Theoretical study on the mechanism of reaction between 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-butanone and malononitrile catalyzed by lithium ethoxide

The The mechanism of reaction between 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-butanone and malononitrile for the synthesis of 2-dicyanomethylene-4, 5, 5-trimethyl-2,5-dihydrofuran-3-carbonitrile catalyzed by lithium ethoxide was investigated by density functional theory (DFT). The geometries and the frequencies of reactants, intermediates, transition states and products were calculated at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level. The vibration analysis and the IRC analysis verified the authenticity of transition states. The reaction processes were confirmed by the changes of charge density at the bond-forming critical point. The results indicated that lithium ethoxide is an effective catalyst in the synthesis of 2-dicyanomethylene-4, 5, 5-trimethyl-2, 5-dihydrofuran-3-carbonitrile from malononi-trile and 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-butanone. The activation energy of the reaction with lithium ethoxide was 115.86 kJ·mol⁻¹ less than the uncatalyzed reaction. The mechanism of the lithium ethoxide catalyzed reaction differed from the mechanism of the uncatalyzed reaction.     

Thermal decomposition of 4‐hydroxy‐2‐butanone in m‐xylene solution: Experimental and computational study

The mechanism of thermal decomposition of 4‐hydroxy‐2‐butanone in m‐xylene solution was studied experimentally and theoretically at the M05‐2X/6‐31G(d, p) level of theory. It follows first‐order kinetics and appears to be homogeneous and unimolecular. The proposed mechanism is via a six‐membered cyclic transition state to give a mixture of formaldehyde and acetone. Rate constant values were experimentally determined at three temperatures: 483.15, 493.15, and 503.15 K. Calculated rate constants are of the same order of magnitude than the experimental ones. Calculated Gibbs energies of activation agree very well with the experimental values. Computationally, the progress of the reactions was followed by means of the Wiberg bond index. The results indicate that the transition state has an intermediate character between reactants and products, and the calculated synchronicity shows that the reaction is slightly asynchronous. The bond‐breaking processes are more advanced than the bond‐forming ones, indicating a bond deficiency in the transition state. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 44: 407–413, 2012     

Classic and multivariate modeling treatment of the kinetics and mechanism of isomerization of 5‐cholesten‐3‐one catalyzed by sodium ethoxide

A classic kinetic methodology including the treatment of the steady‐state method and a multivariate modeling kinetic treatment were applied to the kinetics and mechanism of the isomerization reaction of 5‐cholesten‐3‐one to 4‐cholesten‐3‐one catalyzed by EtO⁻ in ethanol absolute. The rate constants, thermodynamic parameters of activation, equilibrium constant, and the isomerization enthalpy were determined. The multivariate modeling kinetic treatment allows us to calculate the concentrations of the species, in which the 3,5‐dienolate is included as a highly reactive intermediate species and was able to discriminate among several applicable mechanisms validating the one comprising two reversible steps. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 38: 38–47, 2006     

A DFT study on the insertion of CO2 into styrene oxide catalyzed by 1‐butyl‐3‐methyl‐Imidazolium bromide ionic liquid

Green systems able to capture or fix CO₂ are becoming more important specially to reduce environmental impacts. In this work, the mechanism of insertion of CO₂ into styrene oxide (STYO) both in the absence and presence of the catalyst 1‐butyl‐3‐methyl‐imidazolium bromide (BMIm Br) was investigated through calculations based on density functional theory in the ωB97X‐D level. Two different routes were considered and it was shown they are energetically available and compete against each other. For both routes, the rate‐determinant step is the ring opening of STYO resulting from the nucleophilic attack of the Br^? on the C atom from STYO and is associated mainly to the participation of the cation and the anion from the catalyst in the reaction. Reactive indices and noncovalent interaction analysis were used as a tool to investigate this reason. This work allowed a better comprehension of the underlying mechanism and the supplied data provide valuable support for the design of new more efficient ionic liquid catalyst. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Theoretical study on mechanism of cinchona alkaloids catalyzed asymmetric conjugate addition of dimethyl malonate to β‐nitrostyrene

