Nucleofugality and nucleophilicity of fluoride in protic solvents

A series of p-substituted benzhydryl fluorides (diarylfluoromethanes) were prepared and subjected to solvolysis reactions, which were followed conductometrically. The observed first-order rate constants k(1)(25 °C) were found to follow the correlation equation log k(1)(25 °C) = s(f)(N(f) + E(f)), which allowed us to determine the nucleofuge-specific parameters N(f) and s(f) for fluoride in different aqueous and alcoholic solvents. The rates of the reverse reactions were measured by generating benzhydrylium ions (diarylcarbenium ions) laser flash photolytically in various alcoholic and aqueous solvents in the presence of fluoride ions and monitoring the rate of consumption of the benzhydrylium ions by UV-vis spectroscopy. The resulting second-order rate constants k(-1)(20 °C) were substituted into the correlation equation log k(-1) = s(N)(N + E) to derive the nucleophilicity parameters N and s(N) for fluoride in various protic solvents. Complete Gibbs energy profiles for the solvolysis reactions of benzhydryl fluorides are constructed.     

A computational study of ion speciation in mixtures of protic ionic liquids with various molecular solvents: Insight into the solvent polarity and anion basicity

The ion pairing state of the ionic liquids greatly depends on the cosolvent which subsequently affects the properties and the functionalities. Density functional calculations have been performed to study the ion pairing formation process of protic ionic liquids (PILs) ([Et₃NH][CH₃SO₃]/TEAMS or [Et₃NH][CF₃SO₃]/TEATF) dissolved in different solvents. The clusters involving the cation, anion, and different number of solvent molecules have been used to simulate the contact ion pairs (CIPs) and the solvent‐separated ion pairs (SIPs) in the mixtures with varying solvent concentrations. The geometric, energetic data, and the natural bond orbital analysis suggest the smallest number of the water molecules required to break the TEAMS CIPs is four, while it is three for TEATF. This is consistent with the experimental prediction that if the mixture of TEAMS and water was replaced by TEATF and water, the transition process began at a lower water concentration. Furthermore, the calculated results also confirm that the weakly polar organic solvents favor the CIP form at all solvent concentrations, while the high polarity solvents promote dissociation of the CIP to generate the SIP form for particular PILs. The different separation nature of the given solvents can be interpreted in terms of their distinct hydrogen bond donor and acceptor abilities.     

The hydrogen bonding properties of cytosine: a computational study of cytosine complexed with hydrogen fluoride, water, and ammonia

Density functional theory is used to study the hydrogen bonding pattern in cytosine, which does not contain alternating proton donor and acceptor sites and therefore is unique compared with the other pyrimidines. Complexes between various small molecules (HF, H(2)O, and NH(3)) and four main binding sites in (neutral and (N1) anionic) cytosine are considered. Two complexes (O2(N1) and N3(N4)) involve neighboring cytosine proton acceptor and donor sites, which leads to cooperative interactions and bidendate hydrogen bonds. The third (less stable) complex (N4) involves a single cytosine donor. The final (O2-N3) complex involves two cytosine proton acceptors, which leads to an anticooperative hydrogen bonding pattern for H(2)O and NH(3). On the neutral surface, the anticooperative O2-N3 complex is less stable than those involving bidentate hydrogen bonds, and the H(2)O complex cannot be characterized when diffuse functions are included in the (6-31G(d,p)) basis set. On the contrary, the anionic O2-N3 structure is the most stable complex, while the HF and H(2)O N3(N4) complexes cannot be characterized with diffuse functions. B3LYP and MP2 potential energy surface scans are used to consider the relationship between the water N3(N4) and O2-N3 complexes. These calculations reveal that diffuse functions reduce the conversion barrier between the two complexes on both the neutral and anionic surfaces, where the reduction leads to a (O2-N3) energy plateau on the neutral surface and complete (N3(N4)) complex destabilization on the anionic surface. From these complexes, the effects of hydrogen bonds on the (N1) acidity of cytosine are determined, and it is found that the trends in the effects of hydrogen bonds on the (N1) acidity are similar for all pyrimidines.     

Hydrogen-bonded capsules in polar,protic solvents

A kinetically stable, dimeric capsule is formed by tetrahydroxyresorcinarene in methanol; it encapsulates tropylium and tetramethylammonium cations.     

