Structure and Bonding in Cyclic Sulfur-Nitrogen Compounds—Molecular Orbital Considerations

The molecular structures of monocyclic sulfur-nitrogen ring systems, such as S₂N₂, S₃N, S₄N and S₅N, can be considered as examples of electron rich (4n + 2)π systems. The structures of S₄N₄, S₄N, P₄S₄, As₄S₄ and the bicyclic structures S₄N, S₄N as well as S₅N₆ can be rationalized on the basis of a planar tetrasulfur tetranitride with 12π electrons.     

Physicochemical and Cytochemical Investigations on the Binding of Ethidium and Acridine Dyes to DNA and to Organelles in Living Cells

Ethidium and acridine dyes are classical model substances for studying the binding of small, pharmacologically active molecules to DNA. Intercalation between the DNA base pairs is nearly always proposed as the most important type of binding. According to our investigations, however, there is a second type of binding, which also occurs when the concentration of the bound molecules is low and will be referred to here as external or preintercalative binding. The experimental binding isotherms show that the binding constant for intercalation K_S1 is considerably smaller than that for external binding K_S2 (K_S1 > K_S2). This surprising result is not due to the binding enthalpy (ΔH ≈ ΔH) but to the binding entropy (ΔS > ΔS). Electrostatic interactions between the dye and the DNA represent the most important contribution to both types of binding; they are supplemented by hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions. The behavior of a substance in living cells, however, cannot be reliably predicted from its in vitro binding to DNA. Very few substances are bound to the DNA of the nuclear chromatin in cell culture; for example, dyes often accumulate instead in the lysosomes. In some cases the dye binds specifically and very efficiently to the mitochondria of the living cell, especially to the mitochondrial membranes, the sites of oxidative phosphorylation.     

The Battle of Calicheamicin γ

The first total synthesis of calicheamicin γ was achieved approximately a year ago. In this article, the author presents a personal account of the events, in chronological order, that led to this success story in total synthesis.     

Destabilized Carbocations

Carbocations are intrinsically reactive species, and in early studies of their generation and properties the more accessible with stabilizing influences were naturally the prime objects of interest. Now, however, it is possible to extend the scope of these studies to include factors which tend to destabilize carbocations. By using the carbocations CH and C₂H as reference ions, such destabilizing factors can be defined; these include various structural factors, antiaromaticity effects, and the presence of electron-withdrawing substituents. Such factors can be studied by their effect on the thermodynamics of carbocations, their effect on reactivities, and by the spectroscopic properties of long-lived carbocations. Destabilized carbocations of this type are receiving increasing attention and promise to remain an active subject of investigation.     

Covalent Inorganic Azides

The chemistry of covalent inorganic azides originated with the synthesis of aqueous HN₃ solutions by Tony Curtis in 1890. A little later, in 1900, it proved possible to prepare iodine azide, IN₃, as the first member of the meanwhile complete series of halogen azides. Since then it has been possible to synthesize, in addition to HN₃ and the stable salt H₂NSbF, azide compounds of elements from Groups 13 to 17. In these compounds the N₃ moiety acts as a pseudohalogen and is primarily covalently coordinated to the nonmetal. Only a few organic azides, however, as well as HN₃, H₂N, and all halogen azides have been thoroughly studied with respect to structure and bonding. The combined application of diffraction methods (X-ray and electron diffraction) and microwave spectroscopy together with quantum chemical approaches such as ab initio SCF and density functional calculations have led in the last few years to an improved understanding of the molecular properties of numerous nonmetal azides, almost all of which are explosive. This interaction of theory and experiment has greatly enhanced the development of azide chemistry and has led to realistic expectations for the synthesis of as yet unknown nonmetal azides.     

