Decomposition of 2‐Mercaptoethyl O‐Ester: SN2 Displacement or Acyl Transfer? A Theoretical Study

The mechanism for the decomposition of 2‐mercaptoethyl O‐ester was theoretically investigated. The mechanism that 2‐mercaptoethyl O‐ester undergoes an S_N2 displacement of the O atom by the S atom on α‐C is much favored over the mechanism of N‐to‐S acyl transfer. The length of the alcohol moiety has large effects on the decomposition efficiency of thiol‐substituted alkyl O‐esters. The reactivities of these esters are controlled by distortion energies. Only 2‐mercaptoethyl O‐ester can undergo the decomposition at room temperature due to the low distortion energy to achieve the transition state geometry. If the thiol group of 2‐mercaptoethyl O‐ester is replaced by an amino group, the N‐to‐N acyl transfer mechanism is more favored than the S_N2 displacement mechanism.     

Kinetic demonstration of the intramolecular nature of the rearrangement of aromatic N-nitroso-amines (Fischer-Hepp)

Rate equations have been deduced for two possible mechanisms for the reactions of N-methyl-N-nitrosoaniline in acid solution, namely, (1) for the generally accepted intermolecular mechanism which involves denitrosation followed by C-nitrosation and (2) a mechanism involving intramolecular rearrangement which takes place concurrently with denitrosation. The observed rate constants obtained under various experimental conditions are consistent only with mechanism (2). In particular the question of halide ion catalysis differentiates clearly between the two mechanisms. Mechanism (1) predicts a first-order dependence upon chloride (or other halide) ion under all conditions, whereas (2) allows a first-order chloride ion dependence only in the presence of a large excess of a “nitrite trap” such as sulphamic acid, urea, hydrazoic acid, hydroxylamine, etc., whereas at the other limit of high concentration of added N-methylaniline, the rate constants should be independent of the halide ion concentration. The predictions based on mechanism (2) are all borne out by experiment.     

Coupling Reactions of Alkynyl Indoles and CO2 by Bicyclic Guanidine: Origin of Catalytic Activity?

Density functional theory calculations were used to investigate the three possible modes of activation for the coupling of CO₂ with alkynyl indoles in the presence of a guanidine base. The first of these mechanisms, involving electrophilic activation, was originally proposed by Skrydstrup et al. (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed . 2015 , 54 , 6682). The second mechanism involves the nucleophilic activation of CO₂. Both of these electrophilic and nucleophilic activation processes involve the formation of a guanidine‐CO₂ zwitterion adduct. We have proposed a third mechanism involving the bifunctional activation of the bicyclic guanidine catalyst, allowing for the simultaneous activation of the indole and CO₂ by the catalyst. We demonstrated that a second molecule of catalyst is required to facilitate the final cyclization step. Based on the calculated turnover frequencies, our newly proposed bifunctional activation mechanism is the most plausible pathway for this reaction under these experimental conditions. Furthermore, we have shown that this bifunctional mode of activation is consistent with the experimental results. Thus, this guanidine‐catalyzed reaction favors a specific‐base catalyzed mechanism rather than the CO₂ activation mechanism. We therefore believe that this bifunctional mechanism for the activation of bicyclic guanidine is typical of most CO₂ coupling reactions.     

Ringerweiterungen und Ringverengungen bei der Umsetzung von 1, 3-Oxazolidin-2, 4-dionen und 1, 3-Thiazoiidin-2, 4-dion mit 3-Amino-2H-azirinen

Ring Enlargements and Ring Contractions in the Reaction of 1, 3-Oxazolidine-2, 4-diones and l, 3-Thiazolidine-2, 4-dione with 3-Amino-2H-azirines The reaction of 3-amino-2H-azirines 1 and 1, 3-oxazolidine-2, 4-diones 2 in MeCN at room temperature leads to 3, 4-dihydro-3-(2-hydroxyacetyl)-2H-imidazol-2-ones 3 in good yield (Scheme 2, Table 1). A reaction mechanism proceeding via ring enlargement of the bicyclic zwitterion A to give B, followed by transannular ring contraction to C, is proposed for the formation of 3 . This mechanism is in accordance with the result of the reaction of 2a and the ¹⁵N-labelled 1a *: in the isolated product 3a *, only N(3) is labelled (Scheme 1). The analogous reaction of 1 and 1, 3-thiazolidine-2, 4-dione ( 5 ) is more complex (Schemes 4 and 5, Table 2). Besides the expected 3, 4-dihydro-3-(2-mercaptoacetyl)-2H-imidazol-2-ones 7, 5-amino-3, 4-dihydro-2H-imidazol-2-ones of type 8 and/or N-(1, 4-thiazin-2-ylidene)ureas 9 are formed. In the case of 2-(dimethylamino)-1-azaspiro[2. 3]hex-1-ene ( 1d ), the postulated eight-membered intermediate 6d could be isolated. Its structure as well as that of 9f has been determined by X-ray structure analysis. A reaction mechanism for the formation of the 1, 4-thiazine derivatives of type 9 is proposed in Scheme 6.     

