Determination of the C4-H bond dissociation energies of NADH models and their radical cations in acetonitrile

Heterolytic and homolytic bond dissociation energies of the C4-H bonds in ten NADH models (seven 1,4-dihydronicotinamide derivatives, two Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridine derivatives, and 9,10-dihydroacridine) and their radical cations in acetonitrile were evaluated by titration calorimetry and electrochemistry, according to the four thermodynamic cycles constructed from the reactions of the NADH models with N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine radical cation perchlorate in acetonitrile (note: C9-H bond rather than C4-H bond for 9,10-dihydroacridine; however, unless specified, the C9-H bond will be described as a C4-H bond for convenience). The results show that the energetic scales of the heterolytic and homolytic bond dissociation energies of the C4-H bonds cover ranges of 64.2-81.1 and 67.9-73.7 kcal mol(-1) for the neutral NADH models, respectively, and the energetic scales of the heterolytic and homolytic bond dissociation energies of the (C4-H)(.+) bonds cover ranges of 4.1-9.7 and 31.4-43.5 kcal mol(-1) for the radical cations of the NADH models, respectively. Detailed comparison of the two sets of C4-H bond dissociation energies in 1-benzyl-1,4-dihydronicotinamide (BNAH), Hantzsch 1,4-dihydropyridine (HEH), and 9,10-dihydroacridine (AcrH(2)) (as the three most typical NADH models) shows that for BNAH and AcrH(2), the heterolytic C4-H bond dissociation energies are smaller (by 3.62 kcal mol(-1)) and larger (by 7.4 kcal mol(-1)), respectively, than the corresponding homolytic C4-H bond dissociation energy. However, for HEH, the heterolytic C4-H bond dissociation energy (69.3 kcal mol(-1)) is very close to the corresponding homolytic C4-H bond dissociation energy (69.4 kcal mol(-1)). These results suggests that the hydride is released more easily than the corresponding hydrogen atom from BNAH and vice versa for AcrH(2), and that there are two almost equal possibilities for the hydride and the hydrogen atom transfers from HEH. Examination of the two sets of the (C4-H)(.+) bond dissociation energies shows that the homolytic (C4-H)(.+) bond dissociation energies are much larger than the corresponding heterolytic (C4-H)(.+) bond dissociation energies for the ten NADH models by 23.3-34.4 kcal mol(-1); this suggests that if the hydride transfer from the NADH models is initiated by a one-electron transfer, the proton transfer should be more likely to take place than the corresponding hydrogen atom transfer in the second step. In addition, some elusive structural information about the reaction intermediates of the NADH models was obtained by using Hammett-type linear free-energy analysis.     

First estimation of C4-H bond dissociation energies of NADH and its radical cation in aqueous solution

The heterolytic and homolytic C4-H bond dissociation energies of NADH and its radical cation (NADH*+) in aqueous solution were estimated according to the reaction of NADH with N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine radical cation perchlorate (TMPA*+) in aqueous solution. The results show that the values of the heterolytic and homolytic C4-H bond dissociation energies of NADH in aqueous solution are 53.6 and 79.3 kcal/mol, respectively; the values of the heterolytic and homolytic C4-H bond dissociation energies of NADH*+*+ in aqueous solution are 5.1 and 36.3 kcal/mol, respectively, which, to our knowledge, is first reported. This energetic information disclosed in the present work should be believed to furnish hints to the understanding of the mechanisms for the redox interconversions of coenzyme couple NADH/NAD+ in vivo.     

Determination of N-NO bond dissociation energies of N-methyl-N-nitrosobenzenesulfonamides in acetonitrile and application in the mechanism analyses on NO transfer

