Avoiding problems with hydrogen misplacement in reporting crystal structures

Intermolecular hydrogen bonding is an integral part of many crystal structures. Hydrogen bonding sometimes results in one‐, two‐ or three‐dimensional supramolecular assemblies, a common feature of which is positional disorder of H atoms related to space‐group symmetry. Yet some reported structures fail to include all possible donor–acceptor close contacts, or to seek H‐atom electron densities associated with apparent D—H...A trios, while some H‐atom positions violate principles of chemistry or crystal physics. Modern diffraction equipment and sophisticated computing systems provide high‐quality data; thus, failure to characterize and report fully an accurate, complete and physically correct hydrogen‐bonding model should not be acceptable. We illustrate the relevant issues with three published examples in the hope of slowing the proliferation of these problems, with the scientifically desirable goal of improving the accuracy of crystallographic models while also providing improved search keys for information retrieval.     

2‐Amino‐5‐iodopyridinium bromide hemihydrate and 2‐amino‐5‐iodopyridinium chloride monohydrate

The hydrobromide and hydrochloride salts of 2‐amino‐5‐iodopyridine were prepared from aqueous solutions. The hydrobromide salt, C₅H₆IN₂⁺·Br⁻·0.5H₂O, crystallizes as a hemihydrate, and exhibits hydrogen bonding and π‐stacking which stabilize the crystal structure. The hydrochloride salt, C₅H₆IN₂⁺·Cl⁻·H₂O·0.375HCl, crystallized as the hydrate and exhibits similar hydrogen bonding and π‐stacking in the lattice. The most interesting feature of the hydrochloride salt is the presence of an additional fractional HCl molecule which introduces disorder in the location of the water molecule. The additional proton from the fractional HCl molecule is accounted for by the presence of a partial hydronium ion on one of the water sites.     

Sulfonated carbon catalyzed oxidation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids by hydrogen peroxide

Sulfonated carbon as a strong and stable solid acid catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic performance in various acid-catalyzed reactions. Here, sulfonated carbon, as catalyst for oxidation reaction, was prepared via the carbonization of starch followed by sulfonation with concentrated sulfuric acid. N₂ physisorption, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence and acid-base titration were used to characterize the obtained materials. The catalytic activity of sulfonated carbon was studied in the oxidation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids using 30 wt% H₂O₂ as oxidant. This oxidation protocol works well for various aldehydes including aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes. The sulfonated carbon can be recycled for three times without obvious loss of activity.     

An Efficient Procedure for the Preparation of 3′-Acetyl-2′,3′-dihydrobenzothiazoles by Ring Contraction of 2′,3′-Dihydro-1,5-Benzothiazepines Under Acetylating Conditions

Reaction of 2-benzoyl-6-hydroxy-3-methyl-5-(2′-substituted-2′,3′-dihydro-1,5-benzothiazein-4′-yl) benzofurans (4a-f) with a mixture of acetic anhydride and pyridine afforded 6-acetoxy-2-benzoyl-3-methyl-5-(3′-acetyl-2′-substitutedstyryl-2′,3′-dihydrobenzothiazole-2′-yl) benzofurans (5a-f) as sole products in good yields. A reaction mechanism for the ring contraction is proposed. All the compounds (5a-f) were screened for their antifeedant activity by the “Non-Choice test method” using 6 h prestarved fourth instar larvae of Spodoptera litura F. Compounds 5a, 5c and 5d exhibited highest antifeedant activity.     

Useful Application of Acidic Ionic Liquids as Solvents in Baeyer–Villiger Oxidation with Hydrogen Peroxide for the Synthesis of Lactones

Cyclic ketones have been efficiently oxidized with hydrogen peroxide using acidic ionic liquids (ILs) as solvents. This is a new method for the synthesis of lactones with high yields that does not utilize any additional catalysts and enables ILs to be recycled.     

Convenient,Mild Catalytic Deprotection of Oximes to Carbonyl Compounds with Hydrogen Peroxide and Iodine Catalyst in Aqueous Acetonitrile

A clean, mild, and efficient catalytic deoximation procedure compatible with several common functional groups has been developed using 30% hydrogen peroxide activated by iodine catalyst in aqueous acetonitrile under essentially neutral conditions. The mechanistic features of an iodonium ion–driven nucleophilic cleavage of oximic C[dbnd]N have been revealed.     

