Elucidation of the electron transfer reduction mechanism of anthracene endoperoxides

The homogeneous and heterogeneous reductions of the endoperoxides 9,10-diphenyl-9,10-epidioxyanthracene (DPA-O2) and 9,10-dimethyl-9,10-epidioxyanthracene (DMA-O2) were investigated, and they were found to undergo a dissociative electron-transfer reduction of the O-O bond to yield a distonic radical anion, with no evidence for C-O bond dissociation. A number of thermochemical parameters for each were determined using Savéant's model for dissociative electron transfer (ET), including E degrees, DeltaG(o)++, and bond dissociation energies. The products of the ET are dependent on the mode of reduction, namely heterogeneous or homogeneous, and on the electrode potential or standard potential of the homogeneous donor, respectively. The dissociative reduction of DMA-O2 under heterogeneous and homogeneous conditions yields the corresponding 9,10-dihydroxyanthracene DMA-(OH)2, quantitatively, in an overall two-electron process. In the case of DPA-O2, ET reduction also yields the corresponding 9,10-dihydroxyanthracene DPA-(OH)2 from reduction of the distonic radical anion, but in competition with this reduction, an O-neophyl-type rearrangement occurs that generates a carbon radical with a minimum rate constant of 5.9 x 10(10) s(-1). In the presence of a sufficiently reducing medium, the carbon-centered radical is reduced (E degrees = -0.85 V vs SCE) and ultimately yields 9-phenoxy-10-phenyl anthracene (PPA). The observation of this product is remarkable. In the heterogeneous ET, the yield of DPA-(OH)2/PPA is 97:3 and allows an estimate of the rate constant for ET to the distonic radical anion. In homogeneous reductions, the O-neophyl rearrangement is quantitative, but the yield of PPA depends on the redox properties of the donor. A unified mechanism of reduction of DPA-O2 is presented to account for these observations.     

Tautomerism of anthraquinones: XI. 1-amino-4-hydroxyanthraquinone

The disperse dye red 2C regarded as 1-amino-4-hydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone is not a 9,10-anthraquinone derivative. It is characterized by a keto-enol and amino-imine tautomerism, and it consists of equilibrium mixtures of tautomers and conformers containing 4-amino-9-hydroxy-1,10-, 9 amino-4-hydroxy-1,10-, 9 amino-10-hydroxy-1,4-anthraquinones, 9 hydroxy-1,10-anthraquinone 10-imine, and also their conformers with a single intramolecular hydrogen bond. The significant differences in the absorption spectra known for this dye originate from the dissimilar isomeric composition of the samples of this dye prepared or purified by various procedures     

Polyesters from 2,6-dihydroxy-9,10-dihydro-9,10-ethanoanthracene and 2,6-dihydroxyanthracene

High molecular weight, film-forming, amorphous polyesters have been prepared from 2,6-dilydroxy-9,10-dihydro-9,10-ethanoanthracene with adipic, sebacic, dodecanoic, isophthalic, 4,4′-oxybibenzoic, 2,6-naphthoic, 4,4′-bibenzoic, and terephthalic acid. Thermal elimination of ethylene from these polymers has yielded the corresponding polyesters from 2,6-dihydroxyanthracene which were of high molecular weight, film forming, and crystalline.     

The reductive metalation of 9-phenylacridine

The reductive metalation of 9-phenylacridine by sodium to a dianion is described and the reactions of the dianion with electrophiles investigated. Reactions of the dianion with methanol, dimethyl sulfate, X(CH₂)_nX (n = 2,3,4, X = Cl, Br), and methyl chloroformate were studied. Reactions occurred exclusively at the 9 and 10 positions forming 9,10-dihydro-9-phenylacridine derivatives. Of particular interest was the fact that the dianion was dialkylated with 1,2-dichloroethane but monoalkylated at the 9-position with 1,3-dichloropropane and 1,4-dichlorobutane. These results are compared to those obtained with dianions derived from other heterocyclic systems and analyzed using Baldwin's Rules for Ring Closure.     

Generation of 1O2 and the mechanism of internal conversion in 9,10-diphenylanthracene

Laser photolysis techniques have been employed show that the quenching of the excited electronic states of 9,10-di-phenylanthracene involve an energy transfer mechanism resulting in generation of singlet oxygen from both the lowest singlet and triplet states of the hydrocarbon. Internal conversion from the excited singlet of the 9,10-diphenylanthracene is enhanced by oxygen as well. This process is attributed to formation of sterically hindered conformers. The temperature dependence of internal conversion of 9,10-diphenylanthracene was also examined.     

