-2 and C-3 are determined in a series of 1-cyclohexen-3-ones substituted in position 1. Linear relationships are demonstrated between the substituent chemical shifts of corresponding carbons in substituted ethylenes, butadienes, α-enones and benzenes. The substituent chemical shifts of proton H-2 are also reported and correlated with those of corresponding protons in ethylenes and benzenes. The slopes of the lines for the carbons directly linked to the substituent are close to unity, showing a relative independence of the substituent effect for this nucleus from the variation of the unsaturated framework. In contrast to this, the transmission of the substituent effect through one double bond (nuclei β to the substituents) decreases as the number of conjugated π bonds in the whole structure increases. This relationship is interpreted as being due to the ability of an unsaturated system to spread the variation of π electron density induced by the substituent.