The mechanism and enantioselectivity of the asymmetric conjugate addition of dimethyl malonate to β‐nitrostyrene catalyzed by cinchona alkaloid QD‐4 as organic catalyst are investigated using density function theory and ab initio methods. Six different reaction pathways, corresponding to the different approach modes of β‐nitrostyrene to dimethyl malonate are considered. Calculations indicate that the reaction process through a dual‐activation mechanism, in which the tertiary amine of cinchona alkaloid QD‐4 first works as a Brønsted base to promote the activation of the dimethyl malonate by deprotonation, and then, the hydroxyl group of QD‐4 acts as Brønsted acid to activate the β‐nitrostyrene. The rate‐determining step is the proton transfer process from the tertiary amine of QD‐4 to α‐carbon of β‐nitrostyrene. The comparison of the mechanisms and energies of the six reaction channels enable us to learn the fact that QD‐4 has good catalytic activities for the system, and implies C9? OH in QD‐4 may not be involved in the activation. These calculation results account well for the observations in experiments. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Theoretical study on the reaction mechanisms and stereoselectivities of DABCO‐catalyzed Rauhut–Currier/cyclization reaction of methyl acrylate with 2‐benzoyl‐3‐phenyl‐acrylonitrile

With the aid of density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we have investigated the mechanisms and stereoselectivities of the tandem cross Rauhut–Currier/cyclization reaction of methyl acrylate R₁ with (E)‐2‐benzoyl‐3‐phenyl‐acrylonitrile R₂ catalyzed by a tertiary amine DABCO. The results of the DFT calculations indicate that the favorable mechanism (mechanism A) includes three steps: the first step is the nucleophilic attack of DABCO on R₁ to form intermediates Int1 and Int1‐1, the second step is the reaction of Int1 and Int1‐1 with R₂ to generate intermediate Int2(SS,RR,SR&RS), and the last step is an intramolecular S_N2 process to give the final product P(SS,RR,SR&RS) and release catalyst DABCO. The S_N2 substitution is computed to be the rate‐determining step, whereas the second step is the stereoselectivity‐determining step. The present study may be helpful for understanding the reaction mechanism of similar tandem reactions.     

Theoretical study of one‐carbon unit transfer between methyl‐AICA and N1‐methyl‐N1‐acryloyl‐formamide

The mechanism of one‐carbon unit transfer between 1‐methyl‐5‐amino‐4‐carboxamide imidazole (M‐AICA) and N¹‐methyl‐N¹‐acryloyl‐formamide (the model molecule of 10‐f‐H4F) is investigated by the Hartree–Fock and DFT methods, respectively, at the 6‐31G* basis level. There are two different channels for the proton transfer, resulting in two reaction pathways with different properties. The results indicate that both channels can complete the reaction, but path a is slightly favored due to its lower active energy barrier. Furthermore, the influence of 4‐carboxamindde in M‐AICA is also discussed. This group can stabilize the reactant and intermediates, and reduce the active energy barrier through the intermolecular hydrogen bond. The intermolecular hydrogen bond results in an enlarged conjugation system and makes the transition states more stable. Our results are in agreement with experiments. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005     

Theoretical study on the deglycosylation mechanism of rice BGlu1 β‐glucosidase

It is proposed that the catalysis of GH1 enzymes follows a double‐displacement mechanism involving a glycosylation and a deglycosylation steps. In this article, the deglycosylation step was studied using quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) approach. The calculation results reveal that the nucleophilic water (Wat1) attacks to the anomeric C₁, and the deglycosylation step experiences a barrier of 21.4 kcal/mol from the glycosyl‐enzyme intermediate to the hydrolysis product, in which an oxocarbenium cation‐like transition state (TS) is formed. At the TS, the covalent glycosyl‐enzyme bond is almost broken (distance of 2.45 Å), and the new covalent bond between the attacking oxygen of the water molecule and C₁ is basically established (length of 2.14 Å). In addition, a short hydrogen bridge is observed between the nucleophilic E386 and the C₂? OH of sugar ring (distance of 1.94 Å) at the TS, which facilitates the ring changing from a chair form to half‐chair form, and stabilizes the oxocarbenium cation‐like TS. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

