12-hydroxy-1-azaperylene-limiting case of the ESIPT system: enol-keto tautomerization in S0 and S1 states

Absorption, fluorescence, and fluorescence excitation spectra of 12-hydroxy-1-azaperylene (HAP) and 1-azaperylene were studied in n-alkane matrices at 5 K. Two stable tautomers of HAP, each of them in n-nonane embedded in two sites, were identified and attributed to the enol and keto forms. Theoretical calculations of the energy and vibrational structure of the spectra suggest that tautomer A, with the (0, 0) transition energy at 18,980 ± 10 cm(-1) (and 19,060 ± 10 cm(-1) in the high energy site), should be identified as the keto form, whereas tautomer B, with the (0, 0) energy at 19,200 ± 20 cm(-1) (19,290 ± 20 cm(-1)), as the enol form. Observation of absorption and fluorescence of both tautomeric forms and lack of large Stokes shift of fluorescence of the keto form classify HAP as the limiting case of the excited-state intramolecular proton transfer system.     

Tautomerism in 7-hydroxyquinoline: a combined experimental and theoretical study in water

Tautomerism in the ground and excited states of 7-hydroxyquinoline (7HQ) was studied in different solvents using steady-state and lifetime spectroscopic measurements, density functional theory (DFT) calculations, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Equilibrium between the enol and the keto/zwitterion tautomers exists in 7HQ, which is solvent-dependent. Of the solvents used in this study, only in water does the absorbance spectrum of 7HQ show absorption from both the enol and zwitterion tautomers. In addition, in aqueous media, fluorescence is observed from the zwitterion tautomer only, which is attributed to self-quenching of the enol fluorescence by energy transfer to the ground-state zwitterion tautomer and energetically favorable excited-state proton transfer. Solvation of the hydrogen bonding sites of 7HQ was studied in binary mixtures of 1,4-dioxane and water, and three water molecules were estimated to connect the polar sites and induce intermolecular proton transfer. The results are confirmed by DFT calculations showing that three water molecules are the minimum number required to form a stable solvent wire. Mapping the water density around the polar sites using MD simulations shows well-defined hydrogen bonds around the amino and hydroxyl groups of the enol tautomer and slightly less well-defined hydrogen bonds for the zwitterion tautomer. The presence of three-member water wires connecting the polar centers in 7HQ is evident in the MD simulations. The results point to the unique spectral signatures of 7HQ in water, which make this molecule a potential probe to detect the presence of water in nanocavities of macromolecules.     

Ultrafast branching of reaction pathways in 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole in polar acetonitrile solution

In a combined study on the photophysics of 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)-benzothiazole (HBT) in polar acetonitrile utilizing ultrafast infrared spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations, we show that a branching of reaction pathways occurs on femtosecond time scales. Apart from the excited-state intramolecular hydrogen transfer (ESIHT) converting electronically excited enol tautomer into the keto tautomer, known to be the dominating mechanism of HBT in nonpolar solvents such as cyclohexane and tetrachloroethene, in acetonitrile solution twisting also occurs around the central C-C bond connecting the hydroxyphenyl and benzothiazole units in both electronically excited enol and keto tautomers. The solvent-induced intramolecular twisting enables efficient internal conversion pathways to both enol and keto tautomers in the electronic ground state. Whereas relaxation to the most stable enol tautomer with twisting angle Θ = 0° implies full ground state recovery, a small fraction of HBT molecules persists as the keto twisting conformer with the twisting angle Θ = 180° for delay times extending beyond 120 ps.     

A thermochemistry and kinetic study on the thermal decomposition of ethoxyquinoline and ethoxyisoquinoline

Quantum chemical calculations were used to study the production of ethylene and keto/enol tautomers from ethoxyquinoline (2‐EQ) and ethoxyisoquinoline (1‐EisoQ and 3‐EisoQ) in the gas phase and ethanol at the MP2/6‐311++G(2d,2p)//BMK/6‐31+G(d,p) level. The obtained data indicate that the elimination of ethylene from 1‐EisoQ and 2‐EQ is slightly more favorable than from 3‐EisoQ. Formation of quinolone and isoquinolone (2‐EQO, 1‐EisoQO, and 3‐EisoQO) is kinetically favored compared to their enols. Decomposition of 2‐EQ and 1‐EisoQ to ethylene and keto forms is thermodynamically and kinetically preferable more stable than the corresponding enols. However, the hydroxy form of 3‐EisoQ is more stable than its keto tautomer in the gas phase and ethanol. The enol tautomers cost less energy when formed from their keto forms rather than from the parent ethoxyquinolone and ethoxyisoquinoline.     

