Recent strategic advances for the activation of benzylic C–H bonds for the formation of C–C bonds

Alkylarenes, obtained from abundant hydrocarbon feedstock sources, are an attractive starting material for the formation of complex molecular architectures. Conventional activation strategies of the relatively inert sp³-hybridized benzylic C–H bonds usually require relatively harsh conditions and are difficult to apply to the synthesis of fine chemicals. The present review describes recent strategic advances for the activation of benzylic C–H bonds for the catalytic formation of C–C bonds. In particular, two activation methods, i.e., strategies that generate benzylic radicals or benzyl anions, are discussed.     

Dielectric relaxation and ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy of [C6mim]+[Tf2N]−/acetonitrile mixtures

Mixtures of the ionic liquid (IL) [C(6)mim](+)[Tf(2)N](-) and acetonitrile have been investigated by a combination of dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS) and ultrafast transient absorption techniques using the molecular probe 12'-apo-β-carotenoic-12'-acid (12'CA). Steady-state absorption spectra of the 12'CA molecule have also been recorded. The position of the probe's S(0)→ S(2) absorption maximum correlates linearly with the polarizability of the mixture, suggesting that the bulk composition is a good approximation to the local composition. The lifetime τ(1) of the S(1)/ICT state of 12'CA varies rather smoothly with composition between the value for pure acetonitrile (42 ps) and neat [C(6)mim](+)[Tf(2)N](-) (94 ps). At low IL contents there appears to be an influence of discrete ion pairs. Employing static dielectric constants from the DRS experiments, one finds that the lifetime of the probe in the IL mixtures is shorter than that in pure organic solvents with the same polarity parameter. This suggests an increased stabilization of the S(1)/ICT state in IL-containing mixtures, most likely due to IL-specific Coulombic interactions between the cation and the negative end of the probe's dipole. An ultrafast solvation component is observed which is ca. 0.5 ps in pure acetonitrile, and approaches the value for the pure IL (2.0 ps) already around x(IL) = 0.3. This is interpreted in terms of an efficient perturbation of the cooperative solvation response of acetonitrile by the presence of small amounts of IL and possibly also the viscosity increase when adding IL. This view is also supported by the increase of the average longitudinal relaxation time of acetonitrile upon addition of small IL amounts extracted from the DRS experiments.     

Solvent effects on the steady state photophysics of estrone and 17β-estradiol

Absorption and emission yields for estrone and 17β-estradiol were measured in a variety of room temperature solvents. Molar extinction coefficients were found to not vary as a function of solvent, while fluorescence yields were found to be significantly affected by the polarity and hydrogen-bond accepting ability of the solvent, with the yield for 17β-estradiol being highest in nonpolar, hydrogen-bond donating solvents, and lowest in the nonpolar, hydrogen-bond accepting solvent ethyl acetate. Estrone's emission yield was found to be a factor of ten smaller than 17β-estradiol's. Strong solvent and excitation wavelength dependences were found for the relative amounts of emission between estrone's two emission bands, with increased relative emission occurring in nonpolar aprotic solvents, and under higher excitation energies. These results are interpreted with the aid of vertical excitation energies from time-dependent density functional calculations using both explicit and implicit solvation models.     

Cooperative and substitution effects in enhancing strengths of halogen bonds in FCl⋯CNX complexes

In this paper, the cooperative effect of halogen bond with hydrogen bond has been used to make a halogen bond in FCl-CNH dimer vary from a chlorine-shared one to an ion-pair one. The halogen bond is strengthened in FCl-CNH-CNH trimer and its maximal interaction energy equals to -76 kJ∕mol when the number of CNH in FCl-CNH-(CNH)(n) polymer approaches infinity. Once the free H atom in FCl-CNH-CNH trimer is replaced with alkali metals, the halogen bond becomes strong enough to be an ion-pair one in FCl-CNH-CNLi and FCl-CNH-CNNa trimers. An introduction of a Lewis acid in FCl-CNH dimer has a more prominent effect on the type of halogen bond. A prominent cooperative effect is found for the halogen bond and hydrogen bond in the trimers. FH-FCl-CNH-CNH and FH-FCl-CNH-CNLi tetramers have also been studied and the interaction energy of halogen bonding in FH-FCl-CNH-CNLi tetramer is about 12 times as much as that in the FCl-CNH dimer. The atoms in molecules and natural bond orbital analyses have been carried out for these complexes to understand the nature of halogen bond and the origin of the cooperativity.     

