Molecular rotation as a tool for exploring specific solute-solvent interactions.

Solute-solvent interactions play an important role in determining the physicochemical properties of liquids and solutions. As a consequence, understanding these interactions has been one of the long-standing problems in physical chemistry. This Minireview describes our approach towards attaining this goal, which is to investigate rotational relaxation of a pair of closely related, medium-sized nondipolar solutes in a set of appropriately chosen solvents. Our studies indicate that solute-solvent hydrogen bonding significantly hinders solute rotation. We have also examined the role of solvent size both in the absence and presence of specific interactions and it has been observed that the size of the solvent has a bearing on solute rotation especially in the absence of specific interactions. Our results point to the fact that only strong solute-solvent hydrogen bonds have the ability to impede the rotation of the solute molecule because, in such a scenario, hydrogen-bonding dynamics and rotational dynamics transpire on comparable time scales. This aspect has been substantiated by measuring the reorientation times of the chosen solutes in solvents such as ethanol and trifluoroethanol, which have distinct hydrogen-bond donating and accepting abilities, and correlating them with solute-solvent interaction strengths. As an alternative treatment, it has been shown that specific interactions between the solute and the solvent can be modeled as dielectric friction with the extended charge distribution model. This approach is not unrealistic considering the fact that specific as well as non-specific interactions are electrostatic by nature and the differences between them are subtle.     

Facile S(N)2 reaction in protic solvent: quantum chemical analysis

We study the effects of protic solvent (water, methanol, ethanol, and tert-butyl alcohol) and cation (Na+, K+, Cs+) on the unsymmetrical SN2 reaction X- + RY --> RX + Y- (X = F, Br; R = CH3,C3H7;Y = Cl, OMs). We describe a series of calculations for the S(N)2 reaction mechanism under the influence of cation and protic solvent, presenting the structures of pre- and postreaction complexes and transition states and the magnitude of the activation barrier. An interesting mechanism is proposed, in which the protic solvent molecules that are shielded from the nucleophile by the intervening cation act as a Lewis base to reduce the unfavorable Coulombic influence of the cation on the nucleophile. We predict that the reaction barrier for the S(N)2 reaction is significantly lowered by the cooperative effects of cation and protic solvent. We show that the cation and protic solvent, each of which has been considered to retard the SN2 reactivity of the nucleophile, can accelerate the reaction tremendously when they interact with the fluoride ion in an intricate, combined fashion. This alternative S(N)2 mechanism is discussed in relation to the recently observed phenomenal efficiency of fluorination in tert-alcohol media [Kim, D. W.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 16394].     

Catalytic activation of the leaving group in the S(N)2 reaction

A novel catalytic activation of the leaving group in the S(N)2 reaction is achieved as an extension of our mercuric triflate-catalyzed reactions. Derivatives of anilinoethyl 4-pentynoate reacted smoothly with catalytic amounts of Hg(OTf)(2) to give indoline derivatives in excellent yield with efficient catalytic turnovers under very mild conditions. The reaction of optically pure secondary alcohol derivatives resulted in inversion of stereochemistry, which is a definitive feature of the S(N)2 reaction. The procedure is applicable for benzoazepine synthesis.     

The N(4S) + N2O(X̃1∑) reaction

The title reaction, which is spin‐forbidden for N₂(X¹∑) + NO(X²Π) production, has been studied from 960 to 1130 K in a high‐temperature photochemistry reactor. No reaction could be observed, indicating k < 1 × 10^?15 cm³ molecule^?1 s^?1. It is concluded that there is no significant contribution from the spin‐allowed exothermic path leading to N₂(X¹∑) + NO(a⁴Π). © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 33: 387–389, 2001     

Spectral investigations of preferential solvation and solute-solvent interactions of 1,4-dimethylamino anthraquinone in CH2Cl2/C2H5OH mixtures

The optical absorption and IR spectra of 1,4-dimethylamino anthraquinone (1,4-DMAAQ) in CH(2)Cl(2)/C(2)H(5)OH mixtures have been investigated. The preferential solvation of 1,4-DMAAQ in CH(2)Cl(2)/C(2)H(5)OH mixed solvents has been studied by monitoring the charge transfer band of 1,4-DMAAQ. The optical absorption spectral study indicates that 1,4-DMAAQ is preferentially solvated by CH(2)Cl(2) in CH(2)Cl(2)/C(2)H(5)OH mixtures. This can be confirmed by the observed index of preferential solvation value (delta(s1)) as well as higher mole fraction of CH(2)Cl(2) in the solvation microsphere (x(1)(L)) than in the bulk solvent (x(1)). The CH(2)Cl(2) molecules become more available to enter the solvation shell of 1,4-DMAAQ because of the hydrogen bonded clusters formed by ethanol molecules. This is also evident from the non-linear behavior of the transition energy (E(12)) as well as the absence of synergistic behavior. IR spectral studies show that the observed shifts in the nu(CO) and nu(NH) of 1,4-DMAAQ are due to the dipole-dipole interaction between the 1,4-DMAAQ and the associated ethanol.     

