Rate constants for 1,n-hydrogen transfer reactions in some amino acid derived radicals

Absolute rate constants for 1,n-hydrogen atom transfers in some substituted amino acid derived radicals have been determined in benzene through the use of competitive kinetic experiments. Radicals derived from methyl N-(2-iodobenzoyl)-N-(tert-butyloxycarbonyl)glycinate, -alaninate, -leucinate, -tert-leucinate and -phenylglycinate undergo intramolecular 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer to afford the corresponding α-amino acid ester radicals with rate constants in the range: 1.0-4.3 × 10⁷ s⁻¹ at 80 °C. Where abstractable hydrogen atoms exist in the amino acid side-chain, 1,6- and 1,7-translocations are competitive processes.     

Mechanistic investigation of enediyne-connected amino ester rearrangement. Theoretical rationale for the exclusive preference for 1,6- or 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer depending on the substrate. A potential route to chiral naphthoazepines

Memory of chirality (MOC) and deuterium-labeling studies were used to demonstrate that the cascade rearrangement of enediyne-connected amino esters 1a and 1b evolved through exclusive 1,5- or 1,6-hydrogen atom transfer, subsequent to 1,3-proton shift and Saito-Myers cyclization, depending on the structure of the starting material. These results were independently confirmed by DFT theoretical calculations performed on model monoradicals. These calculations clearly demonstrate that in the alanine series, 1,5-hydrogen shift is kinetically favored over 1,6-hydrogen shift because of its greater exergonicity. In the valine series, the bulk of the substituent at the nitrogen atom has a major influence on the fate of the reaction. N-Tosylation increases the barrier to 1,5-hydrogen shift to the benefit of 1,6-hydrogen shift. The ready availability of 1,6-hydrogen atom transfer was explored as a potential route for the enantioselective synthesis of naphthoazepines.     

Quantitating the effect of an ortho substituent on cyclization and intramolecular hydrogen-transfer reactions of aryl radicals

Reduction of allyl 2-iodobenzyl malonates with triphenyltin hydrides generates aryl radicals that partition between 6-exo cyclization, 7-endo cyclization, and 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer. Rate constants for all of these processes are high (>10(8) M(-)(1) s(-)(1)), and the rates are only marginally reduced (<33%) by the introduction of methyl group ortho to the reacting radical.     

p-Nitrobenzenesulfenate esters as precursors for laser flash photolysis studies of alkyl radicals

A series of p-nitrobenzenesulfenate esters was used in laser flash photolysis (LFP) studies to generate alkoxyl radicals that fragmented to give the (2,2-diphenylcyclopropyl)methyl radical. Rate constants for the beta-scission reactions increased as a function of the carbonyl compound produced in the fragmentation reaction in the order CH2O < MeCHO < Me2CO < PhCHO < Ph2CO and increased with increasing solvent polarity. For alkoxyl radicals that fragment to produce benzaldehyde and benzophenone, the beta-scission reactions are faster than 1,5-hydrogen atom abstractions when the incipient carbon radical is as stable as a secondary alkyl radical, and this entry to carbon radicals can be used in LFP kinetic studies.     

Rate constants for reactions of alkyl radicals with water and methanol complexes of triethylborane

Reactions of secondary alkyl radicals with triethylborane and several of its complexes were studied. The H-atom transfer reactions from Et3B-OH2 and Et3B-OD2 were suppressed by addition of pyridine to the reaction mixture. Rate constants for reactions of secondary alkyl radicals with triethylborane and its complexes with water, deuterium oxide, methanol, and THF at ambient temperature were determined by radical clock methods. Cyclization of the 1-undecyl-5-hexenyl radical and ring opening of the 1-cyclobutyldodecyl radical were evaluated as clock reactions. The cyclobutylcarbinyl radical ring opening had the appropriate velocity for relatively precise determinations of the ratios of rate constants for H-atom transfer trapping and rearrangement, and these ratios combined with an estimated rate constant for the cyclobutylcarbinyl radical ring opening gave absolute values for the rate constants for the H-atom transfer reactions. For example, the triethylborane-water complex reacts with a secondary alkyl radical in benzene at 20 degrees C with a rate constant of 2 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1). Variable temperature studies with the Et3B-CH3OH complex in toluene indicate that the hydrogen atom transfer reaction has unusually high entropic demand, which results in substantially more efficient hydrogen atom transfer trapping reactions in competition with radical ring opening and cyclization reactions at reduced temperatures.     

