Effect of double-hyperconjugation on the apparent donor ability of sigma-bonds: insights from the relative stability of delta-substituted cyclohexyl cations

A combination of electronic, structural, and energetic analyses shows that a somewhat larger intrinsic donor ability of the C-H bonds compared to that of C-C bonds can be overshadowed by cooperative hyperconjugative interactions with participation of remote substituents (double hyperconjugation or through-bond interaction). The importance of double hyperconjugation was investigated computationally using two independent criteria: (a) relative total energies and geometries of two conformers ("hyperconjomers") of delta-substituted cyclohexyl cations (b) and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis of electronic structure and orbital interactions in these molecules. Both criteria clearly show that the apparent donor ability of C-C bonds can vary over a wide range, and the relative order of donor ability of C-H and C-C bonds can be easily inverted depending on molecular connectivity and environment. In general, relative donor abilities of sigma bonds can be changed by their through-bond communication with remote substituents and by greater polarizability of C-X bonds toward heavier elements. These computational results can be confirmed by experimental studies of conformational equilibrium of delta-substituted cyclohexyl cations.     

Bicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2-ene-5-yl-7-ylium radical cation: a theoretical validation of a bishomoaromatic radical cation intermediate

[structure: see text] A natural bond orbital analysis of the distonic bicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2-ene-5-yl-7-ylium radical cation interprets its structure and radical character by a three-center two-electron bond between C2, C3, and C7 (a bishomoaromatic stabilization) and a singly occupied orbital on C5, n(5). Moreover, B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) ESR parameters, which agree excellently with experiment, are interpreted in terms of spin polarization in the natural hybrids of sigma(C5-H5), and a dual hyperconjugative effect involving n(5), sigma(C1-H1a), sigma(C1-H1b), and antibonding counterparts.     

The Gauche Effect in XCH2CH2X Revisited

We have quantum chemically investigated the rotational isomerism of 1,2-dihaloethanes XCH₂CH₂X (X = F, Cl, Br, I) at ZORA-BP86-D3(BJ)/QZ4P. Our Kohn-Sham molecular orbital (KS-MO) analyses reveal that hyperconjugative orbital interactions favor the gauche conformation in all cases (X = F−I), not only for X = F as in the current model of this so-called gauche effect. We show that, instead, it is the interplay of hyperconjugation with Pauli repulsion between lone-pair-type orbitals on the halogen substituents that constitutes the causal mechanism for the gauche effect. Thus, only in the case of the relatively small fluorine atoms, steric Pauli repulsion is too weak to overrule the gauche preference of the hyperconjugative orbital interactions. For the larger halogens, X⋅⋅⋅X steric Pauli repulsion becomes sufficiently destabilizing to shift the energetic preference from gauche to anti, despite the opposite preference of hyperconjugation.     

Substituent effects and the role of negative hyperconjugation in siloxycarbene rearrangements

Substituent effects and the role of negative hyperconjugation in 1,2-silyl migration and decarbonylation of methoxy(substituted-siloxy)carbenes have been investigated using quantum chemical calculations and natural bond orbital analysis. It has been found that sigma-electron-withdrawing substituents generally lower the barriers for 1,2-silyl migration and decarbonylation, consistent with symmetry-forbidden concerted rearrangements involving intramolecular front-side nucleophilic attack by the carbene lone pair at silicon and by the methoxy oxygen at silicon, respectively. However, while good linear Hammett correlations are obtained for 1,2-silyl migration, those obtained for decarbonylation are poor. In addition, there appears to be a relationship between the extent of pertinent hyperconjugative interactions in the siloxycarbene conformers and the ease of intramolecular reactivity. As a matter of fact, the finding that 1,2-silyl migration is more favorable than decarbonylation seems to be primarily related to stronger negative hyperconjugation between the carbene lone pair and the O-Si antibonding orbital, compared to that between the methoxy oxygen n(sigma) lone pair and the O-Si antibonding orbital. Moreover, the activation enthalpies for 1,2-silyl migration decrease linearly with stronger negative hyperconjugation, although no such correlation could be established for decarbonylation.     

