A study of solvent effects on the stereoselectivity of Diels-Alder reactions through molecular surface electrostatic potentials

Statistical models for the study of solvent effects on the endo/exo selectivity of Diels-Alder reactions using molecular surface electrostatic potentials was obtained. The models show that hydrogen bond interactions of solvent molecules favor the predominance of the endo isomer for the reaction of methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate and methyl trans-crotonate with cyclopentadiene whereas the effect of solvophobicity seems to be negligible.     

Experimental and theoretical challenges in the chemistry of noncovalent intermolecular interaction and clustering

The weak, noncovalent interactions among molecules at long range and as close as van der Waals contact form a crucial contemporary frontier for chemical physics, one with many challenges for experimental as well as theoretical investigation. Certain of these challenges have been met in the last two decades, but as recognition of the complexity of phenomena governed or affected by weak interaction has grown, new challenges have arisen. We discuss a number of these challenges in the context of recent developments and progress, highlighting both disparate objectives of theory and experiment in this area as well as their crucial interplay.     

Typical aromatic noncovalent interactions in proteins: A theoretical study using phenylalanine

A systematic study of CH ··· π, OH ··· π, NH ··· π, and cation ··· π interactions has been done using complexes of phenylalanine in its cationic, anionic, neutral, and zwitterionic forms with CH₄, H₂O, NH₃, and NH at B3LYP, MP2, MPWB1K, and M06‐2X levels of theory. All noncovalent interactions are identified by the presence of bond critical points (bcps) of electron density (ρ( r )) and the values of ρ( r ) showed linear relationship to the binding energies (E_total). The estimated E_total from supermolecule, fragmentation, and ρ( r ) approaches suggest that cation ··· π interactions are in the range of 36 to 46 kcal/mol, whereas OH ··· π, and NH ··· π interactions have comparable strengths of 6 to 27 kcal/mol and CH ··· π interactions are the weakest (0.62–2.55 kcal/mol). Among different forms of phenylalanine, cationic form generally showed the highest noncovalent interactions at all levels of theory. Cooperativity of multiple interactions is analyzed on the basis of ρ( r ) at bcps which suggests that OH ··· π and NH ··· π interactions show positive, whereas CH ··· π and cation ··· π interactions exhibit negative cooperativity with respect to the side chain hydrogen bond interactions. In general, side chain interactions are strengthened as a result of aromatic interaction. Solvation has no significant effect on the overall geometry of the complex though slight weakening of noncovalent interactions by 1–2 kcal/mol is observed. An assessment of the four levels of theory studied herein suggests that both MPWB1K and M06‐2X give better performance for noncovalent interactions. The results also support the fact that B3LYP is inadequate for the study of weak interactions. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 2009     

Effect of solvents having different dielectric constants on reactivity: A conceptual DFT approach

Conceptual density functional theory is exploited to understand the reactivity in a medium of solvents with increasing dielectric constants. Aprotic as well as protic solvents are used for this study. It is found that the global parameters, such as chemical potential and hardness, decrease from gas phase to solvent phase with increasing dielectric constant. However, it is observed that the Fukui functions of the reactive atoms increase significantly with the dielectric constants of the aprotic solvents while for the protic solvents the variation of the reactivity indices is insignificant. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2010     

Attraction between electrophilic caps: A counterintuitive case of noncovalent interactions

Intermolecular attractive interaction between electrophilic sites is a counterintuitive phenomenon, as the electrostatic interaction therein is repulsive and destabilizing. Here, we confirm this phenomenon in four representative complexes, using state-of-the-art quantum mechanical methods. By employing the block-localized wavefunction (BLW) method, which can turn off intermolecular charge transfer interactions, we profoundly demonstrated the significance of charge transfer interactions in these seemingly counterintuitive complexes. Indeed, after being “turned off” the intermolecular charge transfer interaction in, for example, the FNSi···BrF complex, the originally attractive intermolecular interaction turns to be repulsive. The energy decomposition approach based on the BLW method (BLW-ED) can partition the overall stability gained on the formation of intermolecular noncovalent interaction into several physically meaningful components. According to the BLW-ED analysis, the electrostatic repulsion in these counterintuitive cases is overwhelmed by the stabilizing polarization, dispersion interaction, and most importantly, the charge transfer interaction, resulting in the eventual counterintuitive overall attraction. The present study suggests that, predicting bonding sites of noncovalent interactions using only the “hole” concept may be not universally sufficient, because other significant stabilizing factors will contribute to the stability and sometimes, play even bigger roles than the electrostatic interaction and consequently govern the complex structures. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

On the influence of solvents on the rate of ion-transfer reactions

The literature data on the kinetics of cation electrodeposition on mercury in different solvents were analysed. For all cations considered in different solvents there was a linear decrease of the logarithm of the standard charge-transfer rate constant with increasing basicity of solvent and with more negative formal potential of the electrode reaction expressed in the scale of a solvent-independent electrode, as well as a linear dependence of the activation energy on the Gibbs energy of cation transfer. No dependence of the logarithm of the heterogeneous rate constant on the rate of exchange of solvent molecules from the first solvation sphere was observed. For the different electrode systems studied in one solvent, the dependences of the activation energy on (i) the cation solvation energy, (ii) the Gibbs energy of metal amalgamation, and (iii) metal solubility in mercury were analysed.     