The heterolytic and homolytic N-NO bond dissociation energies of seven substituted N-methyl-N-nitrosobenzenesulfonamides (abbreviated as G-MNBS, G = p-OCH(3), p-CH(3), p-H, p-Cl, p-Br, 2,5-2Cl, m-NO(2)) in acetonitrile solution were evaluated for the first time by using titration calorimetry and relative thermodynamic cycles according to Hess' law. The results show that the energetic scales of the heterolytic and homolytic N-NO bond dissociation energies of G-MNBS in acetonitrile solution cover the ranges from 44.3 to 49.5 and from 33.0 to 34.9 kcal/mol for the neutral G-MNBS, respectively, which indicates that N-methyl-N-nitrosobenzenesulfonamides are much easier to release a NO radical (NO(*)) than to release a NO cation (NO(+)). The estimation of the heterolytic and homolytic (N-NO)(-)(*) bond dissociation energies of the seven G-MNBS radical anions in acetonitrile solution gives the energetic ranges of -15.8 to -12.9 and -3.1 to 1.8 kcal/mol for the (N-NO)(-)(*) bond homolysis and heterolysis, respectively, which means that G-MNBS radical anions are very unstable at room temperature and able to spontaneously or easily release a NO radical or NO anion (NO(-)), but releasing a NO radical is easier than releasing NO anion. These determined N-NO bond dissociation energies of G-MNBS and their radical anions have been successfully used in the mechanism analyses of NO transfer from G-MNBS to 3,6-dibromocarbazole and the reactions of NO with the substituted N-methyl-benzenesulfonamide nitranions (G-MBSN(-)) in acetonitrile solution.     

N-亚硝基吲哚系列化合物及其自由基负离子在乙腈介质中N-NO键断裂能的测定

利用滴定量热技术并结合适当的热力学循环测定了乙腈溶液中7个取代的N-亚硝基吲哚化合物中N—NO键的异裂能和均裂能, 能量范围分别为206.1~246.2 kJ/mol和119.1~124.6 kJ/mol. 表明N-亚硝基吲哚均裂释放NO自由基(NO·)比异裂释放NO正离子(NO+)要容易得多, 通过热力学循环得到的相应自由基负离子中N—NO键的异裂能和均裂能的能量范围分别为25.5~34.4和5.0~40.5 kJ/mol, 表明所研究化合物的自由基负离子在室温下很不稳定.     

S-亚硝基-N-乙酰基-D,L-青霉胺二肽分子中S—NO键断裂能的测定

利用滴定量热技术并结合适当的热力学循环测定了乙腈溶液中7个S-亚硝基-N-乙酰基-D,L-青霉胺二肽化合物中S—NO键的异裂能和均裂能, 其能量范围分别为234.5—246.2 kJ/mol和101.6—122.1 kJ/mol. 结果表明, 所研究的亚硝基硫醇化合物更容易通过S—NO键的均裂释放NO自由基(NO·). 通过热力学循环对7个亚硝基硫醇化合物自由基负离子中S—NO键的异裂能和均裂能进行估算, 能量范围分别为19.2—35.5 kJ/mol和-4.2—22.6 kJ/mol, 表明这些自由基负离子在室温下不稳定, 容易通过S—NO键的异裂释放出NO-.     

18,18'-Dihexyl[9,9']biphenanthro[9,10-b]triphenylene: construction and consequences of a profoundly hindered aryl-aryl single bond

The title compound, 1-Hex, was synthesized by the Zr-mediated biphenylation of 4,4'-dihexyloctabromobiphenyl using (Li(THF)4)2 x Zr(biphe)3, where biphe is the 2,2'-biphenyldiyl ligand, in 5% isolated yield. Two independent X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that arene 1-Hex possesses a highly strained and hindered aryl-aryl single bond. This bond causes the phenanthro[9,10-b]triphenylene (PTP) moieties to twist (anthracene subunit dihedral, 69 degrees); the interlocked, helical, homochiral PTP moieties give rise to effective D2 symmetry. The calculated adiabatic homolytic bond dissociation energy of this strained bond is only 67 kcal/mol, but nonetheless the bond exhibits a surprisingly normal length (1.49 A); the reason is elongation only slowly releases strain. Variable temperature NMR revealed two dynamic processes: hexyl rotation (12.0 +/- 0.4 kcal/mol) and inversion of chirality (15.2 +/- 0.6 kcal/mol). DFT calculations provide rate-determining transitions states, whose energies agree with measured values, and provide insight to the mechanism of these processes. Rotation about the central bond is not involved in either observed process. Calculations demonstrate that rotation does not involve a simple torsion of the equilibrium structure, but rather a complex movement with a barrier of 49 kcal/mol from a slipped-parallel, C(2h) intermediate.     