Nucleophilic substitution at phosphorus (S(N)2@P): disappearance and reappearance of reaction barriers

Pentacoordinate phosphorus species play a key role in organic and biological processes. Yet, their nature is still not fully understood, in particular, whether they are stable, intermediate transition complexes (TC) or labile transition states (TS). Through systematic, theoretical analyses of elementary S(N)2@C, S(N)2@Si, and S(N)2@P reactions, we show how increasing the coordination number of the central atom as well as the substituents' steric demand shifts the S(N)2@P mechanism stepwise from a single-well potential (with a stable central TC) that is common for substitution at third-period atoms, via a triple-well potential (featuring a pre- and post-TS before and after the central TC), back to the double-well potential (in which pre- and postbarrier merge into one central TS) that is well-known for substitution reactions at carbon. Our results highlight the steric nature of the S(N)2 barrier, but they also show how electronic effects modulate the barrier height.     

Electrostatic interactions in host-guest complexes 2

In this article the quantum chemically calculated charge density distribution of 18-crown-6 and the K⁺ …18-crown-6 complex are compared with the charge density distribution of smaller molecules and corresponding complexes which can be considered as fragments of the 18-crown-6 molecule. An analysis of the charge density distribution in terms of atomic charge distribution according to the stockholder recipe gives accurate rules for the transferability of the charge density distribution. This gives us the possibility to construct the charge density distribution of large molecules out of accurate large basis set results on small molecules.     

Facile O-deallylation of allyl ethers via S(N)2' reaction with tert-butyllithium

[reaction: see text] Allylic ethers are converted to the corresponding alcohol or phenol in virtually quantitative yield at temperatures below ambient simply by stirring a hydrocarbon solution of the ether with 1 molar equiv of tert-butyllithium. The reaction, which produces 4,4-dimethyl-1-pentene as a coproduct, most likely involves an S(N)2' attack of the organolithium on the allyl ether.     

Electrostatic interactions in molecular mechanics (MM2) calculations via PEOE partial charges I. Haloalkanes

The PEOE (partial equalization of orbital electronegativity) procedure has been modified slightly and reparametrized for haloalkanes to calculate partial atomic charges suitable for evaluation of dipole moments and electrostatic energies in conjunction with molecular mechanics (MM2) calculations. Dipole moments of 66 haloalkanes are calculated with an average absolute deviation of 0.14 D from experimental values. The conformational energies of 40 compounds have been calculated and the agreement with experimental data is generally good and compares well with calculations by the IDME (induced dipole moment and energy) method. In addition, carbon and proton charges correlate well with C-1s core binding energies and ¹H-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) shifts for halomethanes. The most striking benefit of treating electrostatics through a set of partial charges compared to the standard MM2 bond dipole approach is demonstrated by calculations on 1,4-disubstituted cyclohexanes, for which standard MM2 fails to predict the most stable conformation.     

Surface S(N)2 reaction by H2O on chlorinated Si(100)-2 x 1 surface

The potential energy surfaces of one, two, and three water molecule sequential adsorptions on the symmetrically chlorinated Si(100)-2 x 1 surface were theoretically explored with SIMOMM:MP2/6-31G(d). The first water molecule adsorption to the surface dimer requires a higher reaction barrier than the subsequent second water molecule adsorption. The lone pair electrons of the incoming water molecule nucleophilically attack the surface Si atom to which the leaving Cl group is bonded, yielding an S(N)2 type transition state. At the same time, the Cl abstracts the H atom of the incoming water molecule, forming a unique four-membered ring conformation. The second water molecule adsorption to the same surface dimer requires a much lower reaction barrier, which is attributed to the surface cooperative effect by the surface hydroxyl group that can form a hydrogen bond with the incoming second water molecule. The third water molecule adsorption exhibits a higher reaction barrier than the first and the second water molecule adsorption channels but yields a thermodynamically more stable product. In general, it is expected that the surface Si-Cl bonds can be subjected to the substitution reactions by water molecules, yielding surface Si-OH bonds, which can be a good initial template for subsequent surface chemical modifications. However, oversaturations can be a competing side reaction under severe conditions, suggesting that the precise control of surface kinetic environments is necessary to tailor the final surface characteristics.     

