Tuning the π-Accepting Properties of Mesoionic Carbenes: A Combined Computational and Experimental Study

Mesoionic imidazolylidenes are recognized as excellent electron-donating ligands in organometallic and main group chemistry. However, these carbene ligands typically show poor π-accepting properties. A computational analysis of 71 mesoionic imidazolylidenes that bear different aryl or heteroaryl substituents in C2 position was performed. The study has revealed that a diphenyltriazinyl (Dpt) substituent renders the corresponding carbene particularly π-acidic. The computational results could be corroborated experimentally. A mesoionic imidazolylidene with a Dpt substituent was found to be a better σ-donor and a better π-acceptor compared to an Arduengo-type N-heterocyclic carbene. To demonstrate the utility of the new carbene, the ligand was used to stabilize a low-valent paramagnetic tin compound.     

Manganese triacetate oxidation of methyl 1-hydroxy-2-naphthalene carboxylates

Manganese-triacetate mediated oxidation of 1-hydroxy-2-napthalene carboxylates in benzene under anhydrous conditions delivers the dimerized product. However, acetoxylation on the ortho- or para-position, or oxidation to quinones occurs on the 1-hydroxy-3-substituted 2-napthalene carboxylates depending on the nature of the substituents when the reaction is carried out in a mixture of acetic acid/acetonitrile.     

N‐Heterocyclic Carbene Stabilized Boryl Radicals

The reaction of the 2‐(trimethylsilyl)imidazolium triflate 9 with diarylboron halides (4‐R‐C₆H₄)₂BX (R=H, X=Br; R=CH₃, X=Cl; R=CF₃, X=Cl) afforded the NHC‐stabilized borenium cations 10 a – c . Cyclic voltammetry revealed a linear correlation between the Hammett parameter σ _p of the para substituent and the half‐wave potential. Chemical reduction with decamethylcobaltocene, [(C₅Me₅)₂Co], furnished the corresponding radicals 11 a – c ; their characterization by EPR spectroscopy confirmed the paramagnetic character of 11 a – c , with large hyperfine coupling constants to the boron isotopes ¹¹B and ¹⁰B, while delocalization of the unpaired electron into the NHC is negligible. DFT calculations of the percentage of spin density distribution between the carbene (NHC) and the boryl fragments (BR₂) revealed for 11 a – c a spin density ratio (BR₂/NHC) of ca. 9:1, which underlines their distinct boryl radical character. The molecular structure of the most stable species 11 c was established by X‐ray diffraction analysis.     

Theoretical Study of Reactions between Oxygen‐Centered Radicals (•OH and SO4•—) and Vinyl Monomers in Aqueous Phase

In this work, reactions between industrially relevant monomers (methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, vinyl acetate, and isopropenyl acetate) and oxygen‐centered radicals (^•OH and SO₄ ^•—) are studied using a combination of quantum mechanics and transition state theory. These reactions may have a strong influence on polymer structure and properties. Thus, computational methodologies able to estimate reliably coefficients for these reactions are needed to improve the understanding of emulsion polymerization processes. In the case of reactions involving ^•OH, the computational approach is based on the SMD‐water/M06‐2X/6‐311++G(3df, 2p)//B3LYP/6‐31+G(d, p) DFT scheme. All calculated and experimental Gibbs free energy barriers, , are within 1 kcal mol⁻¹. In the case of reactions involving SO₄^•—, the SMD‐water/M06‐2X/6‐311++G(3df, 2p)//CAM‐B3LYP/6‐31+G(d, p) DFT scheme is found to be more suitable than a similar scheme based on B3LYP. This proposed scheme works well for acrylates and methacrylates (errors within 1 kcal mol⁻¹), but it may overestimate the rate coefficients of acetates reacting with SO₄^{• —} .

     

Towards tuning PDT relevant photosensitizer properties: comparative study for the free and Zn2+ coordinated meso-tetrakis[2,6-difluoro-5-(N-methylsulfamylo)phenyl]porphyrin

The spectroscopic, photochemical, and biological studies of 5,10,15,20-tetrakis[2,6-difluoro-5(N-methylsulfamylo)phenyl]porphyrinate Zn(II) (ZnF₂PMet) were carried out including absorption and fluorescence spectra, fluorescence quantum yields, triplet absorption spectra, triplet lifetimes, singlet oxygen quantum yield, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) detection under biological conditions and compared with its free-base analog (F₂PMet). Zinc coordination into the porphyrin ring results in decrease of hydrophobicity and in higher cellular uptake. F₂PMet localized specifically in endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria while the ZnF₂PMet is more diffused all over the cell, bonded to membrane proteins, as assessed by fluorescence microscopy. Zn-porphyrin exhibits greater singlet oxygen quantum yield than its free-base analog. Studies with fluorescent probes confirm that the ZnF₂PMet produces mostly singlet oxygen, whereas F₂PMet generates more hydroxyl radicals as the ROS. F₂PMet is a more effective photosensitizer in vitro than its zinc complex, thus, the final photodynamic effect depends more on the nature of ROS than on the higher cellular uptake.