Theoretical investigation of the mechanisms for the reaction of fused tricyclic dimetallenes containing highly strained E═E (E = C, Si, Ge, Sn, and Pb) double bonds

The potential energy surfaces for the reactions of fused tricyclic dimetallenes that feature a highly strained E═E double bond, Rea-E═E, where E = C, Si, Ge, Sn, and Pb, were studied using density functional theory (B3LYP/LANL2DZ). Three types of chemical reactions (i.e., a self-isomerization reaction, a [2 + 2] cycloaddition with a ketone and a methanol 1,2-addition reaction) were used to determine the reactivity of the Rea-E═E molecules. The theoretical findings reveal that the smaller the singlet-triplet splitting of the Rea-E═E, the lower are its activation barriers and, in turn, the more rapid are its chemical reactions with other chemical molecules. Theoretical observations suggest that the relative reactivity increases in the following order: C═C ? Si═Si < Ge═Ge < Sn═Sn < Pb═Pb. Namely, the smaller the atomic weight of the group 14 atom (E), the smaller is the atomic radius of E and the more stable is its fused tricyclic Rea-E═E to chemical reaction. It is thus predicted that the fused tricyclic Rea-C═C and Rea-Si═Si molecules should be stable and readily synthesized and isolated at room temperature. The computational results show good agreement with the available experimental observations. The theoretical results obtained from this work allow a number of predictions to be made.     

Thermal stability and reactivity of metal halide filled single-walled carbon nanotubes

Thermal stability and reactivity to oxidation of several nanocomposite systems obtained by encapsulation of metal halides in single-walled carbon nanotubes are studied. Thermogravimetric analysis coupled with Raman spectroscopy allows insight into the various contributing factors, such as charge transfer, strain, and defect formation, and establishing a hierarchy of reactivity for the systems studied (AgX@SWCNTs, with X = Br, I; SWCNTs = arc discharge and HiPCO). The activation energy for oxidation decreases considerably after filling, indicating that filled nanotubes are more amenable to controlled modifications based on chemical reactivity than the originating empty nanotubes. The complete removal of the carbon shell at high temperatures does not preserve the nanowire morphology of the encapsulated halides; these are freed on surfaces in the form of nanoparticles arranged in 1D patterns. Metallic nanoparticles were obtained after hydrogen reduction of the halides, and growth of silicon nanowires in the footprint of the originating nanocomposites was demonstrated from such Co seeds. MX@SWCNTs (M = Ag, Co) can thus be used as environmentally stable nanoscale containers that allow the deliverance of catalytic nanoparticles in a prepatterned and aligned way.     

Modeling chemical reactions for drug design

Chemical reactions are involved at many stages of the drug design process. This starts with the analysis of biochemical pathways that are controlled by enzymes that might be downregulated in certain diseases. In the lead discovery and lead optimization process compounds have to be synthesized in order to test them for their biological activity. And finally, the metabolism of a drug has to be established. A better understanding of chemical reactions could strongly help in making the drug design process more efficient. We have developed methods for quantifying the concepts an organic chemist is using in rationalizing reaction mechanisms. These methods allow a comprehensive modeling of chemical reactivity and thus are applicable to a wide variety of chemical reactions, from gas phase reactions to biochemical pathways. They are empirical in nature and therefore allow the rapid processing of large sets of structures and reactions. We will show here how methods have been developed for the prediction of acidity values and of the regioselectivity in organic reactions, for designing the synthesis of organic molecules and of combinatorial libraries, and for furthering our understanding of enzyme-catalyzed reactions and of the metabolism of drugs.     

Identifying hazardous chemical reactivity

Hazardous chemical reactivity is chemical reaction that can produce detonation, deflagration or runaway reaction, which can possibly lead to thermal explosion. In the course of the development of a chemical manufacturing process, the raw materials, process streams, isolated intermediates, final product (and the variations of these that are likely to be caused by some process upset) must all be evaluated to determine the potential of each for hazardous chemical reactivity. Although toxic, ecotoxic and flammability hazards may also result from reactivity, this short article is limited to a review of the general strategy and thermal analytical methods used to identify hazards due to the rapid and uncontrolled release of energy by reaction. It is intended as an introduction to the field, and so provides numerous references to the basic sources.     

