Classical versus redox tautomerism: substituent effects on the keto/enol and sulfoxide/sulfenic acid equilibria

MP2/6-311+G** ab initio calculations have been carried out for a classical example of tautomerism, the keto/enol [RCOCH₃/RC(OH)CH₂] and an example of redox tautomerism, the sulfoxide/sulfenic acid [RS(O)H/RSOH]. Eleven R substituents have been examined. Both equilibria show proportional energies and similar dependence on the Swain-Lupton Fand Rparameters.     

Transitions to high tautomeric states can be induced in adenine by interactions with carboxylate and sodium ions: DFT calculation data

Twelve triple complexes of nine adenine tautomers with carboxylate ion of acetic acid CH₃COO⁻ and sodium ion Na⁺ of the CH₃COO⁻:Ade:Na⁺ type were studied by the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) quantum chemical method. It was established that three rare adenine tautomers generate more stable complexes than the ground state one. The B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) full optimization was applied to four most stable triple complexes in order to refine on their stability order. To evaluate contributions of each ligands for stabilization of these complexes, calculations of energies and dipole moments of respective binary complexes of the CH₃COO⁻:Ade and Ade:Na⁺ types were performed at the B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p) level of theory. At the same level, there were computed energies and dipole moments of isolated tautomers. Two of them, first calculated in this work, appeared to be zwitter-ions. Highly cooperative interplay of interactions of both ligands with adenine tautomers was observed in triple complexes. Preferable sites of coordination of Na⁺ with tautomers were ascertained. Biological importance of the results obtained is discussed.     

Prototropic tautomerism of 5‐aryloxy‐1(2)H‐tetrazoles

The structure of 5‐(2,6‐dimethylphenoxy)‐1H‐ and 2H‐tetrazoles together with those of 5‐(2,6‐diisopropyl‐phenoxy)‐1H and 2H‐tetrazoles have been theoretically studied including absolute shieldings and energies. The conclusion of these studies is that a slow tautomerism between 1H‐ and 2H‐tetrazoles cannot explain the experimental observations reported recently in the literature. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Theoretical investigation of the tautomerism of isoorotic acid in gaseous and aqueous phases

In the present investigation, the tautomeric and conformational equilibrium of isoorotic acid have been studied using Møller–Plesset second‐order (MP2) and density functional theory (DFT) methods in the gas phase and aqueous solution (ε = 78.5) using the IPCM model. The relative energies of these tautomers have been calculated at the two levels of theory using 6‐311++G** basis set. Energetics and relative stabilities of the tautomers were compared and analyzed in both the gaseous and aqueous phases. The results indicate that the diketo tautomer (iso) is the most stable form in the gas phase and water. The carboxylic substitution in the uracil ring does not alter its relative stability order of the tautomers. The proton affinity of the oxygen atoms and the deprotonation enthalpy of the NH bonds of isoorotic acid have been compared with recent data of uracil. The relative stability of both syn‐ and anti‐conformations was investigated and the syn form was found to be more stable by 17.65 kcal/mol. It was determined in ab initio calculations that an electron can attach to isoorotic acid, forming a stable anion better than uracil. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007     

Structural Evolution and Electronic Properties of Au2Gen-/0 (n=1-8) Clusters: Anion Photoelectron Spectroscopy and Theoretical Calculations