Intramolecular hydrogen abstraction promoted by amidyl radicals. Evidence for electronic factors in the nucleophilic cyclization of ambident amides to oxocarbenium ions

A tandem 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer/radical oxidation/nucleophilic cyclization mechanism is proposed for the intramolecular hydrogen abstraction reaction promoted for primary carboxamidyl radicals. The electron-withdrawing capacity of the C-5 substituent can switch the reaction to give exclusively bicyclic spirolactams (6-oxa-1-azaspiro[4.5]decan-2-one) when R(1) = H or spirolactones (1,6-dioxaspiro[4.5]decan-2-one) when R(1) = OAc. With a substituent of medium polarity (R(1) = OMe), a mixture of lactones and lactams is formed.     

Computational studies of intramolecular hydrogen atom transfers in the beta-hydroxyethylperoxy and beta-hydroxyethoxy radicals

The beta-hydroxyethylperoxy (I) and beta-hydroxyethoxy (III) radicals are prototypes of species that can undergo hydrogen atom transfer across their intramolecular hydrogen bonds. These reactions may play an important role in both the atmosphere and in combustion systems. We have used density functional theory and composite electronic structure methods to predict the energetics of these reactions, RRKM/master equation simulations to model the kinetics of chemically activated I, and variational transition state theory (TST) to predict thermal rate constants for the 1,5-hydrogen shift in I (Reaction 1) and the 1,4-hydrogen shift in III (Reaction 2). Our multi-coefficient Gaussian-3 calculations predict that Reaction 1 has a barrier of 23.59 kcal/mol, and that Reaction 2 has a barrier of 22.71 kcal/mol. These predictions agree rather well with the MPW1K and BB1K density functional theory predictions but disagree with predictions based on B3LYP energies or geometries. Our RRKM/master equation simulations suggest that almost 50% of I undergoes a prompt hydrogen shift reaction at pressures up to 10 Torr, but the extent to which I is chemically activated is uncertain. For Reaction 1 at 298 K, the variational TST rate constant is approximately 30% lower than the conventional TST result, and the microcanonical optimized multidimensional tunneling (muOMT) method predicts that tunneling accelerates the reaction by a factor of 3. TST calculations on Reaction 2 reveal no variational effect and a 298 K muOMT transmission coefficient of 10(5). The Eckart method overestimates transmission coefficients for both reactions.     

Intramolecular hydrogen bonding and hydrogen atom abstraction in gas-phase aliphatic amine radical cations

The intramolecular hydrogen atom abstraction by the nitrogen atom in isolated aliphatic amine radical cations is examined experimentally and with composite high-level ab initio methods of the G3 family. The magnitude of the enthalpy barriers toward H-atom transfer varies with the shape and size of the cyclic transition state and with the degree of substitution at the nitrogen and carbon atoms involved. The lower barriers are found for 1,5- and 1,6-abstraction, for chairlike transition states, for abstraction reactions in ionized primary amines, and for abstraction of H from tertiary carbon atoms. In most cases, the internal energy required for 1,4-, 1,5-, and 1,6-hydrogen atom abstraction to occur is less than that required for gas-phase fragmentation by simple cleavage of C-C bonds, which explains why H-atom transfer can be reversible and result in extensive H/D exchange prior to the fragmentation of many low-energy deuterium labeled ionized amines. The H-atom transfer to nitrogen is exothermic for primary amine radical cations and endothermic for tertiary amines. It gives rise to a variety of distonic radical cations, and these may undergo further isomerization. The heat of formation of the gauche conformers of the gamma-, delta-, and epsilon-distonic isomers is up to 25 kJ mol(-1) lower than that of the corresponding trans forms, which is taken to reflect C-H-N hydrogen bonding between the protonated amino group and the alkyl radical site.     

