Structure-reactivity correlation in the pyridinolysis of substituted phenyl acetates

The pyridinolysis of substituted phenyl acetates in acetonitrile was investigated with an electric conductivity method. The rates of these reactions were increased with electron-donating group in pyridine and electron-withdrawing group in phenyl acetate, ϱ_x (X;substituents in phenyl ring) values increase gradually according to the electron-donating ability in pyridine substituents, but the |ϱ_y|(Y;substituents in pyridine ring) values decrease with that of substituents. The β values increase with increasing electron-withdrawing ability of the substituents in the phenyl ring, it can be inferred that N---C bond formation increases progressively p-methyl to p-nitrophenyl acetates. This is in agreement with prediction of substituent effects for a simple S_N2 displacement reaction. The sensitivity parameters, β and ϱ, are inter-related and are themselves sensitive to the reactivity of the system. All above results are interpreted in terms of a dissociative S_N2 mechanism involving a metastable tetrahedral intermediate.     

A study of the mechanism of the oxidative cyclization of benzaldehyde semicarbazones induced by cupric perchlorate in acetonitrile

Treatment of benzaldehyde semicarbazones 1a-i with cupric perchlorate in acetonitrile at 40 provided selectively the corresponding 1,2,4-triazolin-5-ones 2a-i . The relative rate constants for 2a-i formation were determined by the competitive method. The results obtained showed that electron-donating substituents (methyl and methoxy) increase the reaction rate, while the reverse was found for electron-withdrawing substituents (chloro and nitro group). The reactivity data are discussed on the grounds of two possible mechanisms.     

Synthesis of oxazines and N-arylpyrroles by reaction of unfunctionalized dienes with nitroarenes and carbon monoxide,catalyzed by palladium-phenanthroline complexes

The reaction between an unfunctionalized conjugated diene and a nitroarene under CO pressure and at 100 degrees C, catalyzed by [Pd(Phen)2][BF4]2 (Phen = 1,10-phenanthroline), affords the corresponding hetero-Diels-Alder adduct (oxazine) in up to 91% yields in one pot. If the reaction mixture is then heated to 200 degrees C, the oxazines are converted into the corresponding N-arylpyrroles in good yields. Pressures as low as 5 bar can be employed, and 0.08% catalyst is sufficient to effect the transformation. The reaction can be equally run by employing the nitroarene or the diene as limiting agent and works well for nitroarenes bearing either electron-withdrawing or mildly electron-donating substituents. A moderate steric hindrance on the nitroarene (o-methyl) is well tolerated, but 1,4-disubstituted-1,3-dienes are not suitable substrates.     

Synthesis of Highly Functionalized gamma-Butyrolactones from Activated Carbonyl Compounds and Dimethyl Acetylenedicarboxylate

A triphenylphosphine-catalyzed cyclization of alpha-keto esters, alpha-keto nitriles, or alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluoroacetophenone with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate is reported to produce highly functionalized alpha,beta-unsaturated gamma-butyrolactones in moderate yields. Thus treating a mixture of methyl 4-nitrophenylglyoxylate and dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate with 20 mol % of triphenylphosphine afforded 5,5'-disubstituted 3-methoxy-4-(methoxycarbonyl)-2(3H)-furanone in 94% yield. In the reaction of alpha-keto esters R(1)COCOOMe, an electron-withdrawing R(1) substituent is required for satisfactory reactivity. On the other hand, electron-donating R(1) substituents give higher yields with alpha-keto nitriles R(1)COCN. Another electron-deficient carbonyl compound, alpha,alpha,alpha-trifluoroacetophenone, gave the corresponding lactone in good yield. The use of an alpha-hydroxy ketone as an electrophilic carbonyl compound with more than 1 equiv of triphenylphosphine produced dihydrofuran derivatives. One equivalent of triphenylphosphine oxide was obtained as a major product. An intramolecular Wittig reaction is proposed as a reaction mechanism.     