Stepwise Reduction of 9,10‐Bis(dimesitylboryl)anthracene

Stepwise reduction of 9,10‐bis(dimesitylboryl)anthracene afforded an radical anion and a dianion, accompanied by stepwise changes of the aromaticity of the anthracene moiety. The radical has a planar semiquinoidal structure, while the dianion has a puckered quinoidal structure. The alteration of the geometries of the 9,10‐bis(dimesitylboryl)anthracene upon reduction is rationalized by the nature of the bonding. These results have been confirmed by cyclic voltammetry, X‐ray crystallography, NMR, EPR, and UV‐vis‐NIR spectroscopy, as well as DFT calculations.     

Structural and variable-temperature NMR studies of 9-diisopropylphosphanylanthracenes and 9,10-bis(diisopropylphosphanyl)anthracenes and their oxidation products

The diisopropylphosphanyl-substituted anthracenes i-Pr2P(C14H9) (1a), i-Pr2P(C14H8)Br (2a), and (i-Pr2P)2(C14H8) (3a) and some of their oxidation products were prepared from 9-bromoanthracene and 9,10-dibromoanthracene, respectively. Low-temperature (1)H NMR spectra of the 9-monophosphanyl-substituted anthracenes 1a and 2a are in accordance with a staggered conformer, while above room temperature dynamic processes occur. The low-temperature NMR spectrum of the 9,10-diphosphanylanthracene 3a indicates the presence of two different rotational isomers. The rotational barrier for 1a was determined from variable-temperature (1)H NMR spectra to be 56 kJ mol(-1) (DeltaG(298K)). The crystal structure determinations show the solid-state conformers to be consistent with the prevailing conformer at low temperature.     

Steric effects in the electroreduction of 9-anthryl styryl ketone and 9,10-anthryl bis(styryl ketone)

The electrochemical behavior of 9-anthryl styryl ketone (ASK) and 9,10-anthryl bis(styryl ketone) (ABSK) in acetonitrile and N,N-dimethylformamide at a Pt electrode was investigated by cyclic and rotating ring disk electrode (RRDE) voltammetry and controlled potential coulometry. ASK is reduced in a reversible one-electron step to form the radical anion which rapidly couples (k₂=10⁵M^?1 s^?1) to form the dimeric dianion. The dimer can be reoxidized to form ASK. ABSK is reversibly reduced to the stable dianion which shows no tendency to couple. The cyclic voltammogram wave shape suggests that the styryl-keto groups in the 9-and 10-positions are non-interacting so that the reduction occurs in two steps whose standard potentials differ by the statistically predicted 36 mV.     

Photocatalytic oxygenation of anthracenes and olefins with dioxygen via selective radical coupling using 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion as an effective electron-transfer photocatalyst

Visible light irradiation of the absorption band of 9-mesityl-10-methylacridinium ion (Acr+-Mes) in an O2-saturated acetonitrile (MeCN) solution containing 9,10-dimethylanthracene results in formation of oxygenation product, i.e., dimethylepidioxyanthracene (Me2An-O2). Anthracene and 9-methylanthracene also undergo photocatalytic oxygenation with Acr+-Mes to afford the corresponding epidioxyanthracenes under the photoirradiation. In the case of anthracene, the further photoirradiation results in formation of anthraquinone as the final six-electron oxidation product, via 10-hydroxyanthrone, accompanied by generation of H2O2. When anthracene is replaced by olefins (tetraphenylethylene and tetramethylethylene), the photocatalytic oxygenation of olefins affords the corresponding dioxetane, in which the O-O bond is cleaved to yield the corresponding ketones. The photocatalytic oxygenation of anthracenes and olefins is initiated by photoexcitation of Acr+-Mes, which results in formation of the electron-transfer state: Acr*-Mes*+, followed by electron transfer from anthracenes and olefins to the Mes*+ moiety together with electron transfer from the Acr* moiety to O2. The resulting anthracene and olefin radical cations undergo the radical coupling reactions with O2*- to produce the epidioxyanthracene (An-O2) and dioxetane, respectively.     

Inhibition of the anthraquinone photosensitised oxidation of polypropylene by a hindered piperidine stabiliser: A spectroscopic study

A hindered piperidine stabiliser, bis{2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-4-piperidinyl}-sebacate, has been found to inhibit the photo-sensitising effect of anthraquinone in polypropylene. On flash photolysis in n-hexane solution transient formation due to the semi-quinone radical (AH·) at 370 nm and subsequent formation of the hydroquinone (9,10-dihydroxyanthracene (AH₂) were found to be effectively inhibited by the corresponding nitroxyl radical but not by the amine. The absence of the hydroquinone photoproduct was confirmed using fluorescence spectroscopy. With the aid of phosphorescence spectroscopy it is concluded that the nitroxyl radical is the effective stabilising species and operates by a radical scavenging mechanism to form the hydroxylamine, and not by excited state quenching.     