New synthesis and reactivity of 3‐bromoacetyl‐4‐hydroxy‐6‐methyl‐2H‐pyran‐2‐one with binucleophilic amines

3‐(Bromoacetyl)‐4‐hydroxy‐6‐methyl‐2H‐pyran‐2‐one was synthesized by the reaction of dehydroacetic acid (DHAA) with bromine in glacial acetic acid. Novel heterocyclic products were synthesized from the reaction of bromo‐DHAA with alkanediamines, phenylhydrazines, ortho‐phenylenediamines, and ortho‐aminobenzenethiol. The obtained new products 3‐(2‐N‐substituted‐acetyl)‐4‐hydroxy‐6‐methyl‐2H‐pyran‐2‐ones, 4‐hydroxy‐3‐[1‐hydroxy‐2‐(2‐phenylhydrazinyl)vinyl]‐6‐methyl‐2H‐pyran‐2‐one, 1‐(2,4‐dinitrophenyl)‐7‐methyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐1H‐pyrano[4,3‐c]pyridazine‐4,5‐dione, 3‐(3,4‐dihydroquinoxalin‐2‐yl)‐4‐hydroxy‐6‐methyl‐2H‐pyran‐2‐one/3‐(3,4‐dihydroquinoxalin‐2‐yl)‐6‐methyl‐2H‐pyran‐2,4(3H)‐dione, 6‐methyl‐3‐(3,4‐dihydroquinoxalin‐2‐yl)‐2H‐pyran‐2,4(3H)‐dione, and (E)‐3‐(2H‐benzo[b][1,4]thiazin‐3(4H)‐ylidene)‐6‐methyl‐2H‐pyran‐2,4(3H)‐dione were fully characterized by IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, and mass spectra. J. Heterocyclic Chem., 2011.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the oxidation of 4‐methyl‐3‐thiosemicarbazide by acidic bromate

The oxidation of 4‐methyl‐3‐thiosemicarbazide (MTSC) by bromate and bromine was studied in acidic medium. The stoichiometry of the reaction is extremely complex, and is dependent on the ratio of the initial concentrations of the oxidant to reductant. In excess MTSC and after prolonged standing, the stoichiometry was determined to be H₃CN(H)CSN(H)NH₂ + 3BrO₃^? → 2CO₂ + NH₄⁺ + SO₄^2? + N₂ + 3Br^? + H⁺ (A). An interim stoichiometry is also obtained in which one of the CO₂ molecules is replaced by HCOOH with an overall stoichiometry of 3H₃CN(H)CSN(H)NH₂ + 8BrO₃^? → CO₂ + NH₄⁺ + SO₄^2? + HCOOH + N₂ + 3Br^? + 3H⁺ (B). Stoichiometry A and B are not very different, and so mixtures of the two were obtained. Compared to other oxidations of thiourea‐based compounds, this reaction is moderately fast and is first order in both bromate and substrate. It is autocatalytic in HOBr. The reaction is characterized by an autocatalytic sigmoidal decay in the consumption of MTSC, while in excess bromate conditions the reaction shows an induction period before autocatalytic formation of bromine. In both cases, oxybromine chemistry, which involves the initial formation of the reactive species HOBr and Br₂, is dominant. The reactions of MTSC with both HOBr and Br₂ are fast, and so the overall rate of oxidation is dependent upon the rates of formation of these reactive species from bromate. Our proposed mechanism involves the initial cleavage of the C? N bond on the azo‐side of the molecule to release nitrogen and an activated sulfur species that quickly and rapidly rearranges to give a series of thiourea acids. These thiourea acids are then oxidized to the sulfonic acid before cleavage of the C? S bond to give SO₄^2?, CO₂, and NH₄⁺. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 34: 237–247, 2002     