Conversion and origin of normal and abnormal temperature dependences of kinetic isotope effect in hydride transfer reactions

The effects of substituents on the temperature dependences of kinetic isotope effect (KIE) for the reactions of the hydride transfer from the substituted 5-methyl-6-phenyl-5,6-dihydrophenanthridine (G-PDH) to thioxanthylium (TX(+)) in acetonitrile were examined, and the results show that the temperature dependences of KIE for the hydride transfer reactions can be converted by adjusting the nature of the substituents in the molecule of the hydride donor. In general, electron-withdrawing groups can make the KIE to have normal temperature dependence, but electron-donating groups can make the KIE to have abnormal temperature dependence. Thermodynamic analysis on the possible pathways of the hydride transfer from G-PDH to TX(+) in acetonitrile suggests that the transfers of the hydride anion in the reactions are all carried out by the concerted one-step mechanism whether the substituent is an electron-withdrawing group or an electron-donating group. But the examination of Hammett-type free energy analysis on the hydride transfer reactions supports that the concerted one-step hydride transfer is not due to an elementary chemical reaction. The experimental values of KIE at different temperatures for the hydride transfer reactions were modeled by using a kinetic equation formed according to a multistage mechanism of the hydride transfer including a returnable charge-transfer complex as the reaction intermediate; the real mechanism of the hydride transfer and the root that why the temperature dependences of KIE can be converted as the nature of the substituents are changed were discovered.     

Selective reduction of the nitro group in the presence of the azoxy group. Synthesis of 2-(alkyl-NNO-azoxy)anilines

Tin(ii) chloride selectively reduces the aromatic nitro group to the amino group, the azoxy group remaining intact. This allows the preparation of 2-(R-NNO-azoxy)anilines from 2-(R-NNO-azoxy)nitrobenzenes bearing electron-donating or weak electron-withdrawing substituents (Me or Br) in the benzene ring and alkyl substituents at the distal N atom of the azoxy group. The presence of electron-withdrawing substituents at the azoxy group (for example, CO₂Et) leads to a change in the direction of the reaction resulting in selective reduction of the azoxy group to the hydrazo group.     

Diazo liquid crystals for potential infrared applications

Nine series of liquid crystals containing an electron-donating group at one end of a conjugated system and an electron-withdrawing group at the other end have been synthesized. The electron-donating group is 4-n-alkylpiperazine and the electron-withdrawing group is the nitro group; and the conjugated system is diphenyldiazene with zero, one or two substituents on the phenyl ring not containing the nitro group. The substituents are-F,-Cl, and-CH₃. Most of the compounds synthesized are nematogenic and exhibit rather broad liquid crystalline ranges. The effects of the lateral substituents on the optical absorption and phase transition temperatures are correlated with their nature and position of substitution. Dielectric anisotropy and birefringence measurements were made using mixtures containing 10 wt % of synthesized liquid crystals dissolved in commercial mixture E7.     

A one-pot tandem synthesis of various 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazoles

A facile method to synthesize various 1,2-disubstituted benzimidazoles is developed. It is suggested that formation of a Meisenheimer adduct between the substrate, amine, and solvent aids the N-arylation process. The generality of the protocol is demonstrated by the efficient reactions involving numerous substituents ranging from electron-withdrawing groups to electron-donating groups.     

Substituent effects in pericyclic reactions of radical cations: the ring opening of 3-substituted cyclobutene radical cations