Polydentate N(2)S(2)O and N(2)S(2)O(2) Ligands as Alcoholic Derivatives of (N,N'-Bis(2-mercaptoethyl)-1,5-diazacyclooctane)nickel(II) and (N,N'-Bis(2-mercapto-2-methylpropane)-1,5-diazacyclooctane)nickel(II)

The synthesis, structural characterization, spectroscopic, and electrochemical properties of N(2)S(2)-ligated Ni(II) complexes, (N,N'-bis(2-mercaptoethyl)-1,5-diazacyclooctane)nickel(II), (bme-daco)Ni(II), and (N,N'-bis(2-mercapto-2-methylpropane)1,5-diazacyclooctane)nickel(II), (bme-daco)Ni(II), derivatized at S with alcohol-containing alkyl functionalities, are described. Reaction of (bme-daco)Ni(II) with 2-iodoethanol afforded isomers, (N,N'-bis(5-hydroxy-3-thiapentyl)-1,5-diazacyclooctane-O,N,N',S,S')halonickel(II) iodide (halo = chloro or iodo), 1, and (N,N'-bis(5-hydroxy-3-thiapentyl)-1,5-diazacyclooctane-N,N',S,S')nickel(II) iodide, 2, which differ in the utilization of binding sites in a potentially hexadentate N(2)S(2)O(2) ligand. Blue complex 1 contains nickel in an octahedral environment of N(2)S(2)OX donors; X is best modeled as Cl. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2(1)/n with a = 12.580(6) ?, b = 12.291(6) ?, c = 13.090(7) ?, beta = 97.36(4) degrees, and Z = 4. In contrast, red complex 2 binds only the N(2)S(2) donor set forming a square planar nickel complex, leaving both -CH(2)CH(2)OH arms dangling; the iodide ions serve strictly as counterions. 2 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pca2(1) with a = 15.822(2) ?, b = 13.171(2) ?, c = 10.0390(10) ?, and Z = 4. Reaction of (bme-daco)Ni(II) with 1,3-dibromo-2-propanol affords another octahedral Ni species with a N(2)S(2)OBr donor set, ((5-hydroxy-3,7-dithianonadiyl)-1,5-diazacyclooctane-O,N,N',S,S')bromonickel(II) bromide, 3. Complex 3 crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pca2(1) with a = 15.202(5) ?, b = 7.735(2) ?, c = 15.443(4) ?, and Z = 4. Complex 4.2CH(3)CN was synthesized from the reaction of (bme-daco)Ni(II) with 1,3-dibromo-2-propanol. It crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2/c with a = 20.348(5) ?, b = 6.5120(1) ?, c = 20.548(5) ?, and Z = 4.     

Resonant processes and Coulomb interactions in (C59N)2

We have determined the on-site molecular Coulomb interaction energy U of a (C59N)2 bulk film and find values ranging from 1.10+/-0.10 eV for the highest occupied molecular orbital to 1.35+/-0.10 eV for the deeper lying orbitals, comparable to values found in C60. The on-site Coulomb interaction between a carbon core hole and valence electrons, Uc, is, however, substantially lower than in C60 at 1.35+/-0.07 eV. Resonant photoemission (RESPES) results show a weakened participator decay channel, especially around the N 1s threshold, where resonance of the highest occupied molecular orbital shoulder is absent. Near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure and constant initial state measurements, taken in parallel with the RESPES data, indicate, however, that matrix element effects cannot be ruled out.     

Reaction dynamics simulations of the identity S(N)2 reaction H(2)O + HOOH(2)(+)--> H(2)OOH(+)+ H(2)O. Requirements for reaction and competition with proton transfer

Despite the fact that the transition structure of the gas phase S(N)2 reaction H(2)O + HOOH(2)(+)--> HOOH(2)(+)+ H(2)O is well below the reactants in potential energy, the reaction has not yet been observed by experiment. Variational transition state RRKM theory reveals a strong preference for the competing proton transfer reaction H(2)O + HOOH(2)(+)--> H(3)O(+)+ HOOH due to entropy factors. Born-Oppenheimer reaction dynamics simulations confirm these results. However, by increasing the collision energy to around 7.5 eV the probability for nucleophilic substitution increases relative to proton transfer. These observations are explained by the presence of the key common intermediate HOO(H)[dot dot dot]H-OH(2)(+) which leads to effective proton transfer, but can be avoided with increasing collision energy. However, the S(N)2 probability remains below 0.2 since successful passage through the TS requires optimum initial orientation of the reactants, excitation of the relative translational motion and good phase correlation between the O-O vibration and the motion of the incoming water.     