不同溶剂中氟原子对糖苷键立体选择性的影响

在乙腈等5种不同溶剂中,以2,3,4-O-三苄基-6-O-(2-氟苄基)-β-对甲基苯基-D-葡萄糖硫苷作为糖基供体,甲醇作为受体,并以糖基化供体2,3,4,6-O-四苄基-β-对甲基苯基-D-葡萄糖硫苷为对照,研究了在葡萄糖硫苷C-6位引入氟取代基对糖苷键立体选择性的影响。结果表明,引入的2-氟苄基与普通苄基保护基相比,β构型比例都有一定程度的提高,其中当溶剂为乙腈时,β构型比例较在其他溶剂中提升最明显,α/β比值可达到1/4.7。     

Studies into the Diels-Alder reactions of 5-trimethylsilylthebaine

The introduction of a 5-trimethylsilyl group on the least hindered face of the diene thebaine was anticipated to favor attack by dienophiles from the alternate face, but only gave rise to a rearrangement product when treated with 3-butene-2-one at 110 °C. Reaction with the more reactive benzoquinone at lower temperature gave rise to a very slow reaction from the same face as the silyl group, indicating that a trimethylsilyl group does not sufficiently hinder this face to achieve reaction at the other face.     

Theoretical investigation of the stereoselectivity of some Diels-Alder reactions involving cyclopentadiene

The stereoselectivity of some Diels-Alder reactions was investigated by means of ABEEM-oTr model.Combined with local hard-soft and acid-base(HSAB)principle,we made reasonable explanation by calculating local softness of atom and bond regions for the stereoselectivity of four Diels-Alder reactions involving cyclopentadiene.     

Correlations of the rate constants of phosphorylation reactions with the empirical parameters of the solvent polarity

Regression analysis of the solvent effects on the rate constants of nucleophilic substitution at the phosphoryl group was performed with the use of the empirical parameters of solvent polarity which characterize the ability of the solvents to electrophilic and nucleophilic solvation. The nucleophilic solvation of reagents by solvents, as a rule, favors the phosphorylation reactions. In the phosphorylation reactions of anionic nucleophiles, the electrophilic solvation of anions influences negatively the reactions rates. The phosphorylation of amines by chlorides of phosphorus acids is facilitated by the electrophilic solvation of a separated anion. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 2, pp. 271–274, February, 1998.     

Interplay of noncovalent interactions in antiseptic quaternary ammonium surfactant Miramistin

The molecular and crystal structure of the widely used antiseptic benzyldimethyl{3‐[(1‐oxotetradecyl)amino]propyl}ammonium chloride monohydrate (Miramistin, MR ), C₂₆H₄₇N₂O⁺·Cl^?·H₂O, was determined by a single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction study and analyzed in the framework of the QTAIM (quantum theory of atoms in molecules) approach using both periodic and molecular DFT (density functional theory) calculations. The various noncovalent intermolecular interactions of different strengths were found to be realized in the hydrophilic parts of the crystal packing (i.e. O—H…Cl, N—H…Cl, C—H…Cl, C—H…O and C—H…π). The hydrophobic parts are built up exclusively by van der Waals H…H contacts. Quantification of the interaction energies using calculated electron‐density distribution revealed that the total energy of the contacts within the hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions are comparable in value. The organic MR cation adopts the bent conformation with the head group tilted back to the long‐chain alkyl tail in both the crystalline and the isolated state due to stabilization of this geometry by several intramolecular C—H…π, C—H…N and H…H interactions. This conformation preference is hypothesized to play an important role in the interaction of MR with biomembranes.     

Effect of solvents on propene epoxidation catalyzed by titanium silicalite

Titanium silicalite was prepared using tetrapropylammonium bromide as a template. Propene epoxidation was studied on this catalyst using the mixtures of methanol with water or 2-propanol or acetone and the solvent effect was investigated systematically. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A computational study on the role of chiral N-oxides in enantioselective Pauson-Khand reactions

Density functional calculations were carried out to ascertain the origin of enantioselectivity in the brucine N‐oxide (BNO)‐assisted enantioselective Pauson–Khand reaction (PKR) of norbornene with 2‐methyl‐3‐butyn‐2‐ol. The computed ee value in acetone is 68 % (R), which compares well to the previously reported experimental value of 58 % (R). In DME the computed ee value of 76 % (R) is in excellent agreement with the experimentally determined value of 78 % (R). The mechanism of enantioselectivity consists of several steps. First, the dicobalt complex is activated by BNO with chirality transfer from enantiopure BNO to the dicobalt complex. Second, competition occurs between a racemization process and complexation with the olefin reagent, which leads to the products. The lower ee value in acetone is due to the lower energy barrier of the racemization process. Calculations show that replacement of BNO by a hypothetical more enantioselective chiral N‐oxide will hardly increase the ee value beyond 90 %.     

