R. W. Taft

Bio: R. W. Taft is an academic researcher from Pomona College. The author has contributed to research in topics: Substituent & Organic reaction. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 2 publications receiving 6429 citations.

A survey of Hammett substituent constants and resonance and field parameters

Abstract: The Hammett equation (and its extended forms) has been one of the most widely used means for the study and interpretation of organic reactions and their mechanisms. Although the Hammett methodology has been criticized by theoreticians because of its empirical foundation, it is astonishing that u constants, obtained simply from the ionization of organic acids in solution, can frequently predict successfully equilibrium and rate constants for a variety of families of reactions in solution. Almost every kind of organic reaction has been treated via the Hammett equation, or its extended form. The literature is so voluminous and extensive that there is no complete review of all that has been accomplished. Hammett's success in treating the electronic effect of substituents on the rates and equilibria of organic reactions1P2 led Taft to apply the same principles to steric and inductive and resonance effects? Then, more recently, octanol/ water partition coefficients (P) have been used for rationalizing the hydrophobic effects of organic compounds interacting with biological systems? The use of log P (for whole molecules) or n (for substituents), when combined with electronic and steric parameters, has opened up whole new regions of biochemical and pharmacological reactions to study by the techniques of physical organic chemistry.sf3 The combination of electronic, steric, hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and hydrogen-bonding7 parameters has been used to derive quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) for a host of interactions of organic compounds with living systems or parts thereof. The binding of organic compounds to proteins,8 their interaction with enzymess and with cellsloJ1 and tiasues,12 their inhibition of organelles,l' and as antimalarial^'^

A Survey of Hammett Substituent Constants and Resonance and Field Parameters

Abstract: The Hammett equation (and its extended forms) has been one of the most widely used means for the study and interpretation of organic reactions and their mechanisms. Although the Hammett methodology has been criticized by theoreticians because of its empirical foundation, it is astonishing that u constants, obtained simply from the ionization of organic acids in solution, can frequently predict successfully equilibrium and rate constants for a variety of families of reactions in solution. Almost every kind of organic reaction has been treated via the Hammett equation, or its extended form. The literature is so voluminous and extensive that there is no complete review of all that has been accomplished. Hammett's success in treating the electronic effect of substituents on the rates and equilibria of organic reactions1P2 led Taft to apply the same principles to steric and inductive and resonance effects? Then, more recently, octanol/ water partition coefficients (P) have been used for rationalizing the hydrophobic effects of organic compounds interacting with biological systems? The use of log P (for whole molecules) or n (for substituents), when combined with electronic and steric parameters, has opened up whole new regions of biochemical and pharmacological reactions to study by the techniques of physical organic chemistry.sf3 The combination of electronic, steric, hydrophobic, hydrophilic, and hydrogen-bonding7 parameters has been used to derive quantitative structure-activity relationships (QSAR) for a host of interactions of organic compounds with living systems or parts thereof. The binding of organic compounds to proteins,8 their interaction with enzymess and with cellsloJ1 and tiasues,12 their inhibition of organelles,l' and as antimalarial^'^

Conceptual density functional theory.

Abstract: I. Introduction: Conceptual vs Fundamental andComputational Aspects of DFT1793II. Fundamental and Computational Aspects of DFT 1795A. The Basics of DFT: The Hohenberg−KohnTheorems1795B. DFT as a Tool for Calculating Atomic andMolecular Properties: The Kohn−ShamEquations1796C. Electronic Chemical Potential andElectronegativity: Bridging Computational andConceptual DFT1797III. DFT-Based Concepts and Principles 1798A. General Scheme: Nalewajski’s ChargeSensitivity Analysis1798B. Concepts and Their Calculation 18001. Electronegativity and the ElectronicChemical Potential18002. Global Hardness and Softness 18023. The Electronic Fukui Function, LocalSoftness, and Softness Kernel18074. Local Hardness and Hardness Kernel 18135. The Molecular Shape FunctionsSimilarity 18146. The Nuclear Fukui Function and ItsDerivatives18167. Spin-Polarized Generalizations 18198. Solvent Effects 18209. Time Evolution of Reactivity Indices 1821C. Principles 18221. Sanderson’s Electronegativity EqualizationPrinciple18222. Pearson’s Hard and Soft Acids andBases Principle18253. The Maximum Hardness Principle 1829IV. Applications 1833A. Atoms and Functional Groups 1833B. Molecular Properties 18381. Dipole Moment, Hardness, Softness, andRelated Properties18382. Conformation 18403. Aromaticity 1840C. Reactivity 18421. Introduction 18422. Comparison of Intramolecular ReactivitySequences18443. Comparison of Intermolecular ReactivitySequences18494. Excited States 1857D. Clusters and Catalysis 1858V. Conclusions 1860VI. Glossary of Most Important Symbols andAcronyms1860VII. Acknowledgments 1861VIII. Note Added in Proof 1862IX. References 1865

Applications of Fluorine in Medicinal Chemistry

Abstract: The role of fluorine in drug design and development is expanding rapidly as we learn more about the unique properties associated with this unusual element and how to deploy it with greater sophistication. The judicious introduction of fluorine into a molecule can productively influence conformation, pKa, intrinsic potency, membrane permeability, metabolic pathways, and pharmacokinetic properties. In addition, 18F has been established as a useful positron emitting isotope for use with in vivo imaging technology that potentially has extensive application in drug discovery and development, often limited only by convenient synthetic accessibility to labeled compounds. The wide ranging applications of fluorine in drug design are providing a strong stimulus for the development of new synthetic methodologies that allow more facile access to a wide range of fluorinated compounds. In this review, we provide an update on the effects of the strategic incorporation of fluorine in drug molecules and applications in po...

Introduction of Fluorine and Fluorine-Containing Functional Groups

Abstract: Over the past decade, the most significant, conceptual advances in the field of fluorination were enabled most prominently by organo- and transition-metal catalysis. The most challenging transformation remains the formation of the parent C-F bond, primarily as a consequence of the high hydration energy of fluoride, strong metal-fluorine bonds, and highly polarized bonds to fluorine. Most fluorination reactions still lack generality, predictability, and cost-efficiency. Despite all current limitations, modern fluorination methods have made fluorinated molecules more readily available than ever before and have begun to have an impact on research areas that do not require large amounts of material, such as drug discovery and positron emission tomography. This Review gives a brief summary of conventional fluorination reactions, including those reactions that introduce fluorinated functional groups, and focuses on modern developments in the field.