Hydrogen-bond interaction in 1:1 complexes of tetrahydrofuran with water, hydrogen fluoride, and ammonia: a theoretical study

Ab initio and density-functional theory electronic structure calculations have been performed for the 1:1 complexes of tetrahydrofuran with water, hydrogen fluoride, and ammonia. Upon hydrogen bonding with H2O and HF, the structure of tetrahydrofuran (THF) remains relatively unchanged with the exception of THF sites involved in hydrogen-bonding interaction. But the similar findings are not true, upon hydrogen bonded with NH3, where the C2 symmetry of THF changed. The hydrogen-bonding strength for the 1:1 complexes of THF with water, HF, and NH3 is found to be in the order HF>H2O>NH3, which is well characterized by the order in bond angles O2H15F14, O2H16O14, and O2H15N14 closer to linearity, respectively, and the redshifted of stretching frequencies of upsilon(FH), upsilon(OH), and upsilon(NH), respectively. This work is an attempt to provide important predictions and to aid in future experimental and theoretical studies towards the understanding of such hydrogen-bonded van der Waals systems.     

A theoretical study of the condensation reactions of methyl cation with ammonia,water, hydrogen fluoride and hydrogen sulphide

Ab initio molecular orbital calculations have been used to study the condensation reactions of CH₃^? with NH₃, H₂O, HF and H₂S. Geometry optimization has been carried out at the Hartree—Fock (HF) level with the split-valence plus d-polarization 6-31G* basis set and improved relative energies obtained from calculations which employ the split-valence plus dp-polarization 6-31G** basis set with electron correlation incorporated via Moller—Plesset perturbation theory terminated at third order (MP3). Zero-point vibrational energies have also been determined and taken into account in deriving relative energies. The structures of the intermediates CH₃XH^? (X = NH₂, OH, F and SH) have been obtained and dissociation of these intermediates into CH₂X⁺ + H₂ on the one hand, and CH₃^? + HX on the other, has been examined. It is found that for those species for which the methyl condensation reaction is observed to have an appreciable rate (X = NH₂ and SH), the transition structure for hydrogen elimination from CH₃XH^? lies significantly lower in energy than the reactants CH₃^? + HX (by 75 and 70 kJ mol^?1 respectively). On the other hand, for those species for which the methyl condensation reaction is not observed (X = OH and F), the transition structure for H₂ elimination lies higher in energy than CH₃^? + HX (by 6 and 87 kJ mol^?1 respectively).     

Effect of water and protic solvents on polysaccharide-based column efficiency

In the present study, polysaccharide-based columns were used to evaluate the efficiency of columns in response to the introduction of water and protic solvents (methanol and ethanol) into the mobile phase, replacing acetonitrile. While increasing water content frequently enhances enantiomer resolution, the inclusion of water, particularly when combined with methanol and ethanol in the mobile phase, has an adverse impact on mass transfer, thus influencing the column plate height. These effects are more pronounced with ethanol, and in many cases, van Deemter plots exhibit the absence of a minimum point optimal in the explored range. Consequently, acetonitrile and its water mixtures are the preferred choices to mitigate these effects for situations in which the chiral column is operated at a relatively high flow rate (> 1 mL/min in a 4.6 mm column).     

Proton solvation in protic and aprotic solvents

Protonation pattern strongly affects the properties of molecular systems. To determine protonation equilibria, proton solvation free energy, which is a central quantity in solution chemistry, needs to be known. In this study, proton affinities (PAs), electrostatic energies of solvation, and pK_A values were computed in protic and aprotic solvents. The proton solvation energy in acetonitrile (MeCN), methanol (MeOH), water, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was determined from computed and measured pK_A values for a specially selected set of organic compounds. pK_A values were computed with high accuracy using a combination of quantum chemical and electrostatic approaches. Quantum chemical density functional theory computations were performed evaluating PA in the gas‐phase. The electrostatic contributions of solvation were computed solving the Poisson equation. The computations yield proton solvation free energies with high accuracy, which are in MeCN, MeOH, water, and DMSO ?255.1, ?265.9, ?266.3, and ?266.4 kcal/mol, respectively, where the value for water is close to the consensus value of ?265.9 kcal/mol. The pK_A values of MeCN, MeOH, and DMSO in water correlates well with the corresponding proton solvation energies in these liquids, indicating that the solvated proton was attached to a single solvent molecule. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Rotational diffusion in aprotic and protic solvents