Protonation of 1,4,5-tri- and 1,4,5,8-tetrahydroxyanthraquinones in sulfuric acid: Multistep reaction involving tautomers and conformers

The fine structure of the ??_l,??*-absorption of hydroxyanthraquinones solutions in sulfuric acid arises due to the existence of the protonated forms as equilibrium mixtures of tautomers and conformers distinguished by the positions of the ??-bonds, charges, and the number of intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Using quantum-chemical calculations and correlation analysis of the absorption spectra tautomers were identified of mono- and dications of 1,4,5-trihydroxyanthraquinone of 9,10-, 1,4-, and 1,10-isomeric structure. For 1,4,5,8-tetrahydroxyanthraquinone 9,10-, 1,4-, 1,10-, and 1,5-isomeric mono- and dications and their conformers were found.     

Searching for conformers of nine- to twelve-ring hydrocarbons on the MM2 and MM3 energy surfaces: Stochastic search for interconversion pathways

The stochastic search method was employed to find as many conformers on the MM2 and MM3 energy surfaces as possible for cyclic saturated hydrocarbons with ring sizes from 9 through 12. The number found was 8 MM2 (8 MM3) for 9 rings, 18 MM2 (16 MM3) for 10 rings, 40 MM2 (29 MM3) for 11 rings, and 111 MM2 (90 MM3) for 12 rings. A measure of similarity between pairs of conformers of a compound, called conformational distance, is described. It was used to correlate similar MM2 and MM3 conformers. It was discovered that some conformers on each energy surface are not close to minima on the other surface in rings larger than 9. On refinement with the other optimizer, they changed considerably—going downhill to other previously found minima on the other energy surface or (in a few cases) going to minima which had not been found by direct searches. Conformational distance was also employed as an indication of which pairs of MM2 (or MM3) conformers are likely to interconvert rapidly. A new stochastic procedure of using small kicks was used to search for the most likely interconversion processes among the conformers. There is fairly good agreement between the most facile pathways located by it and unusually short conformational distances. Several additional 12-ring conformers (not found with previous methods) were located through application of this small kick procedure.     

New stage in the development of anthraquinone chemistry and the structure of alizarin

Chemistry of 9,10-anthraquinones is considered as chemistry of isomeric anthraquinones existing in dynamic equilibrium with each other. Diversity of electronic absorption spectra of the same compounds is determined by tautomeric transformations. Alizarin exists as equilibrium mixtures of tautomers and conformers having 9,10- and 2,9-quinoid structures. Qualitatively different compositions are inherent not only to samples of alizarin prepared or purified by different methods but also to different solvates of the same sample.     

Long-lived 9-cyano-9,10-dimethylphenanthrenyl cation. Migration of cyano group in carbocations

Long-lived 9-cyano-9,10-dimethylphenanthrenyl cation was generated in superacidic medium, and its structure was determined by ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectroscopy. The energy barrier to 1,2-shift of the cyano group in 9-cyano-9,10-dimethylphenanthrenyl cation was estimated by NMR and DFT calculations.     

Studies in organic mass spectrometry. Part 9—mass spectra of 9,10-disubstituted 2,3,6,7-tetraalkoxy-9,10-dihydroanthracenes: A remarkable loss of radicals from even-electron ions

The electron impact-induced fragmentations of 23 9,10-disubstituted 2,3,6,7-tetraalkoxy-9,10-dihydroanthracenes, including six stereoisomeric pairs, were studied. The loss of the 9-(or 10-)substituent constitutes the main fragmentation route. The resulting ions give rise to a remarkable violation of the so-called ‘even-electron rule’ as they eject the second substituent at the 10-(or 9-)position as a radical. The latter aspect was particularly investigated with the aid of low-energy (nominal value 15 eV) and mass-analysed ion kinetic energy spectra.     