Hydrogen bonding versus van der Waals interactions: competitive influence of noncovalent interactions on 2D self-assembly at the liquid-solid interface

The structures of the self-assembled monolayers of various 4-alkoxybenzoic acids physisorbed at the liquid-solid interface were established by employing scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM). This study has been essentially undertaken to explore the competitive influence of van der Waals and hydrogen-bonding interactions on the process of two-dimensional self-assembly. These acid derivatives form hydrogen-bonded dimers as expected; however, the dimers organise themselves in the form of relatively complex lamellae. The characteristic feature of these lamellae is the presence of regular discommensurations or kinks along the lamella propagation direction. The formation of kinked lamellae is discussed in light of the registry mechanism of the alkyl chains with the underlying graphite substrate. The location of the kinks along a lamella depends on the number (odd or even) of carbon atoms in the alkyl chain. This result indicates that concerted van der Waals interactions of the alkyl chain units introduce the odd/even chain-length effect on the surface-assembled supramolecular patterns. The odd/even effects are retained even upon complexation with a hydrogen-bond acceptor. However, as the solvent is changed from 1-phenyloctane to 1-octanoic acid, the kinked lamellae as well as the odd/even effects disappear. This solvent-induced convergence of supramolecular patterns is attained by means of co-crystallisation of octanoic acid molecules in the 2D crystal lattice, which is evident from high-resolution STM images. The solvent co-adsorption phenomenon is discussed in terms of competing van der Waals and hydrogen-bonding interactions.     

Enhancing electrochromic contrast and redox stability of nanostructure polypyrrole film doped by heparin as polyanion in different solvents

Heparin‐doped polypyrrole (PPy‐Hep) and ‐doped polypyrrole (PPy‐ClO₄) films are synthesized onto FTO‐coated glass electrode in a potentiostatic electrochemical process with the aim of producing uniform, transparent, and adherent coating. The resultant polymers are characterized via cyclic voltammetry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and UV–vis absorption spectroscopy. SEM study indicates that the PPy‐Hep film to be composed of a continuous interlinked network of quasi spherical grains (50–80 nm in dimensions). The electrochromic properties of PPy‐Hep and PPy‐ClO₄ polymer films are compared to spectroelectrochemistry and switching studies. The effect of different solvents (water, propylene carbonate, and acetonitrile) on the electrochromic features of electropolymerized polymers has been investigated, and we find a very significant solvent effect. PPy‐Hep film exhibits switching time of 1 s and the maximum transmittance contrast (ΔT%) is 48% at 800 nm in water. In addition, presence of Hep causes drastic enhancement of electro‐optical stability of PPy. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2014 , 52, 3365–3371     

C-甲基硝酮与硝基乙烯1,3-偶极环加成反应及其溶剂效应的理论研究

用密度泛函B3LYP方法研究了硝基乙烯与C-甲基硝酮的1,3-偶极环加成反应, 并利用自洽反应场方法(SCRF)计算了环已烷与乙腈这两种溶剂分别对反应所产生的 影响。该反应进行时反应物的接近有四种方式,对气相情况下和上述两种溶剂中的 反应物、四种可能产物及其相应过渡态和反应前期复合物构型分别进行了优化并计 算了振动频率。四个反应均为放热反应,且均具有很低的反应势垒,四种产物均容 易生成。但在气相反应和以环已烷为溶剂的情况下,生成的产物中endo-4型产物略 占优势;而在乙腈溶剂中得到endo-5型略占优势的产物。     

Ring-opening polymerization of 1,5-dioxepan-2-one initiated by a cyclic tin–alkoxide initiator in different solvents

Ring-opening polymerization of 1,5-dioxepan-2-one initiated by 1,1,6,6-tetra-n-butyl-1,6-distanna-2,5,7,10-tetraoxacyclodecane was carried out in chloroform, dichloromethane, or 1,2-dichloroethane. Effects of reaction temperature, solvent, and monomer-to-initiator ratio were investigated. Polymerization kinetics showed a first-order dependence on the monomer for polymerization in chloroform and dichloromethane at 40°C. The kinetic order with respect to the initiator were a first order when dichloromethane was used as the solvent, the order in initiator changed, depending on the initiator concentration when chloroform was used. A maximum in molecular weight was observed at 40°C when chloroform was used as the solvent. The change of solvent did not markedly alter the polymerization rate or the molecular weight of the polymers prepared, as expected from the coordination insertion mechanism. Depolymerization of the polymers formed was observed when the reaction was allowed to continue after complete monomer conversion in chloroform as reaction medium at 40°C. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 3407–3417, 1999