Rate constants for hydrogen atom transfer reactions from bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium(III) chloride-complexed water and methanol to an alkyl radical

Rate constants for hydrogen atom transfer reactions of the water, deuterium oxide, and methanol complexes of bis(cyclopentadienyl)titanium(III) chloride with the secondary alkyl radical 1-cyclobutyldodecyl (2) were determined using indirect kinetic methods. The rate constant for reaction of Cp2Ti(III)Cl-H2O in THF at ambient temperature was 1.0 x 10(5) M(-1) s(-1), and the kinetic isotope effect was kH/kD = 4.4. In benzene containing 0.95 M methanol, the rate constant for reaction of the Cp2Ti(III)Cl-MeOH at ambient temperature was 7.5 x 10(4) M(-1) s(-1). An Arrhenius function for reaction of the Cp2Ti(III)Cl-H2O complex in THF was log k = 9.1 - 5.5/2.3 RT (kcal/mol). The entropic term for reaction of Cp2Ti(III)Cl-H2O was normal, whereas the entropic term previously found for reaction of the Et3B-H2O complex with radical 2 was unusually small (Jin, J.; Newcomb, M. J. Org. Chem. 2007, 72, 5098).     

Quantum chemical investigation of low-temperature intramolecular hydrogen transfer reactions of hydrocarbons

The B3LYP functional was evaluated as a method to calculate reaction barriers and structure-reactivity relationships for intramolecular hydrogen transfer reactions involving peroxy radicals. Nine different basis sets as well as five other MO/DFT and hybrid methods were used in comparing three reactions to available experimental data. It was shown that B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) offers a good compromise between speed and accuracy for studies in which thermodynamic and kinetic data of many reactions are required. Sixteen reactions were studied to develop structure-reactivity relationships to correlate the activation energy with the heat of reaction. As long as no structural heterogeneities were present in the transition state ring, a simple Evans-Polanyí relationship was shown to capture the activation energy as a function of heat of reaction for reactions in the 1,5-hydrogen shift family. For peroxy radicals undergoing self-abstraction of a hydrogen atom in the 1,5-position, the activation energy was calculated as E(a) (kcal mol(-1)) = 6.3 + Delta H(rxn) (kcal mol(-1)). For reactions with a carbonyl group embedded in the ring of the transition state, the activation energy of peroxy radicals undergoing self-abstraction was correlated as E(a) (kcal mol(-1)) = 18.1 + 0.74 Delta H(rxn) (kcal mol(-1)). The impact of the size of the transition state ring on the activation energy and pre-exponential factor was also probed, and it was shown that these effects can be described using simple nonlinear and linear fits, respectively.     

Intramolecular 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer reaction promoted by phosphoramidyl and carbamoyl radicals: synthesis of 2-amino-C-glycosides

The preparation of 2-amino-C-glycosides of the hexahydro-2H-furo[3,2-b]pyrrole and octahydropyrano[3,2-b]pyrrole systems is described. A tandem 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer-radical oxidation-nucleophilic cyclisation mechanism is proposed for the intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer reaction promoted by carbamoyl and phosphoramidyl radicals employing hipervalent iodine oxidants.     

Hypochlorite-mediated fragmentation of hyaluronan, chondroitin sulfates, and related N-acetyl glycosamines: evidence for chloramide intermediates, free radical transfer reactions, and site-specific fragmentation