Theoretical Insights into Specific Ion Effects and Strong-Weak Acid-Base Rules for Ions in Solution: Deriving the Law of Matching Solvent Affinities from First Principles

We present a detailed study of specific ion effects, volcano plots and the law of matching solvent affinities by means of a conceptual density functional theory (DFT) approach. Our results highlight that specific ion effects and the corresponding implications on the solvation energy are mainly due to differences in the electric chemical potentials and chemical hardnesses of the ions and the solvent. Our approach can be further used to identify reliable criteria for the validity of the law of matching solvent affinities. Basic expressions are derived, which allow us to study the limiting conditions for this empirical observation with regard to matching chemical reactivity indices. Moreover, we show that chaotropic and kosmotropic concepts and their implications for the stability of ion pairs are directly related to a generalized strong and weak acids and bases (SWAB) principle for ions in solution, which is also applicable to rationalize the shape of volcano plots for different solvents. In contrast to previous assumptions, all empirical findings can be explained by the properties of local solvent-ion complexes which dominate the specific global behavior of ion pairs in solution.     

Reversible and Irreversible Chemisorption in Nonporous‐Crystalline Hybrids

The tools of synthetic chemistry allow us to fine‐tune the reactivity of molecules at a level of precision not yet accessible with inorganic solids. We have investigated hybrids that couple molecules to the superior thermal and mechanical properties of solids. Herein we present, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of reactivity between hybrid perovskites and substrates. Reaction with iodine vapor results in a remarkable expansion of these materials (up to 36 % in volume) where new covalent C? I bonds are formed with retention of crystallinity. These hybrids also show unusual examples of reversible chemisorption. Here, solid‐state interactions extend the lifetime of molecules that cannot be isolated in solution. We have tuned the half‐lives of the iodinated structures from 3 h to 3 days. These nonporous hybrids drive substrate capture and controlled release through chemical reactivity. We illustrate the strengths of the hybrid by considering radioactive iodine capture.     

Theoretical investigations of the reactivities of saturated five-membered ring N-heterocyclic carbenes with heavier group 14 elements

The potential energy surfaces for the chemical reactions of group 14 carbenes have been studied using density functional theory (B3LYP/LANL2DZ). Five saturated five-membered-ring N-heterocyclic carbene Dipp[upper bond 1 start]N(CH(2))(2)N(Dipp)E[upper bond 1 end]: (five-ring-E:) species, where E = C, Si, Ge, Sn and Pb, have been chosen as model reactants in this work. Also, four kinds of chemical reactions; addition of water, methane insertion, alkene cycloaddition and dimerization, have been used to study the chemical reactivities of these group 14 carbenes. The present theoretical investigations suggest that the relative carbenic reactivity decreases in the order: C > Si > Ge > Sn > Pb. That is, the heavier the group 14 atom (E), the more stable is the carbene towards chemical reactions. This may be the reason that there have been many instances reported of the synthesis and characterization of stable group 14 five-membered-ring N-heterocyclic carbene species with various alkyl protecting substituents at room temperature. Furthermore, the singlet-triplet energy splitting of the five-ring-E:, as described in the configuration mixing model attributed to the work of Pross and Shaik, can be used as a diagnostic tool to predict their reactivities. The results obtained allow a number of predictions to be made.     

New trends in polyoxometalate photoredox chemistry: from photosensitisation to water oxidation catalysis

Molecular metal oxide clusters, so-called polyoxometalates (POM) have been extensively used as homogeneous photocatalysts in various photoredox reactions such as the oxidation of alkanes, alkenes and alcohols as well as the light-induced mineralisation of various organic and inorganic pollutants. The more general application of POMs as photoactive compounds, in particular in solar energy harnessing, has been hampered as the clusters typically absorb light in the UV-region only. Over the past decade, concepts have been put forward on how the reactivity of this class of compounds can be optimised to improve their overall photoactivity, and a particular focus has been on the design of photocatalytic processes which allow the conversion of solar light into useful chemical reactivity. This perspective gives a brief overview of general aspects of POM photochemistry and critically discusses the advantages and challenges of a range of POM-based systems for photooxidations and photoreductions with a focus on the development of sustainable solar light conversion systems.     