Normal-mode vibrational frequencies and thermodynamic properties of uracil and 4-hydroxyuracil

Normal-mode vibrational frequencies were obtained for uracil and 4-hydroxyuracil with the MINDO /3 SCF method. MINDO /3 vibrational frequencies and the moments of inertia for STO -3G optimized geometries yielded a ΔS for U ? U* of 1.06 e.u./mol by standard statistical thermodynamic equations. ΔG is then 6.29 kcal/mol in the gas phase for U ? U*. The reaction field continuum model of solvent effect lowers ΔG to 5.3 kcal/mol in aqueous solution. The tautomeric equilibrium constant in solution is then 1.3 × 10^?4, in good agreement with experimental values.     

The role of d orbitals in tetrahedral hybrid orbitals of oxy-ions

The hybrid orbitals of tetrahedral oxy-ions containing some d character have been calculated by maximum overlap method. The d characters of hybrid orbitals increase in the order of SiO, PO, SO, ClO, and decrease in order of GeO, AsO, SeO, BrO. The bond strengths are also obtained for these ions. The hybrid Orbital of VO, CrO, and MnO are of the type d³s as the result of calculation.     

Conformational Analysis and Chromic Acid Oxidation. Oxidation Rates and Equilibrium Constants of Epimeric Alcohols

The linear free energy relationship of Sicher for relative reactivity towards chromic acid oxidation (ΔΔG) as a function of thermodynamic stability (ΔG) has been reexamined with 23 pairs of epimeric alcohols. The plot of ΔG vs. ΔG has a slope of 0.8, a correlation coefficient of 0.97 and a standard deviation of 0.23 kcal/mol on ΔΔG_Ox. The limitations of the relationship and the exceptions are discussed.     

Intrinsic birefringence of poly(trimethylene terephthalate)

Highly oriented poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) fiber has a low birefringence that is unexpected for an aromatic polyester with a high refractive index. To explain this observation, the intrinsic birefringence Δn of PTT crystal was calculated from its bond polarizabilities to be 0.029. This Δn is almost an order of magnitude smaller than poly(ethylene terephthalate)'s value at 0.22, although both polymers have nearly identical crystal refractive indices. The small Δn is due to the arrangement of PTT's methylene groups in gauche conformations, causing the chain‐repeating unit to be tilted ～53° away from the c axis toward the basal plane. Because of the small Δn, the crystalline‐phase orientation made only a small contribution to the overall birefringence despite the fiber's high crystallinity and orientation. To understand the effect of the number of methylene groups on polyester optical anisotropy, the Δn's of a series of poly(m‐alkylene terephthalates) with m = 2–5 were compared and correlated with ψ: an angle made by the normal of the benzene ring with the crystal's axis. As ψ′ decreases, Δn of the polyesters diminishes. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 40: 1513–1520, 2002     

The Catalytic Oxidative Coupling of Methane

One of the great challenges in the field of heterogeneous catalysis is the conversion of methane to more useful chemicals and fuels. A chemical of particular importance is ethene, which can be obtained by the oxidative coupling of methane. In this reaction CH₄ is first oxidatively converted into C₂H₆, and then into C₂H₄. The fundamental aspects of the problem involve both a heterogeneous component, which includes the activation of CH₄ on a metal oxide surface, and a homogeneous gas-phase component, which includes free-radical chemistry. Ethane is produced mainly by the coupling of the surface-generated CH radicals in the gas phase. The yield of C₂H₄ and C₂H₆ is limited by secondary reactions of CH radicals with the surface and by the further oxidation of C₂H₄, both on the catalyst surface and in the gas phase. Currently, the best catalysts provide 20% CH₄ conversion with 80% combined C₂H₄ and C₂H₆ selectivity in a single pass through the reactor. Less is known about the nature of the active centers than about the reaction mechanism; however, reactive oxygen ions are apparently required for the activation of CH₄ on certain catalysts. There is spectroscopic evidence for surface O^? or O ions. In addition to the oxidative coupling of CH₄, cross-coupling reactions, such as between methane and toluene to produce styrene, have been investigated. Many of the same catalysts are effective, and the cross-coupling reaction also appears to involve surface-generated radicals. Although a technological process has not been developed, extensive research has resulted in a reasonable understanding of the elementary reactions that occur during the oxidative coupling of methane.     

