CH⋯O H-bond mediated tautomerization of 2-methyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione: A combined IR spectroscopic and theoretical study

Molecular association and its impact on the keto-enol tautomerization of 2-methyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione (MCHD) have been investigated in low temperature argon matrix and thin solid film. The system exists exclusively in diketo tautomeric form in argon matrix. The CH⋯O H-bonded homodimers of the diketo tautomer are produced by annealing the matrix at 28 K. No trace of the keto-enol tautomer is observed in matrix isolated homodimers in the temperature range of 8-28 K. However, tautomeric conversion initiates in a thin film of pure diketo tautomer when the temperature of the film is raised to ~170 K. Transition state calculations on the monomeric and dimeric MCHD demonstrate that CH⋯O H-bond formations between diketo tautomers play a vital role in lowering the tautomerization barrier. However, the extent of CH⋯O H-bonded dimer formation in matrix isolation, as well as extent of tautomerization in the neat sample are found to be smaller than that for the previously reported 1,3-cyclohexanedione (CHD) under similar experimental conditions (J. Phys. Chem. A 2012, 116, 3836-3845). Electronic structure calculations suggest that formation of the CH⋯O H-bonded dimer is less feasible in presence of the bulky 2-methyl groups of MCHD, as compared to CHD. Additionally, the transition state geometry of the dimeric keto-enol product of MCHD, as compared to the same for CHD, is more strained and offers a weaker CH---O H-bond that contributes to lesser tautomeric conversion in the former.

Synthesis and amide imidic prototropic tautomerization in thiophene-2-carbohydrazide: XRD, DFT/HSA-computation, DNA-docking, TG and isoconversional kinetics via FWO and KAS models

Thiophene-2-carbohydrazide as a novel small-molecule amide tautomer has been synthesized with an acceptable yield under microwave radiation (MW) conditions. The amide imidic thiophene-2-carbohydrazide prototropic tautomerization via single proton intramigration was computed using the DFT B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level of theory. The endo-isomer amide structure of thiophene-2-carbohydrazide was proved by XRD and is considered to be the kinetically favored isomer. The DFT-structure parameters were compared to their corresponding XRD-experimental parameters. Several H-bond interactions were detected in the crystal lattice experimentally using the XRD-packing model then correlated to MEP and HSA calculations. The manual and calculated electronic parameters such as, frontier molecular orbital energies, excitation energy, absorption, dipole moment, DOS, GRD quantum parameters and TD-SCF/B3LYP were DFT computed. The thiophene-2-carbohydrazide isomers together with their prototropic (E)/(Z)-thiophene-2-carbohydrazonic acid tautomers were docked against 1BNA DNA. FWO and KAS isoconversional kinetic methods were applied, and the thermal behavior and estimated E_a–α relations were determined.

Thiophene-2-carbohydrazide as a novel small-molecule amide tautomer has been synthesized with an acceptable yield under microwave radiation (MW) conditions.

Ammonia Catalyzed Formation of Sulfuric Acid in Troposphere: The Curious Case of a Base Promoting Acid Rain

Electronic structure calculations have been performed to investigate the role of ammonia in catalyzing the formation of sulfuric acid through hydrolysis of SO₃ in Earth's atmosphere. The uncatalyzed process involves a high activation barrier and, until date, is mainly known to occur in Earth's atmosphere only when catalyzed by water and acids. Here we show that hydrolysis of SO₃ can be very efficiently catalyzed by ammonia, the most abundant basic component in Earth's atmosphere. It was found, based on magnitude of relative potential energies as well as rate coefficients, that ammonia is the best among all the catalysts studied until now (water and acids) and could be a considerable factor in formation of sulfuric acid in troposphere. The calculated rate coefficient (at 298 K) of ammonia catalyzed reaction has been found to be ∼10⁵-10⁷ times greater than that for water catalyzed ones. It was found, based on relative rates of ammonia and water catalyzed processes, that in troposphere ammonia, together with water, could be the key factor in determining the rate of formation of sulfuric acid. In fact, ammonia could surpass water in catalyzing sulfuric acid formation via hydrolysis of SO₃ at various altitudes in troposphere depending upon their relative concentrations.

Isomerization of methoxy radical in the troposphere: competition between acidic, neutral and basic catalysts

A comprehensive investigation of the roles of acidic, neutral and basic catalysts in isomerization of methoxy radical in the troposphere has been carried out by quantum chemical calculations at the MP2 and CCSD(T) levels of theory.

Ammonia as an efficient catalyst for decomposition of carbonic acid: a quantum chemical investigation

Electronic structure calculations using M06-2X, MP2 and CCSD(T) methods have been employed to show ammonia as an efficient catalyst for decomposition of carbonic acid.