Theoretical study on the reaction mechanism of NO and CO catalyzed by Rh atom

The gas-phase reaction mechanism of NO and CO catalyzed by Rh atom has been systematically investigated on the ground and first excited states at CCSD(T)//B3LYP/6-311+G(2d), SDD level. This reaction is mainly divided into two reaction stages, NO deoxygenation to generate N₂O and then the deoxygenation of N₂O with CO to form N₂ and CO₂. The crucial reaction step deals with the NO deoxygenation to generate N₂O catalyzed by Rh atom, in which the self-deoxygenation of NO reaction pathway is kinetically more preferable than that in the presence of CO. The minimal energy reaction pathway includes the rate-determining step about N–N bond formation. Once the NO deoxygenation with CO catalyzed by rhodium atom takes place, the reaction results in the intermediate RhN. Then, the reaction of RhN with CO is kinetically more favorable than that with NO, while both of them are thermodynamically preferable. These results can qualitatively explain the experimental finding of N₂O, NCO, and CN species in the NO + CO reaction. For the N₂O deoxygenation with CO catalyzed by rhodium atom, the reaction goes facilely forward, which involves the rate-determining step concerning CO₂ formation. CO plays a dominating role in the RhO reduction to regenerate Rh atom. The complexes, OCRhNO, RhON₂, RhNNO, ORhN₂, RhCO₂, RhNCO, and ORhCN, are thermodynamically preferred. Rh atom possesses stronger capability for the N₂O deoxygenation than Rh⁺ cation.     

Synthesis of 3‐(2‐hydroxy‐1‐phenylethyl)‐ and 3‐(2‐hydroxy‐2‐phenylethyl)adenine,DNA adducts derived from styrene

3‐(2‐Hydroxy‐2‐phenylethyl)‐ and 3‐(2‐hydroxy‐1‐phenylethyl)adenine, DNA adducts derived from styrene, along with their 9‐substituted analogues were prepared by alkylation of 8‐bromoadenine with corresponding allyl‐protected bromohydrins followed by a new deallylation procedure using tetrakis(triphenylphosphine)palladium catalyzed reductive cleavage by poly(methylhydrosiloxane) in the presence of p‐toluenesulphonic acid. This novel procedure proved to be useful for purine derivatives, which were resistant to other deallylation protocols. Structure of positional isomers was assigned using 2D NMR experiments HMBC and HMQC.     

An experimental and theoretical study on the kinetics of the reaction between 4‐hydroxy‐3‐hexanone CH3CH2C(O)CH(OH)CH2CH3 and OH radicals

Experimental and theoretical rate coefficients are determined for the first time for the reaction of 4‐hydroxy‐3‐hexanone (CH₃CH₂C(O)CH(OH)CH₂CH₃) with OH radicals as a function of temperature. Experimental studies were carried out using two techniques. Absolute rate coefficients were measured using a cryogenically cooled cell coupled to the pulsed laser photolysis‐laser‐induced fluorescence technique with temperature and pressure ranges of 280‐365 K and 5‐80 Torr, respectively. Relative values of the studied reaction were measured under atmospheric pressure in the range of 298‐354 K by using a simulation chamber coupled to a FT‐IR spectrometer. In addition, the reaction of 4H3H with OH radicals was studied theoretically by using the density functional theory method over the range of 278‐350 K. Results show that H‐atom abstraction occurs more favorably from the C–H bound adjacent to the hydroxyl group with small barrier height. Theoretical rate coefficients are in good agreement with the experimental data. A slight negative temperature dependence was observed in both theoretical and experimental works. Overall, the results are deliberated in terms of structure–reactivity relationship and atmospheric implications.     

Synthesis and characterization of new α,β‐unsaturated γ‐lactones: Alkyl 3‐acetyl‐4‐hydroxy‐2‐methyl‐5‐oxo‐2,5‐dihydrofuran‐2‐ylcarbamates

A convenient procedure for the preparation of carbamate derivatives of 5‐oxo‐2,5‐dihydrofuran ( 3 ) was described. The method is based on the Michael type addition of three alkyl carbamates ( 2 ) with 4‐acetyl‐5‐methyl‐2,3‐dihydro‐2,3‐furandione ( 1 ). According to ¹H nmr spectra of compounds show tautomeric forms ( 3,4,5 ) in CDC1₃. In the solid state the synthesized compounds are enol forms ( 3 ). The products were characterized with molecular spectroscopic methods.     