The substituent effects on the ring-opening reaction of cyclobutene radical cations have been studied at the Becke3LYP/6-31G* level of theory. The effect on the reaction energies and activation energies of the concerted and stepwise pathways of electron-donating substituents such as methyl and methoxy as well as electron-withdrawing substituents such as nitrile and carboxaldehyde in the 3-position of the cyclobutene is discussed. The exothermicity of the reaction correlates well with the ability of the substituent to stabilize the 1,3-butadiene radical cation by electron donation or conjugation. The relative stability of the (E) and (Z) isomers of the resulting 1,3-butadiene radical cations depends largely on steric effects. Similarly, steric effects are responsible for the relative energies of the different diastereomeric transition structures. The cyclopropyl carbinyl intermediate of the stepwise pathway resembles the nonclassical carbocation and is stabilized by electron-donating substituents. In the case of electron-donating substituents, this species becomes a minimum on the potential energy hypersurface, whereas unstabilized or destabilized cyclopropyl carbinyl radical cations are not minima on the hypersurface. The stabilization of the cyclopropyl carbinyl radical cation by substituents correlates qualitatively with the Brown-Okamoto substituent parameter sigma+. However, in all cases studied here, the concerted mechanism is the lowest energy pathway.     

Catalytic Regio- and Stereoselective Alkene Sulfenoamination for 1,4-Benzothiazine Synthesis

An alkene sulfenoamination reaction with 2-aminothiophenol is developed using iodide catalysis. This reaction renders access to useful 1,4-benzothiazines with good functional group compatibility including both electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents. The reaction is proposed to proceed through an inversion of the polarity of the thiol functionality. Our mechanistic studies reveal that both thiiranium and thiyl radical pathways are plausible and that the disulfide reagent can also function as a viable substrate in this reaction.     

A transient product of DNA alkylation can be stabilized by binding localization

A 9-aminoacridine conjugate of a silyl-protected bis(acetoxymethyl)phenol (bisQMP) was synthesized and evaluated as an inducible cross-linking agent of DNA to test our ability to harness the chemistry of reactive quinone methide intermediates (QM). The acridine component was chosen for its ability to delivery an appendage to the major groove of DNA, and the silyl-protected component was chosen for its ability to generate two quinone methide equivalents in tandem upon addition of fluoride. This design created competition between reaction of (1) the 2-amino group of guanine that reacts irreversibly to form a stable QM adduct and (2) the more nucleophilic N7 group of guanine that reacts more efficiently but reversibly to form a labile QM adduct. This lability was apparently compensated by co-localization of the N7 group and QM in the major groove since the N7 adduct appeared to dominate the profile of products formed by duplex DNA. The controlling influence of acridine was also expressed in the sensitivity of the conjugate to ionic strength. High salt concentration inhibited covalent reaction just as it inhibits intercalation of the cationic acridine. As expected for QM formation, the presence of fluoride was indeed necessary for initiating reaction, and no direct benzylic substitution was observed. The conjugate also cross-linked DNA with high efficiency, forming one cross-link for every four alkylation events. Both alkylation and cross-linking products formed by duplex DNA were labile to hot piperidine treatment which led to approximately 40% strand scission and approximately 50% reversion to a material with an electrophoretic mobility equivalent to the parent DNA. All guanines exhibited at least some reactivity including those which were recalcitrant to cross-linking by an oligonucleotide-bisQMP conjugate designed for triplex formation [Zhou, G.; Pande, P.; Johnson, A. E.; Rokita, S. E. Bioorg. Med. Chem. 2001, 9, 2347-2354].     

Aromatic bromination versus oxidation of indolylmalonates by bromine

The reactions of 5-substituted indolylmalonates (2a-e), carrying an electron-withdrawing group at the N(1) position, with bromine in CCl(4) or AcOH are reported. These substrates undergo oxidation in competition with the well-known aromatic bromination. Under the two sets of conditions, with parent indolylmalonate (2a), chemospecific oxidation is observed, whereas with 5-hydroxyindolylmalonate (2c), bromination at the 4- and 6-position is the dominating reaction. Investigation of the products composition of several 5-substituted indolylmalonates revealed the following trend: with a 5-substituted electron-withdrawing group like fluorine, the indolylmalonate undergoes oxidation rather than bromination. In contrast, with a 5-substituted electron-donating group, like a hydroxyl group, the ring bromination occurs preferentially over the oxidation. When the 5-substituent is an alkoxyl group, a significant amount of brominated-oxidized products is obtained. Monitoring the oxidation reaction by mass spectrometry allowed the characterization of the 2-bromoindolylidenemalonate intermediate. A bromonium ion is considered as possible pathway in the formation of this intermediate. The conformation of unsymmetrical methoxyl and benzyloxyl substituents was determined from (1)H NMR spectra, single-crystal X-ray diffraction and ab initio calculations.     

