CASCSF study on the photochemical transposition reactions of pyrazines

A Theoretical Study on the Photochemical Isomerization of 2,6-Dimethylpyrazine

DFT calculations on the photoisomerization of 2,6-dimethylpyrazine allowed us to confirm the role of benzvalene isomers in the isomerization of hexatomic heterocyclic compounds. 2,6-Dimethylpyrazine in the excited singlet states can be converted into the corresponding Dewar isomers. If the S2 state is populated, two Dewar isomers can be obtained, while the S1 state allows the formation of only one of the possible Dewar isomers. Both Dewar isomers can be converted into the benzvalene isomer, that is, the precursor of 4,5-dimethylpyrimidine, the reaction product. In fact, the benzvalene isomer can be obtained from the Dewar isomers in processes that occur without an activation energy, and it is the more stable benzvalene isomers that can be obtained from the Dewar isomers. CASSCF study indicates the presence of a conical intersection allowing the direct formation of the benzvalene isomer.

Singlet oxygen-mediated selective C-H bond hydroperoxidation of ethereal hydrocarbons

Singlet O₂ is a key reactive oxygen species responsible for photodynamic therapy and is generally recognized to be chemically reactive towards C=C double bonds. Herein, we report the hydroperoxidation/lactonization of α-ethereal C-H bonds by singlet O₂ (¹Δ_g) under exceptionally mild conditions, i.e., room temperature and ambient pressure, with modest to high yields (38~90%) and excellent site selectivity. Singlet O₂ has been known for > 90 years, but was never reported to be able to react with weakly activated C-H bonds in saturated hydrocarbons. Theoretical calculations indicate that singlet O₂ directly inserts into the α-ethereal C-H bond in one step with conservation of steric configuration in products. The current discovery of chemical reaction of singlet oxygen with weakly activated solvent C-H bonds, in addition to physical relaxation pathway, provides an important clue to a 35-year-old unresolved mystery regarding huge variations of solvent dependent lifetime of singlet O₂.

Ultraviolet photodissociation action spectroscopy of gas-phase protonated quinoline and isoquinoline cations

Gas-phase two-photon UV action spectra of protonated quinoline and isoquinoline cations are reported revealing two broad, vibrationally-structured electronic bands and multiple photoproduct channels.

Photochemical isomerization reactions of cyanopyrroles: a theoretical study

The mechanisms of the photochemical isomerization reactions were investigated theoretically using a model system of 2-cyanopyrrole and 2-cyano-5-methylpyrrole with the CASSCF (eight-electron/seven-orbital active space) and MP2-CAS methods and the 6-311(d,p) basis set. The structures of the conical intersections, which play a decisive role in such phototranspositions, were obtained. The intermediates and transition structures of the ground state were also calculated to assist in providing a qualitative explanation of the reaction pathways. Our model investigations suggest that the preferred reaction route for the cyanopyrroles is as follows: reactant --> Franck-Condon region --> conical intersection --> photoproduct. In particular, the conical intersection mechanism found in this work gives a better explanation than the previously proposed internal cyclization-isomerization mechanism and supports the experimental observations. In addition, we suggest a simple p-pi orbital topology model, which can be used as a guide tool to predict the location at which conical intersections are likely to occur, as well as the conformations of the phototransposition products of various heterocycles.