N-NO bond dissociation energies of N-nitroso diphenylamine derivatives (or analogues) and their radical anions: implications for the effect of reductive electron transfer on N-NO bond activation and for the mechanisms of NO transfer to nitranions

The heterolytic and homolytic N-NO bond dissociation energies [i.e., deltaHhet(N-NO) and deltaHhomo(N-NO)] of 12 N-nitroso-diphenylamine derivatives (1-12) and two N-nitrosoindoles (13 and 14) in acetonitrile were determined by titration calorimetry and from a thermodynamic cycle, respectively. Comparison of these two sets of data indicates that homolysis of the N-NO bonds to generate NO* and nitrogen radical is energetically much more favorable (by 23.3-44.8 kcal/mol) than the corresponding heterolysis to generate a pair of ions, giving hints for the driving force and possible mechanism of NO-initiated chemical and biological transformations. The first (N-NO)-* bond dissociation energies [i.e., deltaH(N-NO)-* and deltaH'(N-NO)-*] of radical anions 1-*-14-* were also derived on the basis of appropriate cycles utilizing the experimentally measured deltaHhet(N-NO) and electrochemical data. Comparisons of these two quantities with those of the neutral N-NO bonds indicate a remarkable bond activation upon a possible one-electron transfer to the N-NO bonds, with an average bond-weakening effect of 48.8 +/- 0.3 kcal/mol for heterolysis and 22.3 +/- 0.3 kcal/mol for homolysis, respectively. The good to excellent linear correlations among the energetics of the related heterolytic processes [deltaHhet(N-NO), deltaH(N-NO)-*, and pKa(N-H)] and the related homolytic processes [deltaHhomo(N-NO), deltaH'(N-NO)-*, and BDE(N-H)] imply that the governing structural factors for these bond scissions are similar. Examples illustrating the use of such bond energetic data jointly with relevant redox potentials for analyzing various mechanistic possibilities for nitrosation of nitranions are presented.     

Benchmark approach to search of cost-effective and accurate density functional for homolytic cleavage of C─Mg bond of Grignard reagent

Grignard reactions are of importance in organic chemistry for the synthesis β-keto esters and diethyl malonate, alcohols, aldehydes or ketones, monocarboxylic acids, and other organometallic compounds. Generally, the heterolytic dissociation of C─Mg bond in Grignard reagent is the key step in these reactions. Recently, homolytic cleavage of the C─Mg bond in Grignard reagents has been reported in the preparation of stable radicals. These reactive species react with other compounds, which result in the formation of hydrocarbons and their derivatives. Therefore, the study of homolytic cleavage of C─Mg bonds is quite vital to better understand the kinetics and thermodynamics of these reactions. In the current study, a benchmark approach is adopted to find a cost-effective and accurate density functional (DF) for bond dissociation energies measurement of the C─Mg bond of Grignard reagents. Twenty-nine DFs from 13 density functional theory (DFT) classes with three types of basis sets (Pople' 6-31G(d) and 6-311G(d), Dunning's aug-cc-pVDZ, and Karlsruhe' def2-SVP basis sets) are implemented for the measurement of dissociation energies of the C─Mg bond. Theoretical dissociation energy values are compared with experimental reported values of the C─Mg bond of selected Grignard reagents. TPSSTPSS of the meta-GGA class with 6-31G (d) basis set gave accurate results, and its Pearson's correlation is 0.95. SD, root mean square deviation, and mean unsigned error of this method are 2.36 kcal mol⁻¹, 2.33 kcal mol⁻¹, and −0.46 kcal mol⁻¹, respectively. TPSSTPSS of the meta-GGA class is a one-electron, self-interaction, error-free Tao-Perdew-Staroverov-Scuseria functional that performed better with the 6-31G(d) basis set.     