Investigating the structures and properties of Au-Ge mixed clusters can give insight into the microscopic mechanisms in gold-catalyzed Ge films and can also provide valuable information for the production of germanium-based functional materials. In this work, size-selected anion photoelectron spectroscopy and theoretical calculations were used to explore the structural evolution and electronic properties of Au₂Ge_n^-/0 (n=1-8) clusters. It is found that the two Au atoms in Au₂Ge_n^-/0 (n=1-8) showed high coordination numbers and weak aurophilic interactions. The global minima of Au₂Ge_n^- anions and Au₂Ge_n neutrals are in spin doublet and singlet states, respectively. Au₂Ge_n^- anions and Au₂Ge_n neutrals showed similar structural features, except for Au₂Ge₄^-/0 and Au₂Ge₅^-/0. The C_2v symmetric V-shaped structure is observed for Au₂Ge₁^-/0, while Au₂Ge₂^-/0 has a C_2v symmetric dibridged structure. Au₂Ge₃^-/0 can be viewed as the two Au atoms attached to different Ge-Ge bonds of Ge₃ triangle. Au₂Ge₄^- has two Au atoms edge-capping Ge₄ tetrahedron, while Au₂Ge₄ neutral adopts a C_2v symmetric double Au atoms face-capping Ge₄ rhombus. Au₂Ge_5-8^-/0 show triangular, tetragonal, and pentagonal prism-based geometries. Au₂Ge₆ adopts a C_2v symmetric tetragonal prism structure and exhibits σ plus π double bonding characters.     

A theoretical study of porphyrin isomers and their core-modified analogues: cis-trans isomerism, tautomerism and relative stabilities

Semiempirical (AM1 and PM3) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed on about 50 porphyrin isomers with 25 each of 1,2 (syn) and 1,3 (anti) tautomeric forms. The corresponding oxa-and thia-core-modified analogues were also computed. The variations of relative energies and stabilities of the core-modified analogues were compared with parent porphyrin1 and the corresponding oxa-and thia-analogues. The trends in relative energies are not significantly changed while going from parent system to oxa-and thia-core-modified porphyrins in case of bothsyn andanti tautomers. Isomers of types [2·2·0·0], [3·0·1·0], [3·1·0·0], and [4·0·0·0] are destabilized due to the absence of methine bridge, which results in angle strain for tetrapyrroles. Isomers having [2·1·1·0], [2·1·0·1], [2·0·2·0] and [2·2·0·0] connectivity, the Z isomers, are more stable compared to the correspondingE isomers in bothsyn andanti forms of parent and core-modified analogues.     

Investigation of UV spectra of isomeric nitropyrazoles by the semiempirical AM1 (CI) method

The absorption bands in the UV spectra of isomeric nitropyrazoles were assigned by the calculations in the semiempirical AMI (CI) approximation. The long-wave absorption of nitropyrazoles is caused by π→π* and η₀→π* transitions. The charge-transfer band is the most intense. The π→π* transitions undergo a considerable bathochromic shift in the deprotonation. The first ionization potential (PI) of the 4-nitropyrazole anion was estimated from the empirical dependence of the energy of the excited π-state on PI of alkyl-substituted 4-nitropyrazoles. The PI of the 4-nitropyrazole anion is 3 eV lower than that of a neutral molecule. This is evidence for a substantial destabilization of the boundary β-orbital in the heterolytic cleavage of the N−H bond. The analysis of the UV and NMR spectra of 3(5)-nitropyrazole confirms the viewpoint that the 3-nitro tautomer predominates in solution. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya. No. 2, pp. 310–314, February, 1997.     

Ab initio molecular dynamics study of the keto-enol tautomerism of acetone in solution.

We have studied the keto-enol interconversion of acetone to understand the mechanism of tautomerism relevant to numerous organic and biochemical processes. Applying the ab initio metadynamics method, we simulated the keto-enol isomerism both in the gas phase and in the presence of water. For the gas-phase intramolecular mechanism we show that no other hydrogen-transfer reactions can compete with the simple keto-enol tautomerism. We obtain an intermolecular mechanism and remarkable participation of water when acetone is solvated by neutral water. The simulations reveal that C deprotonation is the kinetic bottleneck of the keto-enol transformation, in agreement with experimental observations. The most interesting finding is the formation of short H-bonded chains of water molecules that provide the route for proton transfer from the carbon to the oxygen atom of acetone. The mechanistic picture that emerged from the present study involves proton migration and emphasizes the importance of active solvent participation in tautomeric interconversion.     

