Formation of a vanillic Mannich base — theoretical study

One-pot anti-Mannich reaction of vanillin, aniline and cyclohexanone was successfully catalyzed by ionic liquid triethanolammonium chloroacetate, at room temperature. Yield of the obtained Mannich base was very good and excellent diastereoselectivity was achieved. Mechanism of the reaction was investigated using the density functional theory. The reaction started with a nucleophilic attack of aniline nitrogen at the carbonyl group of vanillin. The intermediate α-amino alcohol formed in this way was further subjected to protonation by the triethanolammonium ion yielding the imminium ion. Theoretically, the obtained imminium ion and the enol form of cyclohexanone can build the protonated Mannich base via the anti and syn pathways. The chloroacetic anion spontaneously abstracts the proton yielding the final product of the reaction anti 2-[1-(N-phenylamino)-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)]methylcyclohexanone (MB-H). The syn pathway requires lower activation energy but the anti pathway yields a thermodynamically more stable product, which implies that the examined Mannich reaction is thermodynamically controlled.     

Reexamination of the π-bond strengths within H2C=XHn systems: a theoretical study

The accurate determination of π-bond energies, D(π), in doubly-bonded species has been an important issue in theoretical chemistry. The procedure using the divalent state stabilization energy defined by Walsh has been suggested, and the procedure seems to be conceptually reasonable and applicable to all kinds of doubly-bonded species. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine whether the procedure could be a reliable methodology for estimating the D(π) values for a variety of H(2)C=XH(n) species. To achieve a higher accuracy, the D(π) values were estimated at QCISD(T)/6-311++G(3df,2p) level of theory combined with isogyric correction. The D(π) values estimated in this work were in excellent agreement with the extant literature values. On the other hand, in determining accurate D(π) values for doubly bonded species, especially in species with lone-pair electrons such as H(2)C=O, it has been found that consideration of highly sophisticated electron correlation effects could be important. However, sufficiently accurate D(π) values have been obtainable at QCISD(T) or CCSD(T) levels with a 6-311++G(3df,2p) basis set on geometries at relatively inferior correlated levels such as MP2 and B3LYP levels with a 6-31+G(d) basis set.     

Formation and structure of Co₂O₄: a combined IR matrix isolation and theoretical study

The formation and structure of dicobalt tetroxide (Co?O?) has been investigated using matrix isolation in solid neon and argon coupled to infrared spectroscopy and quantum chemical methods. It is found that Co?O? can be formed by dimerization of cobalt dioxide without activation energy by diffusion of ground state CoO? molecules at 9 K in the dark. The IR data on eight fundamentals, isotopic effects and quantum chemical calculations are both consistent with a centro-symmetrical structure with two pairs of equivalent oxygen atoms, engaged in a stronger terminal Co-O bond and in a weaker bridging Co-O-Co position. Evidence for other, metastable states is also presented, but the data are not conclusive. The electronic structure and formation pathway has been investigated using the Tao-Perdew-Staroverov-Scuseria/triple-zeta valence polarived basis set (TPSS/TZVP) and broken symmetry unrestricted density functional theory (BS-UDFT) approach and the ground electronic state is predicted to be an open shell 1Ag singlet with the quintet, triplet, septet, and nonet states above by 3.3, 4.9, 9.3, and 27.7 kcal/mol, respectively, but certainly has a complex multireference character that hinders the use of more precise multireference approaches. Different formation pathways have been considered, and the 2(O═Co═O) → Co?O? dimerization reaction is found to be the only barrierless channel and to be strongly exothermic. Comparisons with another transition metal (TM) oxide system (V?O?) suggests that the difference in predicted ground state geometries in TM?O? systems might be due in HOMO-LUMO shapes of the isolated dioxide subunits and optimal overlap configurations.     

The kinetic and thermodynamic study of KNiPO4·H2O from DSC and TG data

The DSC and TG data showed the dehydration process occurring over the range of 160?C300?°C. The XRD patterns of the synthesized KNiPO₄·H₂O and the calcined product at 350?°C with exposing in the air over 8?h are indexed as the KNiPO₄·H₂O structure, whereas at 600?°C is indexed as KNiPO₄ structure. Hence, these data confirmed that the water molecule was eliminated from the structure at 300?°C, after that the spontaneously reversible hydration?Crehydration process was observed. The activation energy and pre-exponential factor were calculated by Kissinger, Ozawa, and KAS equations. According to the DSC curves, the enthalpy change (??H) of dehydration process can be calculated and was found to be 100.12?kJ?mol^?1. Besides, we suggested another new method to determine the isokinetic temperature value using spectroscopic data. The surface area of synthesized hydrate and its calcined product at 350?°C with exposing in the air at over 8?h were found to be 21.48 and 134.3?m²?g^?1, respectively. The reversible hydration?Crehydration process was observed, and the surface area of final product at 350?°C (aging time over 8?h) is higher than that of the synthesized compound. This behavior is important to develop alternative desiccant materials or other process based on the rehydration mechanism with increasing the surface area.     