Theoretical study of molecular and electronic structure of 2‐Se‐(2‐methyl‐2‐propenyl)‐1‐benzoic acid

A theoretical study of 2‐Se‐(2‐methyl‐2‐propenyl)‐1‐benzoic acid was carried out to investigate the molecular and electronic structure of this molecule, using the B3LYP density functional theory (DFT) method with the 6‐311+G** basis set. The optimized geometry of the molecule was obtained for the ortho, meta, and para isomers of the complex. In addition, the theoretical vibrational spectrum is presented, and thermal corrections in the limit of 100–1,000 K are discussed using the Shomate thermodynamic equations. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Piperidinium 3‐[(4‐hydroxy‐5,7‐di­methyl‐2‐oxo‐2H‐chromen‐3‐yl)­phenyl­methyl]‐5,7‐di­methyl‐2‐oxo‐2H‐chromen‐4‐olate

In the title salt, C₅H₁₂N⁺·C₂₉H₂₃O₆^?, both benzo­pyran systems are planar. Intermolecular N—H?O hydrogen bonds and a short O—H?O intramolecular hydrogen bond are observed in the structure.     

Me‐BIPAM for the Synthesis of Optically Active 3‐Aryl‐3‐hydroxy‐2‐oxindoles by Ruthenium‐catalyzed Addition of Arylboronic Acids to Isatins

A chiral O‐linked C₂‐symmetric bidentate phosphoramidite (Me‐BIPAM) was found to be efficient for the ruthenium‐catalyzed addition of arylboronic acids to isatins. Asymmetric synthesis of 3‐aryl‐3‐hydroxy‐2‐oxindoles by 1,2‐addition of arylboronic acids to isatins was carried out in the presence of [RuCl₂(PPh₃)₃]/(R,R)‐Me‐BIPAM and KF, resulting in an enantioselectivity as high as 90 % ee. It was found that the reaction with N‐protected isatins proceeds with high yields and good enantioselectivities. The best protective groups on the nitrogen atom were different depending on the substituents on the aromatic ring. The use of a N‐benzyl group resulted in excellent enantioselectivities in many substrates compared with other groups.     

Novel Photo－induced Coupling Reactions of 9－Fluorenylidene－malononitrile or l,l－Diphenyl－2,2－dicyanoethylene with 10－Methyl－9,10－dihydroacridine. A Study on the Photophysics of the Reaction

9‐Fluorenylidenemalononitrile (FDCN) or 1, 1‐diphenyl‐2,2‐dicyanoethylene (DPCN) reacted with 10‐methyl‐9,10‐dihydroacridine (AcrH₂) under irradiation (λ 320 nm) to give couping products. In order to gain further insight into the mechanism of the photo‐induced reaction, the photophysics of the reactions of FDCN or DPCN with AcrH₂ have been investigated by using UV‐vis spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy, excitation spectroscopy and time‐resolved fluorescence spectroscopy, respectively. The results show that FDCN or DPCN interacts with AcrH₂ in the ground states to form a charge transfer complex, which further reacts to give the coupling product upon. irradiation.     

Kinetic studies on the reactions of 3‐isothiazolones with 2‐methyl‐2‐propanethiol

The kinetics of the ring‐opening reactions of the 3‐isothiazolones ( 1a–d ) with aqueous 2‐methyl‐2‐propanethiol has been explored at pH 4. The results strongly suggest that the reaction is second order in thiol and third order overall. Extrapolation of the kinetic data gives third‐order rate constants that lie in the order ( 1a ) > ( 1b ) > ( 1c ) > ( 1d ) in line with the known biological activity of these derivatives. The mechanism of the reaction is thought to involve attack by one thiol at the sulfur atom of the isothiazolone with the concomitant hydrogen bonding of a second thiol to the amide nitrogen. Calculations of the structure and electronic properties of the isothiazolones at the RHF 6‐31G** level are supportive. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 39: 254–260, 2005