Polar and Hydrogen-Bonding Effects of Alcohols on the Emission Spectrum of Styrene–Triethylamine System

The emission spectra of styrene (ST)–triethylamine (TEA) systems were measured under steady-state illumination conditions in some tetrahydrofuran (THF)–protic solvent mixtures. The fluorescence spectrum of the ST–TEA system in THF consists of two bands (band A at 304 nm (fluorescence of ST) and band B at 460 nm (emission from an exciplex)). The intensity of band A increased and that of band B decreased with increasing amounts of protic solvents in THF–protic solvent mixtures. The increase in the intensity of band A was explained by the decrease in the concentration of free amine owing to the hydrogen-bonding interaction (or protonation) between TEA and protic solvents. The decrease in the intensity of band B was considered to be caused by the decrease in the concentration of free amine upon the addition of protic solvents and the enhanced conversion of the exciplex to an ion pair with increasing solvent polarity. The polar effect was expressed as a function of the relative permittivity of the solution.     

Copper and zinc co-catalyzed synthesis of imidazoles via the activation of sp C–H and N–H bonds

An efficient and facile approach to synthesize imidazoles from amidines and arylketone via oxidative coupling of sp³ C–H bond and N–H bond is reported. This strategy exhibits high performance in terms of regioselectivity with moderate to high yields by using easily available materials, and provides an alternative method to synthesize multi-substituted imidazole skeletons.     

Simulation of the random scission of C–C bonds in the initial stage of the thermal degradation of polyethylene

We performed molecular dynamics simulations to analyze the initial stage of the thermal degradation of polyethylene, which is dominated by the random scission reaction. The simulations were initiated from structures that were taken from previously equilibrated snapshots of the amorphous polymer and of a free-standing thin film. Isolated chains were also used for comparison. Our systems were coupled to a thermal heat bath, and the effect of different coupling constants was studied. Rate of random scission increases as the strength of the temperature coupling increases. Rates of reaction are almost similar in thin films and the bulk, whereas the rates are much faster in isolated chains. Expansion of the free-standing thin film accompanies degradation, producing fragments of various sizes. Chains of higher molecular weights than the initial chains can be produced due to recombination of fragments during the expansion of thin films. The polydispersity index of the resulting fragments is higher in thin films compared to the bulk. The bonds at the low density portion of the thin films have a higher probability of being broken.     

Conformational analyses of α and β (1–6) mannodisaccharides by deuterium substitution effect on relaxation rate and NOE

The study of ¹H differential relaxation rate and NOE using chirally deuterated sugars, revealed the preferred conformation of each α and β (1–6) linkage of oligomannoses in solution.     

Microwave frequency effects on dielectric properties of some common solvents and on microwave-assisted syntheses: 2-Allylphenol and the C12–C2–C12 Gemini surfactant

Microwave radiation emitted at a frequency of 915 MHz and 5.8 GHz from a newly fabricated single-mode resonance microwave apparatus is herein proposed for use in microwave-assisted organic syntheses. The usefulness of 5.8-GHz microwaves is demonstrated by the solvent-free synthesis of 2-allylphenol through a Claisen rearrangement process, and by the synthesis of the C₁₂–C₂–C₁₂ Gemini surfactant in ethanol solvent undertaken to verify the usefulness of the 915-MHz frequency. These two model reactions have shown the advantage of these two microwave frequencies in that the observed efficiencies were greater than when employing the more commonly used 2.45-GHz microwaves. Dielectric parameters (dissipation factor: tan δ, dielectric constant: ε′, and dielectric loss: ε′′) have also been assessed for water and 22 common organic solvents typically used in organic syntheses, together with the temperature dependence of the dielectric parameters. Temperature–time profiles have been determined and rates of increase of temperature computed. The 5.8-GHz microwaves were effective in heating non-polar solvents, while the 915-MHz microwave frequency was most suitable for heating the alcohols.     

Effect of strontium substitution on the composition and microstructure of sol–gel derived calcium phosphates

Sr-doped calcium phosphates have been prepared by sol–gel chemistry. All samples exhibit two phases: hydroxyapatite (HAp) and tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP). With respect to undoped sample, the Sr-doped samples exhibit higher proportion of β-TCP phase but the quantity appears to be quite independent of the doping level. To explain the mismatch with the nominal stoichiometry, the presence of amorphous CaO and SrO compounds have been postulated and their proportions evaluated. The insertion of Sr²⁺ ions in the two crystalline phases HAp and β-TCP is almost total for low doping levels but quite incomplete for the highest doping level. The majority of the inserted Sr²⁺ ions are in the β-TCP phase. Considering the acknowledged beneficial effect of Sr²⁺ on the bone regeneration process, the effective partial substitution of Sr in biphasic calcium phosphate makes these materials very interesting for clinical applications. The Sr-substituted HAp and β-TCP cell parameters agree fairly well with the Vegard’s law and Sr²⁺ ions substitute preferentially for Ca²⁺ in the Ca2 site for hydroxyapatite and in the Ca4 site for β-TCP. The microstructural parameters confirm the previous observation and give a new evidence of clear stabilizing effect of Sr²⁺ ions towards the β-TCP structure.     