Hyperconjugation effect in substituted methyl boranes: an orbital deletion procedure analysis

The hyperconjugation effect in the substituted methyl boranes, XCH(2)BH(2) (X = H, CH(3), NH(2), PH(2), OH, SH, F, Cl, Br), has been quantitatively evaluated by using the orbital deletion procedure (ODP), where the p(pi) orbital on boron is deactivated. Except for the case of X = NH(2), which forms a three-membered ring, the magnitude of the hyperconjugative stabilization in all other substituted methylborane ranges from 6.8 to 3.4 kcal/mol. Significant structural changes are observed, particularly the shortening of the central B-C bond distance and the reducing of the corresponding XCB and HCB bond angles. In general, the strength of the hyperconjugative interaction between the occupied sigma(C-X) bond and the vacant p(pi) orbital on boron is correlated to the electronegativity of X, and the competition between the donation ability of the sigma(C-X) and the sigma(C-H) bonds determines the preference of the staggered or eclipsed structure as the energy minimum state. When the donation abilities of the C-X and C-H bonds are comparable, other factors such as electron correlation and steric effect may play elaborate roles in the geometrical propensity of the most stable structures.     

Studies on monomer reactivity ratios. II. A charge-transfer model

A charge-transfer model is proposed for the treatment of monomer reactivity ratios in free-radical bulk polymerization. The procedure involves the assignment of three parameters to each monomer, which can be interpreted as being related to the energies of the highest occupied monomer orbital, the singly occupied radical orbital, and the lowest lying virtual orbital of the monomer. Parameters are found for 17 monomers and computed reactivity ratios for a large number of copolymer systems are tabulated and compared with experiment. Similarities of the present model and the electronegativity scheme are discussed.     

Facile synthesis,crystal growth,characterization and computational study of new pyridine-based halogenated hydrazones: Unveiling the stabilization behavior in terms of noncovalent interactions

The pyridine-based halogenated hydrazone derivatives (E)-N′-benzylidene-2-[(6″-chloroazin-2″-yl)oxy]acetohydrazide ( 6a ), (E)-N′-(3′-chlorobenzylidene)-2-[(6″-chloroazin-2″-yl)oxy]acetohydrazide ( 6b ) and (E)-N′-(3′-bromobenzylidene)-2-[(6″-chloroazin-2″-yl)oxy]acetohydrazide ( 6c ) have been obtained using 6-chloro-2-hydroxypyridine. The structure of the products ( 6a – c ) has been verified using X-ray crystallography and spectroscopic approaches. A single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) investigation showed that the structures are stabilized by intermolecular attractive forces. Additionally, density functional theory (DFT) has been adopted to explore the structural properties, vibrational spectra, noncovalent interactions and frontier molecular orbitals using the B3LYP/6-311 + G(d,p) level. The nonlinear optical properties of the title compounds were calculated using the CAM-B3LYP/6-311 + G(d,p) level. Frequency analysis confirmed the stability of the molecules, and an excellent correlation was observed between the DFT- and SC-XRD-based structural parameters. The SC-XRD analysis confirmed that the dimers of 6a , 6b and 6c are linked by hydrogen-bonding interactions. Natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis also reconfirmed the strength of intermolecular hydrogen-bonding and hyperconjugative interactions. NBO investigation was also utilized to analyze the atomic charges. Moreover, Fourier transform infrared and natural population analyses endorsed that there are significant N&bond;H⋅⋅⋅O&dbond;C hydrogen-bonding linkages in dimeric structures of the compounds. The hydrogen-bonding network and different sorts of hyperconjugative interactions are the main reasons for the stability of the products in the solid state. The highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital energies and first-order nonlinear optical properties of these molecules are reported. The quantum chemical parameters were derived using frontier molecular orbital energies.     

Calculations of the optical spectra of hydrocarbon radical cations based on Koopmans' theorem

The first few bands in the optical spectra of radical cations can often be interpreted in terms of A-type transitions that involve electron promotions from doubly occupied to the singly occupied molecular orbital (SOMO) and/or B-type transition which involve electron promotion from the SOMO to virtual molecular orbitals. We had previously demonstrated that, by making use of Koopmans' theorem, the energies of A-type transitions can be related to orbital energy differences between lower occupied MOs and the highest occupied MO (HOMO) in the neutral molecule, calculated at the geometry of the radical cation. We now propose that the energies of B-type transitions can be related similarly to energy differences between the lowest unoccupied MO (LUMO) and higher virtual MOs in the dication, also calculated at the geometry of the radical cation, by way of an extension of Koopmans' theorem to virtual MOs similar to that used sometimes to model resonances in electron scattering experiments. The optical spectra of the radical cations of several polyenes and aromatic compounds, the matrix spectra of which are known (or presented here for the first time), and for which CASSCF/CASPT2 calculations are available, are discussed in terms of these Koopmans-based models. Then the spectra of five poly(bicycloalkyl)-protected systems and that of hexabenzocoronene, compounds not amenable to higher level calculations, are examined and it is found that the Koopmans-type calculations allow a satisfactory interpretation of most of the features in these spectra. These simple calculations therefore provide a computationally inexpensive yet effective way to assign optical transitions in radical ions. Limitations of the model are discussed.     

