Showing papers on "Steric effects published in 2002"

C-H Bond Activation by Cationic Platinum(II) Complexes: Ligand Electronic and Steric Effects

Abstract: A series of bis(aryl)diimine-ligated methyl complexes of Pt(II) with various substituted aryl groups has been prepared. The cationic complexes [(ArN CR−CR NAr)PtMe(L)]^+[BF_4]- (Ar = aryl; R = H, CH_3; L = water, trifluoroethanol) react smoothly with benzene at approximately room temperature in trifluoroethanol solvent to yield methane and the corresponding phenyl Pt(II) cations, via Pt(IV)-methyl-phenyl-hydrido intermediates. The reaction products of methyl-substituted benzenes suggest an inherent reactivity preference for aromatic over benzylic C−H bond activation, which can however be overridden by steric effects. For the reaction of benzene with cationic Pt(II) complexes bearing 3,5-disubstituted aryl diimine ligands, the rate-determining step is C−H bond activation, whereas for the more sterically crowded analogues with 2,6-dimethyl-substituted aryl groups, benzene coordination becomes rate-determining. This switch is manifested in distinctly different isotope scrambling and kinetic deuterium isotope effect patterns. The more electron-rich the ligand is, as assayed by the CO stretching frequency of the corresponding carbonyl cationic complex, the faster the rate of C−H bond activation. Although at first sight this trend appears to be at odds with the common description of this class of reaction as electrophilic, the fact that the same trend is observed for the two different series of complexes, which have different rate-determining steps, suggests that this finding does not reflect the actual C−H bond activation process, but rather reflects only the relative ease of benzene displacing a ligand to initiate the reaction; that is, the change in rates is mostly due to a ground-state effect. The stability of the aquo complex ground state in equilibrium with the solvento complex increases as the diimine ligand is made more electron-withdrawing. Several lines of evidence, including the mechanism of degenerate acetonitrile exchange for the methyl-acetonitrile Pt(II) cations in alcohol solvents, suggest that associative substitution pathways operate to get the hydrocarbon substrate into, and out of, the coordination sphere; that is, the mechanism of benzene substitution proceeds by a solvent (TFE)-assisted associative pathway.

A Density Functional Study of SN2 Substitution at Square-Planar Platinum(II) Complexes

Abstract: The energetics and reaction path in a series of S(N)2 substitution reactions at square-planar Pt(II) complexes have been studied by the application of density functional theory (DFT). Calculated free energies show excellent correlation with their experimental counterparts, while the enthalpic and entropic contributions individually indicate the presence of weak intermolecular interactions not accounted for in the present model. The nature of the leaving ligand has been shown to be much more significant in determining the activation barrier than that of the entering ligand; it is inferred (and confirmed by analysis of individual bond energies) that the reaction is driven by the dissociation of the leaving ligand, with the entering ligand playing a more passive role. Analysis of the intrinsic reaction coordinate indicates, further, that the trans ligand plays an unexpectedly dynamic role in stabilizing the transition state due to competition between stabilization and the steric effects of the entering and leaving ligands. The cis ligands, by contrast, are shown to move only slightly through the course of the reaction.

Tuning Optical Properties and Enhancing Solid-State Emission of Poly(thiophene)s by Molecular Control: A Postfunctionalization Approach

Abstract: Postfunctionalization of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) enables the systematic study of electronic and steric effects of various functional groups on the optical and photophysical properties of 3,4-disubstituted poly(thiophene)s. In solution, these 3,4-disubstituted poly(thiophene)s exhibit a lower fluorescence yield (Φfl) than P3HT. In the solid state, bromo, chloro, and formyl groups increase Φfl, whereas nitro groups completely quench fluorescence. Phenyl, p-tolyl, 2- and 4-methoxyphenyl, 2-thienyl, biphenyl, and 1-naphthyl substituents increase the solid-state fluorescence of P3HT by a factor of 2−3 as a result of steric interactions that force the aromatic substituents perpendicular to the main chain. An extensive enhancement in the solid-state Φfl, 12 times greater than that of P3HT, is observed for polymers containing ortho-alkylphenyl or 2-(3-alkyl)thienyl groups, because of additional steric interactions between methyl or α-methylene hydrogens on the phenyl or thienyl substituents and main-chain t...

Selective substitution of corroles: nitration, hydroformylation, and chlorosulfonation.

Abstract: This work demonstrates the feasibility and powerfulness of electrophilic substitution on the peripheral carbon atoms of triarylcorroles as a synthetic tool to new derivatives. The large difference in the reactivity of the various carbon atoms on the macrocycle was shown to be of electronic rather than steric origin. A careful choice of reagents and a delicate control of reaction conditions allowed the selective syntheses of novel derivatives, in all of which substitution took place selectively in only the directly joined pyrrole rings of the macrocycle. This was proven by a combination of X-ray crystallography of the various products and detailed analysis of their NMR spectra.