Theoretical study of the gas-phase ethane C–H and C–C bonds activation by bare niobium cation

The potential energy surfaces for the reaction of bare niobium cation with ethane, as a prototype of the C–H and C–C bonds activation in alkanes by transition metal cations, have been investigated employing the Density Functional Theory in its B3LYP formulation. All the minima and key transition states have been examined along both high- and low-spin surfaces. For both the C–H and C–C activation pathways the rate determining step is that corresponding to the insertion of the Nb cation into C–H and C–C bond, respectively. However, along the C–H activation reaction coordinate the barrier that is necessary to overcome is 0.13 eV below the energy of the ground state reactants asymptote, while in the C–C activation branch the corresponding barrier is about 0.58 eV above the energy of reactants in their ground state. The overall calculated reaction exothermicities are comparable. Since the spin of the ground state reactants is different from that of both H–Nb⁺–C₂H₅ and CH₃–Nb⁺–CH₃ insertion intermediates and products, spin multiplicity has to change along the reaction paths. All the obtained results, including Nb⁺–R binding energies for R fragments relevant to the examined PESs, have been compared with existing experimental and theoretical data.     

Mechanisms of the reactions of propane with CBr3+ cation and superelectrophilic complex CBr4+·AlBr3- containing a bromine-centered cationic center: a theoretical study

Fragments of the potential energy surfaces (PES) of the systems [C₃H₈ + CBr₃ ⁺] and [C₃H₈ + Br₂CBr⁺·Br₂AlBr₂ ^–] were simulated by the MNDO/PM3 method. Energy minima corresponding to weakly bound adducts of propane molecule with the CBr₃ ⁺ cation or neutral complex CBr₃ ⁺·AlBr₄ ^– were found on the PES's of both systems. These are adducts with the coordination of a H atom of the methylene group of the propane molecule to the electrophile at the Br atom carrying the largest positive charge. As the fragments of the adducts are brought close together, the coordinated H atom migrates to the C atom of the CBr₃ ⁺ fragment. The potential barriers of these migrations were found to be low for both systems. The reactions proceed without formation of cyclic intermediates or transition states typical of the Olah mechanism.     

The π-acceptor effect in the substitution reactions of tridentate N-donor ligand complexes of platinum(ii): a detailed kinetic and mechanistic study

The nucleophilic substitution reactions of complexes [Pt{4'-(2'-CH(3)-phenyl)-2,2':6',2'-terpyridine}Cl]CF(3)SO(3), [CH(3)PhPtCl], [Pt{4'-(2'-CH(3)-phenyl)-6-(3'-isoquinoyl)-2,2'bipyridine}Cl]SbF(6), [CH(3)PhisoqPtCl], [Pt{2-(2'-pyridyl)-1,10-phenanthroline}Cl]Cl, [pyPhenPtCl], and [Pt(terpyridine)Cl](+), [PtCl] with a series of nucleophiles: thiourea (TU), N,N-dimethylthiourea (DMTU), N,N,N,N-tetramethylthiourea (TMTU), I(-), Br(-), and SCN(-) were studied in 0.1 M LiCF(3)SO(3) in methanol (in the presence of 10 mM LiCl). The reactivity of the investigated complexes follows the order pyPhenPtCl > PtCl > CH(3)PhPtCl > CH(3)PhisoqPtCl. The lability of the chloride ligand is dependent on the strength of π-backbonding properties of the spectator ligands around the platinum centre. The experimental data is strongly supported by DFT calculations. The dependence of the second-order rate constants on concentration of the nucleophiles as well as the large negative values reported for the activation entropy (ΔS(?)) confirmed an associative mechanism of substitution.     

A study of vitamin A radical cation generated by chemical and radiolytic oxidation

Electron transfer reaction between vitamin A (1) and tris(p-bromophenyl)aminium hexachloroautimonate (2) in dichloromethane (DCM) has been investigated by means of UV-VIS absorption and ESR spectroscopy. The title radical cation formed in the reaction was characterized by a new absorption band around 600 nm and a singlet unresolved ESR spectrum with g factor of 2.0038-2.0039 and line width of 20 G. Further studies indicated that ESR pattern and parameters of the radical cation generated by 7-irradiation of 1 in CFCl3 matrix at 77 K are consistent with that resulted in the chemical oxidation in DCM at ambient temperature.     

Chemical reactivity of the imidazole: a semblance of pyridine and pyrrole?

It has been suggested that pyridine and pyrrole could be patterns for imidazole reactivity studies due to the amine (-NH-) and aza (-N═) nitrogen atoms. The analyses of the local and global electronic indexes prove and quantify that imidazole has an intermediate analogy between pyrrole and pyridine.     