Electronic and quantum dynamical insight into the ultrafast proton transfer of 1-hydroxy-2-acetonaphthone

The ultrafast proton-transfer dynamics of 1-hydroxy-2-acetonaphthone has been theoretically analyzed in the ground and first singlet excited electronic states by density functional theory calculations and quantum dynamics. The potential energies obtained in the ground electronic state reveal that the proton-transfer process does not lead to a stable keto tautomer unless the transfer of the hydrogen from the enol form is accompanied by an internal rotation of the newly formed O-H bond. Calculations in the first singlet excited electronic state point to a very low barrier for the formation of the keto tautomer. The analysis of the calculated frequencies of the two tautomers in the excited state unveils a coupling of the skeletal motions (low frequency modes) with the proton-transfer process, as it has been stated from time-resolved experiments. The electronic energies obtained by the time-dependent density functional theory formalism have been fitted to a monodimensional potential energy surface in order to perform an exact quantum dynamics study of the process. Our results show that the proton-transfer process is completed within 25.5 fs, in remarkable good agreement with experiments.     

Chemistry, photophysics, and ultrafast kinetics of two structurally related Schiff bases containing the naphthalene or quinoline ring

The two structurally related Schiff bases, 2-hydroxynaphthylidene-(8-aminoquinoline) (HNAQ) and 2-hydroxynaphthylidene-1(')-naphthylamine (HNAN), were studied by means of steady-state and time resolved optical spectroscopies as well as time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations. The first one, HNAQ, is stable as a keto tautomer in the ground state and in the excited state in solutions, therefore it was used as a model of a keto tautomer of HNAN which exists mainly in its enol form in the ground state at room temperature. Excited state intramolecular proton transfer in the HNAN molecule leads to a very weak (quantum yield of the order of 10(-4)) strongly Stokes-shifted fluorescence. The characteristic time of the proton transfer (about 30 fs) was estimated from femtosecond transient absorption data supported by global analysis and deconvolution techniques. Approximately 35% of excited molecules create a photochromic form whose lifetime was beyond the time window of the experiment (2 ns). The remaining ones reach the relaxed S(1) state (of a lifetime of approximately 4 ps), whose emission is present in the decay associated difference spectra. Some evidence for the back proton transfer from the ground state of the keto form with the characteristic time of approximately 13 ps was also found. The energies and orbital characteristics of main electronic transitions in both molecules calculated by TDDFT method are also discussed.     

Thermodynamic investigation of tautomerism in triazine oximes

The geometric and energetic preference of the possible isomers of four tautomeric triazine derivatives has been investigated by density functional theory and topological calculations and their thermodynamic stability was assessed. For the monoxime series the amino keto tautomer is favored by 2.6 kcal/mol (10.9 kJ/mol) as compared to the enol form, while the lowest energy imino isomer is 4.1 kcal/mol (17.1 kJ/mol) higher in energy. However, for the dioxime tautomer series the imino keto tautomer is 4.2 kcal/mol (17.6 kJ/mol) lower in energy as compared to the most stable amino keto tautomer. The computed excitation energies for the first electron transitions agree with the experimental observations.     

基于异噁唑酮类份菁染料的激发态分子内质子转移的研究

运用量子化学理论计算方法研究了3-甲基-4-(1H-吲哚-3-次甲基)-异噁唑-5-酮(A)及其衍生物份菁染料的激发态分子内质子转移性质.研究表明:在基态3种染料AH(R=H),AO(R=—O(H3))和AP(R=—O(H2Ph))只存在酮式构型,在激发态AH与AP存在酮式和烯醇式2种构型,而AO存在酮式、烯醇式和仲胺式3种构型.红外光谱表明化合物从基态跃迁到激发态存在分子内的氢键增强作用,势能曲线显示激发态的质子转移为放热反应且能垒较低,通过分析电子光谱得到具有较大斯托克位移的激发态分子内质子转移的荧光发射峰,前线分子轨道理论计算进一步说明了其质子转移的发生过程.     

