Time-resolved resonance Raman investigation of the 2-fluorenylnitrenium ion reactions with C8 guanosine derivatives

A nanosecond time-resolved resonance Raman (ns-TR3) spectroscopic study of the reactions of the 2-fluorenylnitrenium ion with several C8-substituted guanosine derivatives is reported. The TR3 spectra show that the 2-fluorenylnitrenium ion reacts with the C8-substituted guanosine derivatives (C8-methylguanosine and C8-bromoguanosine) to produce C8 intermediates with the methyl and bromine moieties still attached to the intermediate species at the C8 position. The C8-bromoguanosine species was observed to be less reactive toward the 2-fluorenylnitrenium ion compared to the guanosine and C8-methylguanosine species. Comparison of the TR3 spectra to the results obtained from density functional theory calculations was used to characterize the C8 intermediates observed to learn more about their structure and properties. The implications of these results for the chemical reactivity of arylnitrenium ions toward substituted guanosine derivatives are briefly discussed.     

Time-resolved resonance Raman observation of the 2-fluorenylnitrenium ion reaction with guanosine to form a C8 intermediate

Time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopy was used to directly observe the reaction of the 2-fluorenylnitrenium ion with guanosine to produce a C8 intermediate species. Comparison of the Raman spectra with results of density functional theory calculations indicates the C8 intermediate forms two C=N conjugated bonds in ring 1 of the guanosine moiety.     

Transient resonance Raman and density functional theory investigation of the 2-fluorenylnitrenium ion.

We report a transient resonance Raman spectrum for the 2-fluorenylnitrenium ion obtained after photolysis of 2-azidofluorene. The 10 experimental Raman band frequencies of the transient spectrum show very good agreement with the computed frequencies from BPW91/cc-PVDZ density functional theory calculations for the 2-fluorenylnitrenium ion. Our results confirm the assignment of the approximately 460 nm transient absorption band formed after photolysis of 2-azidofluorene in water/acetonitrile or water solution to the singlet ground electronic state 2-fluorenylnitrenium ion. Our study indicates the 2-fluorenylnitrenium has a large degree of iminocyclohexadienyl cation character with significant delocalization of the charge over both phenyl rings of the fluorene moiety. We compare our results for the 2-fluoreneylnitrenium ion to those previously reported for several other arylnitrenium ions.     

Time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopy and density functional study of 2-fluorenylnitrene and its dehydroazepine products

We report time-resolved resonance Raman spectra for 2-fluorenylnitrene and its dehydroazepine products acquired after photolysis of 2-fluorenylnitrene in acetonitrile. The experimental Raman band frequencies exhibit good agreement with the calculated vibrational frequencies from UBPW91/cc-PVDZ density functional calculations for the singlet and triplet states of the 2-fluorenylnitrene as well as BPW91/cc-PVDZ calculations for the two dehydroazepine ring-expansion product species. The decay of the 2-fluorenylnitrene Raman signal and the appearance of the dehydroazepine products suggest the presence of an intermediate species (probably an azirine) that does not absorb very much at the 416 nm probe wavelength used in the time-resolved resonance Raman experiments. Comparison of the singlet 2-fluorenylnitrene species with the singlet 2-fluorenylnitrenium ion species indicates that protonation of the nitrene to give the nitrenium ion leads to a significant enhancement of the cyclohexadienyl character of the phenyl rings without much change of the C-N bond length.     