A kinetic study of the reaction of N,N-dimethylanilines with 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical: a concerted proton-electron transfer?

The reactivity of the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (dpph*) toward the N-methyl C-H bond of a number of 4-X-substituted- N, N-dimethylanilines (X = OMe, OPh, CH 3, H) has been investigated in MeCN, in the absence and in the presence of Mg(ClO 4) 2, by product, and kinetic analysis. The reaction was found to lead to the N-demethylation of the N, N-dimethylaniline with a rate quite sensitive to the electron donating power of the substituent (rho (+) = -2.03). With appropriately deuterated N, N-dimethylanilines, the intermolecular and intramolecular deuterium kinetic isotope effects (DKIEs) were measured with the following results. Intramolecular DKIE [( k H/ k D) intra] was found to always be similar to intermolecular DKIE [( k H/ k D) inter]. These results suggest a single-step hydrogen transfer mechanism from the N-C-H bond to dpph* which might take the form of a concerted proton-electron transfer (CPET). An electron transfer (ET) step from the aniline to dpph* leading to an anilinium radical cation, followed by a proton transfer step that produces an alpha-amino carbon radical, appears very unlikely. Accordingly, a rate-determining ET step would require no DKIE or at least different inter and intramolecular isotope effects. On the other hand, an equilibrium-controlled ET is not compatible with the small slope value (-0.22 kcal (-1) K (-1)) of the log k H/Delta G degrees plot. Furthermore, the reactivity increases by changing the solvent to the less polar toluene whereas the reverse would be expected for an ET mechanism. In the presence of Mg (2+), a strong rate acceleration was observed, but the pattern of the results remained substantially unchanged: inter and intramolecular DKIEs were again very similar as well as the substituent effects. This suggests that the same mechanism (CPET) is operating in the presence and in the absence of Mg (2+). The significant rate accelerating effect by Mg (2+) is likely due to a favorable interaction of the Mg (2+) ion with the partial negatively charged alpha-methyl carbon in the polar transition state for the hydrogen transfer process.     

Formation of cation–radical anion pairs derived from carboxybenzophenone–tetrabutylammonium salts. Pulse radiolysis studies

Pulse radiolysis of acetonitrile solutions of tetra-n-butyl ammonium salts of 2- and 4-carboxybenzophenones [BP-COO⁻···N⁺(C₄H₉)₄] were performed in order to generate directly the reduced forms of the benzophenone moieties within pre-formed ion pairs. In earlier studies on photochemical electron transfer reactions, ion pairs containing a tetraalkyl ammonium cation and a benzophenone radical anion were formed in an electron transfer to the triplet BP from a quencher consisting of a tetraalkyl ammonium salt of (phenylthio)acetic acid. In the current work, the [BP^•−COO⁻···N⁺(C₄H₉)₄] ion pairs were formed by direct reduction of the salts without the complication of a third moiety, i.e., the (phenylthio)acetic anion. The spectra and kinetic parameters of the radiolytically-reduced salts were compared to the behavior of reduced forms of the 2- and 4-COOH substituted benzophenones. The results from the pulse radiolysis and photochemistry were compared and explained in terms of the different structures of the ion pairs.     

How delocalized is N,N,N',N'-tetraphenylphenylenediamine radical cation? An experimental and theoretical study on the electronic and molecular structure

The electronic and molecular structure of N,N,N',N'-tetraphenylphenylenediamine radical cation 1(+) is in focus of this study. Resonance Raman experiments showed that at least eight vibrational modes are strongly coupled to the optical charge resonance band which is seen in the NIR. With the help of a DFT-based vibrational analysis, these eight modes were assigned to symmetric vibrations. The contribution of these symmetric modes to the total vibrational reorganization energy is dominant. These findings are in agreement with the conclusions from a simple two-state two-mode Marcus-Hush analysis which yields a tiny electron-transfer barrier. The excellent agreement of the X-ray crystal structure analysis and the DFT computed molecular structure of 1(+) on one hand as well as the solvent and solid-state IR spectra and the DFT-calculated IR active vibrations on the other hand prove 1(+) adopts a symmetrical delocalized Robin-Day class III structure both in the solid state and in solution.     

Formation of aromatic structures from chain hydrocarbons in electrical discharges: absorption and fluorescence study of C11H9(+) and C11H9(•) isomers in neon matrices

A set of arenes (phenylacetylene, indene, and naphthalene cations and C(11)H(9)(+) isomers) was produced from 2,4-hexadiyne diluted in helium in a hot-cathode discharge source. The mass-selected ions were codeposited with neon at 6 K and investigated by electronic absorption spectroscopy. This reveals that fused-ring species are readily formed from an acyclic precursor in such a source. After photobleaching of matrices containing C(11)H(9)(+), neutral C(11)H(9)(?) radicals were also characterized. Assignment of the observed transitions to different m/z = 141 cationic and corresponding neutral isomers is given and supported by experiments using other precursors, fluorescence measurements, and time-dependent density functional and second-order approximate coupled cluster calculations.     