Myeloperoxidase released from activated phagocytes reacts with H(2)O(2) in the presence of chloride ions to give hypochlorous acid. This oxidant has been implicated in the fragmentation of glycosaminoglycans, such as hyaluronan and chondroitin sulfates. In this study it is shown that reaction of HOCl with glycosaminoglycans and model compounds yields chloramides derived from the N-acetyl function of the glycosamine rings. The results of EPR spin trapping and product studies are consistent with the formation of amidyl radicals from these chloramides via both metal ion-dependent and -independent processes. In the case of glycosaminoglycan-derived amidyl radicals, evidence has been obtained in studies with model glycosides that these radicals undergo rapid intramolecular abstraction reactions to give carbon-centered radicals at C-2 on the N-acetyl glycosamine rings (via a 1,2-hydrogen atom shift) and at C-4 on the neighboring uronic acid residues (via 1,5-hydrogen atom shifts). The C-4 carbon-centered radicals, and analogous species derived from model glycosides, undergo pH-independent beta-scission reactions that result in glycosidic bond cleavage. With N-acetyl glucosamine C-1 alkyl glycosides, product formation via this mechanism is near quantitative with respect to chloramide loss. Analogous reactions with the glycosaminoglycans result in selective fragmentation at disaccharide intervals, as evidenced by the formation of "ladders" on gels; this selectivity is less marked under atmospheric oxygen concentrations than under anoxic conditions, due to competing peroxyl radical reactions. As the extracellular matrix plays a key role in mediating cell adhesion, growth, activation, and signaling, such HOCl-mediated glycosaminoglycan fragmentation may play a key role in disease progression and resolution, with the resulting fragments modulating the magnitude and quality of the immune response in inflammatory conditions.     

Flash vacuum pyrolysis of methoxy-substituted lignin model compounds

The flash vacuum pyrolysis (FVP) of methoxy-substituted beta-O-4 lignin model compounds has been studied at 500 degrees C to provide mechanistic insight into the primary reaction pathways that occur under conditions of fast pyrolysis. FVP of PhCH(2)CH(2)OPh (PPE), a model of the dominant beta-O-4 linkage in lignin, proceeds by C-O and C-C cleavage, in a 37:1 ratio, to produce styrene plus phenol as the dominant products and minor amounts of toluene, bibenzyl, and benzaldehyde. From the deuterium isotope effect in the FVP of PhCD(2)CH(2)OPh, it was shown that C-O cleavage occurs by homolysis and by 1,2-elimination in a ratio of 1.4:1, respectively. Methoxy substituents enhance the homolysis of the beta-O-4 linkage, relative to PPE, in o-CH(3)O-C(6)H(4)OCH(2)CH(2)Ph (o-CH(3)O-PPE) and (o-CH(3)O)(2)-C(6)H(3)OCH(2)CH(2)Ph ((o-CH(3)O)(2)-PPE) by a factor of 7.4 and 21, respectively. The methoxy-substituted phenoxy radicals undergo a complex series of reactions, which are dominated by 1,5-, 1,6-, and 1,4-intramolecular hydrogen abstraction, rearrangement, and beta-scission reactions. In the FVP of o-CH(3)O-PPE, the dominant product, salicylaldehyde, forms from the methoxyphenoxy radical by a 1,5-hydrogen shift to form 2-hydroxyphenoxymethyl radical, 1,2-phenyl shift, and beta-scission of a hydrogen atom. The 2-hydroxyphenoxymethyl radical can also cleave to form formaldehyde and phenol in which the ratio of 1, 2-phenyl shift to beta-scission is ca. 4:1. In the FVP of o-CH(3)O-PPE and (o-CH(3)O)(2)-PPE, products (ca. 20 mol %) are also formed by C-O homolysis of the methoxy group. The resulting phenoxy radicals undergo 1,5- and 1,6-hydrogen shifts in a ratio of ca. 2:1 to the aliphatic or benzylic carbon, respectively, of the phenethyl chain. In the FVP of (o-CH(3)O)(2)-PPE, o-cresol was the dominant product. It was formed by decomposition of 2-hydroxy-3-hydroxymethylbenzaldehyde and 2-hydroxybenzyl alcohol, which are formed from a complex series of reactions from the 2, 6-dimethoxyphenoxy radical. The key step in this reaction sequence was the rapid 1,5-hydrogen shift from 2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyloxy radical to 2-hydroxymethyl-6-methoxyphenoxy radical before beta-scission of a hydrogen atom to give the substituted benzaldehyde. The 2-hydroxybenzyl alcohols rapidly decompose under the reaction conditions to o-benzoquinone methide and pick up hydrogen from the reactor walls to form o-cresol.     

