Photo‐physical Properties of N‐methyl‐3,4‐fulleropyrrolidine and Its Derivatives: A DFT and TD‐DFT Investigation

A series of N‐methyl‐3,4‐fulleropyrrolidine (NMFP) derivatives were designed by selecting different π‐conjugated linkers and electron‐donating groups as D‐π‐A and D‐A systems. The optimised structures and photo‐physical properties of NMFP and its derivatives have been determined using density functional theory (DFT) and time‐dependent density functional theory (TD‐DFT) methods with the B3LYP functional and the 6‐31G basis set. According to the computation analysis, both the π‐conjugated linkers and the electron‐donating groups can influence the electronic and photo‐physical properties of the NMFP derivatives. Our calculated results demonstrated that the electron‐donating groups, with significant electron‐donating ability, had the tendency to increase the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy. The π‐conjugated linkers with lower resonance energy decreased the lowest occupied molecular orbital (LUMO) energy and caused a significant decrease in the energy gap (E_g) between the E_HOMO and E_LUMO. A Natural Bond Orbital (NBO) analysis examines the effect of the electron‐donating group, π conjugated linker, and electron‐withdrawing group for these NMFP derivatives. For the NMFP derivatives, a projected density of state (PDOS) analysis demonstrated that the electron density of HOMO and LUMO are concentrated on the electron‐donating group and the π‐conjugated linker, respectively. A TD‐DFT/B3LYP calculation was performed to calculate the electronic absorption spectra of these NMFP derivatives. Both the electron‐donating group and the π‐conjugated linker contribute to the major absorption peaks, which are assigned as HOMO to LUMO transitions and are red‐shifted relative to those of non‐substituted NMFP.     

Synthesis and characterization of 1‐ and 2‐cinnamoyloxyacetonaphthones

The synthesis of 1‐ and 2‐cinnamoyloxyacetonaphthones was achieved in one step using hydroxyl acetonaphthones and substituted cinnamic acids in the presence of a catalytic amount of phosphoroxychloride. Structural characterization was accomplished using high‐resolution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Chemical shifts of the compounds were compared and the change in the chemical shifts relative to electron‐donating and ‐withdrawing groups is presented. Introduction of a thiophene ring instead of phenyl‐substituted analogs caused shielding of the olefinic proton. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Trifluoroacetic Anhydride Promoted Copper(I)‐Catalyzed Interrupted Click Reaction: From 1,2,3‐Triazoles to 3‐Trifluoromethyl‐Substituted 1,2,4‐Triazinones

A copper(I)‐catalyzed interrupted click reaction in the presence of trifluoroacetic anhydride has been developed, wherein an N‐trifluoroacetyl group is used to accelerate the ring‐opening of the putative 5‐copper(I) triazolide intermediate. Under the optimized reaction conditions, a broad range of azides and alkynes were found to participate in this transformation, thus affording 3‐trifluoromethyl‐substituted 1,2,4‐triazinones in moderate to excellent yields. The reaction has proven to be compatible with a variety of electron‐withdrawing and electron–donating groups, halogens, and nitrogen‐ and sulfur‐containing heterocycles, as well as pharmaceutically relevant molecules.     

Preparation of 5,5′‐pyrilidene and 5,5′‐quinolidene bis‐barbituric acid derivatives

NMR reaction following experiments were used to find optimal conditions for the barbituric acid double addition to aromatic and heteroaromatic carboxaldehydes. It was established that aromatic aldehydes with electron‐donating substituents such as hydroxy, methoxy, and dimethylamino produce only the single addition barbituric acid adduct (barbituric acid benzylidenes). If these electron‐donating substituents are transformed into electron‐withdrawing substituents by virtue of protonation (NMe₂ to NHMe₂⁺) then the double barbituric acid adduct becomes the sole product of the reaction. This is also true regardless of the reaction media if strong electron‐withdrawing substituents (such as a nitro group) are present. Considering that the reactive species for nitrogen containing aromatic heterocycles are actually the conjugated acids (electron deficient molecule) only the double barbituric acid adducts are isolated. All synthetic procedures presented are applicable to multi‐gram scale preparations of double barbituric acid adducts.     