Breslow Intermediates (Amino Enols) and Their Keto Tautomers: First Gas-Phase Characterization by IR Ion Spectroscopy

Breslow intermediates (BIs) are the crucial nucleophilic amino enol intermediates formed from electrophilic aldehydes in the course of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC)-catalyzed umpolung reactions. Both in organocatalytic and enzymatic umpolung, the question whether the Breslow intermediate exists as the nucleophilic enol or in the form of its electrophilic keto tautomer is of utmost importance for its reactivity and function. Herein, the preparation of charge-tagged Breslow intermediates/keto tautomers derived from three different types of NHCs (imidazolidin-2-ylidenes, 1,2,4-triazolin-5-ylidenes, thiazolin-2-ylidenes) and aldehydes is reported. An ammonium charge tag is introduced through the aldehyde unit or the NHC. ESI-MS IR ion spectroscopy allowed the unambiguous conclusion that in the gas phase, the imidazolidin-2-ylidene-derived BI indeed exists as a diamino enol, while both 1,2,4-triazolin-5-ylidenes and thiazolin-2-ylidenes give the keto tautomer. This result coincides with the tautomeric states observed for the BIs in solution (NMR) and in the crystalline state (XRD), and is in line with our earlier calculations on the energetics of BI keto–enol equilibria.     

Differential solvation and tautomer stability of a model base pair within the minor and major grooves of DNA

2-(2'-Hydroxyphenyl)benzoxazole (HBO) may be used as a model base pair to study solvation, duplex environment, and tautomerization within the major and minor groves of DNA duplexes. In its ground state, HBO possesses an enol moiety which may be oriented syn or anti relative to the imino nitrogen of the benzoxazole ring. In the absence of external hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors HBO exists as the internally hydrogen-bonded syn-enol, a mimic of the rare base pair tautomer found in DNA, which may be photoinduced to tautomerize and form the keto tautomer, a mimic of the dominant base pair tautomer. Previously, we demonstrated that when incorporated into DNA such that the enol moiety is positioned in the major groove, HBO is not solvated, exists exclusively as the internally hydrogen-bonded syn-enol which is efficiently photoinduced to tautomerize, and the corresponding keto tautomer is preferentially stabilized. In stark contrast, we now show that when HBO is incorporated in DNA such that the enol moiety is positioned in the minor groove, the enol tautomer is preferentially stabilized. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that this results from the formation of a stable hydrogen-bond between the HBO enol and the O4' atom of an adjacent nucleotide, an H-bond acceptor that is only available in the minor groove. The differential stabilization of the enol and keto tautomers in the major and minor grooves may reflect the functions for which these environments evolved, including duplex replication, stability, and recognition.     

Intramolecular Proton Transfer in 2‐(2′‐hydroxyphenyl)oxazolo[4,5‐b]pyridine: Evidence for Tautomer in the Ground State

The intramolecular proton transfer in a newly synthesized molecule, 2‐(2′‐hydroxyphenyl)oxazolo[4,5‐b]pyridine (HPOP) is studied using UV‐visible absorption, fluorescence emission, fluorescence excitation and time‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. In the ground state, the molecule exists as cis‐ and trans‐enol in all the solvents. However, in dioxane, alcohols, acetonitrile, dimethylformamide and dimethylsulfoxide the keto tautomer is also observed in the ground state. Dual fluorescence is observed in HPOP where the large Stoke shifted emission is due to emission from the excited‐state intramolecular proton transfer product, whereas the other emission is the normal emission from enol form. The fluorescence (both normal and tautomer emission) of HPOP is less than those of corresponding benzoxazole and imidazopyridine derivatives. This reveals that the nonradiative decay becomes more efficient upon substitution of electronegative atom on the charge acceptor group. The pH studies substantiate the conclusion that (unlike in its imidazole analog) the third ground state species is the keto tautomer and not the monoanion. The effect of temperature on cis‐enol‐trans‐enol‐keto equilibrium and the nonradiative deactivation from the excited state are also investigated.     