Reaction of the 4-biphenylnitrenium ion with 4-biphenyl azide to produce a 4,4'-azobisbiphenyl stable product: a time-resolved resonance Raman and density functional theory study

A time-resolved resonance Raman (TR(3)) and density functional theory (DFT) study of the reaction of the 4-biphenylnitrenium ion with 4-biphenyl azide in a mixed aqueous solution is reported. The reaction of the 4-biphenylnitrenium ion with its unphotolyzed precursor 4-biphenyl azide in a mixed aqueous solution generates a 4,4'-azobisbiphenyl stable product via an intermediate species. With the aid of DFT calculations for likely transient species, this intermediate was tentatively assigned to a 4,4'-azobisbiphenyl cation. The DFT calculations predict this reaction can take place via two pathways that compete with one another to produce the trans and cis 4,4'-azobisbiphenyl product. The observation of the 4,4'-azobisbiphenyl cation intermediate demonstrates that the reaction of the arylnitrenium ion with its aryl azide to produce a stable azo product occurs via a stepwise mechanism.     

A semiempirical study of 2,2′-dichlorodiethyl sulfide SN2 and neighboring group hydrolysis reaction mechanisms in the gas phase and in aqueous solution

A PM3 and SM3-PM3 semiempirical molecular orbital study of the 2,2′-dichlorodiethyl sulfide conventional S_N2 and neighboring group hydrolysis reaction mechanisms in the gas phase and in aqueous solution is described. The calculations predict substantially faster reactions in aqueous solution, with the neighboring group mechanism always being preferred. Detailed consideration is given to the geometries, relative energies, and partial atomic charges of all species involved in the reaction mechanisms considered and the extent to which aqueous solvation impacts these quantities. The results are consistent with expectation and with reported calculations concerning the intramolecular S_N2 reaction of 2-chloroethyl methyl sulfide. We also present the lowest energy mustard chlorohydrin structures according to PM3 and AM1 conformational analysis.     

Catalytic O2 evolution from water induced by adsorption of [OH2)(terpy)Mn(mu-O)2Mn(terpy)(OH2)]3+ complex onto clay compounds

Water oxidation to evolve O2 in photosynthesis is catalyzed by an enzyme whose active site contains a mu-oxo-bridged manganese core. Catalytic O2 evolution has been difficult to establish by manganese-oxo complexes in homogeneous aqueous solutions. The reaction of [(OH2)(terpy)MnIII(mu-O)2MnIV(terpy)(OH2)]3+ (terpy = 2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine) (1) with a CeIV oxidant leads to the decomposition of 1 to the permanganate ion without O2 evolution in an aqueous solution but catalytically produces O2 from water when 1 is adsorbed on clay compounds. 18O-labeling experiments showed that the oxygen atoms in O2 originate exclusively from water. Catalysis of O2 evolution requires cooperation of 2 equiv of 1 adsorbed on clay compounds.     

Reactions of tris(2‐pyridyl)phosphine oxides with electrophiles: Formation of 5‐substituted 2,2′‐bipyridyls

The reaction of tris(2‐pyridyl)phosphine oxides with benzeneselenenyl chloride in methanol gave the corresponding 5‐phenylseleno‐2,2′‐bipyridyls together with a small amount of 2,2′‐bipyridyls. Similarly, the reaction with arenesulfenyl chlorides in aqueous acetonitrile afforded two kinds of coupling products, 5‐phenylthio‐2,2′‐bipyridyls and 2,2′‐bipyridyls. While in the reaction with arenesulfinyl chlorides in aqueous acetonitrile, four corresponding bipyridyl derivatives, 2,2′‐bipyridyls, 5‐arylthio‐2,2′‐bipyridyls, 5‐arylsulfinyl‐2,2′‐bipyridyls, and 5‐arylsulfonyl‐2,2′‐bipyridyls, were formed. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 14:72–81, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/hc.10085     

2′-Hydroxyflavylium: introducing flavanones into the flavylium network of chemical reactions

Chalcones possessing a hydroxyl group in position 2 cyclize to form flavylium salts in acidic media, this reaction being reversible under neutral-basic conditions. On the other hand, chalcones possessing a hydroxyl group in position 2′ cyclize to form flavanones in basic media. By synthesizing 2′-hydroxyflavylium tetrafluoroborate, it was possible to obtain trans-2,2′-dihydroxychalcone that in solution can evolve to 2′-hydroxyflavanone or back to 2′-hydroxyflavylium depending on the pH. The several equilibria established in aqueous solution were fully characterized. The importance of including flavanones into the flavylium network of chemical reactions is briefly exploited.     