Effect of oxygen on the electronic structure of highly crystalline picene films

The electronic structure of highly crystalline picene films with a standing-up orientation grown epitaxially on the Ag(110) surface was investigated. Upon exposure to oxgen gas, O(2) molecules incorporate at the interstitial sites within the a-b plane of the film. Features related to the highest three occupied molecular orbitals shift toward a lower binding energy which results in the inactivation of traps and the reduction of the charge injection barrier by about 1 eV. It is suggested that the highest two picene orbitals are inverted due to the strong interactions between the singly occupied oxygen π orbital and the highest occupied orbital of picene.     

A stable dialkylphosphinyl radical

Dialkylphosphinyl radical 1 was synthesized as thermally stable yellow crystals and found to be monomeric both in solution and in the solid state. EPR spectrum showed that the spin density of 1 is mainly localized on the 3p orbital of the dicoordinated phosphorus atom. A distinct absorption band due to the electronic transition from nonbonding electron pair orbital to singly occupied 3p orbital on the phosphorus atom of 1 was observed at 445 nm in solution. Phosphinyl radical 1 underwent facile reaction with carbon tetrachloride, hydrogen abstraction, and a unique reaction with a persistent radical, galvinoxyl, giving a cyclic phosphaalkene and a silylether.     

Anomeric effects in the symmetrical and asymmetrical structures of triethylamine. Blue-shifts of the C-h stretching vibrations in complexed and protonated triethylamine

Quantum mechanical calculations using density functional theory with the hybrid B3LYP functional and the 6-31++G(d,p) basis set are performed on isolated triethylamine (TEA), its hydrogen-bond complex with phenol, and protonated TEA. The calculations include the optimized geometries and the results of a natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis (occupation of sigma* orbitals, hyperconjugative energies, and atomic charges). The harmonic frequencies of the C-H stretching vibrations of TEA are predicted at the same level of theory. Two stable structures are found for isolated TEA. In the most stable symmetrical structure (TEA-S), the three C-C bond lengths are equal and one of the C-H bond of each of the three CH2 groups is more elongated than the three other ones. In the asymmetrical structure (TEA-AS), one of the C-C bonds and two C-H bonds of two different CH2 groups are more elongated than the other ones. These structures result from the hyperconjugation of the N lone pair to the considered sigma*(C-H) orbitals (TEA-S) or to the sigma*(C-C) and sigma*(C-H) orbitals of the CH2 groups (TEA-AS). The formation of a OH...N hydrogen bond with phenol results in a decrease of the hyperconjugation, a contraction of the C-H bonds, and blue-shifts of 28-33 cm-1 (TEA-S) or 40-48 cm-1 (TEA-AS) of the nus(CH2) vibrations. The nu(CH3) vibrations are found to shift to a lesser extent. Cancellation of the lone pair reorganization in protonated TEA-S and TEA-AS results in large blue-shifts of the nu(CH2) vibrations, between 170 and 190 cm-1. Most importantly, in contrast with the blue-shifting hydrogen bonds involving C-H groups, the blue-shifts occurring at C-H groups not participating in hydrogen bond formation is mainly due to a reduction of the hyperconjugation and the resulting decrease in the occupation of the corresponding sigma*(C-H) orbitals. A linear correlation is established between the C-H distances and the occupation of the corresponding sigma*(C-H) orbitals in the CH2 groups.     

