Understanding Chemical Reactivity: The Case for Atom, Proton and Methyl Transfers

Reactivity in nucleophilic vinylic substitution (S(N)V):S(N)Vπ versus S(N)Vσ mechanistic dichotomy

The intrinsic electronic factors that determine reactivity in prototypical identity nucleophilic vinylic substitution reactions, X(-) + ViX → XVi + X(-) (Vi = vinyl), have been studied by performing quantum chemical calculations (OPBE/6-311++G(d,p)). Of the two limiting reaction types envisaged--the S(N)Vπ and S(N)Vσ mechanisms--the former is preferred for most combinations of nucleophiles and substrates, except for the combination of unactivated substrates and poor nucleophiles, as seen for the much studied reactions Cl(-) + CH2CHCl and Br(-) + CH2CHBr. It was found that periodic trends for S(N)Vπ are essentially the same as those previously reported for nucleophilic aromatic substitution, S(N)Ar, while intrinsic S(N)Vσ nucleophilicity parallels aliphatic S(N)2. It is therefore concluded that S(N)V reactivity in general can be understood in terms of this mechanistic dichotomy. Furthermore, a few representative reactions were analyzed applying two complementary schemes for energy decomposition analysis.

From elementary reactions to chemical relevance in the photodynamic therapy of cancer

Theories of radiationless conversions and of chemical processes were employed to design better photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT). In addition to photostability and intense absorption in the near infrared, these photosensitizers were required to generate high yields of long-lived triplet states that could efficiently transfer their energy, or an electron, to molecular oxygen. The guidance provided by the theories was combined with the ability to synthesize large quantities of pure photosensitizers and with the biological screening of graded hydrophilicities/lipophilicities. The theoretical prediction that halogenated sulfonamide tetraphenylbacteriochlorins could satisfy all the criteria for ideal PDT photosensitizers was verified experimentally.

Combined effects of singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radical in photodynamic therapy with photostable bacteriochlorins: evidence from intracellular fluorescence and increased photodynamic efficacy in vitro

Sulfonamides of halogenated bacteriochlorins bearing Cl or F substituents in the ortho positions of the phenyl rings have adequate properties for photodynamic therapy, including strong absorption in the near-infrared (λ(max) ≈ 750 nm, ε ≈ 10(5) M(-1) cm(-1)), controlled photodecomposition, large cellular uptake, intracellular localization in the endoplasmic reticulum, low cytotoxicity, and high phototoxicity against A549 and S91 cells. The roles of type I and type II photochemical processes are assessed by singlet oxygen luminescence and intracellular hydroxyl radical detection. Phototoxicity of halogenated sulfonamide bacteriochlorins does not correlate with singlet oxygen quantum yields and must be mediated both by electron transfer (superoxide ion, hydroxyl radicals) and by energy transfer (singlet oxygen). The photodynamic efficacy is enhanced when cellular death is induced by both singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radicals.