Rapid, robust, clean, catalyst-free synthesis of 2-halo-3-carboxyindoles

A novel synthesis of 2-halo-3-carboxyindoles from 2-(2,2-dihalovinyl)anilines was discovered. Reaction conditions and substrate applicability were studied. Optimally, the reaction takes only minutes when these substrates are heated in DMSO at 120 °C in the presence of cesium carbonate. However, the reaction is robust and takes place at a wide range of temperatures, is tolerant of aqueous reaction conditions, and can be performed in a variety of polar solvent/carbonate base combinations—where the limiting factor is base solubility. A wide range of substituents is tolerated on the 2-(2,2-dihalovinyl)anilines, and yields are generally high, requiring only acidic aqueous work-up to obtain pure products. No catalyst is required for the transformation. The mechanism is believed to involve initial formation of an alkynyl bromide intermediate followed by ring closure and carbon dioxide trapping, leading to product formation.     

Study of the formation of bimetallic aqueous Tl/Cu sols by gamma and electron irradiation

The spectral characteristics of the bimetallic sols produced by gamma and electron irradiation of mixed solutions of Tl⁺–Cu²⁺ ions in different ratios have been studied in aqueous medium. The intermediate transient species have also been characterized by the technique of pulse radiolysis. The rate constant for the reaction of Cu²⁺ion with the Tl⁺ ion reduction species was founded by 4×10⁹ dm³ mol⁻¹s⁻¹. Developmental absorption spectra in gamma radiolytic reduction of the mixed ions indicated reduction of Tl⁺ ion on the surface of small copper particles, resulting in bimetallic-sol with core of copper. The presence of a small concentration of Cu²⁺ ion was found to restrict the agglomeration process of thallium particles at near neutral pH conditions. The reducing capability of the bimetallic sols was found to be proportional to the thallium content in the sol. The observed UV–Vis spectra of the mixed Tl/Cu sols produced on electron irradiation showed much lower absorption in the higher wavelength region and were more close to that of the pure sol of the ion, present in higher concentration in the feed solution. Thus, the high dose rate-assisted stabilization of smaller thallium particles. Size of all these bimetallic sol particles was much less than 50 nm.     

Kinetics and mechanism of acid-catalyzed oxidation of bromide ions by the aqueous chromyl(IV) ion

The reaction between the aqueous chromyl ion, CraqO2+, and Br- is acid-catalyzed and generates Br2. Kinetic studies that utilized a superoxochromium ion, CraqOO2+, as a kinetic probe yielded a mixed third-order rate law, -d[CraqO2+]/dt=k[CraqO2+][Br-][H+], where k=608+/-11 M-2 s-1. Experimental data strongly favor a one-electron mechanism, but the reaction is much faster than predicted on the basis of the reduction potential for the Br*/Br- couple. The reduction of CraqO2+ by transition-metal complexes, on the other hand, exhibits "normal" behavior, that is, k=(1.37x10(3)+1.94x10(3) [H+]) M-1 s-1 for Os(1,10-tris-phenanthroline)(3)2+ and <10 M-1 s-1 for Ru(2,2'-bipyridine)3(2+) at 0.1 M H+. The reduction of CraqOO2+ by Br2*- takes place with a rate constant k=(1.23+/-0.20)x10(9) M-1 s-1, as determined by laser-flash photolysis.     

Self-recognition in the coordination driven self-assembly of 2-D polygons

Self-recognition in the transition-metal-mediated self-assembly of some 2-D polygons is presented. Prolonged heating of two or three organoplatinum reagents with 4,4'-dipyridyl in aqueous acetone results in the predominant formation of a rectangle, triangle, and/or square. All mixtures are characterized with NMR and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS). Despite the potential for ill-defined oligomeric products, these mixed ligand systems prefer to self-assemble into discrete species.     