Atmospheric degradation mechanisms of a simulant organophosphorus pesticide isopropyl methyl methylphosphonate: A theoretical consideration

Calculations using density functional theory were performed to explore the mechanisms for atmospheric degradation of isopropyl methyl methylphosphonate (IMMP). The potential energy surface profiles for OH‐initiated reaction of IMMP were constructed, and all possible degradation channels were considered. Rate constants were further calculated using transition state theory. It was established from these calculations that H‐abstractions from alkyl groups have much lower energy barriers than substitutions of alkoxyl groups, and four possible H‐abstraction channels are competitive. Investigations into the secondary reactions under the presence of O₂/NO were also performed. It is shown that O₂ addition, reaction of peroxide radicals with NO to form RO radicals, and removal of ·RO are the major degradation pathways for alkyl radicals. Four selected products, CH₃OP(O)(CH₃)OC(O)CH₃, CH₃OP(O)(O)CH₃, (CH₃)₂CHOP(O)(CH₃)OH, and (CH₃)₂CHOP(O)(CH₃)OCH?O, are predicted to be the major products in this study. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

H2S splitting on Cu(110): Insight from combined periodic density functional theory calculations and microkinetic simulation

Practical copper (Cu)‐based catalysts for the water–gas shift (WGS) reaction was long believed to expose a large proportion of Cu(110) planes. In this work, as an important first step toward addressing sulfur poisoning of these catalysts, the detailed mechanism for the splitting of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) on the open Cu(110) facet has been investigated in the framework of periodic, self‐consistent density functional theory (DFT‐GGA). The microkinetic model based on the first‐principles calculations has also been developed to quantitatively evaluate the two considered decomposition routes for yielding surface atomic sulfur (S*): (1) H₂S → H₂S* → SH* → S* and (2) 2H₂S → 2H₂S* → 2SH* → S* + H₂S* → S* + H₂S. The first pathway proceeding through unimolecular SH* dissociation was identified to be feasible, whereas the second pathway involving bimolecular SH* disproportionation made no contribution to S* formation. The molecular adsorption of H₂S is the slowest elementary step of its full decomposition, being related with the large entropy term of the gas‐phase reactant under realistic reaction conditions. A comparison of thermodynamic and kinetic reactivity between the substrate and the close‐packed Cu(111) surface further shows that a loosely packed facet can promote the S* formation from H₂S on Cu, thus revealing that the reaction process is structure sensitive. The present DFT and microkinetic modeling results provide a reasonably complete picture for the chemistry of H₂S on the Cu(110) surface, which is a necessary basis for the design of new sulfur‐tolerant WGS catalysts. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Mechanism of aziridination of styrene catalyzed by copper(I) bis(oxazoline)

Experimental studies show that copper complexes can be effectively anchored onto the pores of mesoporous solids, having a good catalytic performance in several reactions, among them the aziridination of olefins and in particular, styrene. In this work, the mechanism of the aziridination of styrene catalyzed by a bis(oxazoline) copper(I) complex was studied in detail by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations. For such reactions in the homogeneous phase, our calculations revealed a wide diversity of reaction‐pathways, which have not been considered in previous studies, and should be taken into account due to the small energy differences between them. What is more, our results show that there is a strong dependence on the chosen DFT functional. This has profound implications on the way the heterogeneous reaction is studied. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Oxidant Effect of H2O2 for the Syntheses of Quinoline Derivatives via One-Pot Reaction of Aniline and Aldehyde

A convenient one-pot method for the synthesis of substituted quinolines via the reaction of aniline and aldehyde in the presence of a Lewis acid (AlCl₃) and an oxidant (H₂O₂) has been developed. Hydrogen peroxide was found to promote the reaction by its function as a hydrogen hunter, hindering the formation of by-product N-alkylaniline. The effect of the oxidant on the yield and selectivity was studied. When the molar ratio of aniline, n-butyraldehyde, and H₂O₂ was 1:3:0.5 at 25 °C, the yield of 3-ethyl-2-propylquinoline was improved from 64% (reaction without H₂O₂) to 84% (with H₂O₂), and the quinoline selectivity was improved to almost 100%. Moreover, the reaction time was obviously reduced. The substituent effect was also investigated in this work.