Methyl and silyl mesolytic dissociations in the radical cations and radical anions of but-1-ene,allylsilane, hexa-1,3-diene,and penta-2,4-dienylsilane. CAS-MCSCF and coupled cluster theoretical study

Methyl or silyl dissociation in the CH(2)=CHCH(2)-XH(3) (a-XH(3)(*)(+)) and CH(2)=CHCH=CHCH(2)-XH(3) (p-XH(3)(*) (+)) radical cations (X = C, Si) yields a(+) or p(+) and XH(3)(*). Similarly, the radical anions a-CH(3)(*) (-) and p-CH(3)(*) (-) give the pi-delocalized anion and CH(3)(*) preferentially. In contrast, a-SiH(3)(*) (-) and p-SiH(3)(*-) prefer to dissociate into the pi-delocalized radical and silide. All reactions are endoergic: by 43-50 kcal mol(-)(1) in the radical cations, and easier to some extent in the radical anions, that require 29-33 (X = C) and 13-14 kcal mol(-)(1) (X = Si). The fragmentation energy profiles do not present significant barriers for the backward process in the case of the radical cations. All radical anions exhibit an energy maximum along the dissociation pathway, but the barrier is lower than the dissociation limit. Fragmentation is "activated" more in the anions than in the cations with respect to homolysis in the corresponding neutrals (that requires 72-81 kcal mol(-)(1)). Wave function analysis indicates that the C-X bond cleavage in the hydrocarbon radical ions, although formally comparable to a homolytic process, is at variance with this model, due to the spin recoupling of one of the two C-X bond electrons with the originally unpaired electron. This is basically true also for the silyl-substituted radical anions, in which the initial more delocalized charge distribution might suggest some heterolytic character of the bond cleavage.     

MO theoretical studies of electron pair decorrelation processes. I. Pair correlation energy and single bond dissociation

The homolytic dissociation of a single bond involves the decorrelation of one electron pair. Thus, the contribution of electron correlation to dissociation energies is large. In the present paper a new procedure is presented which allows the computation of the (within the given basis) complete correlation energy of one optimized electron pair. The method which requires only modest computational effort has been applied to the calculation of dissociation energies of a number of bonds of different types. The results show that the correlation of the electron pair of the bond which is broken contributes about 50–80% to the change of the total correlation energy occuring during the dissociation process which amounts to 20–70 kcal/mol. The fraction of correlation contributed by the bond electron pair as well as the relative importance of the left-right correlation within the bond depend very much on the type of the bond. In the case of CC and CH single bonds our method yields dissociation energies which are low by only about 5 kcal/mol. Thus, the method seems to be well suited for the calculation of potential surfaces of non-concerted organic chemical reactions which involve diradicals as intermediates.     

Theoretical approaches to estimating homolytic bond dissociation energies of organocopper and organosilver compounds

Although organocopper and organosilver compounds are known to decompose by homolytic pathways among others, surprisingly little is known about their bond dissociation energies (BDEs). In order to address this deficiency, the performance of the DFT functionals BLYP, B3LYP, BP86, TPSSTPSS, BHandHLYP, M06L, M06, M06-2X, B97D, and PBEPBE, along with the double hybrids, mPW2-PLYP, B2-PLYP, and the ab initio methods, MP2 and CCSD(T), have been benchmarked against the thermochemistry for the M-C homolytic BDEs (D(0)) of Cu-CH(3) and Ag-CH(3), derived from guided ion beam experiments and CBS limit calculations (D(0)(Cu-CH(3)) = 223 kJ·mol(-1); D(0)(Ag-CH(3)) = 169 kJ·mol(-1)). Of the tested methods, in terms of chemical accuracy, error margin, and computational expense, M06 and BLYP were found to perform best for homolytic dissociation of methylcopper and methylsilver, compared with the CBS limit gold standard. Thus the M06 functional was used to evaluate the M-C homolytic bond dissociation energies of Cu-R and Ag-R, R = Et, Pr, iPr, tBu, allyl, CH(2)Ph, and Ph. It was found that D(0)(Ag-R) was always lower (～50 kJ·mol(-1)) than that of D(0)(Cu-R). The trends in BDE when changing the R ligand reflected the H-R bond energy trends for the alkyl ligands, while for R = allyl, CH(2)Ph, and Ph, some differences in bond energy trends arose. These trends in homolytic bond dissociation energy help rationalize the previously reported (Rijs, N. J.; O'Hair, R. A. J. Organometallics2010, 29, 2282-2291) fragmentation pathways of the organometallate anions, [CH(3)MR](-).     

