A Molecular Electron Density Theory Study of the Synthesis of Spirobipyrazolines through the Domino Reaction of Nitrilimines with Allenoates

Quantum Mechanical Elucidation on [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of aryl nitrile oxide with cyclopentenones

The [3 + 2] cycloaddition (32CA) reaction of benzonitrile oxide (BNO) with 4-substituted 4-hydroxy-2-cyclopentenone has been investigated using molecular electron density theory (MEDT) at the Density Functional Theory (DFT) B3LYP/6-31G (d), M06/6-311G (d,p) and M06-2X/6-311++G (d,p) levels. The present theoretical computations indicate that the reaction of BNO with 4-substituted 4-hydroxy-2-cyclopentenones is via [3 + 2] cycloaddition, where the three atom component (TAC) chemo-selectively adds across the alkene functionality in the 2-cyclopentenones (Path A). Analysis of the electrophilic P_A⁺ and nucleophilic P_A^- Parr functions at the different reaction sites in the alkene counterpart indicates that the aryl nitrile oxides add across the atomic centers with the highest Mulliken atomic spin densities. The results reported in this study are in good agreement with previous experimental work. The GEDT calculations unravel the low polar character of the [3 + 2] cycloaddition reactions. This reaction occurs with poor enantioselectivity, but a high degree of stereo-, peri-, diastereo, and regioselectivity is seen for the reaction of the BNO with 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-cyclopentenones. The regioselectivity of the reactions is the same in all the solvents investigated.

Regioselective Cycloaddition of Nitrile Imines to 5-Methylidene-3-phenyl-hydantoin: Synthesis and DFT Calculations

Nitrile imine cycloaddition to hydantoins containing an exocyclic C=C double bond has been previously described in a very limited number of examples. In this work, regioselective synthesis of spiro-pyrazoline-imidazolidine-2,4-diones based on a 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction of nitrile imines to 5-methylidene-3-phenyl-hydantoin have been proposed. It was found that, regardless of the nature of the aryl substituents at the terminal C and N atoms of the C-N-N fragment of nitrile imine (electron donor or electron acceptor), cycloaddition to the 5-methylidenhydantoin exocyclic C=C bond proceeds regioselectively, and the terminal nitrogen atom of the nitrile imine connects to the more sterically hindered carbon atom of the double bond, which leads to the formation of a 5-disubstituted pyrazoline ring. The observed cycloaddition regioselectivity was rationalized using DFT calculations of frontier molecular orbital interactions, global CDFT reactivity indices, and minimum energy paths.

A DFT study of the double (3 + 2) cycloaddition of nitrile oxides and allenoates for the formation of spirobiisoxazolines

The molecular mechanism of the double (3 + 2) cycloaddition (32CA) reaction between nitrile oxides and allenoates has been studied using density functional theory at the M06-2X/6-311G (d,p) level of theory. In the first 32CA, the nitrile oxide adds chemo- and regio-selectively to the C-C double bond of the allenoate closest to the carboxylate group followed by a subsequent regioselective addition to the olefinic bond of the isoxazoline intermediate. The rate constant for the preferred pathway (formation of 4-methylene-2-isoxazoline intermediate) in the reaction of ethyl substituted allenoate and mesitonitrile oxide is 5.3 × 10² s^-1 in THF which is about 13 times faster than the closest competing step (formation of its regioisomer 5-methylene-2-isoxazoline intermediate) which has a rate constant of 4.4 × 10¹ s^-1. Strong electron-donating groups (EDGs) and electron-withdrawing groups (EWGs) decrease activation barriers and hence increase the reaction rate. Also, the dimerization of nitrile oxide to form furaxon is found to be kinetically unfavored.

Unveiling the molecular mechanisms of the cycloaddition reactions of aryl hetaryl thioketones and C,N-disubstituted nitrilimines

Many synthetic routes to constructing biologically active heterocyclic compounds are made feasible through the (3 + 2) cycloaddition (32CA) reactions. Due to a large number of possible combinations of several heteroatoms from either the three-atom components (TACs) or the ethylene derivatives, the potential of the 32CA reactions in heterocyclic syntheses is versatile. Herein, the cycloaddition reaction of thiophene-2-carbothialdehyde derivatives and C,N-disubstituted nitrilimines have been studied through density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level of theory. In the present study, a one-step 32CA and two-step (4 + 3) cycloaddition (43CA) reaction mechanisms involved in TACs reactions and ethylene derivative have been investigated. In all reactions considered, the one-step 32CA cycloaddition is preferred over the two-step 43CA. The TAC chemoselectively adds across the thiocarbonyl group present in the ethylene derivative in a 32CA fashion to form the corresponding cycloadduct. Analysis of the electrophilic [Formula: see text] and nucleophilic [Formula: see text] Parr functions at the various reaction centers in the ethylene derivative show that the TAC adds across the atomic centers with the largest Parr functions, which is in total agreement with the experimental observation. The selectivities observed in the titled reactions are kinetically controlled.

The origin of the regiospecificity of acrolein dimerization

Acrolein dimerization is a intriguing case since the reaction does not occur to form the electronically preferred regioisomeric adduct. Various explanations have been suggested to rationalize this experimental regioselectivity, however, none of these arguments had been convincing enough. In this work, the hetero Diels-Alder acrolein dimerization was theoretically investigated using DFT and MP2 methods. The influence of nucleophilic/electrophilic interactions and non-covalent interactions (NCI) in the regiospecificity of the reaction were analyzed. Our results show that the NCI at the transition state are the key factor controlling the regiospecificity in this reaction. Besides, we found that the choice of calculation method can have an effect on the prediction of the mechanism in the reaction, as all DFT methods forecast a one-step hetero Diels-Alder acrolein dimerization, while MP2 predicts a stepwise description for the lower energy reaction channel.

Understanding the Origin of the Regioselectivity in Non-Polar [3+2] Cycloaddition Reactions through the Molecular Electron Density Theory

The regioselectivity in non-polar [3+2] cycloaddition (32CA) reactions has been studied within the Molecular Electron Density Theory (MEDT) at the B3LYP/6-311G(d,p) level. To this end, the 32CA reactions of nine simplest three-atom-components (TACs) with 2-methylpropene were selected. The electronic structure of the reagents has been characterized through the Electron Localisation Function (ELF) and the Conceptual DFT. The energy profiles of the two regioisomeric reaction paths and ELF topology of the transition state structures are studied to understand the origin of the regioselectivity in these 32CA reactions. This MEDT study permits to conclude that the least electronegative X1 end atom of these TACs controls the asynchronicity in the C−X (X=C, N, O) single bond formation, and consequently, the regioselectivity. This behaviour is a consequence of the fact that the creation of the non-bonding electron density required for the formation of the new single bonds has a lower energy demand at the least electronegative X1 atom than at the Z3 one.