Palladium−Arene Interactions in Catalytic Intermediates: An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of the Soft Rearrangement between η1 and η2 Coordination Modes

Abstract: A series of dichloro-bridged arylbicycloheptylpalladium complexes have been synthesized and characterized by means of NMR spectroscopy. The compound [(C16H19)PdCl]2*CH2Cl2 with ortho and para methyl substituents at the arene has been characterized by means of X-ray diffraction techniques. The C(ipso) atom of the arene lies almost at the fourth planar coordination site of the metal [Pd-C(ipso) = 2.22(1) A (average)], and due to the arene's tilting, the substituted C(ortho) atom is relatively close to the metal atom [2.54(1) A (average)]. The coordinated C(ipso)-C(ortho) linkage, in a seemingly dihapto coordination, is anti with respect to the CH2 bridge of the bicycloheptyl unit. Variable-temperature NMR experiments for the para-substituted dimer 9 reveal restricted rotation of the two aryl groups about the corresponding C-C(ipso) bonds (DeltaE < or =17 kcal x mol(-1)). DFT-B3LYP calculations have been carried out on the known and similar monomer (phenylbicycloheptenyl)Pd(PPh3)I (4) and its related substituted derivatives. The essential results are as follows: (i) The potential energy surface for twisting the phenyl ring away from the symmetric eta(1) coordination in 4 is very flat (DeltaE < or = 1 kcal x mol(-1)) whereas an Atoms in Molecules analysis excludes the existence of an actual Pd-C(ortho) bond in the seemingly eta2-type conformer. (ii) Complete rotation of the unsubstituted phenyl ring is not facile but feasible. A significant strain affects the transition-state structure featuring a Pd-HC(aryl) agostic-type bond. The calculated destabilization of 10.3 kcal x mol(-1), with respect to the ground state, can be compared to the experimental barrier of the dimer 9. (iii) Various methyl-substituted derivatives of 4 have been optimized, and their structural and energetic trends are discussed. An almost ideal eta1 coordination is shown by the anti conformer of the C(ortho)-substituted complex due steric effects. For all of the other cases, a slipped eta2 coordination may be described. As a general conclusion, the unsaturated metal center receives pi electron density of the arene mainly through its C(ipso) atom. The effect may be slightly improved if the C(ortho) atom also gets closer to the metal, but in no case, does the slipped eta2 coordination seem to be crucial for the stability of the system.

Intermolecular Copper-Catalyzed Carbon−Hydrogen Bond Activation via Carbene Insertion

Abstract: A series of catalysts of general formula TpXCu (TpX = homoscorpionate ligand) promote the insertion of :CHCO2Et (ethyl diazoacetate as the carbene source) into the C−H bonds of cycloalkanes and cyclic ethers in moderate to high yield. A correlation between the steric hindrance of these catalysts and the yield of the transformation has been observed.

Manganese(III) meso-tetrakis(ortho-N-alkylpyridyl)porphyrins. Synthesis, characterization, and catalysis of O2˙− dismutation

Abstract: A series of ortho isomers of meso-tetrakis(N-alkylpyridyl)porphyrins (alkyl being methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, n-butyl, n-hexyl, and n-octyl) and their Mn(III) complexes were synthesized and characterized by elemental analysis, uv/vis spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry and electrochemistry. An increase in the number of carbon atoms in the alkyl chains from 1 to 8 is accompanied by an increase in: (a) lipophilicity, as measured by the chromatographic retention factor, Rf; (b) metal-centered redox potential, E1/2 from +220 to +367 mV vs. NHE, and (c) proton dissociation constant, pKa2 from 10.9 to 13.2. A linear correlation was found between E1/2 and Rf of the Mn(III) porphyrins and between the pKa2 and Rf of the metal-free compounds. As the porphyrins become increasingly more lipophilic, the decrease in hydration disfavors the creation of charge, while enhancing the electron-withdrawing effect of the positively charged pyridyl nitrogen atoms. Consequently, E1/2 increases linearly with the increase in pKa2, a trend in porphyrin basicity opposite from the one we previously reported for other water-soluble Mn(III) porphyrins. All of these Mn(III) porphyrins are potent catalysts for superoxide dismutation (disproportionation). Despite the favorable increase of E1/2 with the increase in chain length, the catalytic rate constant decreases from methyl (log kcat = 7.79) to n-butyl, and then increases such that the n-octyl is as potent a SOD mimic as are the methyl and ethyl compounds. The observed behavior originates from an interplay of hydration and steric effects that modulate electronic effects.

How Much Do Enzymes Really Gain by Restraining Their Reacting Fragments

Abstract: The steric effect, exerted by enzymes on their reacting substrates, has been considered as a major factor in enzyme catalysis. In particular, it has been proposed that enzymes catalyze their reactions by pushing their reacting fragments to a catalytic configuration which is sometimes called near attack configuration (NAC). This work uses computer simulation approaches to determine the relative importance of the steric contribution to enzyme catalysis. The steric proposal is expressed in terms of well defined thermodynamic cycles that compare the reaction in the enzyme to the corresponding reaction in water. The SN2 reaction of haloalkane dehalogenase from Xanthobacter autotrophicus GJ10, which was used in previous studies to support the strain concept is chosen as a test case for this proposal. The empirical valence bond (EVB) method provides the reaction potential surfaces in our studies. The reliability and efficiency of this method make it possible to obtain stable results for the steric free energy. T...

