Classical and reverse substituent effects in meta- and para-substituted nitrobenzene derivatives

Ultrafast Spectroscopies of Nitrophenols and Nitrophenolates in Solution: From Electronic Dynamics and Vibrational Structures to Photochemical and Environmental Implications

Nitrophenols are a group of small organic molecules with significant environmental implications from the atmosphere to waterways. In this work, we investigate a series of nitrophenols and nitrophenolates, with the contrasting ortho-, meta-, and para-substituted nitro group to the phenolic hydroxy or phenolate oxygen site (2/3/4NP or NP^-), implementing a suite of steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques that include UV/Visible spectroscopy, femtosecond transient absorption (fs-TA) spectroscopy with probe-dependent and global analysis, and femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy (FSRS), aided by quantum calculations. The excitation-dependent (400 and 267 nm) electronic dynamics in water and methanol, for six protonated or deprotonated nitrophenol molecules (three regioisomers in each set), enable a systematic investigation of the excited-state dynamics of these functional "nanomachines" that can undergo nitro-group twisting (as a rotor), excited-state intramolecular or intermolecular proton transfer (donor-acceptor, ESIPT, or ESPT), solvation, and cooling (chromophore) events on molecular timescales. In particular, the meta-substituted compound 3NP or 3NP^- exhibits the strongest charge-transfer character with FSRS signatures (e.g., C-N peak frequency), and thus, does not favor nitroaromatic twist in the excited state, while the ortho-substituted compound 2NP can undergo ESIPT in water and likely generate nitrous acid (HONO) after 267 nm excitation. The delineated mechanistic insights into the nitro-substituent-location-, protonation-, solvent-, and excitation-wavelength-dependent effects on nitrophenols, in conjunction with the ultraviolet-light-induced degradation of 2NP in water, substantiates an appealing discovery loop to characterize and engineer functional molecules for environmental applications.

Effect of the Solvent and Substituent on Tautomeric Preferences of Amine-Adenine Tautomers

Adenine is one of the basic molecules of life; it is also an important building block in the synthesis of new pharmaceuticals, electrochemical (bio)sensors, or self-assembling molecular materials. Therefore, it is important to know the effects of the solvent and substituent on the electronic structure of adenine tautomers and their stability. The four most stable adenine amino tautomers (9H, 7H, 3H, and 1H), modified by substitution (C2- or C8-) of electron-withdrawing NO2 and electron-donating NH2 groups, are studied theoretically in the gas phase and in solvents of different polarities (1 ≤ ε < 109). Solvents have been modeled using the polarizable continuum model. Comparison of the stability of substituted adenine tautomers in various solvents shows that substitution can change tautomeric preferences with respect to the unsubstituted adenine. Moreover, C8 substitution results in slight energy differences between tautomers in polar solvents (<1 kcal/mol), which suggests that in aqueous solution, C8-X-substituted adenine systems may consist of a considerable amount of two tautomers-9H and 7H for X = NH2 and 3H and 9H for X = NO2. Furthermore, solvation enhances the effect of the nitro group; however, the enhancement strongly depends on the proximity effects. This enhancement for the NO2 group with two repulsive N···ON contacts can be threefold higher than that for the NO2 with one attractive NH···ON contact. The proximity effects are even more significant for the NH2 group, as the solvation may increase or decrease its electron-donating ability, depending on the type of proximity.

Solvent Effect on the Stability and Reverse Substituent Effect in Nitropurine Tautomers

The solvent effect on the stability and electron-accepting properties (EA) of the nitro group attached to the C2, C6, or C8 position of nitropurine NH tautomers is investigated. For this purpose, the density functional theory (DFT) and the polarizable continuum model (PCM) of solvation in a wide range of solvents (1 < ε < 109) are used. We show that the EA properties of the NO2 group, described by the charge of the substituent active region (cSAR) model, are linearly dependent on the reciprocal of the solvent dielectric constant; in all cases, solvation enhances the EA properties of this group. Furthermore, the sensitivity of EA properties of the nitro group to the solvent effect depends on the proximity effects. It has been shown that the proximity of two endocyclic N atoms (two repulsive interactions) results in higher sensitivity than the asymmetric proximity of the endocyclic N atom and NH group (one repulsive and one attractive interaction). To explain this phenomenon, the geometry of the nitro group in coplanar form and after forcing its rotation around the CN bond is discussed. Relative stabilities of nitropurine tautomers in different solvents are also presented. Differences in the stabilities and solvation energies are explained by aromaticity, electronic structure, and intramolecular interactions of the nitropurine tautomers.