Über Umlagerungen bei der Cyclialkylierung von Arylpentanolen zu 2,3‐Dihydro‐1H‐inden‐Derivaten, 2. Mitteilung

On Rearrangements by Cyclialkylations of Arylpentanols to 2,3‐Dihydro‐1 H ‐indene Derivatives. Part 2. An Unexpected Rearrangement by the Acid‐Catalyzed Cyclialkylation of 2,4‐Dimethyl‐2‐phenylpentan‐3‐ol under Formation of trans ‐2,3‐Dihydro‐1,1,2,3‐tetramethyl‐1 H ‐indene The acid catalyzed‐cyclialkylation of 4‐(2‐chloro‐phenyl)‐2,4‐dimethylpentan‐2‐ol ( 1 ) gave two products: 4‐chloro‐2,3‐dihydro‐1,1,3,3‐tetramethyl‐1H‐indene ( 2 ) and also trans‐4‐chloro‐2,3‐dihydro‐1,1,2,3‐tetramethyl‐1H‐indene ( 3 ). A mechanism was proposed in Part 1 (cf. Scheme 1) for this unexpected rearrangement. This mechanism would mainly be supported by the result of the cyclialkylation of 2,4‐dimethyl‐2‐phenylpentan‐3‐ol ( 4 ), which, with respect to the similarity of ion II in Scheme 1 and ion V in Scheme 2, should give only product 5 . This was indeed the experimental result of this cyclialkylation. But the result of the cyclialkylation of 1,1,1,2′,2′,2′‐hexadeuterated isomer [²H₆]‐ 4 of 4 (cf. Scheme 3) requires a different mechanism as for the cyclialkylation of 1 . Such a mechanism is proposed in Schemes 5 and 6. It gives a satisfactory explanation of the experimental results and is supported by the result of the cyclialkylation of 2,4‐dimethyl‐3‐phenylpentan‐3‐ol ( 9 ; Scheme 7). The alternative migration of a Ph or of an i‐Pr group (cf. Scheme 6) is under further investigation.     

Dehydration of solids in different modes as a proof of their primary congruent dissociative vaporization

The main purpose of this paper is to prove the applicability of the mechanism of congruent dissociative vaporization (CDV) to the solid-state decomposition kinetics through the comparison of the fundamental theoretical relationship E_i/E_e=(a+b)/a resulted from this mechanism with experiment. It has been shown that the ratios of E_i and E_e parameters of the Arrhenius equation measured in the isobaric and equimolar modes (in the presence and absence of H₂O vapour) for 22 reactants with the general formula aSalt⋅bH₂O or aOxide⋅bH₂O are in agreement with the values of (a+b)/a. The relative standard deviation is only 17% and the correlation coefficient is close to 0.99. A probability of accidental correlation for all set of the E parameters taken from the literature is lower than 4⋅10^–16 . This strongly supports the validity of the CDV mechanism. The problem of stability of polyatomic molecules of inorganic salts in the gaseous state, which are the primary decomposition products of crystalline hydrates, was also discussed on the basis of recent mass spectroscopy studies. It was concluded that any doubts in the applicability of the CDV mechanism as a general mechanism of solid-state decomposition reactions are unsound.     

Study on the Mechanism of Formation of 1‐Methylheptyl Phenyl Ether by the Isourea Method

The formation of (1R)‐1‐methylheptyl phenyl ether from (2S)‐octan‐2‐ol via its isourea derivative (S)‐ 1 follows a borderline mechanism. The intermediacy of a carbocation (see (S)‐ 2 ) can be demonstrated (Scheme 1). However, the extremely high inversion of configuration and the olefinic by‐products are also indicative of an S_N2 mechanism.     