Solvent shifts in the NMR spectra of monomethoxyflavones a comparison of four solvent systems

Nmr chemical shifts of methoxyl protons are reported for the eight monomethoxyflavones in four solvents: deuteriochloroform, benzene, dimethylsulfoxide, and pyridine. Benzene shift data are presented, and Δ values interpreted on the basis of a preferential approach of benzene molecules near the positive end (hetero oxygen atom) of a large pyrone dipole. Pyridine shifts, relative to deuteriochloroform and dimethylsulfoxide, are reported. The Δ values for monomethoxyflavones indicate that only in 2′-methoxyflavone is the shift value positive.     

The acetyl radicals CH3CO· and CD3CO· studied by flash photolysis and kinetic spectroscopy

Ultraviolet absorption spectra have been characterized for the acetyl-h₃ and acetyl-d₃ radicals, which were generated by the flash photolysis of the corresponding acetones. The spectra are broad and intense, with values of the extinction coefficient at the respective maxima estimated as: ?CH₃CO(215) = (1.0 ± 0.1) × 10⁴ L/mol·cm and ?CD₃CO(207.5) = (1.0 ± 0.05) × 10⁴ L/mol·cm. Rate constants for the reactions of mutual interaction were estimated as: k = 3.5 × 10¹⁰ L/mol·s and k = 3.4 × 10¹⁰ L/mol·s. Rate constants for the reactions of cross interaction were estimated as: k = 8.6 × 10¹⁰ L/mol·s and k = 5.2 × 10¹⁰ L/mol·s. The related values of the cross interaction ratios k/(kk)^1/2 = 2.6 and k/(kk)^1/2 = 1.6 do not differ significantly from the statistical value of 2. The participation of the radical displacement reactions was estimated in terms of the fractions k/k = 0.38 and k/k = 0.47. Corroborative spectra were obtained from the flash photolysis of methyl ethyl ketone and biacetyl, and the relative rates of the competing primary processes were estimated from the relative peak heights of the acetyl and methyl radicals in each system.     

Disproportionation-to-combination ratios for cyclohexyl-h11 and -d11 radicals in the gas phase as determined by the radiolysis of water vapor–cyclohexane mixtures

In the radiolysis of water vapor containing small concentrations of cyclohexane, the principal products which account for about 98% of all end products are found to be hydrogen, cyclohexene, and bicyclohexyl. Cyclohexene and bicyclohexyl yields were determined over a range of temperatures (70–200°C), total pressures (50–2400 torr), and total doses (0.15–2.0 Mrad). The disproportionation–combination ratio k/k for c-C₆H₁₁ radicals could be determined as 0.56 ± 0.01 from the ratio of cyclohexene to bicyclohexyl yield. By using c-C₆D₁₂, the ratio k/k for c-C₆D₁₁ radicals is found to be 0.38 ± 0.01. Comparison of the reactivity pattern of C₆H₁₁ and C₆D₁₁ radicals leads to (k)/(k)/(k/k) = 1.47 ± 0.02. The corresponding values for the reactions of c-C₆H₁₁ with c-C₆D₁₁ were also determined.     

SCF and MC–SCF Study of CO2 with bond angle variation

Multiconfiguration (MC ) SCF calculations are reported for CO₂ for bond angles between 60° and 180°. The ground state configuration is found to be …?5a4b∣b∣a for small bending angles and …?6a3b∣b∣a for large bending angles, the change in ground state character occurring at a bond angle of about 100°. The force constant for bending obtained from the MC –SCF function is about 8.0% lower than the corresponding SCF value, and in considerably better agreement with experiment.     

