Asymmetric Imine N-Inversion in 3-Methyl-4-pyrimidinimine. Molecular Dipole Analysis of Solvation Effects

Importance of Solvent-Bridged Structures of Fluorinated Diphenylalanines: Synthesis, Detailed NMR Analysis, and Rotational Profiles of Phe(2-F)-Phe(2-F), Phe(2-F)-Phe, and Phe-Phe(2-F)

The crystal structure of l-phenylalanyl l-phenylalanine (Phe-Phe, FF, a.k.a. diphenylalanine) is not merely noncentrosymmetric, but it is highly dipole parallel aligned. It is for this reason that FF is a nonlinear optical (NLO) material and exhibits strong second harmonic generation (SHG). Enhancement of the SHG response by ortho fluorination was demonstrated. Crystallization is nontrivial, and learning about the zwitterion structures in solution is important for the rational improvement of the crystallization process. Here, we present an NMR study of di-fluorinated FF (Phe(2-F)-Phe(2-F)) and mono-fluorinated FF isomers (Phe(2-F)-Phe and Phe-Phe(2-F)). The dipeptides were prepared by solid-phase synthesis and purified by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Their ¹H and ¹³C NMR spectra were recorded in partially deuterated water (10% D₂O), and two-dimensional (2D) NMR techniques were employed for signal assignments. The unambiguous assignments are reported of all chemical shifts for the aliphatic H and C atoms and of the C atoms of the carboxylate, the amide carbonyl, the CF carbons, and of every arene C atom in each phenyl ring. The dipeptides are trans amides and intramolecular hydrogen bonding between the ammonium group and the amide carbonyl restricts the H₃N-CH-C(O) geometry. We explored the rotational profile of the diphenylalanines as a function of the τ = ∠(C-N-C-CO₂) dihedral angle at the SMD(B3LYP/6-31G*) level without and with specific hydration and report the associated Karplus curves J(θ) vs θ = ∠(H-N-C-H). The rotational profiles show a maximum of three stationary structures, and relative conformer stabilities of the free diphenylalanines show that the conformation found in the crystal M1 is the least stable among the three, M3 > M2 ≫ M1. Specific water solvation makes all of the difference and adds a large competitive advantage to the water-bridged ion pair M1a. In fact, M1a becomes the most stable and dominant conformation for the parent diphenylalanine and mono1 F-FF and M1a becomes competitive with M3c for mono2 F-FF and di F-FF. Implications are discussed regarding the importance of the conformational preorganization of diphenylalanines in solution and the facility for their crystallization.

Origin of the Second-Order Proton Catalysis of Ferriin Reduction in Belousov-Zhabotinsky Reactions: Density Functional Studies of Ferroin and Ferriin Aggregates with Outer Sphere Ligands Sulfate, Bisulfate, and Sulfuric Acid

The detailed mechanisms of Belousov-Zhabotinsky oscillating reactions continue to present grand challenges, even after half a century of study. The origin of the pH dependence of the oscillation pattern had never been rigorously identified. In our recent kinetic study of one of the key Belousov-Zhabotinsky reactions, the iron-catalyzed bromate oxidation of malonic acid, compelling agreement between experiments and kinetic simulations was achieved only with the inclusion of second-order proton catalysis of the reduction of the [Fe(phen)₃]³⁺ species. After exhausting all other avenues in search of an explanation of this proton catalysis, we considered the possibility that the parent iron-phenanthroline complexes could aggregate with neutral and anionic outer sphere ligands (OSLs) in the highly concentrated sulfuric acid solution, and we hypothesized that OSL protonation would increase the capacity of the aggregated complex to oxidize the organic fuel. We performed potential energy surface analyses at the SMD(APFD/6-311G*) level of complexes of the types [Fe(phen)₃(SO₄^2-)_m(HSO₄^-)_n(H₂SO₄)_o]^(c-2m-n)+ for ferriin (c = 3) and ferroin (c = 2) aggregated with m sulfate, n bisulfate, and o sulfuric acid OSLs. We present structures of the OSL aggregates, develop a nomenclature for their description, and characterize their electronic structure. The structural chemistry provides the foundation to discuss the ferroin/ferriin redox couple with emphasis on the relationship between the vertical electron affinities of ferriin aggregates and their OSL protonation states. For proton catalysis to manifest itself, double-protonation paths that are slightly endergonic should be present, and proton affinities of aggregated OSLs allow the identification of such double-protonation chains. As a first test of our mechanistic proposal for the second-order proton catalysis of the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction, the results presented here provide compelling evidence in support of the importance of outer sphere ligation of the iron catalyst.