Transition metals catalyzed C–C and C–O bonds formation: facile synthesis of flavans and benzoxepines

A simple and practical method has been developed based on intermolecular [Pd]-catalyzed C–C and an intramolecular [Cu]-catalyzed C–O bond formations for the synthesis of flavans and benzoxepines. Interestingly, the method is amenable for the synthesis of a wide variety of flavans and benzoxepines with dense functionalities on aromatic moieties. Significantly, flavans and benzoxepines are present as core/part-structures in many biologically active natural products.     

Catalyst,additive and counterion effects on the efficiency and enantioselectivity of copper-catalysed C–H insertion reactions of α-diazosulfones

Asymmetric copper-catalysed intramolecular C–H insertion reactions of α-diazosulfones in the presence of various group I salts are reported leading to substantial variation in reaction efficiencies and enantioselectivities. The borate additives NaBARF and KBARF were found to be the most effective additives for permitting highly enantioselective syntheses with short reactions times and high efficiency. Significantly, direct evidence of the critical role of the additive in enantioselective carbenoid reactions has been secured.     

Pressure–volume–temperature measurements of phosphonium-based ionic liquids and analysis with simple equations of state

In spite of the great importance of the (P, V, T) data of phosphonium–based ionic liquids, only limited information on these data seems to be available in the open literature. In this work, we present the results for the density measurements of the trihexyltetradecylphosphonium chloride, [(C₆H₁₃)₃P(C₁₄H₂₉)][Cl] and trihexyltetradecylphosphonium dicyanamide, [(C₆H₁₃)₃P(C₁₄H₂₉)][N(CN₂)] with an estimated uncertainty of ±0.5 kg · m^?3. The ranges of temperature and pressure are T = (273.15 to 318.15) K and p = (0.1 to 25) MPa for [(C₆H₁₃)₃P(C₁₄H₂₉)][Cl] and T = (273.15 to 318.15) K and p = (0.1 to 35) MPa for [(C₆H₁₃)₃P(C₁₄H₂₉)][N(CN₂)]. The high consistency of our data for [(C₆H₁₃)₃P(C₁₄H₂₉)][Cl] compared with those measured by other authors allowed all the experimental data for this IL to be combined and correlated using the Goharshadi–Morsali–Abbaspour equation of state over a wide range of temperature and pressure. From this equation, thermomechanical coefficients as the isothermal compressibility, thermal expansivity, thermal pressure, and internal pressure were calculated for the two ILs. The Sanchez–Lacombe equation of state was used also for (P, V, T) correlation and the estimation of the free volume in these phosphonium ionic liquids. Finally ionic volumes for trihexyltetradecylphosphonium cation and several anions available in the literature made possible the calculation of the free (hole) volume.     

Concentration effects on laser-based δ18 O and δ2 H measurements and implications for the calibration of vapour measurements with liquid standards

Recently available isotope ratio infrared spectroscopy can directly measure the isotopic composition of atmospheric water vapour (δ¹⁸O, δ²H), overcoming one of the main limitations of isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) methods. Calibrating these gas‐phase instruments requires the vapourisation of liquid standards since primary standards in principle are liquids. Here we test the viability of calibrating a wavelength‐scanned cavity ring‐down spectroscopy (CRDS) instrument with vapourised liquid standards. We also quantify the dependency of the measured isotope values on the water concentration for a range of isotopic compositions. In both liquid and vapour samples, we found an increase in δ¹⁸O and δ²H with water vapour concentration. For δ¹⁸O, the slope of this increase was similar for liquid and vapour, with a slight positive relationship with sample δ‐value. For δ²H, we found diverging patterns for liquid and vapour samples, with no dependence on δ‐value for vapour, but a decreasing slope for liquid samples. We also quantified tubing memory effects to step changes in isotopic composition, avoiding concurrent changes in the water vapour concentration. Dekabon tubing exhibited much stronger, concentration‐dependent, memory effects for δ²H than stainless steel or perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) tubing. Direct vapour measurements with CRDS in a controlled experimental chamber agreed well with results obtained from vapour simultaneously collected in cold traps analysed by CRDS and IRMS. We conclude that vapour measurements can be calibrated reliably with liquid standards. We demonstrate how to take the concentration dependencies of the δ‐values into account. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Density and temperature dependence of the relaxation of the 1Δg state of highly compressed O2 fluid

The electronic relaxation of O₂ is investigated by an absorption excitation and fluorescence detection technique. The relaxation rate constant of O₂(¹Δ_g) is measured in the density range from 10²¹ to 3 × 10²² cm⁻³ at temperatures between 90 and 295 K. The experimental results are compared with theoretical models based on the pair distribution functions of the fluid. The effects of intermolecular potentials with hard or soft cores are discussed.     