Ab initio investigation of phloroglucinol

All-electron ab initio Hartree–Fock (RHF ) calculations have been carried out to investigate the keto/enol equilibrium of phloroglucinol. The calculations predict that the enol form of phloroglucinol, 1,3,5-benzenetriol, is by far the most stable of the two. This is confirmed by NMR spectra taken on phloroglucinol. A comparison of the keto enol form transformation of phloroglucinol with that of the phenol system shows that the keto form of phloroglucinol, 1,3,5-cyclohexanetrion, is more abundant in the phloroglucinol system, and the keto form of phenol, 2,4-cyclohexadien-1-on, in the phenol system. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Dimerization and double proton transfer-induced tautomerism of 4(3H)-pyrimidinone in solution studied by IR spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations

The tautomerism and dimerization of 4(3H)-pyrimidinone (4(3H)Pyr) in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and chloroform (CHCl3) solutions were investigated using IR spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations. The observed IR spectra in the NH and OH stretching regions clearly revealed the predominance of the keto tautomer in both solvent systems. The enol form only exists in a very small proportion in the CCl4 solution. The tautomeric constant for the two monomers KT[OH/NH] = 0.012 and DeltaE = 2.62 kcal/mol were estimated at 25 degrees C. This result was supported by the self-consistent reaction field/polarizable continuum (SCRF/PCM) calculation at the MP4(full, SDQ)/aug-cc-pVDZ level, which predicted DeltaE = 3.06 kcal/mol in CCl4. In the C=O stretching region, two bands were observed, suggesting the coexistence of two keto structures at equilibrium. The calculated IR spectra indicated that the bands at 1711 and 1675 cm(-1) arise from the keto monomer and keto-keto (KK) ring dimer, respectively. At elevated temperature, the populations of both the keto and enol monomers increased for the CCl4 solution. The present study revealed that the keto <--> enol tautomerization does not occur in the isolated monomer molecule. The double proton transfer (DPT) reaction in the KK ring dimer presumably plays a substantial role in the population increase of the enol monomer. To our knowledge, this may be the first observation of the tautomerization in a model base pair via the temperature-induced ground-state DPT reaction under a nonpolar liquid environment reported so far. This tautomerism can serve as a mimic circumstance for the spontaneous mutations induced by proton transfer in the DNA base pairs.     

Density functional computational studies on 2‐[(2,4‐Dimethylphenyl)iminomethyl]‐3,5‐dimethoxyphenol

Density functional calculations of the structure, molecular electrostatic potential, and thermodynamic functions have been performed at B3LYP/6‐31G(d) level of theory for the title compound of 2‐[(2,4‐dimethylphenyl)iminomethyl]‐3,5‐dimethoxyphenol ( I ). To investigate the tautomeric stability, optimization calculations at B3LYP/6‐31G(d) level were performed for the enol and keto forms of I . Calculated results reveal that the enol form of I is more stable than its keto form. The predicted nonlinear optical properties of I are much greater than ones of urea. The changes of thermodynamic properties for the formation of the title compound with the temperature ranging from 200 to 500 K have been obtained using the statistical thermodynamic method. At 298.15 K, the change of Gibbs free energy for the formation reaction of I is 32.973 kJ/mol. The title compound can not be spontaneously produced from the isolated monomers at room temperature. The tautomeric equilibrium constant is computed as 0.868 at 298.15 K for enol‐imine?keto‐amine tautomerization of I . In addition, natural bond orbital analysis of I was performed using the B3LYP/6‐31G(d) method. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012     

Supramolecular Stabilization of Metastable Tautomers in Solution and the Solid State

This work presents a successful application of a recently reported supramolecular strategy for stabilization of metastable tautomers in cocrystals to monocomponent, non‐heterocyclic, tautomeric solids. Quantum‐chemical computations and solution studies show that the investigated Schiff base molecule, derived from 3‐methoxysalicylaldehyde and 2‐amino‐3‐hydroxypyridine ( ap ), is far more stable as the enol tautomer. In the solid state, however, in all three obtained polymorphic forms it exists solely as the keto tautomer, in each case stabilized by an unexpected hydrogen‐bonding pattern. Computations have shown that hydrogen bonding of the investigated Schiff base with suitable molecules shifts the tautomeric equilibrium to the less stable keto form. The extremes to which supramolecular stabilization can lead are demonstrated by the two polymorphs of molecular complexes of the Schiff base with ap . The molecules of both constituents of molecular complexes are present as metastable tautomers (keto anion and protonated pyridine, respectively), which stabilize each other through a very strong hydrogen bond. All the obtained solid forms proved stable in various solid‐state and solvent‐mediated methods used to establish their relative thermodynamic stabilities and possible interconversion conditions.     