Heterolytic bond dissociation in water: why is it so easy for C4H9Cl but not for C3H9SiCl?

The recently developed (Song, L.; Wu, W.; Zhang, Q.; Shaik, S. J. Phys. Chem. A 2004, 108, 6017-6024) valence bond method coupled to a polarized continuum model (VBPCM) is used to address the long standing conundrum of the heterolytic dissociation of the C-Cl and Si-Cl bonds, respectively, in tertiary-butyl chloride and trimethylsilyl chloride in condensed phases. The method is used here to compare the bond dissociation in the gas phase and in aqueous solution. In addition to the ground state reaction profile, VB theory also provides the energies of the purely covalent and purely ionic VB structures as a function of the reaction coordinate. Accordingly, the C-Cl and Si-Cl bonds are shown to be of different natures. In the gas phase, the resonance energy arising from covalent-ionic mixing at equilibrium geometry amounts to 42 kcal/mol for tertiary-butyl chloride, whereas the same quantity for trimethylsilyl chloride is significantly higher at 62 kcal/mol. With such a high value, the root cause of the Si-Cl bonding is the covalent-ionic resonance energy, and this bond belongs to the category of charge-shift bonds (Shaik, S.; Danovich, D.; Silvi, B.; Lauvergnat, D.; Hiberty, P. C. Chem.- Eur. J. 2005, 11, 6358). This difference between the C-Cl and Si-Cl bonds carries over to the solvated phase and impacts the heterolytic cleavages of the two bonds. For both molecules, solvation lowers the ionic curve below the covalent one, and hence the bond dissociation in the solvent generates the two ions, Me3E+ Cl- (E = C, Si). In both cases, the root cause of the barrier is the loss of the covalent-ionic resonance energy. In the heterolysis reaction of Si-Cl, the covalent-ionic resonance energy remains large and fully contributes to the dissociation energy, thereby leading to a high barrier for heterolytic cleavage, and thus prohibiting the generation of ions. By contrast, the covalent-ionic resonance energy is smaller for the C-Cl bond and only partially contributes to the barrier for heterolysis, which is consequently small, leading readily to ions that are commonly observed in the classical SN1 mechanism. Thus, the reluctance of R3Si-X molecules to undergo heterolysis in condensed phases and more generally the rarity of free silicenium ions under these conditions are experimental manifestations of the charge-shift character of the Si-Cl bond.     

The lowest-lying electronic singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces for the HNO-NOH system: energetics, unimolecular rate constants, tunneling and kinetic isotope effects for the isomerization and dissociation reactions

The lowest-lying electronic singlet and triplet potential energy surfaces (PES) for the HNO-NOH system have been investigated employing high level ab initio quantum chemical methods. The reaction energies and barriers have been predicted for two isomerization and four dissociation reactions. Total energies are extrapolated to the complete basis set limit applying focal point analyses. Anharmonic zero-point vibrational energies, diagonal Born-Oppenheimer corrections, relativistic effects, and core correlation corrections are also taken into account. On the singlet PES, the (1)HNO → (1)NOH endothermicity including all corrections is predicted to be 42.23 ± 0.2 kcal mol(-1). For the barrierless decomposition of (1)HNO to H + NO, the dissociation energy is estimated to be 47.48 ± 0.2 kcal mol(-1). For (1)NOH → H + NO, the reaction endothermicity and barrier are 5.25 ± 0.2 and 7.88 ± 0.2 kcal mol(-1). On the triplet PES the reaction energy and barrier including all corrections are predicted to be 7.73 ± 0.2 and 39.31 ± 0.2 kcal mol(-1) for the isomerization reaction (3)HNO → (3)NOH. For the triplet dissociation reaction (to H + NO) the corresponding results are 29.03 ± 0.2 and 32.41 ± 0.2 kcal mol(-1). Analogous results are 21.30 ± 0.2 and 33.67 ± 0.2 kcal mol(-1) for the dissociation reaction of (3)NOH (to H + NO). Unimolecular rate constants for the isomerization and dissociation reactions were obtained utilizing kinetic modeling methods. The tunneling and kinetic isotope effects are also investigated for these reactions. The adiabatic singlet-triplet energy splittings are predicted to be 18.45 ± 0.2 and 16.05 ± 0.2 kcal mol(-1) for HNO and NOH, respectively. Kinetic analyses based on solution of simultaneous first-order ordinary-differential rate equations demonstrate that the singlet NOH molecule will be difficult to prepare at room temperature, while the triplet NOH molecule is viable with respect to isomerization and dissociation reactions up to 400 K. Hence, our theoretical findings clearly explain why (1)NOH has not yet been observed experimentally.     