Water-insoluble Ag-U-organic assemblies with photocatalytic activity

Two metal-organic coordination polymers [Ag(bipy)(UO(2))(bdc)(1.5)] (bipy=2,2'-bipyridyl, bdc=1,4-benzenedicarboxylate) and [Ag(2)(phen)(2)UO(2)(btec)] (phen=1,10-phenanthroline, btec=1,2,4,5-benzenetetracarboxylate) were obtained by hydrothermal assembly of the d(10) metal silver and the 5f metal uranium with mixed ligands. Both compounds form two-dimensional networks with pi-pi overlap interactions between the aromatic fragments in the neighboring layers. In aqueous suspension the two water-insoluble materials show photocatalytic degradation performance superior to that of commercial TiO(2) (Degussa P-25) when tested on nonbiodegradable rhodamine B (RhB) as model pollutant. The relationship between the structure of the photocatalysts and the photocatalytic activity was also elucidated. On the basis of the monitored intermediate species and the final mineralized products, it is proposed that the possible reaction mechanism for the photodegradation (oxidation) of RhB in aqueous solution catalyzed by the two assembly compounds involves photoexcitation of uranyl centers and molecular oxygen.     

Efficient dehalogenation of polyhalomethanes and production of strong acids in aqueous environments: water-catalyzed O--H-insertion and HI-elimination reactions of isodiiodomethane (CH2I-I) with water

A combined experimental and theoretical study of the ultraviolet photolysis of CH2I2 in water is reported. Ultraviolet photolysis of low concentrations of CH2I2 in water was experimentally observed to lead to almost complete conversion into CH2(OH)2 and 2HI products. Picosecond time-resolved resonance Raman spectroscopy experiments in mixed water/acetonitrile solvents (25%-75% water) showed that appreciable amounts of isodiiodomethane (CH2I-I) were formed within several picoseconds and the decay of the CH2I-I species became substantially shorter with increasing water concentration, suggesting that CH2I-I may be reacting with water. Ab initio calculations demonstrate the CH2I-I species is able to react readily with water via a water-catalyzed O--H-insertion and HI-elimination reaction followed by its CH2I(OH) product undergoing a further water-catalyzed HI-elimination reaction to make a H2C=O product. These HI-elimination reactions produce the two HI leaving groups observed experimentally and the H2C=O product further reacts with water to produce the other final CH2(OH)2 product observed in the photochemistry experiments. These results suggest that CH2I-I is the species that reacts with water to produce the CH2(OH)2 and 2HI products seen in the photochemistry experiments. The present study demonstrates that ultraviolet photolysis of CH2I2 at low concentration leads to efficient dehalogenation and release of multiple strong acid (HI) leaving groups. Some possible ramifications for the decomposition of polyhalomethanes and halomethanols in aqueous environments as well as the photochemistry of polyhalomethanes in the natural environment are briefly discussed.     

Water-catalyzed O-H insertion/HI elimination reactions of isodihalomethanes (CH2X-I, where X = Cl, Br, I) with water and the dehalogenation of dihalomethanes in water-solvated environments