A New Method for the Preparation of (E)-3-Acylprop-2-enoic Acids

A new method for the preparation of (E)-3-acylprop-2-enoic acids ( = (E)-3-acylacrylic acids) of type II via acid-catalyzed isomerization of the corresponding 3-acylprop-2-ynal acetals of type I (Scheme 1) has been found. The described reaction gives a rapid and quite general access to these compounds known to exhibit a number of interesting biological activities. Some studies toward the elucidation of the reaction mechanism have been made, and a hypothetical mechanism is proposed.     

Lewis Acid Transition-Metal-Catalyzed Hydrogen Activation: Structures,Mechanisms, and Reactivities

As a new type of bifunctional catalyst, the Lewis acid transition-metal (LA-TM) catalysts have been widely applied for hydrogen activation. This study presents a mechanistic framework to understand the LA-TM-catalyzed H₂ activation through DFT studies. The mer(trans)-homolytic cleavage, the fac(cis)-homolytic cleavage, the synergetic heterolytic cleavage, and the dissociative heterolytic cleavage should be taken as general mechanisms for the field of LA-TM catalysis. Four typical LA-TM catalysts, the Z-type κ⁴-L₃B-Rh complex tri(azaindolyl)borane-Rh, the X-type κ³-L₂B-Co complex bis-phosphino-boryl (PBP)-Co, the η²-BC-type κ³-L₂B-Pd complex diphosphine-borane (DPB)-Pd, and the Z-type κ²-LB-Pt complex (boryl)iminomethane (BIM)-Pt are selected as representative models to systematically illustrate their mechanistic features and explore the influencing factors on mechanistic variations. Our results indicate that the tri(azaindolyl)borane-Rh catalyst favors the synergetic heterolytic mechanism; the PBP-Co catalyst prefers the mer(trans)-homolytic mechanism; the DPB-Pd catalyst operates through the fac(cis)-homolytic mechanism, whereas the BIM-Pt catalyst tends to undergo the dissociative heterolytic mechanism. The mechanistic variations are determined by the coordination geometry, the LA-TM bonding nature, the electronic structure of the TM center, and the flexibility or steric effect of the LA ligands. The presented mechanistic framework should provide helpful guidelines for LA-TM catalyst design and reaction developments.     

Attempted polymerization of substituted pipecolic acid NCA's: Dimerization and mechanism

Racemic and optically active N-carboxyanhydrides (NCA)s of 2-methyl- and cis-6-methylpipecolic acid, when subjected to polymerization conditions in solution or in bulk whether with “weak” or “strong” base initiators, resisted polymerization under all conditions tried. Instead, the NCA of 2-methylpipecolic acid gave the corresponding cyclic dipeptide and the NCA of cis-6-methylpipecolic acid formed the cyclic dipeptide derived from trans-6-methylpipecolic acid. The mechanism of dimerization of these NCA's was investigated. Evidence was provided for the proposed mechanism in which the active moiety is not a carbamate ion but an amino group. Methyl 2-methylpipecolate underwent an intermolecular S_N2-type reaction upon heating, yielding equimolar quantities of methyl N-methyl-2-methylpipecolate and 2-methylpipecolic acid.     

The gas phase aldose‐ketone isomerization mechanism: Direct interconversion of the model hydroxycarbonyls 2‐hydroxypropanal and hydroxyacetone

We report a novel mechanism for the interconversion of 2‐hydroxypropanal with its more‐stable ketone isomer hydroxyacetone. Reaction proceeds via concerted transfer of two H atoms, requires a barrier of only ～40 kcal mol^?1, bypasses the enediol intermediate, and is general for α‐hydroxy carbonyls. A similar isomerization mechanism is shown to persist for β, γ, and δ‐hydroxy carbonyls; these compounds are skeletal forms of the monosaccharides and this work, therefore, discloses the gas‐phase mechanism for aldose‐ketose isomerization. As an example, the isomerization of glyceraldehyde to dihydroxyacetone is shown to proceed via this mechanism with a barrier of 31 kcal mol^?1. Rate coefficients and thermochemical properties are reported for the isomerization of 2‐hydroxypropanal and hydroxyacetone for use in detailed kinetic models. Additionally, RRKM theory k (E ) values for this reaction suggest that it may transpire in the troposphere following solar excitation.     