One-step versus stepwise mechanism in protonated amino acid-promoted electron-transfer reduction of a quinone by electron donors and two-electron reduction by a dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide analogue. Interplay between electron transfer and hydrogen bonding

Semiquinone radical anion of 1-(p-tolylsulfinyl)-2,5-benzoquinone (TolSQ(*-)) forms a strong hydrogen bond with protonated histidine (TolSQ(*-)/His x 2 H(+)), which was successfully detected by electron spin resonance. Strong hydrogen bonding between TolSQ(*-) and His x 2 H(+) results in acceleration of electron transfer (ET) from ferrocenes [R2Fc, R = C5H5, C5H4(n-Bu), C5H4Me] to TolSQ, when the one-electron reduction potential of TolSQ is largely shifted to the positive direction in the presence of His x 2 H(+). The rates of His x 2 H(+)-promoted ET from R2Fc to TolSQ exhibit deuterium kinetic isotope effects due to partial dissociation of the N-H bond in His x 2 H(+) at the transition state, when His x 2 H(+) is replaced by the deuterated compound (His x 2 D(+)-d6). The observed deuterium kinetic isotope effect (kH/kD) decreases continuously with increasing the driving force of ET to approach kH/kD = 1.0. On the other hand, His x 2 H(+) also promotes a hydride reduction of TolSQ by an NADH analogue, 9,10-dihydro-10-methylacridine (AcrH2). The hydride reduction proceeds via the one-step hydride-transfer pathway. In such a case, a large deuterium kinetic isotope effect is observed in the rate of the hydride transfer, when AcrH2 is replaced by the dideuterated compound (AcrD2). In sharp contrast to this, no deuterium kinetic isotope effect is observed, when His x 2 H(+) is replaced by His x 2 D(+)-d6. On the other hand, direct protonation of TolSQ and 9,10-phenanthrenequinone (PQ) also results in efficient reductions of TolSQH(+) and PQH(+) by AcrH2, respectively. In this case, however, the hydride-transfer reactions occur via the ET pathway, that is, ET from AcrH2 to TolSQH(+) and PQH(+) occurs in preference to direct hydride transfer from AcrH2 to TolSQH(+) and PQH(+), respectively. The AcrH2(*+) produced by the ET oxidation of AcrH2 by TolSQH(+) and PQH(+) was directly detected by using a stopped-flow technique.     

Ruthenocene and cyclopentadienyl pyrrolyl ruthenium as precursors for ruthenium atomic layer deposition: a comparative study of dissociation enthalpies

RuCp₂ (ruthenocene) and RuCpPy (cyclopentadienyl pyrrolyl ruthenium) complexes are used in ruthenium (Ru) atomic layer deposition (ALD) but exhibit a markedly different reactivity with respect to the substrate and co-reactant. In search of an explanation, we report here the results of a comparative study of the heterolytic and homolytic dissociation enthalpy of these two ruthenium complexes, making use of either density functional theory (DFT) or multiconfigurational perturbation theory (CASPT2). While both methods predict distinctly different absolute dissociation enthalpies, they agree on the relative values between both molecules. A reduced heterolytic dissociation enthalpy is obtained for RuCpPy compared to RuCp₂, although the difference obtained from CASPT2 (19.9?kcal/mol) is slightly larger than the one obtained with any of the DFT functionals (around 17?kcal/mol). Both methods also agree on the more pronounced stability of the Cp^? ligand in RuCpPy than in RuCp₂ (by around 9?kcal/mol with DFT and by 6?kcal/mol with CASPT2).     