We present the orientational relaxation times in protic and aprotic solvents for rose bengal in its lowest excited singlet state. The method uses a mode locked dye laser for polarized excitation, and time correlated single photon counting for determination of the time resolved polarized fluorescence. The observed orientational decay for the dipolar aprotic solvents and the alcohols are in agreement with the values predicted by the Stokes-Einstein diffusion equation. In the latter solvents, volume and shape corrections must be made for attachment of the alcohol to the two anion sites of the dye molecule. The solvent N-methylformamide, however, shows rose bengal reorienting much faster than the alcohols. Our interpretation of this data suggests that agreement with the Stokes-Einstein equation (stick boundary conditions) is coincidental. We propose a solvent torque model in which the solvent interaction at each anion site of rose bengal controls the deviations from an expected slip boundary condition. This qualitative model is used to correlate our data as well as relevant data in the literature. The values in picoseconds for the observed orientational relaxation times are given in parenthesis; acetone (70), DMF (160), DMSO (420), MeOH (190), EtOH (450), isopropanol (840), NMF (500).     

Decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in protic and polar aprotic solvents on TS-1 heterogeneous catalyst

Kinetic parameters of H₂O₂ decomposition in methanol, propanol-1, propanol-2, acetone, and acetonitrile at 30–55°C on a TS-1 heterogeneous catalyst were determined. Recommendations are given on choice of solvents in oxidation of organic compounds with hydrogen peroxide.     

Hydroxylation of phenol with hydrogen peroxide in protic and aprotic solvents on TS-1 catalyst

Hydroxylation of phenol with a 25% aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide in polar protic and aprotic solvents on TS-1 heterogeneous catalyst under various conditions was studied. The major reaction products (hydroquinone, pyrocatechol) and their ratio were determined. A kinetic model describing the hydroxylation in accordance with the Rideal-Eley mechanism was chosen.     

Anion solvation II. Solvation of thiocyanate and halide anions in mixtures of protic and aprotic solvents

Infrared and Raman spectra of tetraalkylammonium and lithium thiocyanates and bromides in protic-aprotic solvent mixtures have been recorded in the 2100–2300 cm^?1 region at room temperature. It is shown that the anion is hydrogen bonded to the protic solvent, whether free or linked to a cation. Models are given for the solvated ion-pair taking into account both anion and cation solvation.     

Effects of counterpoise correction and basis set extrapolation on the MP2 geometries of hydrogen bonded dimers of ammonia, water, and hydrogen fluoride

We study the combined effects of counterpoise correction and basis set extrapolation on the second-order M?ller-Plesset (MP2) geometries of three hydrogen bonded dimers, namely (NH(3))(2), (H(2)O)(2) and (HF)(2). For (NH(3))(2), we study three characteristic structures on its potential energy surface. In addition, we look at the basis set convergence when diffuse functions on the hydrogen atoms are left out, as well as the errors introduced by including core correlation with valence-only correlation-consistent basis sets. Overall, the counterpoise-corrected and extrapolated geometries appear to be very reliable and are in convincing agreement with the geometries from explicitly correlated MP2-F12 calculations. Obtaining geometries with errors of less than 0.001 ?ngstrom and 0.5 degrees compared to the basis set limit is, however, even with these advanced methods a difficult task.     

Photooxidation of Co-thiolato complexes in protic and aprotic solvents

Protic solvents decrease the susceptibility of the thiolate ligand in Co(III) thiolato complexes toward attack by singlet oxygen, but greatly increase the conversion of the peroxidic intermediate to the sulfenato product.     

Photochemistry of 5-aminoquinoline in protic and aprotic solvents

Photophysical properties of 5-aminoquinoline (5AQ) have been investigated in various non-polar and polar (protic and aprotic) solvents using steady state and time resolved fluorescence. In aprotic solvents, the spectral maxima depend on the polarity. However, in protic solvents both the fluorescence intensity as well decay time show decrease depending on the hydrogen bonding ability of the solvent. The results suggest that photochemistry 5AQ is quite sensitive towards the polarity as well as protic character of the solvent.     