A density functional theory study on diazotization and nitration of 3,5‐diamino‐1,2,4‐triazole

The reaction mechanism, thermodynamic and kinetic properties for diazotization and nitration of 3,5‐diamino‐1,2,4‐triazole were studied by a density functional theory. The geometries of the reactants, transition states, and intermediates were optimized at the B3LYP/6‐31G (d, p) level. Vibrational analysis was carried out to confirm the transition state structures, and the intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) method was used to explore the minimum energy path. The single‐point energies of all stagnation points were further calculated at the B3LYP (MP2)/6‐311+G (2d, p) level. The statistical thermodynamic method and Eyring transition state theory with Wigner correction were used to study the thermodynamic and kinetic characters of all reactions within 0–25°C. Two reaction channels are computed, including the diazotization and nitration of 3‐NH₂ or 5‐NH₂, and there are six steps in each channel. The reaction rate in each step is increased with temperature. The last step in each channel is the slowest step. The first, second, and fifth steps are exothermic reactions, and are favored at lower temperature in the thermodynamics. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

CuBr‐catalysed one‐pot multicomponent synthesis of 3‐substituted 2‐thioxo‐2,3‐dihydroquinazolin‐4(1H)‐one derivatives

A novel methodology is presented for the synthesis of 3‐substituted 2‐thioxo‐2,3‐dihydroquinazolin‐4(1H)‐one derivatives based on an efficient tandem multicomponent reaction using copper bromide as catalyst. This methodology is based on the multicomponent one‐pot reaction of methyl 2‐bromobenzoate, phenylisothiocyanate derivatives and sodium azide in the presence of copper bromide and l ‐proline under basic conditions. To show the generality of the method, various phenylisothiocyanates bearing electron‐donating or electron‐withdrawing functionalities were used and the desired products were obtained in high isolated yields.     

Experimental and Theoretical Insight into the Kinetics and Mechanism of the Synthesis Reaction of 2,3‐Dihydro‐2‐phenylquinazolin‐4(1H)‐one Catalyzed in Formic Acid

An efficient and simple method has been developed for the synthesis of 2,3‐dihydro‐2‐phenylquinazolin‐4(1H )‐one catalyzed in formic acid. Also, the synthesis reaction between benzaldehyde and 2‐aminobenzamid was monitored spectrally. On the basis of the kinetic data obtained by the UV–vis spectrophotometry, both the first and second steps of the speculative five steps mechanism were enabled to be a rate‐determining step and also reaction showed second‐order kinetics. Considering information obtained by the stopped‐flow technique indicated that the first step is certainly a fast step. Moreover, the reaction was energetically and thermodynamically evaluated using theoretical methods and results were profoundly compared with the experimental approaches. Herein, theoretical rate constants were obtained using potential energy surfaces and the transition state theory at the B3LYP/6–311+G** level of theory. The Winger method was also applied to describe the tunneling effects. Calculations showed that the second step was the rate‐determining step in accordance with the experimental data. It is also found that the oxidation step was the fastest step in the proposed mechanism. For all five steps, two possibilities were considered for generating the probable product by using the thermodynamic parameters and kinetic data. Thermodynamic parameters also showed an exothermic reaction.     

Addition–elimination versus Tishchenko reaction in the gas phase

Gas phase reactions of the substituted phenide ions with methyl formate have been studied. It was found that the results of these reactions depend mainly on the basicity of the phenide ion, which is related to the presence of the electron‐accepting or electron‐donating substituents in the benzene ring. It was shown that the phenide ions substituted with electron‐withdrawing groups react with methyl formate in the gas phase in a two‐step reaction. The first step that proceeds according to the typical addition–elimination mechanism results in the formation of the anion of the respective benzaldehyde derivative with the negative charge located either in the aldehyde group (acyl anion) or in the benzene ring (phenide anion) in position ortho to an aldehyde moiety. In the second step, the preliminary‐formed anion reacts with the second molecule of methyl formate yielding formally product of the second addition–elimination reaction. Theoretical calculations as well as collision induced dissociation spectra of the model compounds suggest that this reaction proceeds according to the Tishchenko reaction mechanism yielding the respective phthalide anion. According to our knowledge, this is the first example of the Tishchenko‐type reaction in the gas phase. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Theoretical Investigation Into the 1,3‐Dipolar Cycloaddition of Azidotrimethylsilane Onto Nanographene

