Is hydrogen abstraction an important pathway in the reaction of alkenes with the OH radical?

In this paper, we report the first temperature dependent kinetic measurements of the reaction of C(> or =5) 1-alkenes with OH radicals and also report the first room temperature measurements for 1-alkenes between C(8-11). The rate coefficients at room temperature and between 75 and 100 Torr for the reaction of OH with 1-pentene, 1-octene, 1-nonene, 1-decene and 1-undecene are (2.74 +/- 0.38) x 10(-11), (3.62 +/- 0.68) x 10(-11), (4.20 +/- 0.41) x 10(-11), (7.00 +/- 0.96) x 10(-11) and (12.44 +/- 1.62) x 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), respectively, at 298 K. No pressure dependence is observed, suggesting that these reactions are at their high pressure limit. Inspection of the variation of rate coefficient with temperature over the temperature range 262-300 K shows a weak negative temperature dependence, suggesting that adduct formation is taking place, however, a curved Arrhenius plot is clearly seen for 1-decene and theoretical analysis suggests that abstraction by OH is a non-negligible channel. An estimation of products formed from OH oxidation suggests that abstraction will lead to products that have a lower photochemical ozone creation potential than those formed via addition.     

The reactivity of tert-butoxyl radicals in reactions of hydrogen abstraction and β-elimination

The transition states of competing reactions of abstraction of the H atom from hydrocarbon molecules by tert-butoxyl radical and its -elimination were studied by the semiempirical quantum-chemical AM1 method. The calculated activation enthalpy and entropy of these reactions correlate with the experimental values. A correlation between the reactivity in homolytic hydrogen abstraction and the parameters of the chemical structure of the reactants was found.     

Analysis of the reactivities of organic compounds in hydrogen atom abstraction from their C-H bonds by the sulfate radical anion SO 4 ·−

An experimental rate constant data array (>50 values) for the reactions of the sulfate radical anion with the C-H bonds of various organic compounds is analyzed by Denisov’s intersecting parabolas method. The data array is divided into the following four groups according to the type of the C-H bond attacked and the br _e value: compounds with primary C-H bonds (br _e = 13.14 ± 0.17), compounds with secondary C-H bonds remote from the polar groups (br _e = 12.64 ± 0.34), compounds with secondary α-C-H bonds (br _e = 13.28 ± 0.24), and compounds with tertiary C-H bonds. It is demonstrated by DFT calculations that the rate constant of the reaction SO ₄ ^·? + RH is determined by nonspecific solvation and by the ion-dipole interaction in the transition state of the reaction.     

Practical synthesis of chiral β-telluro amines by ring-opening reaction of aziridines

A set of chiral β-tellurium amines and their selenium and sulfur-containing derivatives have been efficiently synthesized in good to excellent yields via the ring-opening reaction of chiral aziridines by chalcogen nucleophilic species.     

AlEt3-promoted eliminative ring-opening of β-hydroxy epoxides: highly stereoselective synthesis of terminal α-hydroxy olefins

AlEt₃-promoted eliminative ring-opening of β-epoxy alcohols leading to α-hydroxy olefins is reported. This eliminative ring-opening reaction is shown to be highly stereoselective, thus providing an alternative asymmetric synthesis for α-hydroxy olefins.     

Comparison of the reactivity of β-thiolactones and β-lactones toward ring-opening by thiols and amines

An investigation into the comparative reactivity of simple β-lactones and β-thiolactones toward a thiol and a primary amine is reported. A simple 3-mercaptomethyl-2-oxetanone is found to undergo rearrangement in the presence of aqueous base to give the corresponding thietane-3-carboxylic acid rather than the 3-hydroxymethyl-2-thietanone. Implications for the use of β-thiolactones in bioorganic and medicinal chemistry are discussed.     

Enantioselective synthesis of β-pyrazole-substituted alcohols through an asymmetric ring-opening reaction of meso-epoxides

An efficient and practical synthesis of optically pure β-pyrazole-substituted alcohols was achieved by an asymmetric ring-opening reaction of meso-epoxides with pyrazole derivatives as the nucleophile. In the presence of 1?mol?% of an N,N'-dioxide-Sc(OTf)(3) complex, excellent enantioselectivity and yields were obtained from meso-epoxides. The process could also be used for a mixture of cis- and trans-stilbene oxides. A proposed transition-state model is provided.     

The reaction of β,γ−epoxy alcohols with titanium(III) reagents. A proposed role for intramolecular hydrogen bonding

β,γ-Epoxy alcohols are unique substrates for ring-opening reactions with titanium(III) reagents. The site selectivity of the initial radical-forming step as well as the nature and selectivity of reactions of the resultant carbon-centered radicals are often reversed from those observed for non-hydroxyl-containing epoxides. In this Report we critically review previous mechanistic proposals regarding these effects and propose an alternative explanation, which implicates intramolecular hydrogen bonding as a key control element.     

Cu(OTf)_2-catalyzed ring-opening of epoxides with anilines:A convenient synthesis of β-amino alcohols

The regioselective ring-opening of epoxides with aniline and p-chlorop niline catalyzed by copper(Ⅱ) triflate provides the corresponding β-amino alcohols in excellent yields.     

Ground state singlet-to-triplet conversion of copper corrole radical by β-benzo-fusion

Materials with facilely tunable spin configurations based on metal-radical coordination systems have potential applications for electronics and spintronics. Here, we report the ground state conversion of copper corrole radicals from singlet to triplet via the extension of the π-conjugation system by benzo-fusion at the β-position of corrole ligand. NMR spectroscopy, SQUID measurements and computational studies all support the ferromagnetic coupling between the Cu(II) center and corrole π-radical of benzo-fused copper corrole 2-Cu, which is in sharp contrast with the antiferromagnetic coupling in regular non-extended copper corroles. The triplet 2-Cu is highly stable in air, and X-ray diffraction analysis revealed its unique highly planar corrole macrocycle. This work offers a promising strategy for creating high-spin systems in non-innocent metallocorroles.     