Regioselectivity control of graphene functionalization by ripples

Ripples naturally occur in graphene sheets. First-principles calculations reveal that, by altering the pyramidalization angles of the carbon atoms, these ripples can be used to direct the chemical reactivity of graphene towards hydrogenation. A fraction of the carbon atoms of a rippled graphene, located around the crests and troughs, show significantly increased reactivity. The remaining carbon atoms have comparable reactivity to those in a flat graphene. To illustrate the increased reactivity, we show that hydrogenation becomes exothermic when the characteristic ratio between the amplitude and wavelength reaches ~0.55. This finding offers a practical chemical venue for regioselectivity control of graphene functionalization. While the rippling does not directly affect the band gap of the graphene, the rippling-induced hydrogenation does.     

β-丙内酯的反应性分析

利用原子键电负性均衡方法研究了β丙内酯与不同亲核试剂的反应性.研究表明,Fukui函数不是决定反应选择性的唯一因素,而局域意义的软硬酸碱原理可用来理解此类反应性.     

Theoretical designs for neutral five-membered carbene analogues of the group 13 elements: a new target for synthesis

Potential energy surfaces for the chemical reactions of neutral five-membered group 13 carbenoids have been studied using density functional theory (B3LYP/LANL2DZ). Five five-membered group 13 carbenoid species, HCMeP(PhN)2X, where X = B, Al, Ga, In, and Tl, have been chosen as model reactants in this work. Also, three kinds of chemical reaction, C-H bond insertion, alkene cycloaddition, and dimerization, have been used to study the chemical reactivities of these group 13 carbenoids. Our present theoretical work predicts that the larger the angleNXN bond angle in the neutral five-membered group 13 carbenoid, the smaller the singlet-triplet splitting, the lower the activation barrier, and, in turn, the more rapid are its various chemical reactions. Moreover, the theoretical investigations suggest that the relative carbenoidic reactivity decreases in the order B > Al > Ga > In > Tl. That is, the heavier the group 13 atom (X), the more stable is its carbenoid with respect to chemical reactions. As a result, we predict that the neutral five-membered group 13 carbenoids (X = Al, Ga, In, and Tl) should be stable, readily synthesized, and isolated at room temperature. Furthermore, the neutral five-membered group 13 carbenoid singlet-triplet energy splitting, as described in the configuration mixing model attributed to the work of Pross and Shaik, can be used as a diagnostic tool to predict their reactivities. The results obtained allow a number of predictions to be made.     

Research on Chemical Reactivity of Nitrotriazolam in Its Process of Preparation

Chemical reaction possibility was described quantitatively for the case of nitrotriazolam preparation with 2-clonazepam by using the data of two quantum chemical reactivity indices: net electrophilicity index and Wiberg bond order. Furthennore, relevant reaction mechanism was derived from tlie aspect of quantum chemistry. The results show that the indices used can quantitatively explain the chemical reactivity and reaction mechanism of the nitrotriazolam preparation. To validate the universal applicability of the proposed approach, the authors continued to use the quantum chemical reactivity indices to describe some classic chemical reactions, expecting to predict major issues related to physical organic chemistry, such as new chemical reactions and their mechanisms.     

"Designer acids": combined acid catalysis for asymmetric synthesis

Lewis and Brønsted acids can be utilized as more‐effective tools for chemical reactions by sophisticated engineering (“designer acids”). The ultimate goal of such “designer acids” is to form a combination of acids with higher reactivity, selectivity, and versatility than the individual acid catalysts. One possible way to take advantage of such abilities may be to apply a “combined acids system” to the catalyst design. The concept of combined acids, which can be classified into Brønsted acid assisted Lewis acid (BLA), Lewis acid assisted Lewis acid (LLA), Lewis acid assisted Brønsted acid (LBA), and Brønsted acid assisted Brønsted acid (BBA), can be a particularly useful tool for the design of asymmetric catalysis, because combining such acids will bring out their inherent reactivity by associative interaction, and also provide more‐organized structures that allow an effective asymmetric environment.     

Enhancement of chemical rules for predicting compound reactivity towards protein thiol groups

Non-specific chemical modification of protein thiol groups continues to be a significant source of false positive hits from high-throughput screening campaigns and can even plague certain protein targets and chemical series well into lead optimization. While experimental tools exist to assess the risk and promiscuity associated with the chemical reactivity of existing compounds, computational tools are desired that can reliably identify substructures that are associated with chemical reactivity to aid in triage of HTS hit lists, external compound purchases, and library design. Here we describe a Bayesian classification model derived from more than 8,800 compounds that have been experimentally assessed for their potential to covalently modify protein targets. The resulting model can be implemented in the large-scale assessment of compound libraries for purchase or design. In addition, the individual substructures identified as highly reactive in the model can be used as look-up tables to guide chemists during hit-to-lead and lead optimization campaigns.     