4-(1-Alkylbenzimidazol-2-ylazo)-2-pyrazolin-5-ones: specific features of prototropic tautomerism

Quantum chemical calculations, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, and X-ray studies showed that, in contrast to 4-arylazo-2-pyrazolin-5-ones, 4-(1-alkylbenzimidazol-2-ylazo)-2-pyrazoline-5-ones mainly exist in the condensed phase as unusual ketoazine tautomers of high polarity, while the ketohydrazone tautomer stabilized by intramolecular hydrogen bond apparently predominates in the gas phase. According to calculations, various types of tautomerism are possible for 4-(benzimidazol-2-ylazo)-2-pyrazolin-5-ones, including mono- and bimolecular 1,3-, 1,5-, and 1,7-prototropic migrations proceeding by the single- and double-proton transfer mechanism with low activation energies (ΔE ^≠ ≈ 2–14 kcal mol⁻¹). Published in Russian in Izvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 7, pp. 1467–1478, July, 2008.     

Ab initio study of molecular structures and excited states in anthocyanidins

The structural and electronic characters of four types of hydroxyl group-substituted anthocyanidins (pelargonidin, cyanidin, delphinidin, and aurantinidin) were examined using quantum chemical calculations. For these cationic molecules, both the planar and non-planar structures in the electronic ground state were determined at the B3LYP/D95 level of theory. We revealed that the planar structure is slightly more stable than the non-planar structure for each molecule. For the optimized planar structures, single excitation-configuration interaction (SE-CI) based on the restricted Hartree-Fock (RHF) wave function was evaluated and the electronic character in the low-excited states was discussed in terms of the MO theory. Symmetry adapted cluster (SAC)/SAC-CI calculations were also carried out to estimate the excitation energies precisely. The results showed that hydroxylation of the phenyl group causes a change in the excitation energies without taking the solvent effects into account. The results are in agreement with spectral experiments and previous MO calculations.     

Intramolecular rearrangement of organosilyl groups between oxygen and nitrogen in aminosiloxanes - a joint experimental-theoretical study, part II

Lithium amino-di-tert-butylsilanolate reacts with halosilanes to give 1-silylamino-1,3-siloxanes (1-7). The tetrakis(1-silylamino)siloxane thermally condenses yielding a spirocyclic six-membered ring (8). One six-membered ring of 8 forms a boat and the other has a twist conformation. Lithium salts of amino-disiloxanes form silylamino-silanolates or amido-disiloxanes. The first includes a 1,3-silyl group migration from the oxygen to the nitrogen atom. The energies of the isomeric lithium salts of model compounds are calculated and show that the lithium-trimethylsilylamino-dimethylsilanolate III is 0.7 kcal/mol more stable than the isomeric lithium-1,3-disiloxaneamide V. Experiments show that the lithium salts of amino-1,3-disiloxanes, (Me₃C)₂SiNH₂-O-R (R = SiMe₃, SiMe₂Ph, SiF₂CMe₃) reacts with ClSiMe₃, FSiMe₂Ph or F₃SiCMe₃ under a 1,3-O-N-silyl group migration to give the 1-silylamino-1,3-disiloxanes 9-11. If the trimethylsilyl group is substituted by SiMeF₂, the difference between the isomers III′ and V′ is even smaller, 0.12 kcal/mol, and the barrier to reaction via the dyotropic transition state is calculated to be 10.1 kcal/mol. Interestingly, the fluorine atoms allow for two other isomers VI and VIII which are even lower in energy. The low difference in the energies of III and V respectively VI and VIII explains that in absence of steric and/or electronic restraints the lithium salts of amino-1,3-disiloxanes react halosilanes to give both isomeric silylamino-1,3-disiloxanes, e. g. the lithiated (Me₃C)₂SiNH₂-O-SiF₂CMe₃ reacts with F₂SiMe₂ or F₃SiPh to give the structural isomers 12, 13, and 14, 15.The silyl group migration can be prevented kinetically, e. g. the lithium salts of (Me₃C)₂SiNH₂-O-R (R = SiF(N(CHMe₂)₂)₂, SiH(CMe₃)₂) react with F₂SiMe₂ or F₂Si(CMe₃)₂ to 16 and 17. A thermodynamically prevented rearrangement is observed in the reaction of lithiated (Me₃C)₂SiNH₂-O-SiMe₃ with F₃SiR (R = CMe₃ (18), Ph (19), N(SiMe₃)₂ (20), C₆H₂ (CMe₃)₃ (21). 18-21 ((Me₃C)₂SiNHSiF₂R)-O-SiMe₃) are formed.LiF-elimination from (Me₃C)₂SiNHLiO-SiF₂Me leads to the formation of the eight-membered (SiOSiN)-ring 22. The most stable lithium salts of 1-silylamino-1,3-disiloxanes form amides. This explains that in further reactions with halosilanes, the new ligand is bonded with the nitrogen atom (28-30). In results of crystal structure determinations new lithium-1-fluorosilylamino-1,3-disiloxanes of 20, (21, 23-25) are presented. 23 crystallizes as tricyclic, 24 as an unknown pentacyclic, and 25, as monomeric compound. In 25 the shortest Si-N bond length (157.9 pm) with four coordinate silicon is found. Lithium salts of 1-fluorosilylamido-1,3-disiloxanes lose thermally LiF with formation of siloxane substituted cyclodisilazanes, 26 and 27. Crystal structures of 4, 8, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28 are presented.     