外电场对N@C60, P@C60, As@C60分子结构和性质的影响

用量子力学方法研究了N@C60, P@C60, As@C60分子的几何和电子特征. 计算结果表明, 形成富勒烯包合物后, 碳笼只有微小的变形, 3种内包原子在笼中处于不同的位置, 碳笼与内包原子之间有明显的电荷转移和自旋轨道相互作用, 生成能分别为6.32, 70.88, -53.05 kJ/mol. 内包原子的3个单占据分子轨道(SOMO)能量变化很大, 并由于和碳笼作用而发生劈裂. 在外电场作用下, 分子的电子密度沿电场方向发生转移.分子的能量随外加电场的增强而降低. 分子轨道能级、能隙及SOMO轨道的能量和能级劈裂也发生了变化.     

Correlation effects on cis—trans energy differences in open-shell systems: The hoco radical as an example

Ab initio SCF and Cl calculations have shown that the most important factor in determining the relative energies of conformational isomers in free radicals is the movement of electron density into the singly occupied orbital. This is most favorable when an electron pair is situated trans to the radical site (trans correlation effect). In the HOCO radical we find that the trans isomer is more stable than the cis by 3.3 kcal/mol while SCF calculations yield virtually no energy difference between the two isomers.     

A theoretical approach to substituent effects. Structural consequences of electrostatic and orbital interactions in model mono- and disubstituted methanes

Ab initio molecular orbital theory is used to examine the effect of substituents on bond lengths in mono- and disubstituted methanes. The relative importance of electrostatic and orbital interaction terms are assessed. The results suggest that for substituents (X) which show powerful σ effects and weak π interactions (e.g., F), the changes in bond length are due primarily to the electrostatic component except in some disubstituted methanes in which case the change in the hyperconjugative ability of the C—X bond is also important. On the other hand, substituents X which show weak σ effects but powerful π interactions (e.g., NH₂) affect bond lengths primarily through hyperconjugative interaction of a filled or vacant π-type orbital on X with the adjacent bonds.     

Probing the Most Aromatic and Antiaromatic Pyrrolium Rings by Maximizing Hyperconjugation and Push–Pull Effect

Hyperconjugation, a weak interaction in organic chemistry, can have a strong effect on aromaticity, leading to the concept of hyperconjugative aromaticity, which was first proposed by Mulliken in 1939. However, most studies are limited to main group chemistry. Here we report the most aromatic and antiaromatic pyrrolium ring by maximizing the hyperconjugation caused by transition metal fragments and the push–pull effect. Our calculations reveal that the origin of the outperformance of transition metal substituents over main group ones on hyperconjugative aromaticity could be attributed to their higher highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs). Among the group 11 transition metals, a silver substituent results in the best performance. All these findings highlight the magic of the transition metal (silver) and could be particularly helpful for the design of other aromatic and antiaromatic counterparts based on a nonaromatic parent species.     

Why is the linking C-C bond in tetrahedranyltetrahedrane so short?

[structure: see text]. The block-localized wave function (BLW) method has been employed to probe the origin of the very short linking C-C bond (1.436 A) in tetrahedranyltetrahedrane. Computations show that the vicinal hyperconjugative interactions between the two tetrahedranyl groups is stronger than the conjugation in butadiene, and if there were no hyperconjugation effect, the bond distance would be 1.491 A. Thus, both the hybridization mode and hyperconjugative interactions contribute to the shortening of the central C-C bond in tetrahedranyltetrahedrane.     

Structure,bonding, and spectra of cyclic dithia radical cations: a theoretical study

Ab initio molecular orbital and hybrid density functional theory methods are employed to characterize the structure, bonding and properties of several cyclic dithia radical cation systems, particularly in the context of intra molecular two-center three-electron (2c-3e) bonding between two sulfur atoms. The calculated results are able to interpret the time-resolved transient optical spectra obtained from pulse radiolysis technique for these positively charged dithia systems in aqueous solution. Visualization of the appropriate molecular orbital (MO) in the systems is able to depict the presence of a 2c-3e bond between two sulfur atoms and its sigma character. Geometry optimizations of these doublet systems are carried out at restricted open shell Becke's half-and-half (BHH) nonlocal exchange and Lee-Yang-Parr (LYP) nonlocal correlation functionals (BHHLYP) with 6-311+G(d,p) basis set including solvent effects adopting Onsager's reaction field model. Hessian calculations are done at the same level to check the nature of the equilibrium geometry. Energy data are further improved by performing MP2/6-311+G(d,p) calculations on these radical cation systems. Excited-state calculations are done following configuration interaction with single-electron excitation (CIS) method and the optical transition wavelength from the highest doubly occupied molecular orbital (HDOMO) to the lowest singly occupied molecular orbital (LSOMO) is seen to correspond and match to the position of the absorption maxima (lambda(max)) obtained from the experimental spectra for all these radical cation systems in aqueous solution. These calculations are able to resolve a long-standing ambiguity in the assignment of intra molecular 2c-3e bonding in the case of the 3-methyl-2,4-dithiapentane radical cation system and to provide new insights into bonding features of this odd electron system as well as of other cyclic dithia systems studied.     