Der massenspektrometrische Verlust von Vinylalkohol aus 1-Amino-3-aryloxy-2-propanolen. 24. Mitteilung über das massenspektrometrische Verhalten von Stickstoffverbindungen

Loss of vinyl alcohol from 1-amino-3-aryloxy-2-propanols under electron impact Under electron impact compounds of type 1 (see Scheme 1) split off 44 mass units from the molecular ion. This unusual reaction was studied using derivatives and deuterium labelled compounds. It could be demonstrated that for this fragmentation reaction 16 is the important structural feature from which H₂(C3)?C(2)HOH (44 mass units) is lost. The preferred reaction mechanism involves a transition state in which four members of the side chain are involved (Scheme 2, mechanism 2).     

The Wacker Process: Inner‐ or Outer‐Sphere Nucleophilic Addition? New Insights from Ab Initio Molecular Dynamics

The Wacker process consists of the oxidation of ethylene catalyzed by a Pd^II complex. The reaction mechanism has been largely debated in the literature; two modes for the nucleophilic addition of water to a Pd‐coordinated alkene have been proposed: syn‐inner‐ and anti‐outer‐sphere mechanisms. These reaction steps have been theoretically evaluated by means of ab initio molecular dynamics combined with metadynamics by placing the [Pd(C₂H₄)Cl₂(H₂O)] complex in a box of water molecules, thereby resembling experimental conditions at low [Cl^?]. The nucleophilic addition has also been evaluated for the [Pd(C₂H₄)Cl₃]^? complex, thus revealing that the water by chloride ligand substitution trans to ethene is kinetically favored over the generally assumed cis species in water. Hence, the resulting trans species can only directly undertake the outer‐sphere nucleophilic addition, whereas the inner‐sphere mechanism is hindered since the attacking water is located trans to ethene. In addition, all the simulations from the [Pd(C₂H₄)Cl₂(H₂O)] species (either cis or trans) support an outer‐sphere mechanism with a free‐energy barrier compatible with that obtained experimentally, whereas that for the inner‐sphere mechanism is significantly higher. Moreover, additional processes for a global understanding of the Wacker process in solution have also been identified, such as ligand substitutions, proton transfers that involve the aquo ligand, and the importance of the trans effect of the ethylene in the nucleophilic addition attack.     

Clicking together Alkynes and Tetracyanoethylene

The [2+2] cycloaddition – retro-electrocyclization (CA-RE) reaction allows ready synthesis of redox-active donor-acceptor chromophores from an electron-rich alkyne and electron-poor olefins like tetracyanoethylene (TCNE). The detailed mechanism of the reaction has been subject of both computational and experimental studies. While several studies point towards a stepwise mechanism via a zwitterionic intermediate for the first step, the cycloaddition, the reaction follows neither simple second-order nor first-order kinetics. Recent studies have shown that the kinetics can be understood if an autocatalytic step is introduced in the mechanism, in which complex formation with the donor-substituted tetracyanobutadiene (TCBD) product possibly facilitates nucleophilic attack of the alkyne onto TCNE, generating the zwitterionic intermediate of the CA step. This Concept highlights the convenient use of the “click-like” CA-RE reaction to obtain elaborate donor-acceptor chromophores and the recent mechanistic results.     

Electrical transport properties of liquid alloys

Two complementary mechanisms have been proposed for relatively high temperature superconductor MgB₂. While the first is the electron–phonon mechanism of BCS theory, advocated strongly by Pickett and co-workers, the second, by Bianconi et al., invokes Feshbach shape resonances. While we cannot presently discount the second mechanism, and while both proposals exploit the multiband nature of the electronic structure of MgB₂, we show here that five body-centred cubic (bcc) transition metals, whose superconducting transition temperature correlate intimately with elastic constants and therefore are plainly BCS-like in character, lie on a curve which has MgB₂ at the high T _c end. Any alternative mechanism to electron–phonon interaction in MgB₂ will need to account quantitatively for this circumstance.     