Condensation of naphthalenediols with benzene in the presence of aluminum bromide: an efficient synthesis of 5-, 6-, and 7-hydroxy-4-phenyl-1- and 2-tetralones

Isomeric 1,5-, 1,6-, 1,7-, 2,6-, and 2,7-naphthalenediols react smoothly with benzene at room temperature in the presence of an excess of aluminum bromide to give 5-, 6-, and 7-hydroxy-4-phenyl-1-tetralones and 5- and 6-hydroxy-4-phenyl-2-tetralones, respectively. The mechanism of these reactions is interpreted in terms of key di- or tri-cationic (superelectrophilic) intermediates.     

Annulation of the cyclohexane ring by tandem free radical alkylation of a nonactivated delta-carbon atom-intramolecular carbanion cycloalkylation

Annulation of the cyclohexane ring by a combination of free radical and ionic reactions sequences was achieved. Free radical alkylation of the remote nonactivated delta-carbon atom involves addition of delta-carbon radicals, generated by 1,5-hydrogen transfer in alkoxy radical intermediates, to radicophilic olefins, while the polar sequence involves enolate anions as intermediates which undergo a cycloalkylation reaction. Thus, the cyclohexane ring was constructed using diverse acyclic and cyclic structures as precursors of alkoxy radicals.     

Remote C(sp3)−H Arylation and Vinylation of N-Alkoxypyridinium Salts to δ-Aryl and δ-Vinyl Alcohols

The reaction of readily available and bench-stable N-alkoxypyridinium salts with arylboronic and vinylboronic acids afforded δ-aryl and δ-vinyl alcohols, respectively, in the presence of fac-Ir(ppy)₃ and Cu(OTf)₂ dual catalysts. The reaction takes place through a domino process involving the reductive generation of alkoxyl radicals, 1,5-hydrogen atom transfer (1,5-HAT) and the copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction of the resulting translocated carbon radicals with boronic acids. Complementary to the Minisci reaction, this method allows for the arylation of nucleophilic alkyl radicals with both electron-rich and electron-poor arenes under mild reaction conditions.     

Kinetic and product study of the gas-phase reactions of OH radicals, NO(3) radicals, and O(3) with (C(2)H(5)O)(2)P(S)CH(3) and (C(2)H(5)O)(3)PS

Rate constants for the reactions of OH radicals and NO3 radicals with O,O-diethyl methylphosphonothioate [(C(2)H(5)O)(2)P(S)CH(3); DEMPT] and O,O,O-triethyl phosphorothioate [(C(2)H(5)O)(3)PS; TEPT] have been measured using relative rate methods at atmospheric pressure of air over the temperature range 296-348 K for the OH radical reactions and at 296 +/- 2 K for the NO(3) radical reactions. At 296 +/- 2 K, the rate constants obtained for the OH radical reactions (in units of 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1)) were 20.4 +/- 0.8 and 7.92 +/- 0.27 for DEMPT and TEPT, respectively, and those for the NO(3) radical reactions (in units of 10(-15) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1)) were 2.01 +/- 0.20 and 1.03 +/- 0.10, respectively. Upper limits to the rate constants for the reactions of O(3) with DEMPT and TEPT of <6 x 10(-20) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) were determined in each case. Rate constants for the OH radical reactions, measured relative to k(OH + alpha-pinene) = 1.21 x 10(-11) e(436/T) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1), resulted in the Arrhenius expressions k(OH + DEMPT) = 1.08 x 10(-11) e(871+/-25)/T cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) and k(OH + TEPT) = 8.21 x 10(-13) e(1353+/-49)/T cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) over the temperature range 296-348 K, where the indicated errors are two least-squares standard deviations and do not include the uncertainties in the reference rate constant. Diethyl methylphosphonate was identified and quantified from the OH radical and NO(3) radical reactions with DEMPT, with formation yields of 21 +/- 4%, independent of temperature, from the OH radical reaction and 62 +/- 11% from the NO(3) radical reaction at 296 +/- 2 K. Similarly, triethyl phosphate was identified and quantified from the OH radical and NO(3) radical reactions with TEPT, with formation yields of 56 +/- 9%, independent of temperature, from the OH radical reaction and 78 +/- 15% from the NO(3) radical reaction at 296 +/- 2 K.     

