Predicting bond dissociation energies of cyclic hypervalent halogen reagents using DFT calculations and graph attention network model

Although hypervalent iodine(III) reagents have become staples in organic chemistry, the exploration of their isoelectronic counterparts, namely hypervalent bromine(III) and chlorine(III) reagents, has been relatively limited, partly due to challenges in synthesizing and stabilizing these compounds. In this study, we conduct a thorough examination of both homolytic and heterolytic bond dissociation energies (BDEs) critical for assessing the chemical stability and functional group transfer capability of cyclic hypervalent halogen compounds using density functional theory (DFT) analysis. A moderate linear correlation was observed between the homolytic BDEs across different halogen centers, while a strong linear correlation was noted among the heterolytic BDEs across these centers. Furthermore, we developed a predictive model for both homolytic and heterolytic BDEs of cyclic hypervalent halogen compounds using machine learning algorithms. The results of this study could aid in estimating the chemical stability and functional group transfer capabilities of hypervalent bromine(III) and chlorine(III) reagents, thereby facilitating their development.

Organohypervalent heterocycles

This review summarizes the structural and synthetic aspects of heterocyclic molecules incorporating an atom of a hypervalent main-group element. The term "hypervalent" has been suggested for derivatives of main-group elements with more than eight valence electrons, and the concept of hypervalency is commonly used despite some criticism from theoretical chemists. The significantly higher thermal stability of hypervalent heterocycles compared to their acyclic analogs adds special features to their chemistry, particularly for bromine and iodine. Heterocyclic compounds of elements with double bonds are not categorized as hypervalent molecules owing to the zwitterionic nature of these bonds, resulting in the conventional 8-electron species. This review is focused on hypervalent heterocyclic derivatives of nonmetal main-group elements, such as boron, silicon, nitrogen, carbon, phosphorus, sulfur, selenium, bromine, chlorine, iodine(III) and iodine(V).

Bond Strength and Interaction Energies in Togni Reagents: Insights from Molecular Electrostatic Potential-Based Parameters

Togni reagents and their analogs, classified as hypervalent iodine(III) complexes, serve as potent trifluoromethylation agents. The interplay of cis and trans factors plays a pivotal role in shaping their performance, affecting aspects such as bond strength, interaction energies, stability, and subsequent nucleophilic reactions. In this context, we propose the utilization of the molecular electrostatic potential (MESP) at the carbon atom (VC) of the I-CF3 moiety as a sensitive parameter to quantify the cis and trans influences in Togni-type reagents. Our study has shown that VC serves as a convenient probe for determining the heterolytic bond dissociation energy (BDE) and, consequently, assessing the reactivity of these reagents. Moreover, these parameters have been successfully applied to evaluate the strength of the σ-hole interactions with nucleophiles (Cl- and NMe3). Additionally, we provide insights into interactions of Togni reagents with Brønsted acids such as HCl and HSO3F, elucidating them in terms of MESP topological parameters. These findings yield valuable information about the electronic properties of hypervalent iodine reagents, particularly Togni-type reagents, offering the potential for optimizing structurally modified reagents with enhanced activity and stability.

Catalyst-Substrate Helical Character Matching Determines the Enantioselectivity in the Ishihara-Type Iodoarenes Catalyzed Asymmetric Kita-Dearomative Spirolactonization

Catalyst design has traditionally focused on rigid structural elements to prevent conformational flexibility. Ishihara's elegant design of conformationally flexible C₂-symmetric iodoarenes, a new class of privileged organocatalysts, for the catalytic asymmetric dearomatization (CADA) of naphthols is a notable exception. Despite the widespread use of the Ishihara catalysts for CADAs, the reaction mechanism remains the subject of debate, and the mode of asymmetric induction has not been well established. Here, we report an in-depth computational investigation of three possible mechanisms in the literature. Our results, however, reveal that this reaction is best rationalized by a fourth mechanism called "proton-transfer-coupled-dearomatization (PTCD)", which is predicted to be strongly favored over other competing pathways. The PTCD mechanism is consistent with a control experiment and further validated by applying it to rationalize the enantioselectivities. Oxidation of the flexible I(I) catalyst to catalytic active I(III) species induces a defined C₂-symmetric helical chiral environment with a delicate balance between flexibility and rigidity. A match/mismatch effect between the active catalyst and the substrate's helical shape in the dearomatization transition states was observed. The helical shape match allows the active catalyst to adapt its conformation to maximize attractive noncovalent interactions, including I(III)···O halogen bond, N-H···O hydrogen bond, and π···π stacking, to stabilize the favored transition state. A stereochemical model capable of rationalizing the effect of catalyst structural variation on the enantioselectivities is developed. The present study enriches our understanding of how flexible catalysts achieve high stereoinduction and may serve as an inspiration for the future exploration of conformational flexibility for new catalyst designs.