Can reactions follow non-traditional second-order saddle pathways avoiding transition states?

We report here an ab initio (CASSCF/6-31+G*) trajectory simulation study on the mechanisms of the denitrogenation of 1-pyrazoline and its subsituted analogue that reveals reaction pathways via a high energy second-order saddle (SOS) region. This mechanism involves the molecule adopting a five-membered planar structure contrary to the traditional boat-like transition state. The SOS offers a trifurcation point where a pathway branches into three, different from the single pathway associated with a transitions state. We observe that the molecules following the SOS path exhibit distinctive dynamical features and form products with high translational energies and low rotational energies compared to those following the traditional pathways. In addition, the SOS pathway provides an alternative mechanism for the formation of stereo-selective products. Interestingly, although the reaction proceeds via a trimethylene diradical intermediate, the simulations show that the product cyclopropane is formed with a major single inversion of the configuration consistent with experimental observations. They also reveal mechanisms that do not follow the minimum energy paths and exhibit non-statistical dissociation dynamics.

Azine-Hydrazone Tautomerism of Guanylhydrazones: Evidence for the Preference Toward the Azine Tautomer

Guanylhydrazones have been known for a long time and have wide applications in organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, and material science; however, little attention has been paid toward their electronic and structural properties. Quantum chemical analysis on several therapeutically important guanylhydrazones indicated that all of them prefer the azine tautomeric state (by about 3-12 kcal/mol). A set of simple and conjugated azines were designed using quantum chemical methods, whose tautomeric preference toward the azine tautomer is in the range of 3-8 kcal/mol. Twenty new azines were synthesized and isolated in their neutral state. Variable temperature NMR study suggests existence of the azine tautomer even at higher temperatures with no traces of the hydrazone tautomer. The crystal structures of two representative compounds confirmed that the title compounds prefer to exist in their azine tautomeric form.

Mechanistic models for LAH reductions of acetonitrile and malononitrile. Aggregation effects of Li+ and AlH3 on imide-enamide equilibria

The results are reported of an ab initio study of the addition of LiAlH(4) to acetonitrile and malononitrile at the MP2(full)/6-311+G* level considering the effects of electron correlation at higher levels up to QCISD(T)/6-311++G(2df,2pd) and including ether solvation. All imide (RCH(2)CH═N(-)) and enamide (RCH(-)CH═NH ↔ RCH═CHN(-)H) adducts feature strong interactions between the organic anion and both Li(+) and AlH(3). The relative stabilities of the tautomeric LAH adducts are compared to the tautomer preference energies of the LiH adducts and of the hydride adducts of the nitriles. Alane affinities were determined for the lithium ion pairs formed by LiH addition to the nitriles. The results show that alane binding greatly affects the imide-enamide equilibria and that alane complexation might even provide a thermodynamic preference for the imide intermediate. While lithium enamides of malononitrile are much more stable than lithium imides, alane binding dramatically reduces the enamide preference so that both tautomers are present at equilibrium. Implications are discussed regarding to the propensity for multiple hydride reductions and with regard to the mechanism of reductive nitrile dimerization. A detailed mechanism is proposed for the formation of 2-aminonicotinonitrile (2ANN) in the LAH reduction of malononitrile.