Steric Effects in Isolated Molecules: Gas-Phase Basicity of Methyl-Substituted Acetophenones

Proton affinity of para-substituted acetophenones in gas phase and in solution: a theoretical study

The gas phase proton affinities PA and basicities GB for a series of para-substituted acetophenones weak bases (B) p.X-C(6)H(4)CO*CH(3) with X=H, F, Cl, Br, I, Me, CF(3), CN, NO(2), OCH(3), NH(2), CH(2)OH, N(CH(3))(2), OH, [Formula: see text], … have been calculated at 298.15 K at the density functional theory DFT/B3LYP level with a 6-311++G (2d,2p) basis set. Conformational results lead to only one stable planar conformer for both unprotonated compounds and their O*-protonated forms. Satisfactory accuracy and computational efficiency could be reached if the computed PAs are scaled by a factor 0.983. Protonation at more than one site is discussed and the carbonyl oxygen atom is found to be the preferential protonated site rather than the substituent X. The calculated gas phase PAs show a good agreement with the experimental available data. The electron-donating/electron-withdrawing nature of the substituents has an enormous influence upon the thermochemical and structural properties. The influence of environment on the proton affinity has been studied by means of SCRF solvent effect computations using PCM solvation model for two solvents: water and SO(2)CI(2). Confrontation between computed and experimental pK(B) values exhibits better agreement in aqueous solution than in organic solvent.

Gas-Phase Protonation and Deprotonation of Acrylonitrile Derivatives NCCHCHX (X=CH3, NH2, PH2, SiH3)

A combined experimental and theoretical study on the gas-phase basicity and acidity of a series of cyanovinyl derivatives is presented. The gas-phase basicities and acidities of (N[triple chemical bond]C--CH==CH--X, X=CH(3), NH(2)) were obtained by means of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometry techniques. The corresponding calculated values were obtained at the G3B3 level of theory. The effects of exchanging CH(3) for SiH(3), and NH(2) for PH(2), were analyzed at the same level of theory. For the neutral molecules, the Z isomer is always the dominant species under standard gas-phase conditions at 298 K. The loss of the proton from the substituent X was found systematically to be much more favorable than deprotonation of the HC==CH linking group. The corresponding isomeric E ion is much more stable than the Z ion, so that only the former should be found in the gas phase. The most significant structural changes upon deprotonation occur for the methyl and amino derivatives because, in both cases, deprotonation of X leads to a significant charge delocalization in the corresponding anion. Protonation takes place systematically at the cyano group, whereby the isomeric E ion is again more stable than the Z ion. Push-pull effects explain the preference of aminoacrylonitrile to be protonated at the cyano group, which also explains the high basicity of this derivative relative to other members of the analyzed series that present rather similar gas-phase basicities, GB approximately 780 kJ mol(-1), indicating that the different nature of the substituents has only a weak effect on the intrinsic basicity of the cyano group. The cyanovinyl derivatives have a significantly stronger gas-phase acidity than that of the corresponding vinyl compounds CH(2)==CH--X. This acidity-strengthening effect of the cyano group is attributed to the greater stabilization of the anion with respect to the corresponding neutral compound.

Are calculated enthalpies of formation sometimes more reliable than experimental? A test on alkyl substituted benzoic acids

Energies of 20 alkyl-substituted benzoic acids were calculated at the levels B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) and MP2/6-311+G(d,p)//MP2/6-311+G(d,p); the pertinent enthalpies at 298 K were calculated at the same levels. Comparison with experimental enthalpies of formation Delta(f)H degrees (g)(298) was carried out in terms of isodesmic reactions, that is, in the relative values. Of the four calculated quantities, the DFT enthalpies yielded best correlation with the standard deviation of 2.1 kJ mol(-1), near to the experimental uncertainty; the DFT energies are only slightly worse and the MP2 enthalpies or energies much worse. However, the DFT method overestimated systematically the substituent effects and had to be calibrated. Comparison with the experimental gas-phase acidities was less telling and the fit was worse because both methods overestimated the substituent effects. Extending the base in selected examples did not give better results. Although the systematic deviations are evidently due to the imperfections of the theoretical models, individual big deviations should be attributed to experimental errors or to the abnormal behavior of certain compounds at the experimental conditions. From this point of view, three examples of the so-called long-range effect claimed in the case of different benzoic acid derivatives, always for substituents in the meta position, must be refused as unproven because the experimental energies were not confirmed by calculations.

Analysis of the Ortho Effect: Basicity of 2-Substituted Benzonitriles

Energies of 18 ortho-substituted benzonitriles and their protonated forms were calculated within the framework of the density functional theory at the level B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p). The substituent effects were evaluated in terms of isodesmic reactions as the effects on the basicity on the one hand and separately in the nitrile molecules and in the cations on the other. The ortho effect was defined as the difference when compared to the 4-substituted isomers. It is smaller than in the case of ortho-substituted benzoic acids but not negligible (up to 25 kJ mol-1). In unprotonated molecules it may be classified as purely steric effect, in spite of the small dimension of the CN group and estimates made with the calotte models. In the protonated forms, polar properties of the substituent are decisive. In addition, a new, quite important substituent effect was discovered with the substituents OH, SH, CHO and COOCH3, which is controlled by different conformation of protonated and unprotonated molecules. Substituents OH, SH and NH2 form also weak hydrogen bonds in unprotonated nitriles. In summary, 2-substituted benzonitriles allowed evaluating of several, partly new substituent effects but cannot serve as model molecules without an ortho effect, although the constant functional group CN is sterically little pretentious.