Unimolecular elimination of HF and HCl from chemically activated CF3CFClCH2Cl

The unimolecular reactions of CF3CFClCH2Cl molecules formed with 87 kcal mol(-1) of vibrational energy by recombination of CF3CFCl and CH2Cl radicals at room temperature have been characterized by the chemical activation technique. The 2,3-ClH and 2,3-FH elimination reactions, which have rate constants of (2.5 +/- 0.8) x 10(4) and (0.38 +/- 0.11) x 10(4) s(-1), respectively, are the major reactions. The 2,3-FCl interchange reaction was not observed. The trans (or E)-isomers of CF3CFCHCl and CF3CClCHCl are favored over the cis (or Z)-isomers. Density functional theory at the B3PW91/6-31G(d',p') level was used to evaluate thermochemistry and structures of the molecule and transition states. This information was used to calculate statistical rate constants. Matching the calculated to the experimental rate constants for the trans-isomers gave threshold energies of 62 and 63 kcal mol(-1) for HCl and HF elimination, respectively. The threshold energy for FCl interchange must be 3-4 kcal mol(-1) higher than for HF elimination. The results for CF3CFClCH2Cl are compared to those from CF3CFClCH3; the remarkable reduction in rate constants for HCl and HF elimination upon substitution of one Cl atom for one H atom is a consequence of both a lower E and higher threshold energies for CF3CFClCH2Cl.     

Temperature-dependent rate constants for the gas-phase reactions of OH radicals with 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, triethyl phosphate, and a series of alkylphosphonates

Rate constants for the reactions of OH radicals with dimethyl methylphosphonate [DMMP, (CH3O)2P(O)CH3], dimethyl ethylphosphonate [DMEP, (CH3O)2P(O)C2H5], diethyl methylphosphonate [DEMP, (C2H5O)2P(O)CH3], diethyl ethylphosphonate [DEEP, (C2H5O)2P(O)C2H5], triethyl phosphate [TEP, (C2H5O)3PO] and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene have been measured over the temperature range 278-348 K at atmospheric pressure of air using a relative rate method. alpha-Pinene (for DEMP, DEEP, TEP and 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene) and di-n-butyl ether (for DMMP and DMEP) were used as the reference compounds, and rate constants for the reaction of OH radicals with di-n-butyl ether were also measured over the same temperature range using alpha-pinene and n-decane as the reference compounds. The Arrhenius expressions obtained for these OH radical reactions (in cm3 molecule(-1) s(-1) units) are 8.00 x 10(-14)e(1470+/-132)/T for DMMP (296-348 K), 9.76 x 10(-14)e(1520+/-14)/T for DMEP (296-348 K), 4.20 x 10(-13)e(1456+/-227)/T for DEMP (296-348 K), 6.46 x 10(-13)e(1339+/-376)/T for DEEP (296-348 K), 4.29 x 10(-13)e(1428+/-219)/T for TEP (296-347 K), and 4.40 x 10(-12)e(738+/-176)/T for 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene (278-347 K), where the indicated errors are two least-squares standard deviations and do not include the uncertainties in the rate constants for the reference compounds. The measured rate constants for di-n-butyl ether are in good agreement with literature data over the temperature range studied (278-348 K).     

Reactivity of tert-butoxy radicals towards thiols,alkyl sulfides,and alkyl disulfides

Rate constants for the reactions of tert-butoxy radicals (generated by the thermal decomposition of di-tert-butylperoxyoxalate) with several sulfur containing compounds have been measured at 310 K in benzene. Hexanethiol (k = 6.5 × 10⁷M^?1s^?1) reacts considerably faster than alkyl sulfides and disulfides. For these compounds the reaction rate constants are slightly dependent on the α-hydrogen type, changing (when it is expressed per hydrogen atom) only a factor 5 for sulfides and 3 for disulfides when the α-hydrogen is changed from primary (methyl) to tertiary (isopropyl). The data obtained are compared to those found for the deactivation of the benzophenone triplet. Values of k_tert-butoxy/k_benzophenone range from ca 10^?3 (di-tert-butyl disulfide) to 7.5 (hexanethiol). The results obtained are rationalized in terms of bond strength, steric hindrance, and charge transfer contributions to the critical configuration energies.