聚磷氮烯及其衍生物电子结构的理论研究

用分子轨道和晶体轨道方法,对聚磷氮烯及其衍生物的电子结构进行了研究,以期更深入地了解聚磷氮烯的结构和性能.研究发现,链状聚磷氮烯和环状三聚磷氮烯为平面结构,其它的环状聚磷氮烯则为巢式结构,吸电子基团取代有使环状聚磷氮烯主链环取平面结构的倾向.研究还发现,无论是链状还是环状聚磷氮烯,都表现为半导体.取代基效应表明,吸电子基团-F和-CN的取代,使聚合物的电子亲和势(EA)和电离能(IP)均增大,能隙减小,给电子基团-CH₃和-OCH₃的取代,使聚合物的IP减少;吸电子基团取代有利于n-型掺杂,给电子基团取代有利于p-型掺杂,但都不改变其半导体的特性.     

Diazo liquid crystals for potential infrared applications

Nine series of liquid crystals containing an electron-donating group at one end of a conjugated system and an electron-withdrawing group at the other end have been synthesized. The electron-donating group is 4-n-alkylpiperazine and the electron-withdrawing group is the nitro group; and the conjugated system is diphenyldiazene with zero, one or two substituents on the phenyl ring not containing the nitro group. The substituents are-F,-Cl, and-CH₃. Most of the compounds synthesized are nematogenic and exhibit rather broad liquid crystalline ranges. The effects of the lateral substituents on the optical absorption and phase transition temperatures are correlated with their nature and position of substitution. Dielectric anisotropy and birefringence measurements were made using mixtures containing 10 wt % of synthesized liquid crystals dissolved in commercial mixture E7.     

Ferrocence-based phosphine-triazine ligands for highly efficient Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of aryl chlorides

A series of ferrocene-based phosphine-triazine ligands were successfully employed in the Pd-catalyzed Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction of aryl chlorides with arylboronic acids, with ligand 1b was demonstrated to be the most effective one. Under optimized reaction conditions, the catalytic system displayed a remarkable tolerance towards electron-donating substituents and electron-withdrawing substituents.     

Origin of the relative stereoselectivity of the beta-lactam formation in the Staudinger reaction

The relative (cis, trans) stereoselectivity of the beta-lactam formation is one of the critical issues in the Staudinger reaction. Although many attempts have been made to explain and to predict the stereochemical outcomes, the origin of the stereoselectivity remains obscure. We are proposing a model that explains the relative stereoselectivity based on a kinetic analysis of the cis/trans ratios of reaction products. The results were derived from detailed Hammett analyses. Cyclic imines were employed to investigate the electronic effect of the ketene substituents, and it was found that the stereoselectivity could not be simply attributed to the torquoelectronic model. Based on our results, the origin of the relative stereoselectivity can be described as follows: (1) the stereoselectivity is generated as a result of the competition between the direct ring closure and the isomerization of the imine moiety in the zwitterionic intermediate; (2) the ring closure step is most likely an intramolecular nucleophilic addition of the enolate to the imine moiety, which is obviously affected by the electronic effect of the ketene and imine substituents; (3) electron-donating ketene substituents and electron-withdrawing imine substituents accelerate the direct ring closure, leading to a preference for cis-beta-lactam formation, while electron-withdrawing ketene substituents and electron-donating imine substituents slow the direct ring closure, leading to a preference for trans-beta-lactam formation; and (4) the electronic effect of the substituents on the isomerization is a minor factor in influencing the stereoselectivity.     