The mechanism of the 1,3‐dipolar cycloaddition reaction of azidotrimethylsilane (ATS) onto nanographene (NG) is thoroughly investigated at the B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p) level. Calculations reveal that the reaction occurs through a two‐step reaction mechanism. The first step is the chemical adsorption and the second one is the decomposition of the thereby formed nitride upon thermal activation, giving rise to an N‐bridged product ultimately. The latter is the rate‐determining step. Two possible pathways are compared to show that the [3+2] channel is favored over the [3+4] channel. The former is a symmetric synchronous process, whereas the latter follows an asymmetric concerted way, which can be rationalized by means of the frontier molecular orbital (FMO) theory. The reactivity of NG is discussed in detail, revealing that it is the electron density at the functionalization site which dominates the reactivity rather than the energetic effect. As a result, the edge area is calculated to be much more reactive than the centre.     

Microwave‐Accelerated Pd‐Catalyzed Desulfitative Direct C2‐Arylation of Free (NH)‐Indoles with Arylsulfinic Acids

The rapid and efficient direct C2‐arylation of free (NH)‐indoles with arylsulfinic acids proceeded through a microwave‐accelerated palladium‐catalyzed desulfitation reaction. By using PdCl₂ as a catalyst, silver acetate as an oxidant, and H₂SO₄ as an additive, arylsulfinic acids with both electron‐donating and electron‐withdrawing groups underwent desulfitative coupling with an array of free (NH)‐indoles, thereby selectively providing C2‐arylindoles in good yields.     

Computational insight on the chalcone formation mechanism by the Claisen–Schmidt reaction

New insight of the formation mechanism of chalcones is presented in the current study. Ab initio calculations were applied in studying the mechanistic pathways for the base‐catalyzed Claisen–Schmidt condensation for obtaining chalcones (1,3‐diphenyl‐2‐propen‐1‐ons). The energies of the stationary points along the reaction coordinate were obtained at two levels of theory—MP2/6‐31 + G(d,p) and SCS‐MP2/6‐31 + G(d,p). The role of water in the reaction mechanisms is examined. The theoretical results show that the process is catalyzed by an ancillary water molecule. The reaction mechanism, proposed in this study, consists of two reactions—an activation of the acetophenone by a removal of proton is followed by the attack of the formed acetophenone anion to the aromatic aldehyde, which through few steps leads to the formation of the final product—chalcone. The first reaction proceeds very fast in one step while the second reaction goes through four steps and three intermediate complexes before the formation of the final product.     

Design of Aromatic‐Containing Cell‐Penetrating Peptide Mimics with Structurally Modified π Electronics

Cell‐penetrating peptides (CPPs) and their synthetic mimics (CPPMs) represent a class of molecules that facilitate the intracellular delivery of various cargo. Previous studies indicated that the presence of aromatic functionalities improved CPPM activity. Given that aromatic functionalities play prominent roles in membrane biology and participate in various π interactions, we explored whether these interactions could be optimized for improved CPPM activity. CPPMs were synthesized by ring‐opening metathesis polymerization by using monomers that contained aromatic rings substituted with electron‐donating and electron‐withdrawing groups and covered an electrostatic potential range from ?29.69 to +15.57 kcal mol^?1. These groups altered the quadrupole moments of the aromatic systems and were used to test if such structural modifications changed CPPM activity. CPPMs were added to dye‐loaded vesicles and the release of carboxyfluorescein was monitored as a function of polymer concentration. Changes in the effective polymer concentration to release 50 % of the dye (effective concentration, EC₅₀) were monitored. Results from this assay showed that the strength of the electron‐donating and electron‐withdrawing groups incorporated in the CPPMs did not alter polymer EC₅₀ values or activity. This suggests that other design parameters may have a stronger impact on CPPM activity. In addition, these results indicate that a wide range of aromatic groups can be incorporated without negatively impacting polymer activity.     