How Ionization Catalyzes Diels-Alder Reactions

The catalytic effect of ionization on the Diels-Alder reaction between 1,3-butadiene and acrylaldehyde has been studied using relativistic density functional theory (DFT). Removal of an electron from the dienophile, acrylaldehyde, significantly accelerates the Diels-Alder reaction and shifts the reaction mechanism from concerted asynchronous for the neutral Diels-Alder reaction to stepwise for the radical-cation Diels-Alder reaction. Our detailed activation strain and Kohn-Sham molecular orbital analyses reveal how ionization of the dienophile enhances the Diels-Alder reactivity via two mechanisms: (i) by amplifying the asymmetry in the dienophile's occupied π-orbitals to such an extent that the reaction goes from concerted asynchronous to stepwise and thus with substantially less steric (Pauli) repulsion per reaction step; (ii) by enhancing the stabilizing orbital interactions that result from the ability of the singly occupied molecular orbital of the radical-cation dienophile to engage in an additional three-electron bonding interaction with the highest occupied molecular orbital of the diene.     

Thermochemistry of 1,3-dithiacyclohexane 1-oxide (1,3-dithiane sulfoxide): calorimetric and computational study

The enthalpies of combustion and sublimation of 1,3-dithiacyclohexane 1-oxide (1,3-dithiane sulfoxide, 2) were measured by a rotating-bomb combustion calorimeter and the Knudsen effusion technique, and the gas-phase enthalpy of formation was determined, DeltafH degrees m(g) = -98.0 +/- 1.9 kJ mol(-1). This value is not as large (negative) as could have been expected from comparison with thermochemical data available for the thiane/thiane oxide reference system. High-level ab initio molecular orbital calculations at the MP2(FULL)/6-31G(3df,2p) level were performed, and the optimized molecular and electronic structures of 2 afforded valuable information on (1) the relative conformational energies of 2-axial and 2-equatorial--the latter being 7.1 kJ mol(-1) more stable than 2-axial, (2) the possible involvement of nS --> sigma*(C-S(O)) hyperconjugation in 2-equatorial, (3) the lack of computational evidence for sigma(S-C) --> sigma*(S-O) stereoelectronic interaction in 2-equatorial, and (4) the relevance of a repulsive electrostatic interaction between sulfur atoms in 1,3-dithiane sulfoxide, which apparently counterbalances any nS --> sigma*(C-S(O)) stabilizing hyperconjugative interaction and accounts for the lower than expected enthalpy of formation for sulfoxide 2.     

Blue shifts of the C-H stretching vibrations in hydrogen-bonded and protonated trimethylamine. Effect of hyperconjugation on bond properties

The optimized geometry of isolated trimethylamine (TMA), its hydrogen bond complexes with phenol derivatives and protonated TMA is calculated at the B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) level. A natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis on these systems is carried out at the same level of theory. In isolated TMA, one of the C-H bond in each of the three CH(3) groups is more elongated than the two other ones. As revealed by the NBO data, this results from a hyperconjugative interaction from the N lone pair to the sigma*(C-H) orbitals of the C-H bonds being in a transoid position with respect to the N lone pair. The formation of an intermolecular OH...N hydrogen bond with phenols results in a decrease of the lone pair effect. A linear correlation is found between the decrease in occupation of the sigma*(C-H) orbitals and the decrease in the hyperconjugative interaction energy in the complexes and isolated TMA. Complex formation with phenols results in a blue shift of 55-74 cm(-1) of the C-H stretching vibrations involved in the lone pair effect. Smaller blue shifts between 14 and 23 cm(-1) are predicted for the other C-H bonds. In these complexes, a linear correlation is found between the frequency shifts and the elongation of the C-H bonds. Protonation of TMA results in a nearly equalization of all the C-H distances and a blue shift of 180 cm(-1) of the C-H bonds involved in hyperconjugation with the N lone pair.