Diffusion of symmetrical and spherical solutes in protic,aprotic, and hydrocarbon solvents

The diffusion coefficients of a series of symmetrical tetraalkyltins (tetramethyltin, tetraethyltin, tetrapropyltin, tetrabutyltin, tetradodecyltin) of the gases argon, krypton, xenon, methane, and tetramethylmethane and of carbon tetrachloride and tetraethylmethane in hexane, decane, and tetradecane at 25°C have been determined using the Taylor dispersion technique. Diffusion coefficients for the gases in acetone, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, and 1-octanol were also determined. Deviations from the predictions of Stokes' law were found to be large, and the magnitude of the deviation can be directly related to solute size. The predictions of the Hubbard-Onsager equation were tested using the diffusion data.     

Selective recognition of alkyl pyranosides in protic and aprotic solvents

The design and synthesis of receptors capable of selective, noncovalent recognition of carbohydrates continues to be a signature challenge in bioorganic chemistry. We report a new generation of tripodal receptors incorporating three pyridine (compound 2) or quinoline (compound 3) rings around a central cyclohexane core for use in molecular recognition of monosaccharides in apolar and polar protic solvents. These tripodal receptors were investigated using (1)H NMR, UV, and fluorescence titrations in order to determine their binding abilities toward a set of octyl glycosides. Receptor 2 displayed the highest binding affinity reported to date for noncovalent 1:1 binding of an alpha-glucopyranoside in chloroform (Ka = 212,000 +/- 27,000 M(-1)) and an approximately 8-fold selectivity for the alpha anomer over the beta anomer of the glucopyranoside. Most importantly, 2 retained its micromolar range of affinities toward monosaccharides in a polar and highly competitive solvent (methanol). The quinoline variant 3 also displayed micromolar binding affinities for selected monosaccharides in methanol (as measured by fluorescence) that were generally smaller than those of 2. Compound 3 was found to follow a selectivity pattern similar to that of 2, displaying higher affinities for glucopyranosides than for other monosaccharides. The binding stoichiometry was estimated to be 1:1 for the complexes formed by both 2 and 3 with glucopyranosides, as determined by Job plots. Nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy allowed for the derivation of a binding model consistent with the observed selectivities.     

Spectral and photophysical properties of thioxanthone in protic and aprotic solvents: the role of hydrogen bonds in S1-thioxanthone deactivation.

Spectral and photophysical properties of thioxanthone (9H-thioxanthen-9-one, TX) were determined in a few protic solvents (H2O, D2O, hexafluoro-2-propanol) and compared with those in aprotic solvents. On the basis of the time-resolved and steady-state emission measurements and available literature data, it has been shown that the dominant S1-TX deactivation process in protic solvents is the formation of the S1-complex. The important modes of deactivation of the S1-complex are fluorescence (phiF approximately 0.4-0.5) and intersystem crossing to the T1 state. The S1-complex-->S0 internal conversion plays, at most, an insignificant role in S1-complex deactivation, which is evidenced by the absence of an isotope effect of protic solvents on the lifetime and quantum yield of fluorescence.     

Volumes and heat capacities of water andN-methylformamide in mixtures of these solvents

The densities of mixtures ofN-methylformamide (NMF) and water (W) have been measured at 5, 15, 25, 35, and 45°C, and the heat capacities of the same system at 25°C, both over the whole mole-fraction range. From the experimental data the apparent molar volumes (_v) and heat capacities (_c) of NMF and of water are evaluated. The relatively small difference between the partial molar volumes or heat capacities at infinite dilution and the corresponding molar volumes or heat capacities of the pure liquids for both NMF and water suggests that with regard to these quantities replacement of a NMF molecule by a water molecule or vice versa produces no drastic changes. The partial molar volume of water at infinite dilution in NMF is smaller than the molar volume of pure water, but the corresponding partial molar heat capacity is unexpectedly high.     

Phase equilibria for the binary mixtures containing hydrogen fluoride and non-polar compound

Isothermal vapor–liquid equilibria for propane+hydrogen fluoride have been measured. The experimental data are correlated with the association model proposed by Lencka and Anderko for the mixtures containing hydrogen fluoride and the relevant parameters are presented. The recalculated parameters of the association model for pure hydrogen fluoride are presented. The problems occurred in the applications of the association model for the mixtures containing hydrogen fluoride are discussed. The correlation was found to be in good agreement with the experimental data. However, the calculated equilibrium pressures at very diluted compositions of hydrogen fluoride below about 0.01 were shown rather higher than the experimental values.