Nickel‐catalyzed Buchwald–Hartwig amination of pyrimidin‐2‐yl tosylates with indole,benzimidazole and 1,2,4‐triazole

Nickel‐catalyzed Buchwald–Hartwig amination of pyrimidin‐2‐yl tosylates with indole and benzimidazole was achieved using Ni(dppp)Cl₂ as catalyst, yielding a variety of novel C2‐substituted pyrimidine derivatives in good yields. This reaction proved to be tolerant of various pyrimidin‐2‐yl tosylates bearing either electron‐donating or electron‐withdrawing groups as well as nucleophiles including indole, benzimidazole and 1,2,4‐triazole. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bi(III)‐catalyzed C―S cross‐coupling reaction

A direct synthetic route for the C―S coupling of aryl halides with thiophenols is described. This method is tolerant to electron‐withdrawing and electron‐donating functional groups and also to the presence of functional groups in the ortho position of the aryl iodide or thiophenol. Aryl iodides are coupled with thiophenols without affecting the other functionalities present in the aryl ring. These reactions follow second‐order kinetics. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mechanistic Insights into Substituent Effects on Reactivity of 2‐(Methoxymethyl)benzene‐1,4‐diamine

In the series of benzene‐1,4‐diamines (p‐phenylenediamines) investigated, 2‐(methoxymethyl)benzene‐1,4‐diamine (2‐methoxymethyl‐p‐phenylenediamine) is the most slowly oxidized, with removal of the first electron being rate determining. This electron‐withdrawing methoxymethyl group also drove a faster coupling step with 3‐aminophenol (m‐aminophenol) than for the analogs with electron‐donating groups. However, the series parent, benzene‐1,4‐diamine, exhibited the fastest coupling step. Since both N(1) and N(4) of the primary intermediates react with m‐aminophenol, it seems that steric hindrance by the 2‐substituents slows the overall rate. When 3‐amino‐2,6‐dimethylphenol is the coupler, the kinetics are biphasic. Nonproductive adducts are formed reversibly with all the primary intermediates by ipso attack at C(6). For 2‐(methoxymethyl)benzene‐1,4‐diamine, formation of this nonproductive adduct is favored more than for the other compounds in the series, in what seems to be a kinetically rather than thermodynamically controlled process. This slows the overall rate of color formation.     

Chemoselectivity in the Reaction of 2‐Diazo‐3‐oxo‐3‐phenylpropanal with Aldehydes and Ketones

The chemoselectivity in the reaction of 2‐diazo‐3‐oxo‐3‐phenylpropanal ( 1 ) with aldehydes and ketones in the presence of Et₃N was investigated. The results indicate that 1 reacts with aromatic aldehydes with weak electron‐donating substituents and cyclic ketones under formation of 6‐phenyl‐4H‐1,3‐dioxin‐4‐one derivatives. However, it reacts with aromatic aldehydes with electron‐withdrawing substituents to yield 1,3‐diaryl‐3‐hydroxypropan‐1‐ones, accompanied by chalcone derivatives in some cases. It did not react with linear ketones, aliphatic aldehydes, and aromatic aldehydes with strong electron‐donating substituents. A mechanism for the formation of 1,3‐diaryl‐3‐hydroxypropan‐1‐ones and chalcone derivatives is proposed. We also tried to react 1 with other unsaturated compounds, including various olefins and nitriles, and cumulated unsaturated compounds, such as N,N′‐dialkylcarbodiimines, phenyl isocyanate, isothiocyanate, and CS₂. Only with N,N′‐dialkylcarbodiimines, the expected cycloaddition took place.     