2-巯基苯并咪唑及其类似物互变异构的理论研究

采用B3LYP/6-311G**方法, 计算了2-巯基苯并咪唑及其类似物(2-巯基苯并噁唑、2-巯基苯并噻唑、2-羟基苯并咪唑、2-羟基苯并噁唑、2-羟基苯并噻唑以及2-巯基咪唑、2-巯基噁唑、2-巯基噻唑、2-羟基咪唑、2-羟基噁唑、2-羟基噻唑)的(硫)醇式与(硫)酮式结构进行质子迁移的3种可能途径: (a)分子内质子迁移; (b)水助质子迁移; (c)甲醇助质子迁移．结果表明, 途经b和c所需要的活化能较小, 氢键在降低反应活化能方面起重要作用．采用PCM方法研究了反应体系的溶剂化效应．结果表明孤立分子、一水合物和一甲醇合物的最稳定异构体相同, 都为(硫)酮式, 与气相结论一致．溶剂化效应对异构化能垒的影响较小.     

Synthesis and characterization of benzothiazolyl‐substituted anils

New Schiff bases containing a hydroxynaphthyl ring and substituted benzothiazolyl groups have been synthesized. High‐resolution NMR spectra confirmed that these anils exist as enol–keto tautomers in solution. The results from NMR data demonstrated that the proportion of enol tautomer exceeded 90% in these substituted anils. Some compounds exhibited thermochromism in solid state. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tautomeric and conformational properties of benzoylacetone, CH3-C(O)-CH2-C(O)-C6H5: gas-phase electron diffraction and quantum chemical study

Tautomeric and structural properties of benzoylacetone, CH(3)-C(O)-CH(2)-C(O)-C(6)H(5), have been studied by gas-phase electron diffraction (GED) and quantum chemical calculations (B3LYP and MP2 approximation with different basis sets up to aug-cc-pVTZ). Analysis of GED intensities resulted in the presence of 100% enol tautomer at 331(5) K. The existence of two possible enol conformers in about equal amounts is confirmed by both GED and quantum chemical results. In both conformers the enol ring possesses C(s) symmetry with a strongly asymmetric hydrogen bond. The experimental geometric parameters are reproduced very closely by the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ method.     

单嘧磺隆除草剂的晶体构象-活性构象转换的密度泛函理论研究

应用密度泛函理论在B3LYP/6-31G(d)水平上对新型除草剂单嘧磺隆绕脲桥部分两个C—N键的内旋转势能面进行计算, 然后对势能面上的驻点进行构型优化和过渡态搜索, 得到单嘧磺隆4种稳定构象和构象转换过程所涉及的8个过渡态结构. 研究结果表明, 单嘧磺隆晶体构象-活性构象转换过程中涉及4种稳定构象和8条转换途径, 脲桥部分NH基团与嘧啶环上N原子所形成的分子内氢键对于构象的稳定性及转换过程起着十分重要的作用. 应用极化连续介质溶剂模型(PCM)在B3LYP/6-31＋＋G(d, p)水平下进行溶剂化效应计算, 结果表明单嘧磺隆从晶体构象转换成活性构象主要是在水相中进行的.     

Keto/enol tautomerism in phenylpyruvic acids: structure of the o-nitrophenylpyruvic acid

The synthesis of a tautomeric keto/enol mixture of o-nitrophenylpyruvic acid followed the acid hydrolysis of the azlactone of o-nitrobenzaldehyde was carried out. The structures of the two tautomeric forms were assigned by NMR spectroscopy. X-ray diffraction of a single crystal revealed that the crystalline form corresponds to the keto tautomer. Quantum mechanics calculations in the gas phase confirmed the experimental findings in solution.