Crowding alters the folding kinetics of a β-hairpin by modulating the stability of intermediates

Crowded environments inside cells exert significant effects on protein structure, stability, and function, but their effects on (pre)folding dynamics and kinetics, especially at molecular levels, remain ill-understood. Here, we examine the latter for, as an initial candidate, a small de novo β-hairpin using extensive all-atom molecular dynamics simulations for crowder volume fractions φ up to 40%. We find that crowding does not introduce new folding intermediates or misfolded structures, although, as expected, it promotes compact structures and reduces the accessible conformational space. Furthermore, while hydrophobic-collapse-mediated folding is slightly enhanced, the turn-directed zipper mechanism (dominant in crowder-free situations) increases many-fold, becoming even more dominant. Interestingly, φ influences the stability of the folding intermediates (FI(1) and FI(2)) in an apparently counterintuitive manner, which can be understood only by considering specific intrachain interactions and intermediate (and hierarchical) structural transitions. For φ values <20%, native-turn formation is enhanced, and FI(1), characterized by a hairpin structure but slightly mismatched hydrophobic contacts, increases in frequency, thus enhancing eventual folding. However, higher φ values impede native-turn formation, and FI(2), which lacks native turns, re-emerges and increasingly acts as a kinetic trap. The change in the stability of these intermediates with φ strongly correlates with the hierarchical folding stages and their kinetics. The results show that crowding assists intermediate structural changes more by impeding backward transitions than by promoting forward transitions and that a delicate competition between reduction in configuration space and introduction of kinetic traps along the folding route is key to understanding folding kinetics under crowded conditions.     

Rongalite promoted highly regioselective synthesis of β-hydroxy sulfides by ring opening of epoxides with disulfides

Rongalite^® promotes cleavage of disulfides generating thiolate anions that then undergo facile ring opening of epoxides in the presence of K₂CO₃ to afford α-addition products 3 with good to excellent yields. The important features of this methodology are broad substrates scope, high yielding, reasonably rapid reaction rate, high regioselectivity and no requirement of metal catalysts. It should be noted that the thiolate anion attacks the epoxides derived from styrene to produce the corresponding α-addition products 3 with high regioselectivity, instead of the β-addition regioisomer 4 that could be formed from the attack of the nucleophile at the benzylic position.     

Ab initio SCF investigation of the intramolecular hydrogen bonding in δ-aminopentanoic acid

The potential energy surface of the neutral form of-aminopentanoic acid was investigated by means of ab initio 4-31G SCF calculations. Four symmetry unique local minima are stabilized by an intramolecular O-H NH₂ hydrogen bond. The geometries, energies, and wave numbers of these conformers are reported. The hydrogen bond is discussed with respect to all reactions of these conformers and in comparison with the homologues glycine,-alanine, and-aminobutyric acid and also with the bimolecular adducts between formic acid, acetic acid, and propionic acid, on the one hand, and ammonia, methylamine, and ethylamine, on the other hand.     

Dimerization of HNO in aqueous solution: an interplay of solvation effects, fast acid-base equilibria, and intramolecular hydrogen bonding?

The recent unraveling of the rather complex acid-base equilibrium of nitroxyl (HNO) has stimulated a renewed interest in the significance of HNO for biology and pharmacy. HNO plays an important role in enzymatic mechanisms and is discussed as a potential therapeutic agent against heart failure. A cumbersome property for studying HNO reactions, its fast dimerization leading to the rapid formation of N(2)O, is surprisingly far from being well understood. It prevents isolation and limits intermediate concentrations of nitroxyl in solution. In this study, a new mechanism for the HNO dimerization reaction in aqueous solution has been theoretically derived on the basis of DFT calculations. Detailed analysis of the initial reaction step suggests a reversal of the cis-trans isomer preference in solution compared to the corresponding gas phase reaction. In contrast to a gas phase derived model based on intramolecular rearrangement steps, an acid-base equilibrium model is in agreement with previous experimental findings and, moreover, explains the fundamental differences between the well studied gas phase reaction and the solvent reaction in terms of polarity, cis-trans isomerizations, and acidities of the intermediates. In the case of cis-hyponitrous acid, the calculated pK(a) values of the acid-base equilibria were found to be significantly different from the corresponding experimental value of the stable trans isomer. Under physiological conditions, N(2)O formation is dominated by the decomposition of the unstable monoanion cis-N(2)O(2)H(-) rather than that of the commonly stated cis-HONNOH.     

C–F bond functionalizations of trifluoromethyl groups via radical intermediates

Selective functionalization of C–F bonds in trifluoromethyl groups has recently received a growing interest, as it offers atom-and step-economic pathways to access highly valuable mono-and difluoroalkylsubstituted organic molecules using simple and inexpensive trifluoromethyl sources as the starting materials. In this regard, impressive progress has been made on the defluorinative functionalization reactions that proceed via radical intermediates. Nevertheless, it is still a great challenge to p...     

Efficient synthesis of β-amino alcohols by regioselective ring opening of epoxides with amines catalyzed by CuFe2O4 nanoparticles

A simple and efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of β-amino alcohols by regioselective ring opening of epoxides with amines in the presence of CuFe₂O₄ nanoparticles as a heterogeneous recyclable catalyst at room temperature in high yields.