New benzimidazole synthesis

Thermal or acid catalyzed cyclization of several N-(N-arylbenzimidoyl)-1,4-benzoquinoneimines 2 affords 1-aryl-6-hydroxy-2-phenylbenzimidazoles 3 in fairly good yields. Structural proofs and kinetic support for the reaction mechanism are given.     

Inner Workings of a Cinchona Alkaloid Catalyzed Oxa‐Michael Cyclization: Evidence for a Concerted Hydrogen‐Bond‐Network Mechanism

Cinchona alkaloids catalyze the oxa‐Michael cyclization of 4‐(2‐hydroxyphenyl)‐2‐butenoates to benzo‐2,3‐dihydrofuran‐2‐yl acetates and related substrates in up to 99 % yield and 91 % ee (ee=enantiomeric excess). Catalyst and substrate variation studies reveal an important role of the alkaloid hydroxy group in the reaction mechanism, but not in the sense of a hydrogen‐bonding activation of the carbonyl group of the substrate as assumed by the Hiemstra–Wynberg mechanism of bifunctional catalysis. Deuterium labeling at C‐2 of the substrate shows that addition of RO? H to the alkenoate occurs with syn diastereoselectivity of ≥99:1, suggesting a mechanism‐based specificity. A concerted hydrogen‐bond network mechanism is proposed, in which the alkaloid hydroxy group acts as a general acid in the protonation of the α‐carbanionic center of the product enolate. The importance of concerted hydrogen‐bond network mechanisms in organocatalytic reactions is discussed. The relative stereochemistry of protonation is proposed as analytical tool for detecting concerted addition mechanisms, as opposed to ionic 1,4‐additions.     

Mechanism of dehydration of 2-CH2R-and 2-CHR2-4-hydroxy-Δ2-thiazolines as intermediates in the Hantzsch thiazole synthesis and factors impeding the synthesis of 2-Me-, 2-Ar-, and 2-Het-substituted thiazoles and thiazolo[5,4-b]indoles

Based on the results of studies of the deuterium exchange and dehydration of 4-hydroxy-Δ²-thiazolines and 2-R-4-acetyl-8b-hydroxy-3a,8b-dihydro-4H-thiazolo[5,4-b]indoles containing the α-methylene (methine) unit at the C(2) atom, the mechanism of dehydration of these compounds generated as intermediates in the Hantzsch synthesis of thiazoles and 2-R-4-acetyl-4H-thiazolo[5,4-b]indoles was proposed. This mechanism includes an additional step of the formation of the corresponding Δ³-thiazolines. According to the results of quantum chemical calculations, this is energetically more favorable than the dehydration in terms of the commonly accepted mechanism. In some cases, an acidic medium impedes the dehydration of 4-hydroxy-Δ²-thiazolines or their cyclic analogs. The proposed mechanism provides an explanation for the empirical data on the differences in the reactivities of both thioamides and α-haloketones, which have remained unexplained in terms of the commonly accepted mechanism. The spontaneous thiazole synthesis is virtually impossible starting from thioamides of aromatic or heteroaromatic acids and α-haloketones bearing electron-withdrawing α′ substituents or cyclic bromoindoxyl-type haloketones. In the thiazole synthesis from these starting components, it is expedient to perform dehydration under basic catalysis. Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1394–1402, July, 2007.     

Chemical Reactivity of Oxo‐ and Aza‐γ‐lactam Rings

Different mechanisms for the alkaline hydrolysis of oxo and aza‐γ‐lactam rings have been studied by ab initio calculations at the MP2/6‐31+G*//MP2/6‐31+G* and B3LYP/6‐31+G*//B3LYP/6‐31+G* levels. The tetrahedral intermediate can undergo two different reactions, the cleavage of the C₂−N₂ bond (the classical mechanism) and the cleavage of the C₂−X₆ bond (X=O, N). Both compounds present similar energy barriers for the classical fragmentation, and show considerably lower barriers for the alternative mechanism. Because of this reactivity, the compounds studied are expected to be β‐lactamase inhibitors.     

Carbon-14 kinetic isotope effects in the debromination of dibromocinnamic acid

The kinetic isotope effect (KIE) method was applied to study the mechanism of elimination of bromine from erythro-a,b-dibromocinamic acid. The large ¹⁴C KIE for both a- and b-position of side chain of erythro-a,b-dibromocinamic acid proves that elimination of bromine leading to formation of (E)-cinnamic acid proceeds via E2 mechanism.