Ethylene addition to OsO3(CH2) - A theoretical study

Quantum chemical calculations at the B3LYP/TZVP level of theory have been carried out for the initial steps of the addition reaction of ethylene to OsO₃(CH₂). The calculations predict that there are two reaction channels with low activation barriers. The kinetically and thermodynamically most favored reaction is the [3+2]_O, C addition which has a barrier of only 2.3 kcal mol⁻¹. The [3+2]_O, O addition has a slightly higher barrier of 6.5 kcal mol⁻¹. Four other reactions of OsO₃(CH₂) with C₂H₄ have significantly larger activation barriers. The addition of ethylene to one oxo group with concomitant migration of one hydrogen atom from ethylene to the methylene ligand yields thermodynamically stable products but the activation energies for the reactions are 16.7 and 20.9 kcal mol⁻¹. Even higher barriers are calculated for the [2+2] addition to the OsO bond (32.6 kcal mol⁻¹) and for the addition to the oxygen atom yielding an oxiran complex (41.2 kcal mol⁻¹). The activation barriers for the rearrangement to the bisoxoosmaoxirane isomer (36.3 kcal mol⁻¹) and for the addition reactions of the latter with C₂H₄ are also quite high. The most favorable reactions of the cyclic isomer are the slightly exothermic [2+2] addition across the OsO bond which has an activation barrier of 46.6 kcal mol⁻¹ and the [3+2]_O, O addition which is an endothermic process with an activation barrier of 44.3 kcal mol⁻¹.     

Synthesis and tautomerism of 2-[3(5)-aryl(methyl)pyrazol-4-yl]-1-benzimidazoles

An efficient method has been developed for the synthesis of 2-[3(5)-aryl(methyl)pyrazol-4-yl]-1H-benzimidazoles by cyclocondensation of 2-acylmethyl-1H-benzimidazoles benzoylhydrazones with DMF dimethylacetal. The tautomerism of the compounds obtained via migrations of a proton between the pyrazole nitrogen atoms has been studied by ¹H NMR. The more stable tautomers have electron acceptor aryl substituents placed at position 3 of the pyrazole ring and electron donor aryl substituents or a methyl at position 5. __________ Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 9, pp. 1370–1377, September, 2006.     

How stable actually is the planar ‘triangular’ benzene dication?

Quantum chemical calculations indicate that the kinetic stability of an earlier proposed elegant planar ‘triangular’ benzene dication 1a is very low. The kinetic stability of its methylated derivative 2a is even lower.     