Energetic and geometric characteristics of the substituents. Part 1. The case of NO2 and NH2 groups in their mono-substituted derivatives of simple benzenoid hydrocarbons

Simple polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, substituted by strongly electron-donating (NH2) and withdrawing (NO2) groups, are studied employing density functional theory (DFT) calculations. A new approach to a description of the substituent effect, the energy of substituent, E(X), is proposed and evaluated. It is defined as E(X) = E(R-X)−E(R), where R is the unsubstituted system; X = NH2, NO2. Changes in the energy of the substituents, estimated for the benzene analog, Erel(X), allow the energy of the various substituents to be compared. The obtained values are interpreted through correlations with the geometry of the substituent and the substituted system. We show that Erel(X) is strongly dependent on the proximity of the substitution. Values of Erel(X) are also compared with a substituent descriptor based on atomic charge distribution–charge of the substituent active region, cSAR(X). It has been shown that these two descriptors correlate very well (R2 > 0.99); however, only for linear acenes with similar, “benzene-like” proximity. Moreover, relations between Erel(X) and cSAR(X), the geometry of the substituents, and angle at the ipso carbon atom can be explained by the well-established Bent–Walsh rule.

Data enhanced Hammett-equation: reaction barriers in chemical space

It is intriguing how the Hammett equation enables control of chemical reactivity throughout chemical space by separating the effect of substituents from chemical process variables, such as reaction mechanism, solvent, or temperature. We generalize Hammett's original approach to predict potential energies of activation in non aromatic molecular scaffolds with multiple substituents. We use global regression to optimize Hammett parameters ρ and σ in two experimental datasets (rate constants for benzylbromides reacting with thiols and ammonium salt decomposition), as well as in a synthetic dataset consisting of computational activation energies of ∼2400 SN2 reactions, with various nucleophiles and leaving groups (-H, -F, -Cl, -Br) and functional groups (-H, -NO2, -CN, -NH3, -CH3). Individual substituents contribute additively to molecular σ with a unique regression term, which quantifies the inductive effect. The position dependence of substituents can be modeled by a distance decaying factor for SN2. Use of the Hammett equation as a base-line model for Δ-machine learning models of the activation energy in chemical space results in substantially improved learning curves reaching low prediction errors for small training sets.

Substituent effects of nitro group in cyclic compounds

Numerous studies on nitro group properties are associated with its high electron-withdrawing ability, by means of both resonance and inductive effect. The substituent effect of the nitro group may be well described using either traditional substituent constants or characteristics based on quantum chemistry, i.e., cSAR, SESE, and pEDA/sEDA models. Interestingly, the cSAR descriptor allows to describe the electron-attracting properties of the nitro group regardless of the position and the type of system. Analysis of classical and reverse substituent effects of the nitro group in various systems indicates strong pi-electron interactions with electron-donating substituents due to the resonance effect. This significantly affects the pi-electron delocalization of the aromatic ring decreasing the aromatic character, evidenced clearly by HOMA values. Use of the pEDA/sEDA model allows to measure the population of electrons transferred from the ring to the nitro group.

Changes in Electron Structure of the Triple Bond in Substituted Acetylene and Diacetylene Derivatives

The substituent effect is usually considered by means of various Hammett-like substituent constants and is most often related to aromatic systems. Unlike this, we present results of our research on the influence of 27 substituents spanning a wide range of electronic properties, from strongly electron-withdrawing to strongly electron-donating, on the electron structure of X-substituted acetylenes and diacetylenes - thus the systems which until now have practically not been subject of any deeper studies. It is shown that the interaction through triple bond(s) is associated with a significant advantage of resonance effects and that the substituent effect transmitted by the C≡C-C≡C unit is about half of that transmitted by the C≡C unit alone. Substituent X mainly affects the closest carbon atom by means of proximity effect, hence changes of charge on this atom do not follow any substituent constants. The effect on further carbon atoms is much smaller. The presence of the C≡C-C≡C unit withdraws more charge from X than a triple bond alone, and hinders communication between X and the terminal H atom. Comparison of substituent effects to those present in X-substituted benzene derivatives shows that the electronic properties of the terminal hydrogen atom in acetylenes and diacetylenes are most similar to the electronic properties of ortho and para hydrogen atoms in X-substituted benzene derivatives.

Impact of the Substituents on the Electronic Structure of the Four Most Stable Tautomers of Purine and Their Adenine Analogues

Substituent effects at the C2-, C8-, and N-positions of adenine and purine on the structural and π-electronic changes in their four tautomers were studied using the B97D3/aug-cc-pvdz computational level. The effect of various substituents (NO2, CN, CHO, Cl, F, H, Me, OMe, OH, and NH2) was characterized by the charge of the substituent active region (cSAR) approach and Hammett substituent constants σ. It has been found that for both adenine and purine derivatives, substituents from the C8-X position have a stronger influence on their electronic structure than from the C2-X and N-X positions. The presence of the amino group in adenine enhances the substituent effect compared to that which occurs in purine. In addition, its electronic structure is more sensitive to the effect of the substituent in 3H and 1H than in the 9H and 7H adenine tautomers. For a given substituent, a large variation in cSAR(X) values is observed, strongly dependent on the substitution position. For 7H and 9H adenine tautomers for C8-X systems, substituents reduce the aromaticity of the five-membered rings but increase the aromaticity of the six-membered rings.

Study of the influence of intermolecular interaction on classical and reverse substituent effects in para-substituted phenylboranes

The substituent effect and the reverse substituent effect in para-substituted phenylboranes and the influence of the intermolecular interaction of H⋯B type with either silane or methylsilane on the latter of these effects are extensively studied.