Determination of the electron affinities of alpha- and beta-naphthyl radicals using the kinetic method with full entropy analysis. The C-H bond dissociation energies of naphthalene.

The C - H bond dissociation energies for naphthalene were determined using a negative ion thermochemical cycle involving the gas-phase acidity (Delta H (acid)) and electron affinity (EA) for both the alpha- and beta-positions. The gas-phase acidity of the naphthalene alpha- and beta-positions and the EAs of the alpha- and beta-naphthyl radicals were measured in the gas phase in a flowing after glow-triple quadrupole apparatus. A variation of the Cooks kinetic method was used to measure the EAs of the naphthyl radicals by collision-induced dissociation of the corresponding alpha- and beta-naphthylsulfinate adducts formed by reactions in the flow tube portion of the instrument. Calibration references included both pi and sigma radicals, and full entropy analysis was performed over a series of calibration curves measured at collision energies ranging from 3.5 to 8 eV (center-of-mass). The measured EAs are 33.0 +/- 1.4 and 31.4 +/- 1.0 kcal mol(-1) (1 kcal = 4.184 kJ) for the alpha- and beta-naphthyl radicals, respectively. The gas-phase acidities for naphthalene were measured by the DePuy silane cleavage method, which utilizes the relative abundances of aryldimethylsiloxides and trimethylsiloxide that result from competitive cleavages from a proposed penta coordinate hydroxysiliconate intermediate. The measured acidities are 394.0 +/- 5.0 and 397.6 +/- 4.8 kcal mol(-1) for the alpha- and beta- positions, respectively. The C - H bond dissociation energies calculated from the thermochemical cycle are 113.4 +/- 5.2 and 115.4 +/- 4.9 kcal mol(-1) for the alpha- and beta-positions, respectively. These energies are, to within experimental error, indistinguishable and are approximately the same as the first bond dissociation energy for benzene.     

Enthalpies of formation, bond dissociation energies and reaction paths for the decomposition of model biofuels: ethyl propanoate and methyl butanoate

The complete basis set method CBS-QB3 has been used to study the thermochemistry and kinetics of the esters ethyl propanoate (EP) and methyl butanoate (MB) to evaluate initiation reactions and intermediate products from unimolecular decomposition reactions. Using isodesmic and isogeitonic equations and atomization energies, we have estimated chemically accurate enthalpies of formation and bond dissociation energies for the esters and species derived from them. In addition it is shown that controversial literature values may be resolved by adopting, for the acetate radical, CH3C(O)O(.-), DeltaH(o)(f)298.15K) = -197.8 kJ mol(-1) and for the trans-hydrocarboxyl radical, C(.-)(O)OH, -181.6 +/- 2.9 kJ mol(-1). For EP, the lowest energy decomposition path encounters an energy barrier of approximately 210 kJ mol(-1) (approximately 50 kcal mol(-1)), which proceeds through a six-membered ring transition state (retro-ene reaction) via transfer of the primary methyl H atom from the ethyl group to the carbonyl oxygen, while cleaving the carbon-ether oxygen to form ethene and propanoic acid. On the other hand, the lowest energy path for MB has a barrier of approximately 285 kJ mol(-1), producing ethene. Other routes leading to the formation of aldehydes, alcohols, ketene, and propene are also discussed. Most of these intramolecular hydrogen transfers have energy barriers lower than that needed for homolytic bond fission (the lowest of which is 353 kJ mol(-1) for the C(alpha)-C(beta) bond in MB). Propene formation is a much higher energy demanding process, 402 kJ mol(-1), and it should be competitive with some C-C, C-O, and C-H bond cleavage processes.     