Homologues of N-heterocyclic carbenes: Detection and electronic structure of N-bridgehead pyrido[a]-anellated 1,3,2-diazagermol-2-ylidenes

Novel N-bridgehead pyrido[a]-anellated 1,3,2-diazagermol-2-ylidenes 1a,b were obtained from GeCl₂ · dioxane and dilithium reagents formed from N-tert-butyl pyridine-2-aldimines and excess lithium in THF whereas attempts to generate the analogous silylene by reduction of the dichloro-pyrido[a]-1,3,2-diazasilole 4a, synthesized from SiCl₄ and the new dilithium reagent, failed. Characteristic chemical shifts of the pyrido ¹H and ¹³C nuclei between those of pyridine compounds and the not fully cyclodelocalized electron-rich 4a with dihydropyridine substructure hint to a cyclodelocalized 10π electron system in 1a,b. Quantum chemical investigations of a series of pyrido[a]- and benzo-anellated imidazol-2-ylidenes and their silylene and germylene homologues show for all compounds cyclodelocalized 10π-systems but for pyrido[a]-anellation an increase of the energy of the π-MO’s relative to those of element(II) lone electron pairs which leads to destabilization compared to the benzo-anellated isomers.     

Theoretical Studies of Inorganic Compounds. 361) Structures and Bonding Analyses of Beryllium Chloro Complexes with Nitrogen Donors

Quantum chemical calculations at various levels of theory (BP86, B3LYP, MP2, CCSD(T), CBS‐QB3) of the beryllium complexes [BeCl₂(NHPH₃)], [BeCl₂(NHPH₃)₂], [BeCl₃(py)]^?, [BeCl₂(NH₃)], [BeCl₂(NH₃)₂], [BeCl₃(py)]^? and [BeCl₃(NH₃)]^? as well as the boron compounds [BCl₃(py)] and [BCl₃(NH₃)] show that BeCl₂ is a very strong Lewis acid. The theoretically predicted bond dissociation energy at CBS‐QB3 of Cl₂Be‐NH₃ (D_e = 32.5 kcal/mol)is even higher than that of Cl₃B‐NH₃ (D_e = 28.6 kcal/mol). Even the second ammonia molecule in [BeCl₂(NH₃)₂] still has a strong bond with D_e = 24.2 kcal/mol. The theoretically predicted bond strengths for the phosphaneimine ligands in [BeCl₂(NHPH₃)₂] are D_e = 46.7 kcal/mol for the first ligand and D_e = 29.8 kcal/mol for the second. The anion BeCl₃^? is a moderately strong Lewis acid which has bond energies of D_e = 14.1 kcal/mol in [BeCl₃(py)]^? and D_e = 14.2 kcal/mol in [BeCl₃(NH₃)]^?. The higher bond energy of [BeCl₂(NH₃)] compared with [BCl₃(NH₃)] comes from less deformation energy for BeCl₂ than for BCl₃. The intrinsic attraction between BeCl₂ and NH₃ calculated with frozen geometries of the complex geometry is ～5 kcal/mol less than the attraction between BCl₃ and NH₃. The bonding analysis with the EDA method shows that the attractive energy of the beryllium complexes comes manly from electrostatic attraction. The larger contribution of the electrostatic term is the most significant difference between the nature of the donor‐acceptor bonds of the beryllium and boron complexes.     

Two Novel Thermal Biradical Cyclizations in Theory and Experiment: New Synthetic Routes to 6H-Indolo[2,3-b]quinolines and 2-Aminoquinolines from Enyne-Carbodiimides

The regioselectivity of the biradical cyclization of enyne-carbodiimides 1 can easily be controlled by variation of R¹ at the alkyne terminus. Attachment of a hydrogen atom (R¹=H) leads to C²–C⁷ cyclization and formation of biradical 2 , whereas C²–C⁶ cyclization to provide biradical 3 is observed with R¹=Me₃Si or Ph.     