18‐Crown‐6 promoting Pd/C‐catalyzed cross‐coupling reaction of aryl bromides and arylboronic acids in aqueous media

Pd/C‐catalyzed Suzuki–Miyaura cross‐coupling between aryl bromides and arylboronic acids in 50% methanol aqueous solution proceeded smoothly in the presence of 18‐crown‐6. Various aryl bromides bearing electron‐withdrawing groups and electron‐donating groups coupled with arylboronic acid in high yields. In addition, the catalyst could be recycled five times without loss of activity. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

巯基化合物结构对巯基/乙烯基共聚体系紫外光固化反应活性的影响

运用FTIR原位跟踪方法, 以巯基和碳碳双键官能团转化率做为检测指标, 研究了巯基化合物的结构对紫外光固化巯基/乙烯基共聚体系固化行为的影响. 在相同的反应条件下, 苯硫酚的反应活性明显低于硫醇的反应活性; 巯基化合物中吸电子基团(酯基)会使反应活性降低, 而推电子基团(异丙撑基)会使反应活性提高. 采用量子化学中密度函数理论B3LYP/6-31G*的方法和基组对巯基化合物中S与H的净电荷和键长计算结果表明：吸电子基团使S上的净电荷减少, 其与H的共价键键长缩短; 而推电子基团的作用则相反. 此结果佐证了FTIR的实验结果, 揭示了巯基化合物结构对巯基/乙烯基共聚体系紫外光固化反应活性的影响机理.     

DFT Study of the Group Interactions in 1,3,5‐Triamino‐2,4,6‐Trinitrobenzene and 1,3,5‐Triamino‐2,4,6‐Tridifluoroaminobenzene

Density functional calculations on isodesmic disproportionation reactions of 1,3,5‐triamino‐2,4,6‐trinitrobenzene (TATB) and 1,3,5‐triamino‐2,4,6‐tridifluoroaminobenzene (TATDB) indicate that the interaction between nitro groups on meta carbons of TATB, which brings about unstability to the molecule, is surprisingly larger than that between difluroamino groups in TATDB. The electron‐withdrawing and electron‐donating groups generate large positive and very small negative values of E_{disproportion}, respectively. When both electron‐withdrawing and electron‐donating groups are attached to the benzene skeleton at the same time, large negative disproportionation energy is produced, which stabilizes the derivatives. The values of E_{disproportion} for TATB and TATDB are predicted to be ‐48.03 kJ/mol and ‐63.54 kJ/mol, respectively, indicating that the total interaction among groups with stabilization effects in TATDB is larger than that in TATB. The large difference of the E_{disproportion} values between TATB and TATDB is derived from the large difference between the interactions of the meta‐nitro group and those of meta‐difluoroamino groups. The energy barriers for the C‐N internal rotation of NO₂ group and NF₂ groups are 74.7 kJ/mol and 185.8 kJ/mol for TATB and TATDB, respectively. The large energy barrier for the rotation of the NF₂ group is caused by its stabilization interaction with neighbor amino groups, instead of steric effects. When the number of pairs of amino‐nitro or amino‐difluoroamino groups increases, there are more negative charges on the NO₂/NF₂ groups and on the O/F atoms.     

Synthesis of 2‐amino‐4‐oxo‐5‐substitutedbenzylthiopyrrolo[2,3‐d]‐pyrimidines as potential inhibitors of thymidylate synthase

A series of ten novel 2‐amino‐4‐oxo‐5‐[(substitutedbenzyl)thio]pyrrolo[2,3‐d]pyrimidines 2‐11 were synthesized as potential inhibitors of thymidylate synthase and as antitumor agents. The analogues contain various electron withdrawing and electron donating substituents on the benzylsulfanyl ring of the side chains and were synthesized from the key intermediate 2‐amino‐4‐oxo‐6‐methylpyrrolo[2,3‐d]pyrimidine, 14 . Appropriately substituted benzyl mercaptans were appended to the 5‐position of 14 via an oxidative addition reaction using iodine, ethanol and water. The compounds were evaluated against human, Escherichia coli and Toxoplasma gondii thymidylate synthase and against human, Escherichia coli and Toxoplasma gondii dihydrofolate reductase. The most potent inhibitor, ( 6 ) which has a 4′‐methoxy substituent on the side chain, has an IC₅₀=25 μM against human thymidylate synthase. Contrary to analogues of general structure 1 , electron donating or electron withdrawing substituents on the side chain of 2‐11 had little or no influence on the human thymidylate synthase inhibitory activity.