Relating Bond Strength and Nature to the Thermodynamic Stability of Hypervalent Togni-Type Iodine Compounds

The bond strength and nature of a set of 32 Togni-like reagents have been investigated at the M062X/def2-TZVP(D) level of theory in acetonitrile described with the SMD continuum solvent model, to rationalize the main factors responsible for their thermodynamic stability in different conformations, and trifluoromethylation capabilities. For the assessment of bond strength, we utilized local stretching force constants and associated bond strength orders, complemented with local features of the electron density to access the nature of the bonds. Bond dissociation energies varied from 31.6 to 79.9 kcal/mol depending on the polarizing power of the ligand trans to CF3 . Based on the analysis of the Laplacian of the density, we propose that the charge-shift bond character plays an important role in the stability of the molecules studied, especially for those containing I-O bonds. New insights on the trans influence and on possible ways to fine-tune the stability of these reagents are provided.

Predicting the right mechanism for hypervalent iodine reagents by applying two types of hypervalent twist models: apical twist and equatorial twist

Since hypervalent twist followed by reductive elimination is a general reaction pattern for hypervalent iodine reagents, mechanistic studies about the hypervalent twist step could provide significant guidance for experiments. Previous studies have shown that there are two types of hypervalent twist models, i.e. apical twist and equatorial twist. We applied both hypervalent twist models to explain the isomerization mechanism of two important electrophilic trifluoromethylating reagents, Togni I and Togni II. Up to now, there are less detailed studies about the different hypervalent twist modes between both reagents. Here, we successfully identified Togni II's isomerization pathway via equatorial twist, and suggested that different hypervalent twist models should be considered to predict the right mechanisms of reactions with hypervalent iodine reagents participating. This study will also be helpful to design new Togni type reagents with higher intrinsic reactivity and stability by avoiding the formation of acyclic by-products.

Establishing Cation and Radical Donor Ability Scales of Electrophilic F, CF3, and SCF3 Transfer Reagents

Because of their unique biological, physical, and chemical properties, organofluorine compounds play an increasingly important role in numerous areas of chemistry and everyday life. However, although fluorine is the most abundant halogen in the earth's crust and ranks 13th in abundance among all elements, naturally occurring organofluorine compounds are rare. Consequently, there is a growing demand for the development of safe and efficient reagents and selective synthetic methodologies for the introduction of fluorine or fluorine-containing groups into organic compounds. A wide variety of shelf-stable electrophilic fluorinating and fluoroalkylating reagents have been developed in the past decades. Some of them have also been shown to act as radical sources. These versatile reagents have promoted revolutionary advances in synthetic fluorine chemistry. These developments of novel reagents and the choice of suitable reagents for new reactions have relied largely on the traditional trial-and-error approach because (i) structure-reactivity relationships and mechanisms of reactions of these reagents are sparse and (ii) the rules that govern the synthesis of non-fluorinated analogues cannot necessarily be transposed to fluorinated compounds ( Cahard , D. ; et al. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2014 , 43 , 135 ), since organic fluorine compounds often exhibit unusual properties. Over the past several years, our studies have aimed at establishing comprehensive cation and radical donor scales of electrophilic F, CF₃, and SCF₃ transfer reagents. We have also developed detailed structure-reactivity relationships. We used density functional theory calculations to systematically investigate the energies required to heterolytically cleave the Y-F/CF₃/SCF₃ bonds to donate electrophilic F/CF₃/SCF₃ groups. We found that these energies can be used as convenient indicators of the relative electrophilic fluorinating/trifluoromethylating/trifluoromethylthiolating strengths of these reagents. We have constructed the first comprehensive cation donor scales for electrophilic F, CF₃, and SCF₃ transfer reagents. In collaboration with Mayr group, we experimentally determined the electrophilicity parameters of SCF₃ transfer reagents and demonstrated the importance of intrinsic barriers for predicting their kinetic reactivity. The recognition of the novel application of a few traditional electrophilic reagents as radical sources prompted us further to construct comprehensive radical donor scales of electrophilic F, CF₃, and SCF₃ transfer reagents. We identified a series of potential new radical F, CF₃, and SCF₃ donors. Single electron transfer was found to exhibit a substantial effect on activation of the Y-CF₃/SCF₃ bonds, significantly facilitating the release of CF₃/SCF₃ radicals. This Account summarizes computational and experimental accomplishments from our group and others to establish the missing links between structure and reactivity for these reagents. Our results pave the way toward the rational optimization, design, and prediction of novel electrophilic fluorinating and fluoroalkylating reagents and new reactions.

Mechanistic investigation into phenol oxidation by IBX elucidated by DFT calculations

Density functional theory (DFT) at the SMD/M06-2X/def2-TZVP//SMD/M06-2X/LANL2DZ(d),6-31G(d) level was used to explore the regioselective double oxidation of phenols by a hypervalent iodine(v) reagent (IBX) to give o-quinones.