Pressure and isotope effects on the proton jump of the hydroxide ion at 25°C

The limiting molar conductances Λ⁰ of potassium deuteroxide KOD in D₂O and potassium hydroxide KOH in H₂O were determined at 25°C as a function of pressure to disclose the difference in the proton-jump mechanism between an OH^? (OD^?) and a H₃O⁺ (D₃O⁺) ion. The excess conductance of the OD^? ion in D₂O λ _E ^O (OD ^-), as estimated by the equation $$\lambda _E^O (OD^ - ) = \Lambda ^O (KOD/D_2 O) - \Lambda ^O (KCl/D_2 O)$$ increases a little with pressure as well as the excess conductance of the OH^? ion in H₂O $$\lambda _E^O (OH^ - ) = \Lambda ^O (KOH/H_2 O) - \Lambda ^O (KCl/H_2 O)$$ However, their rates of increase with pressure are much smaller than those of the excess deuteron and proton conductances, λ _E ^O (D ⁺) and λ _E ^O (H ⁺). With respect to the isotope effect on the excess conductance, λ _E ^O (OH ^-)/λ _E ^O (D ⁺) decreases with presure as in the case of λ _E ^O (H ⁺)/λ _E ^O (D ⁺), but the value of λ _E ^O (OH ^-)/λ _E ^O (OD ^-) itself is much larger than that of λ _E ^O (H ⁺)/λ _E ^O (D ⁺) at each pressure. These results are ascribed to the difference in the pre-rotation of water molecules, which is brought about by the difference in the intial orientation of the rotating water molecule adjacent to the OH^? (OD^?) or the H₃O⁺ (D₃O⁺) ion.     

Effects of solvent, pH and β-cyclodextrin on the fluorescent behaviour of lomustine

Fluorescent behaviour of lomustine, a DNA cross-linking agent, was investigated in different solvents, pH and in the presence of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). The solvents in which fluorescence spectra were observed play a major role in determining the spectral intensity of fluorophore, since it was found to exhibit new fluorescent properties essentially influenced by intermolecular interactions, particularly by intermolecular H-bonding formed with solvents. The pH-dependence profile was typically U-shape with a maximum at pH between 3.51 and 6.58. It was corroborated that the fluorescence emission band of lomustine is significantly intensified in the presence of β-CD. From the changes in the fluorescence spectra, it was concluded that β-CD forms a 1:1 inclusion complex with lomustine and its association constant was calculated.     

Adenine–Au and adenine–uracil–Au. Non-conventional hydrogen bonds of the anions and donator–acceptor properties of the neutrals

This is a study of adenine–Au and adenine–uracil–Au (neutral, anionic and cationic), applying the B3LYP density-functional approach. In these systems, the interaction is directly related to the charge; so that as the metal atomic charge increases, the bond strength also increases. Neutral molecules are weakly bonded, the interaction in the case of cations is mainly electrostatic and in the case of the anions, the extra electron is localized on the metal atom and consequently, non-conventional hydrogen bonds are formed. In the case of adenine–Au (anion), the H dissociation energy is similar to the electron dissociation energy, and therefore both reactions may be possible. Moreover, the Au anionic atom modifies the hydrogen bonds of the uracil–adenine base pair. This may be significant in the study of point mutations that may occur in the Watson–Crick dimmer of nucleic basis. The electron-donator properties of these compounds are analyzed with the aid of the donator–acceptor map (DAM), previously described. Adenine–Au, uracil–Au and adenine–uracil–Au are more effective electron donors, but poorer electron acceptors than adenine, uracil and adenine–uracil. If the electron acceptor properties of carotenoids such as β-carotene and astaxanthin are compared, there are indications that astaxanthin may act as an oxidant instead of an antioxidant with the uracil–adenine base pair. The oxidation of nucleic acid bases by carotenoids may have important consequences, as oxidative damage of DNA and RNA appears to be linked to cancer. This is something that demands further studies and for this reason, work concerning the reactivity of carotenoids with DNA-nitrogen bases is in progress.