Hydrogen bonding of the nucleobase mimic 2-pyridone to fluorobenzenes: an ab initio investigation

The hydrogen-bonded complexes of the nucleobase mimic 2-pyridone (2PY) with seven different fluorinated benzenes (1-, 1,2-, 1,4-, 1,2,3-, 1,3,5-, 1,2,3,4-, and 1,2,4,5-fluorobenzene) are important model systems for investigating the relative importance of hydrogen bonding versus pi-stacking interactions in DNA. We have shown by supersonic-jet spectroscopy that these dimers are hydrogen bonded and not pi-stacked at low temperature (Leist, R.; Frey, J. A.; Leutwyler, S. J. Phys. Chem. A 2006, 110, 4180). Their geometries and binding energies D(e) were calculated using the resolution of identity (RI) M?ller-Plesset second-order perturbation theory method (RIMP2). The most stable dimers are bound by antiparallel N-H...F-C and C-H...O=C hydrogen bonds. The binding energies are extrapolated to the complete basis set (CBS) limit, , using the aug-cc-pVXZ basis set series. The CBS binding energies range from -D(e,CBS) = 6.4-6.9 kcal/mol and the respective dissociation energies from -D(0,CBS) = 5.9-6.3 kcal/mol. In combination with experiment, the latter represent upper limits to the dissociation energies of the pi-stacked isomers (which are not observed experimentally). The individual C-H...O=C and N-H...F-C contributions to D(e) can be approximately separated. They are nearly equal for 2PY.fluorobenzene; each additional F atom strengthens the C-H...O=C hydrogen bond by approximately 0.5 kcal/mol and weakens the C-F...H-N hydrogen bond by approximately 0.3 kcal/mol. The single H-bond strengths and lengths correlate with the gas-phase acid-base properties of the C-H and C-F groups of the fluorobenzenes.     

Insights into the structure and reactivity of acylperoxo complexes in the Kochi-Jacobsen-Katsuki catalytic system. A density functional study

Structural properties of the acylperoxo complexes [(Salen)Mn(III)RCO(3)] (2) and [(Salen)Mn(IV)RCO(3)] (3), the critical intermediates in the Kochi-Jacobsen-Katsuki reaction utilizing organic peracids or O(2)/aldehydes as oxygen source, have been studied with the density functional theory. Four distinct isomers, cis(O,N), cis(N,O), cis(N,N), and trans, of these complexes have been located. The isomer 2-cis(O,N) in its quintet ground state, and nearly degenerate isomers 3-cis(O,N) and 3-cis(N,O) in their quartet ground states are found to be the lowest in energy among the other isomers. The O-O bond cleavage in the cis(O,N), cis(N,O), and trans isomers of 2 and 3 has been elucidated. In complex 3, the O-O bond is inert. On the contrary, in complex 2, the O-O bond cleaves via two distinct pathways. The first pathway occurs exclusively on the quintet potential energy surface (PES) and corresponds to heterolytic O-O bond scission coupled with insertion of an oxygen atom into an Mn-N(Salen) bond to form 2-N-oxo species; this pathway has the lowest barrier of 14.9 kcal/mol and is 15.6 kcal/mol exothermic. The second pathway is tentatively a spin crossover pathway. In particular, for 2-cis(O,N) and 2-cis(N,O) the second pathway proceeds through a crucial minimum on the seam of crossing (MSX) between the quintet and triplet PESs followed by heterolytic O-O cleavage on the triplet PES, and produces unusual triplet 2-cis(O,N)- and 2-cis(N,O)-oxo ([(Salen)Mn(V)(O)RCO(2)]) species; this pathway requires 12.8 kcal/mol and is 1.4 kcal/mol endothermic. In contrast, for the 2-trans isomer, spin crossing is less crucial and the O-O cleavage proceeds homolytically to generate 2-trans-oxo [(Salen)Mn(IV)(O)] species with RCO(2) radical; this pathway, however, cannot compete with that in 2-cis because it needs 21.9 kcal/mol for activation and is 15.3 kcal/mol endothermic. In summary, the O-O cleavage occurs predominantly in the 2-cis complexes, and may proceed either through pure high spin or spin crossover heterolytic pathway to produce 2-cis-oxo and 2-N-oxo species.     

Mechanism of the primary stages of decomposition of aliphatic nitro- and fluoronitronitramines

The primary stage of the decomposition of compounds RN(NO₂)CH₂C(NO₂)₂X is the homolytic cleavage of the C?NO₂ bond, at X=NO₂ and N?NO₂ bond at X=F. The inductive effect of substituents decreases the dissociation energies of the C?N and N?N bonds by 1–2 kcal mol^?1. Kinetic effects caused by the spatial interaction of groups and by stepwise decomposition of polyfunctional compounds are described.