Understanding the role of flexible 4′-functionalized polyethylene glycoxy chains on the behavior of platinum(II) (4′-(ethylene glycoxy)-2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine: a kinetic and a mechanistic study

The ligand substitution kinetics of 4′-functionalized mononuclear Pt(II) (4′-(ethylene glycoxy)-2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine complexes, [Pt(nY-tpy)Cl)Cl] (where Y = ethylene glycoxy, n = number of ethylene, glycoxy units = 1, 2, 3, and 4, and tpy = 2,2′:6′,2′′-terpyridine), with thiourea, 1,3-dimethyl-2-thiourea, 1,1,3,3-tetramethyl-2-thiourea, and iodide were investigated under pseudo-first-order conditions as a function of concentration and temperature by conventional stopped-flow technique. The observed first-order rate constants followed the simple rate law k_obs = k₂[Nu]. The data obtained show that the ethylene glycoxy pendant, trans to the leaving group, acts as a σ-donor into the terpyridine ligand and is effective only up to n = 1, beyond which the substitution reactivity of the complexes are controlled by the steric influence of the appended ethylene glycoxy pendant units, which decreases with increase in the number of ethylene glycoxy units. The activation parameters obtained support an associative mechanism, where bond formation in the transition state is favored. The observed reactivity trends were supported by density functional theory calculations.     

Oxidation of aliphatic alcohols by triethylammonium chlorochromate in non-aqueous medium – A kinetic and mechanistic study

The oxidation of some aliphatic alcohols by triethylammonium chlorochromate (TriEACC) in dimethyl sulfoxide leads to the formation of the corresponding carbonyl compounds. The reaction is first order with respect to TriEACC. The reaction exhibited Michaelis–Menten type kinetics with respect to alcohol. The reaction is catalyzed by hydrogen ions. The hydrogen-ion dependence has the form: k_obs = a + b[H⁺]. The oxidation of [1,1-²H₂] ethanol (MeCD₂OH) exhibits a substantial primary kinetic isotope effect. Oxidation of aliphatic alcohol was studied in 19 different organic solvents. The solvent effect has been analysed using Kamlet’s and Swain’s multi-parametric equation. A suitable mechanism has been proposed.     

Hydrogen abstraction reactions of OH radicals with CH₃CH₂CH₂Cl and CH₃CHClCH₃: a mechanistic and kinetic study

The hydrogen abstraction reactions of OH radicals with CH₃CH₂CH₂Cl (R1) and CH₃CHClCH₃ (R2) have been investigated theoretically by a dual‐level direct dynamics method. The optimized geometries and frequencies of the stationary points are calculated at the B3LYP/6‐311G(d,p) level. To improve the reaction enthalpy and potential barrier of each reaction channel, the single point energy calculation is performed by the BMC‐CCSD method. Using canonical variational transition‐state theory (CVT) with the small‐curvature tunneling correction, the rate constants are evaluated over a wide temperature range of 200–2000 K at the BMC‐CCSD//B3LYP/6‐311G(d,p) level. For the reaction channels with the negative barrier heights, the rate constants are calculated by using the CVT. The calculated total rate constants are consistent with available experimental data. The results show that at lower temperatures, the tunneling correction has an important contribution in the calculation of rate constants for all the reaction channels with the positive barrier heights, while the variational effect is found negligible for some reaction channels. For reactions OH radicals with CH₃CH₂CH₂Cl (R1) and CH₃CHClCH₃ (R2), the channels of H‐abstraction from –CH₂– and –CHCl groups are the major reaction channels, respectively, at lower temperatures. With temperature increasing, contributions from other channels should be taken into account. Finally, the total rate constants are fitted by two models, i.e., three‐parameter and four‐parameter expressions. The enthalpies of formation of the species CH₃CHClCH₂, CH₃CHCH₂Cl, and CH₂CH₂CH₂Cl are evaluated by isodesmic reactions. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem, 2011     

Has the trimethylene radical cation been observed?: An Ab initio molecular orbital study

Ab initio calculations have been performed on the cyclopropane radical cation and the trimethylene radical cation. The former radical cation has been claimed to undergo irreversible ring opening to the latter in CFCl₂CF₂Cl matrices at 80 K. However, the computational results reported here show that the energy of the cyclopropane radical cation is much lower than that of the (0,0) trimethylene radical cation, thus casting doubt on the possibility of irreversible ring opening of the former to the latter. It is suggested that the ring-opened species that is observed in the matrix by EPR has a nucleophile strongly coordinated to the carbocationic center.