A combined experimental and theoretical investigation of the ultraviolet photolysis of CH2XI (where X = Cl, Br, I) dihalomethanes in water is presented. Ultraviolet photolysis of low concentrations of CH2XI (where X = Cl, Br, I) in water appears to lead to almost complete conversion into CH2(OH)2 and HX and HI products. Picosecond time-resolved resonance Raman (ps-TR3) spectroscopy experiments revealed that noticeable amounts of CH2X-I isodihalomethane intermediates were formed within several picoseconds after photolysis of the CH2XI parent compound in mixed aqueous solutions. The ps-TR3 experiments in mixed aqueous solutions revealed that the decay of the CH2X-I isodihalomethane intermediates become significantly shorter as the water concentration increases, indicating that the CH2X-I intermediates may be reacting with water. Ab initio calculations found that the CH2X-I intermediates are able to react relatively easily with water via a water-catalyzed O-H insertion/HI elimination reaction to produce CH2X(OH) and HI products, with the barrier for these reactions increasing as X changes from Cl to Br to I. The ab initio calculations also found that the CH2X(OH) product can undergo a water-catalyzed HX elimination reaction to make H2C=O and HX products, with the barrier to reaction decreasing as X changes from Cl to Br to I. The preceding two water-catalyzed reactions produce the HI and HX leaving groups observed experimentally, and the H2C=O product further reacts with water to make the other CH2(OH)2 product observed in the photochemistry experiments. This suggests that that the CH2X-I intermediates react with water to form the CH2(OH)2 and HI and HX products observed in the photochemistry experiments. Ultraviolet photolysis of CH2XI (where X = Cl, Br, I) at low concentrations in water-solvated environments appears to lead to efficient dehalogenation and release of two strong acid leaving groups. We very briefly discuss the potential influence of this photochemistry in water on the decomposition of polyhalomethanes and halomethanols in aqueous environments.     

Convenient and efficient synthesis of functionalized oligopyridine ligands bearing accessory pyrromethene-BF2 fluorophores

The synthesis of stable and highly luminescent pyridine-, bipyridine-, phenanthroline-, bipyrimidine-, and terpyridine-based ligands bearing one or two 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (bodipy) modules has demonstrated the advantages of three different protocols which have been adapted in light of the chemical stability of the alkyne-grafted starting building blocks and the chemical reactivity of the bromo-substituted starting materials. A classical method of condensation of aldehydes or acid chlorides with Kryptopyrrole has been used for direct linkage of a bodipy to the oligopyridinic platform. For the phenylethynyl-linked molecules, direct coupling between the bodipy-phenyliodo and the stable 4'-ethynyl-2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine, 6,6' '-diethynyl-2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine, 5-ethynyl-2,2'-bipyridine, 5,5'-diethynyl-2,2'-bipyridine, 6,6'-diethynyl-2,2'-bipyridine, and 5,5'-diethynyl-2,2'-bipyrimidine substrates is feasible and is promoted by Pd catalysts and sonication. This procedure provides the advantages of efficiency, versatility, and rapidity. A second set of experimental conditions is required to produce the 4-substituted pyridine, 3,8-disubstituted-1,10-phenanthroline, and 5,5' '-disubstituted-2,2':6',2' '-terpyridine derivatives. Cross coupling of a bodipy-phenylethynyl molecule with the bromo-substituted partners takes place smoothly with the pyridine but with low yields in the other cases due to the efficient formation of the homocoupled diphenylbutadiyne bodipy compounds. A third convenient protocol enabled the preparation of these target molecules in a one-pot reaction where the deprotection of the alkyne was conducted in situ by a phase-transfer process with aqueous NaOH and with Et(3)BnN(+)Cl(-) as mediator and the cross-coupling reaction realized in the benzene phase with [Pd(PPh(3))(4)] as catalyst and CuI as co-reagent. The nascent acid was quenched in the aqueous phase. This method is much more efficient when a trimethylsilyl protecting group is used instead of a propargylic alcohol. The pyridino-bodipy bases were alkylated smoothly in good yields in the presence of methyl iodide. The photophysical and electrochemical properties for these new molecules have been investigated and are discussed in terms of substitution patterns of the bipyridine and terpyridine platforms. In the pyridinium salt 18, the fluorescence from the first singlet excited state at lambda(em) = 547 nm is totally quenched at the expense of a low-lying charge-transfer emitting state located at lambda(em) = 660 nm.     