Reaction rate calculation with time-dependent invariant manifolds

The identification of trajectories that contribute to the reaction rate is the crucial dynamical ingredient in any classical chemical reactivity calculation. This problem often requires a full scale numerical simulation of the dynamics, in particular if the reactive system is exposed to the influence of a heat bath. As an efficient alternative, we propose here to compute invariant surfaces in the phase space of the reactive system that separate reactive from nonreactive trajectories. The location of these invariant manifolds depends both on time and on the realization of the driving force exerted by the bath. These manifolds allow the identification of reactive trajectories simply from their initial conditions, without the need of any further simulation. In this paper, we show how these invariant manifolds can be calculated, and used in a formally exact reaction rate calculation based on perturbation theory for any multidimensional potential coupled to a noisy environment.     

Phosphorus-based heteropentacenes: efficiently tunable materials for organic n-type semiconductors

Benzo-condensed dithieno[3,2-b:2',3'-d]phospholes have been synthesized that allow convenient tuning of properties that are essential for application as semiconductor materials in organic field-effect transistor (OFET) devices. The versatile reactivity of the trivalent phosphorus atom in these heteropentacenes provides access to a series of materials that show different photophysical properties, significantly different organization in the solid state, and distinctly different electrochemical properties that can be achieved by simple chemical modifications. The materials show strong photoluminescence in solution and in the solid state that depends on the electronic nature of the phosphorus center. Electrochemical studies revealed that the phosphorus atom intrinsically furnishes materials with n-channel or ambipolar behavior, also depending on its electronic nature. The experimental data were verified by DFT quantum chemical calculations and suggest that the phosphorus-based heteropentacenes could be excellent candidates for n-channel OFET semiconductor materials.     

Calculating physical properties of organic compounds for environmental modeling from molecular structure

Mathematical models for predicting the transport and fate of pollutants in the environment require reactivity parameter values – that is the value of the physical and chemical constants that govern reactivity. Although empirical structure–activity relationships have been developed that allow estimation of some constants, such relationships are generally valid only within limited families of chemicals. The computer program, SPARC, uses computational algorithms based on fundamental chemical structure theory to estimate a large number of chemical reactivity parameters and physical properties for a wide range of organic molecules strictly from molecular structure. Resonance models were developed and calibrated using measured light absorption spectra, whereas electrostatic interaction models were developed using measured ionization pK_as in water. Solvation models (i.e., dispersion, induction, H-bonding, etc.) have been developed using various measured physical properties data. At the present time, SPARC’s physical property models can predict vapor pressure and heat of vaporization (as a function of temperature), boiling point (as a function of pressure), diffusion coefficient (as a function of pressure and temperature), activity coefficient, solubility, partition coefficient and chromatographic retention time as a function of solvent and temperature. This prediction capability crosses chemical family boundaries to cover a broad range of organic compounds.     

Reactivity for boryl(phosphino)carbenyl carbene analogues with group 14 elements (C, Si, Ge, Sb, and Pb) as a heteroatom: a theoretical study

The potential energy surfaces for the chemical reactions of group 14 carbenes have been studied using density functional theory (B3LYP/LANL2DZ). Five boryl(phosphino)-based carbene (B-?-P) species, where ? = C, Si, Ge, Sn, and Pb, have been chosen as model reactants in this work. Also, four kinds of chemical reactions; intramolecular 1,2-migration, water insertion, alkene cycloaddition, and intermolecular dimerization, have been used to study the chemical reactivities of these group 14 carbenes. The present theoretical investigations suggest that the relative carbenic reactivity decreases in the order C > Si > Ge > Sn > Pb. That is, the heavier the group 14 atom (E), the more stable is the boryl(phosphino)-based B-?-P species towards chemical reactions. Our theoretical findings thus demonstrate that all boryl(phosphino)-based carbenes are isolable at room temperature because they are quite inert to chemical reactions, except that they are also moisture-sensitive molecules. Furthermore, the singlet-triplet energy splitting of the B-?-P, as described in the configuration mixing model attributed to the work of Pross and Shaik, can serve as a diagnostic tool for a better understanding and predicting of their chemical reactivities, kinetically and thermodynamically. The results obtained allow a number of predictions to be made.