Tautomerism of peroxyacetic acid derivatives: a quantum chemical study

The electronic and molecular structures and the relative stabilities of organic peracids X=C(R)-COOH and their cyclic tautomers, dioxiranes

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, with R = Me, CF₃; X = O, NH, were studied using the ab initio Hartree-Fock method and the density functional theory (B3LYP version) as well as at the MP2-MP4 Møller-Plesset levels of perturbation theory. Geometry optimization was performed by the UHF and B3LYP methods with the 6-31G** basis set and at the MP2/cc-pvtz level of theory. The acyclic form of the peracid is more stable than the cyclic dioxirane form irrespective of the nature of the substituent. The energy difference between these tautomers increases as the CF₃ and NH groups are replaced by Me and O, respectively. Parameters of the activation barrier to tautomeric conversion increase in parallel with enhancement of the electron-accepting properties of both substituents. The transition state of tautomeric interconversion, which is topologically similar to the acyclic structure of the carbonyl oxide derivative R(HX)C=O⁺-O^?, was found and characterized taking peroxyacetic acid as an example. The characteristic features of the transition state are an intramolecular “multicenter” H-bond and the charge distribution that is inconsistent with the canonical structure mentioned above. An appropriate reaction coordinate for the transformation of the quasi-tetrahedral dioxirane structure into a planar peroxyacetic acid structure is provided by the dihedral angle. Deprotonated anionic systems are characterized by much smaller differences between the relative stabilities of the open and closed forms of isomers and by much lower activation barriers to isomeric conversions.

     

Understanding the Aldo‐Enediolate Tautomerism of Glycolaldehyde in Basic Aqueous Solutions

The biochemically important interconversion process between aldoses and ketoses is assumed to take place via 1,2‐enediol or 1,2‐enediolate intermediates, but such intermediates have never been isolated. The current work was undertaken in an attempt to detect the presence of the 1,2‐enediol structure of glycolaldehyde in alkaline medium, actually a 1,2‐enediolate, and to try to clarify the scarce data existing about both the formation of deprotonated enediol and the aldo‐enediolate equilibrium. The Raman spectra of neutral and basic solutions were recorded as a function of time for eleven days. Several bands associated with the presence of the enediolate were observed in alkaline medium. Glycolaldehyde exists as three different structures in aqueous solution at neutral pH, that is, hydrated aldehydes, aldehydes and dimers, with a respective ratio of approximately 4:0.25:1. Additionally, the formation of Z‐enediolate forms takes place at basic pH, together with an increase in the concentration of aldehyde species, such as 2‐oxoethan‐1‐olate, and a decrease in the concentrations of the hydrated aldehyde and dimeric forms. The theoretical ratio of ≈1.5:1 for aldehyde:Z‐enediolate reproduces the experimental Raman spectrum in basic medium, with an additional contribution of the previously mentioned ratio between the hydrated aldehyde and dimeric forms. Finally, Raman spectroscopy allowed us to monitor the enolization of this carbohydrate model and conclude that aldo‐enediol tautomerism—formally aldo‐enediolate—happens when a suitable amount of basic species is added.     

Rigorous Conformational Analysis of Pyrrolidine Enamines with Relevance to Organocatalysis

It has been suggested that the origin of regio‐ and stereoselectivity in Michael additions of pyrrolidine enamines is achieved by thermodynamic rather than kinetic control through distinct conformational preferences of the enamines. We assess this proposal by elaboration of a computational protocol that warrants sufficient accuracy. The small energy differences between the conformers necessitate a high accuracy of the electronic structure method which, in addition, must allow for computationally feasible calculations of a large number of conformers. Our protocol is based on density functional theory which we validated against explicitly correlated coupled cluster theory. The results are in agreement with the available experimental data, but illustrate that conformational preferences determined for one enamine are not readily transferable to other types of enamines. We found that an appropriate conformational sampling is inevitable to arrive at meaningful conclusions. Most prominently, s‐cis and s‐trans conformers are similarly stable for aldehyde‐ and ketone‐derived enamines. The regio‐ and stereoselectivity in Michael additions of pyrrolidine‐derived enamines can not be explained by pronounced stability differences of the enamine isomers and conformers in general, disproving the thermodynamic‐control hypothesis. The elucidation of the origin of regio‐ and stereoselectivity requires further theoretical investigations of the elementary steps of Michael additions.