Ab initio studies of conformational properties of dimethyl diphosphate dianion and its complex with magnesium

The conformational properties of the diphosphate linkage have been studied with ab initio methods using the dimethyl diphosphate dianion (1) and magnesium dimethyl diphosphate (2) as models. The ab initio energy and geometry of the conformers around the P-O bonds have been determined at the self-consistent-field (SCF) using the 6-31G* and the tzp basis sets; whereas, the 6-31G* basis set alone has been used for 2. In addition, the adiabatic connection method (ACM) of density functional theory (DFT) using the dzvp basis set has been employed for 1. The optimization of all possible staggered conformers assumed for the four P-O bonds, led to nine minima for 1. In agreement with the general anomeric effect, the sc conformation about the P-O bonds is clearly preferred over the ap one. Vibrational frequencies were calculated at the SCF level using the 6-31G* basis set and used to evaluate zero-point energies, thermal energies, and entropies for all minima of 1. The effect of zero-point energies and thermal energies is quite small. However, the effect of entropies, mainly resulting from a multiplicity contribution, changes the stability of the conformers. For each minimum of 1, up to six different arrangements of the Mg²⁺ were used to determine minima of 2. This procedure led to 21 distinct minima. The presence of the magnesium counter-ion appeared to completely change the structure and relative energy of the conformers. The preferred structures of the complex exhibit the (sc, ap) orientation around the two central P–O bonds and an arrangement in which the magnesium cation is coordinated by three phosphoryl oxygen atoms. The results of this work clearly demonstrate that interactions with the metal counter-ion can induce conformational changes in the overall 3D-shape adopted by molecules containing diphosphate linkages. The PM3 and MNDO quantum semi-empirical methods and molecular mechanics methods using the CVFF force field were tested and large differences in the minimum structures, as well as in the conformational energies between these and ab initio methods, are discussed.     

High Resolution Electron Momentum Spectroscopy Study on Ethanol: Orbital Electron Momentum Distributions for Individual Conformers

The outer-valence binding energy spectra of ethanol in the energy range of 9-21 eV are measured by a high-resolution electron momentum spectrometer at an impact energy of 2.5 keV plus the binding energy. The electron momentum distributions for the ionization peaks corresponding to the outer-valence orbitals are obtained by deconvoluting a series of azimuthal angular correlated binding energy spectra. Comparison is made with the theoretical calculations for two conformers, trans and gauche, coexisting in the gas phase of ethanol at the level of B3LYP density functional theory with aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets. It is found that the measured electron momentum distributions for the peaks at 14.5 and 15.2 eV are in good agreement with the theoretical electron momentum distributions for the molecular orbitals of individual conformers (i.e., 8a' of trans and 9a of gauche), but not in accordance with the thermally averaged ones. It demonstrates that the high-resolution electron momentum spectrometer, by inspecting the molecular electronic structure, is a promising technique to identify different conformers in a mixed sample.     

Anthraquinones tautomerism: VI. Substituted 1,4,5-trihydroxyanthraquinones

1,4,5-Trihydroxy-9,10-anthraquinone and its substituted derivatives exist in equilibrium of structures distinguished by quinoid tautomerism and rotational isomerism. Their electron absorption spectra contain π₁, π*-bands corresponding to 9,10-and 1,10-, more seldom to 1,5-and 1,4-anthraquinoid structures. Of three isomeric 1,10-anthraquinones only 4,8,9-trihydroxy-1,10-antraquinones were found. All tautomer may exist as conformers with contiguous CO and OH groups not bound by an intramolecular hydrogen bond. The considerable difference in color of structurally similar substituted compounds is due to tautomerism and conformer transformations.     

Valence-tautomeric adducts of Co(II) diketonates based on annelated di-<Emphasis Type="Italic">o</Emphasis>-quinones: Computer simulation

The computer simulation (DFT B3LYP*/6-311++G(d,p)) is performed for the adducts of divalent cobalt diketonates with di-o-quinones in which the quinone rings are separated by the cycloalkane spacers. The isomers containing dianion–diradical forms of the redox-active ligand, the character of exchange between unpaired electrons of which depends on the spacer structure, correspond to the ground states of the considered compounds. Strong antiferromagnetic interactions (J > 400 cm^–1) are predicted for the most stable electromers of the adducts of Co(II) bis(chelates) with 9,10-dimethyl-9,10-ethanoanthracene-2,3,6,7(9H,10H)-tetraone, whereas a weak exchange favoring paramagnetism in a wide temperature range is expected for the ground states of the binuclear complexes with the isomeric 5,10-dimethyl-4b,5,9b,10-tetrahydroindeno[2,1-a]indene-2,3,7,8-tetraone spacer. The electromers of the complex with the hexafluoroacetylacetone ligands are characterized by close values of the total energies, due to which the complex becomes a promising object for the development of spin qubits.