Most of the field/inductive substituent effect works through the bonds

An application of the quantum chemical modeling allowed to investigate the nature of the field/inductive substituent effect (SE). For this purpose, series of X-tert-butyl···tert-butane (TTX) complexes (where X = NMe₂, NH₂, OH, OMe, Me, H, F, Cl, CF₃, CN, CHO, COMe, CONH₂, COOH, NO₂, NO) were studied. A starting distance between central carbon atoms in substituted and unsubstituted fragments of TTX, d_C1-C4, was the same as the distance C1-C4 in X-substituted bicyclo[2.2.2]octane (BCO), where the SE acts both via bonds and via space. A strength of interaction between substituted and unsubstituted components of TTX was described by deformation and interaction energies. The substituent effect on electronic structure through the bonds and the space was characterized using charge of the substituent active region (cSAR) approach. The comparison of the SE characteristics obtained for alicyclic BCO and for TTX complexes document a significantly stronger field/inductive effect through bonds than through space.

Substituent effects on the aromaticity of benzene-An approach based on interaction coordinates

Benzene and 23 monosubstituted and 32 disubstituted derivatives of benzene were optimized for minimum energy structures using the B3LYP/cc-pVTZ method. The force fields of all the compounds were evaluated at their optimized geometries using the same method and basis set. In order to understand the effect of substitution(s) on the aromaticity of benzene, the aromaticity index based on interaction coordinates (AIBIC) values were computed for each and the change from the benzene value was obtained. This difference, the substituent effect based on interaction coordinates (SEBIC), quantifies the effect of the substituent on the aromaticity of benzene ring satisfactorily. It is found that the AIBIC of disubstituted benzenes (XC₆H₄Y) could be predicted well by adding the respective SEBIC(C₆H₅X) and SEBIC(C₆H₅Y) values to the AIBIC of benzene. The projected force fields of the meta and para fragments of the monosubstituted benzenes when chosen properly contain the information about the directing influence of the substituent in terms of the electron density based on interaction coordinates (EDBIC). When the EDBIC(para) > EDBIC(meta) relative to benzene, the substituent is ortho-para directing, while when the reverse is true, it is meta directing. The effect of conformational changes on aromaticity has been studied using aminophenols and dihydroxybenzenes. The additivity rule and the EDBIC concept work adequately well in that the methods can have several useful practical applications that will benefit various areas of science. A good understanding of the substituent effects and the ability to predict them should add a new dimension to the applications of AIBIC.

Classical and Reverse Substituent Effects in Substituted Anthrol Derivatives

The substituent effect in 1-, 2-, and 9-anthrols is studied by means of B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) computation, taking into account substituents (X): NO2, CN, OH and NH2 located in all positions except the adjacent ones. The substituent effect is characterized by approaches based on quantum chemistry: The charge of the substituent active region (cSAR), substituent effect stabilization energy (SESE) and the charge flow index (CFI) describing flow of the charge from X to the fixed group (or vice versa) as well as substituent constants σ. Changes in properties observed in the fixed group (OH) are described by cSAR(OH). Mutual interdependences are found between these descriptors. The HOMA index is used to describe an effect of a substituent on aromaticity of an anthrol hydrocarbon skeleton and of individual rings. In all cases, the classical (influence of X on the properties of OH) and reverse (influence of OH on the properties of X) substituent effects are studied. The latter is clearly documented by the cSAR approach.

Aromaticity of benzene derivatives: an exploration of the Cambridge Structural Database

The harmonic oscillator model of aromaticity (HOMA) index, one of the most popular aromaticity indices for solid-state benzene rings in the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD), has been analyzed. The histograms of HOMA for benzene, for benzene derivatives with one formyl, nitro, amino or hydroxy group as well as the histograms for the derivatives with two formyl, nitro, amino or hydroxy groups inortho,metaandparapositions were investigated. The majority of the substituted benzene derivatives in the CSD are characterized by a high value of HOMA, indicating fully aromatic character; however, the distribution of the HOMA value from 1 to about 0 indicates decreasing aromaticity down to non-aromatic character. Among the benzene derivatives investigated, a significant decrease in aromaticity can be related to compounds with diamino and dinitro groups in themetaposition.

Toward the Physical Interpretation of Inductive and Resonance Substituent Effects and Reexamination Based on Quantum Chemical Modeling

An application of a charge of the substituent active region concept to 1-Y,4-X-disubstituted derivatives of bicyclo[2.2.2]octane (BCO) [where Y = NO₂, COOH, OH, and NH₂ and X = NMe₂, NH₂, OH, OMe, Me, H, F, Cl, CF₃, CN, CHO, COMe, CONH₂, COOH, NO₂, and NO] provides a quantitative information on the inductive component of the substituent effect (SE). It is shown that the effect is highly additive but dependent on the kind of substituents. An application of the SE stabilization energy characteristics to 1,4-disubstituted derivatives of BCO and benzene allows the definition of inductive and resonance contributions to the overall SE. Good agreements with empirical approaches are found. All calculations have been carried out by means of the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) method.