活性炭载铁催化剂作用下几种典型芳烃一步氧化羟基化反应研究

以过氧化氢为氧化剂, 在乙腈介质中研究了几种典型芳烃的一步羟基化反应, 考察了底物取代基的供吸电子性质、 空间位阻等对羟基化反应的影响, 并推测了其反应机理.     

tert-Butyl(2-oxo-2H-pyran-5-yl)carbamate as the First Chameleon Diene Bearing an Electron-Donating Substituent

The 2(H)-pyran-2-one bearing electron-donating tert-butylcarbamate (BocNH-) group at the 5- position is a “chameleon” diene and undergoes efficient Diels–Alder cycloadditions with alkene dienophiles with both electron-rich and electron-deficient substituents. Cycloadditions afford the 5-substituted bicyclic lactone cycloadducts regardless of the electronic nature of the dienophile. However, cycloadditions with electronically matched electron-deficient dienophiles proceed faster than those with electronically mismatched electron-rich dienophiles.     

Preparation and Diels-Alder chemistry of 4-vinylimidazoles

Various 4-vinylimidazole derivatives have been prepared from the corresponding 4-iodoimidazoles or from urocanic acid. Several methods for the elaboration of these vinylimidazoles and their Diels-Alder reactions are reported. All of the vinylimidazoles prepared in the course of this study react with N-phenylmaleimide quite readily with mild thermal activation providing a single cycloadduct, in most cases the initial, nonaromatic adduct. With more electron rich substrates, there is a tendency for these initial cycloadducts to undergo aromatization, ene reaction, and oxidation although this can be circumvented to a large extent by the choice of reaction conditions. Limited reactions were observed with other dienophiles, providing the expected cycloadducts in most cases, although an abnormal adduct was obtained in one case with dimethyl acetylene dicarboxylate. These substrates also participate in regioselective Diels-Alder reactions with monoactivated dienophiles, but require fairly forcing conditions, thus only providing the aromatized cycloadducts in modest yields. An investigation of substituent effects at the 2-position of the imidazole moiety was undertaken, in which electron-donating and weakly electron-withdrawing substituents are tolerated. In addition, several substrates with terminally substituted vinyl moieties have been investigated.     

Effect of meso-substituents on the osmium tetraoxide reaction and pinacol-pinacolone rearrangement of the corresponding vic-dihydroxyporphyrins

To investigate the effects of electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents upon the reaction of porphyrins with osmium tetraoxide, and the pinacol-pinacolone rearrangement of the resulting diols, a series of meso-substituted porphyrins were prepared by total synthesis. Porphyrins with electron-donating substitutents at the meso-positions gave vic-dihydroxychlorins in which the adjacent pyrrole subunit was predominantly oxidized. No such selectivity was observed in a porphyrin containing a methoxycarbonyl as the electron-withdrawing group, whereas a formyl substituent again resulted in oxidation at the pyrrole unit adjacent to the meso-substituent. Under pinacol-pinacolone conditions, vic-dihydroxy chlorins containing 4-methoxyphenyl or 3,5-dimethoxyphenyl groups at the meso-position showed preferential migration of the ethyl group over the methyl group to give 8-ketochlorins, whereas the diol with an n-heptyl substituent under similar reaction conditions gave both 7- and 8-ketochlorins. In contrast, the diol containing a meso-formyl substituent produced the corresponding 7-ketochlorin exclusively. These results indicate that it is not possible to predict the reactivity of meso-substituted porphyrins in the osmium tetraoxide reaction nor the general substituent migratory aptitudes in the pinacol-pinacolone rearrangement based on simple electronic arguments, most likely because many parameters (e.g., meso-beta-pyrrolic steric crowding and long-range electronic effects) ultimately determine the reactivity. The structural assignments of the porphyrin diols and the keto-analogues were confirmed by extensive (1)H NMR studies; some of the dihydroxychlorins and ketochlorins were found to display unusual features in their (1)H NMR spectra.