Speciation of copper(II) complexes in an ionic liquid based on choline chloride and in choline chloride/water mixtures

A deep-eutectic solvent with the properties of an ionic liquid is formed when choline chloride is mixed with copper(II) chloride dihydrate in a 1:2 molar ratio. EXAFS and UV-vis-near-IR optical absorption spectroscopy have been used to compare the coordination sphere of the cupric ion in this ionic liquid with that of the cupric ion in solutions of 0.1 M of CuCl(2)·2H(2)O in solvents with varying molar ratios of choline chloride and water. The EXAFS data show that species with three chloride ions and one water molecule coordinated to the cupric ion as well as species with two chloride molecules and two water molecules coordinated to the cupric ion are present in the ionic liquid. On the other hand, a fully hydrated copper(II) ion is formed in an aqueous solution free of choline chloride, and the tetrachlorocuprate(II) complex forms in aqueous choline chloride solutions with more than 50 wt % of choline chloride. In solutions with between 0 and 50 wt % of choline chloride, mixed chloro-aquo complexes occur. Upon standing at room temperature, crystals of CuCl(2)·2H(2)O and of Cu(choline)Cl(3) formed in the ionic liquid. Cu(choline)Cl(3) is the first example of a choline cation coordinating to a transition-metal ion. Crystals of [choline](3)[CuCl(4)][Cl] and of [choline](4)[Cu(4)Cl(10)O] were also synthesized from molecular or ionic liquid solvents, and their crystal structures were determined.     

A new access to Gibbs energies of transfer of ions across liquid|liquid interfaces and a new method to study electrochemical processes at well-defined three-phase junctions

Droplets of polar and nonpolar aprotic solvents containing dissolved electroactive species can be easily attached to paraffin-impregnated graphite electrodes. When the electrode with the attached droplet is introduced into an aqueous electrolyte solution, the electrochemical reactions of the dissolved species can be elegantly studied. Provided the droplet does not contain a dissolved electrolyte, the electrochemical reaction will be confined to the very edge of the three-phase junction droplet|graphite|aqueous electrolyte. When a neutral species is oxidised, two pathways are possible: the oxidised species can remain in the droplet and anions will be transferred from the aqueous solution to the organic solvent, or the oxidised species may leave the droplet and enter the aqueous solution. Depending on the nature of the dissolved species, the nature of the organic solvent, the presence or absence of appropriate anions and cations in the two liquid phases, very different reaction pathways are possible. The new approach allows studies of ion transfer between immiscible solvents to be performed with a three-electrode potentiostat. Electrochemical determinations of the Gibbs energy of ion transfer between aqueous and nonpolar nonaqueous liquids are possible, whereas conventional ion transfer studies require the presence of a dissociated electrolyte in the organic phase. The new method considerably widens the spectrum of accessible ions.     

A new strategy for the synthesis of taurine derivatives using the 'safety-catch' principle for the protection of sulfonic acids

The safety-catch principle has been applied for the development of a new method for protecting sulfonic acids. 2,2-Dimethylsuccinic acid was reduced to 2,2-dimethylbutane-1,4-diol, which was selectively silylated to give 4-(tert-butyldiphenylsilanyloxy)-2,2-dimethylbutan-1-ol. Reaction of the latter compound with 2-chloroethanesulfonyl chloride in the presence of triethylamine afforded 4-(tert-butyldiphenylsilyloxy)-2,2-dimethylbutyl ethenesulfonate directly. The ethenesulfonate underwent Michael-type addition with secondary amines to give protected derivatives of taurine (2-aminoethanesulfonic acid). Deprotection was achieved on treatment with tetrabutylammonium fluoride, whereby cleavage of the silicon-oxygen bond led to an intermediate alkoxide that immediately cyclised to 2,2-dimethyltetrahydrofuran with liberation of a sulfonate. Pure sulfonic acids were obtained from the crude product by ion exchange chromatography on a strongly basic resin, which was eluted with aqueous acetic acid. The method developed should be generally applicable to the protection of sulfonic acids and is amenable to a multiparallel format.