On the kinetics of the reaction of Zn(1S) with N2O

The rate constant for the reaction of ground state zinc atoms with nitrous oxide at 303 K was determined to be (1.8 ± 0.5)×10⁻¹⁵ cm³ molecule⁻¹ s⁻¹ at pressures of ≈ 10 Torr. In contrast to a previous experiment, no chemiluminescent products were observed. The result, discussed in terms of an ionic intermediate mechanism and recent ZnO electronic structure calculations, is shown to be consistent with the surface crossing model even though the rate constant is orders of magnitude less than those typically used to invoke the model.     

The effects of solute-solvent electrostatic interactions on solvation dynamics in supercritical CO2

We present here the results of molecular-dynamics simulation of solvation dynamics in supercritical CO(2) at a temperature of about 1.05T(c), where T(c) is the critical temperature, and at a series of densities ranging from 0.4 to 2.0 of the critical density rho(c). We focus on electrostatic solvation dynamics, representing the electronic excitation of the chromophore as a change in its charge distribution from a quadrupolar-symmetry ground state to a dipolar excited state. Two perturbations are considered, corresponding to different magnitudes of solute excited-state dipoles, denoted as d5 and d8. The d8 solute is more attractive, leading to a larger enhancement in CO(2) clustering upon solute electronic excitation. This has a large impact on solvation dynamics, especially at densities below rho(c). At these densities, solvation dynamics is much slower for the d8 than for the d5 solute. For both solutes, solvation dynamics becomes faster at densities above rho(c) at which solvent clustering diminishes. We show that the slowest solvation time scale is associated with solvent clustering and we relate it to solute-solvent mutual translational diffusion and the extent of change in effective local density resulting from solute electronic excitation.     

Reversible disulfur monoxide (S2O)-forming retro-Diels-Alder reaction. disproportionation of S2O to trithio-ozone (S3) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) and reactivities of S2O and S3

5,6-Di-tert-butyl-2,3,7-trithiabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene 7-endo-oxide (4) was prepared by addition of S(2)Cl(2) to 3,4-di-tert-butylthiophene 1-oxide (3) in high yield. The oxidation of 4 with dimethyldioxirane gave a 7:1 isomeric mixture of 5,6-di-tert-butyl-2,3,7-trithiabicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene 2-endo-7-endo-dioxide (5a) and 2-exo-7-endo-dioxide (5b) quantitatively. The thermally labile 5 was shown to undergo a retro-Diels-Alder reaction that produces S(2)O and 3 in a reversible way. The resulting S(2)O was trapped by Diels-Alder reactions with dienes to give 3,6-dihydro-1,2-dithiin 1-oxides in good yields. In the absence of the dienes, S(2)O disproportionates to SO(2) and S(3), and the resulting S(3) underwent a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition with 3 on its syn-pi-face with respect to the S[double bond]O bond to give a trithiolane derivative, whereas in the presence of excess norbornene, it produced the 1,3-dipolar cycloadduct with norbornene in good yield. Thus, the retro-Diels-Alder reaction of 5 functions as an S(2)O and S(3) source. DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-311+G(3df,2p) level were carried out in order to explain why S(2)O disproportionates to SO(2) and S(3) and why S(2)O acts as a dienophile and not a 1,3-dipole, whereas O(3) and S(3) serve as 1,3-dipoles.     

The effects of solute-solvent electrostatic interactions on solvatochromic shifts in supercritical CO2

Solvent clustering around attractive solutes is an important feature of supercritical solvation. We examine here the effects of the local density enhancement on solvatochromic shifts in electronic absorption and emission spectra in supercritical CO2. We use molecular dynamics (MD) simulation to study the spectral line shifts for model diatomic solutes that become more polar upon electronic excitation. The electronic transition is modeled as either a change from a quadrupolar to a dipolar solute charge distribution or as an increase in the magnitude of the solute dipole. Our main focus is on the density dependence of the line shifts at 320 K, which corresponds to about 1.05 times the solvent critical temperature, Tc, but results for higher temperatures are also obtained in order to determine the behavior of the line shifts in the absence of local density enhancement. We find that the extent of local density enhancement at 1.05Tc is strongly correlated with solute-solvent electrostatic attraction and that the density dependence of the emission line shifts resembles the behavior of the effective local densities, rho(eff), obtained from the first-shell coordination numbers. The differences that are seen are shown to be due to solute-solvent orientational correlations which provide an additional source of enhancement for electrostatic solvation energies and spectral line shifts.     

Competing S(N)2 and E2 reaction pathways for hexachlorocyclohexane degradation in the gas phase, solution and enzymes

Quantum chemistry calculations have been used alongside experimental kinetic analysis to investigate the competition between S(N)2 and E2 mechanisms for the dechlorination of hexachlorocyclohexane isomers, revealing that enzyme specificity reflects the intrinsic reactivity of the various isomers.