Atomic integrals containing rrr with λ, μ, ν ≥ −2

In this paper, the efficient evaluation of the atomic integrals I =∫rrrrrre^{?αr1?βr2?γr3}dτ with one or two factors r is described. These integrals are necessary for a lower-bound calculation for Li-like systems using the method of variance minimization or Temple's formula. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Rigid backbone polymers. XI. Solution phase-viscosity relationship

Using combined results of isothermal viscosity measurements and cross-polarized light microscopy on four polyisocyanate/solvent systems, the following were demonstrated: (a) an anisotropic phase appears, associated with a shoulder in the viscosity curve, at a concentration v lower than the peak viscosity at v; (b) the inversion from anisotropic inclusions in an isotropic matrix to isotropic inclusions in an anisotropic matrix, occurs at concentrations v > v and (c) the attainment of a single phase, microscopically anisotropic, occurs at v > v; where the viscosity is decreasing but has not yet reached its minimum. When the experiments were repeated with changes in temperature, the following were observed: (a) within each single phase the viscosity drops with increased temperature; (b) in the biphasic range, the total viscosity η⁰ remains about constant in the concentration range ≤ and increases with temperature in the range v > v; (c) in the interval v > v of the biphasic range, at constant temperature an increase in concentration decreases η⁰, and at constant concentration, a decrease in temperature lowers η⁰. Qualitative explanations of the observations are proposed.     

Charge stripping C

Measurements of the translational energy loss accompanying the charge-stripping reactions M⁺+N→M²⁺+N+e⁻ and M²⁺+N→M³⁺+N+e⁻ have been performed for C, C and C, C respectively. The energy nesessary to remove the second electron from Buckminsterfullerene was determined, Q=IE(C→C=12.25±0.5 eV.     

Kinetics and equilibria of the reaction between bromine and ethyl ether. The C?H bond dissociation energy in ethyl ether

The kinetics and equilibria of the reaction: have been studied in the temperature range 298–333 K by using the very low pressure reactor (VLPR) technique. Combining the estimated entropy change of reaction (1), ΔS = 8.1 ± 1.0 eu, with the measured ΔG, we find ΔH = 4.2 ± 0.4 kcal/mol; ΔH(CH₃CHOC₂H₅) = ?20.2 kcal/mol, and DH° [Et OCH(Me)-H] = 91.7 ± 0.4 kcal/mol. We find: where θ = 2.3 RT in kcal/mol. It has been shown that the reaction proceeds via a loose transition state and the “contact TS” model calculation gives a very good agreement with the observed value.     

Über geordnete Perowskite mit Kationenfehlstellen. XI. Verbindungen vom Typ ABB□1/4WVIO6 ≙ ABIIB□WO24 mit AII,BII = Ba,Sr

On Ordered Perovskites with Cationic Vacancies. XI. Compounds of Type A B B □_1/4W^VIO₆ ? A B^IIB □W O₂₄ with A^II, B^II = Ba, Sr Depending on the ionic radii of the two and three valent cations in the perovskites of type ABB □_1/4W^VIO₆ ?; AB^IIB □WO₂₄ order disorder phenomena are present. The results of the x-ray and vibrational spectroscopic investigations as well as the diffuse reflectance spectra and the visible photoluminescence are reported.     

Thermodynamic molecular mechanics force field: Modified QCFF program

The QCFF program originated by Warshel and Karplus^4a was modified to compute accurate thermodynamic properties S^o, C, (H – H)/T, and ΔH for various acyclic and cyclic alkenes and alkadienes. Modifications consisted of adjusted bond angle, dihedral angle, bond stretch, and bond energy parameters that improved calculated vibrational frequencies, zero point energies, and thermodynamic functions. Supplemental torsional potential energy functions that were added to existing torsional functions led to greatly improved relative conformer energies and ΔH values. It was shown that inclusion of hindered internal rotation leads to significantly better agreement of calculated thermodynamic functions with observed values for acyclic alkenes at high temperatures. The calculated thermodynamic properties of the alkenes and alkadienes were deemed sufficiently accurate for calculation of standard enthalpies and Gibbs free energies of gas phase chemical reactions at various temperatures. © 1994 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.