Helical self-assembly of substituted benzoic acids: influence of weaker X...X and C-H...X interactions.

Abstract: The X-ray crystal packing analyses of the sterically encumbered halogen-substituted benzene carboxylic acids 1−4 reveal a novel and unprecedented crystal packing in that the association of the carboxyl groups through O−H···O bonds results in the generation of a helix along the 41-screw axis. Such an organization of the acids is shown convincingly to be a result of the close packing, which exploits the weaker X···X and C−H···X interactions in conjunction with the stronger O−H···O hydrogen bonds. In contrast, the chloro- and bromo-substituted durene carboxylic acids 6 and 7 exhibit a pattern that is akin to tape/ribbon involving the centrosymmetric-dimer motif and X···X short intermolecular interactions. The structural investigations demonstrate the ability of the weaker interactions in modifying the supposedly “robust” centrosymmetric-dimer motif of the carboxyl groups in a decisive manner.

Synthesis and Properties of the First Stable Germabenzene

Abstract: The first stable germabenzene (1a) bearing an efficient steric protection group, 2,4,6-tris[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]phenyl, was successfully synthesized by the reaction of the corresponding chlorogermane (4) with lithium diisopropylamide in THF. The molecular structure and aromaticity of 1a were discussed on the basis of its NMR, UV-vis, and Raman spectra, X-ray crystallographic analysis, and theoretical calculations. All (1)H and (13)C NMR chemical shifts of the germabenzene ring of 1a were in good agreement with those calculated. UV-vis and Raman spectra of 1a showed patterns similar to those of benzene, suggesting the structural similarity between germabenzene and benzene. X-ray crystallographic analysis of 1a revealed that the germabenzene ring was almost planar, indicating the delocalization of pi-electrons. Theoretical calculations (NICS(1) and ASE(isom)) also indicated the ring current effects and aromatic stabilization of the germabenzene. While germabenzene 1a reacted as a Ge[bond]C double-bond compound (germene) with mesitonitrile oxide and 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene, 1a also reacted as a 1-germabuta-1,3-diene with C[bond]C double- and triple-bond compounds. Furthermore, 1a reacted with water and MeOH to give both 1, 2- and 1, 4-adducts.

Steric Effects and Solvent Effects in Ionic Reactions

Abstract: Rates of SN2 reactions of chloride ion with methyl- and tert-butyl-substituted chloroacetonitrile were measured by using Fourier transform-ion cyclotron resonance spectrometry to follow the isotopic exchange reaction. Barrier heights for these reactions indicate that steric effects in the gas phase are diminished relative to apparent steric effects in solution. We attribute the increased barrier in solution to a solvation effect. Monte Carlo simulations done using statistical perturbation theory confirm that steric hindrance to solvation contributes to SN2 barriers in solution.

Reduction of ketones and alkyl iodides by SmI(2) and Sm(II)-HMPA complexes. Rate and mechanistic studies.

Abstract: The effect of HMPA on the electron transfer (ET) rate of samarium diiodide reduction reactions in THF was analyzed for a series of ketones (2-butanone, methyl acetoacetate, and N,N-dimethylacetoacetamide) and alkyl iodides (1-iodobutane and 2-iodobutane) with stopped flow spectrophotometric studies. Activation parameters for the ET processes were determined by temperature-dependence studies over a range of 30-50 degrees C. The ET rate constants and the activation parameters obtained for the above systems in the presence of different equivalents of HMPA were compared to understand the mechanism of action of HMPA on various substrates. The results obtained from these studies indicate that coordination or chelation is possible in the transition state geometry for SmI(2)/ketone systems even in the presence of the sterically demanding ligand HMPA. After the addition of 4 equiv of HMPA the ET rate and activation parameters for ketone reduction by Sm is unaffected by further HMPA addition while a linear dependence of ET rate on the equivalents of HMPA was found in the SmI(2)/alkyl iodide system. The results of these studies are consistent with an inner-sphere-type ET for the reduction of ketones by SmI(2) (and SmI(2)[bond]HMPA complexes) and an outer-sphere-type ET for the reduction of alkyl iodides by SmI(2) or SmI(2)[bond]HMPA complexes.

Vinyl-vinyl coupling on late transition metals through C-C reductive elimination mechanism. A computational study.

Abstract: A detailed density functional study was performed for the vinyl−vinyl reductive elimination reaction from bis-σ-vinyl complexes [M(CHCH2)2Xn]. It was shown that the activity of these complexes decreases in the following order: PdIV, PdII > PtIV, PtII, RhIII > IrIII, RuII, OsII. The effects of different ligands X were studied for both platinum and palladium complexes, which showed that activation barriers for C−C bond formation reaction decrease in the following order: X = Cl > Br, NH3 > I > PH3. Steric effects induced either by the ligands X or by substituents on the vinyl group were also examined. In addition, the major factors responsible for stereoselectivity control on the final product formation stage and possible involvement of asymmetric coupling pathways are reported. In all cases ΔE, ΔH, ΔG, and ΔGaq energy surfaces were calculated and analyzed. The solvent effect calculation shows that in a polar medium halogen complexes may undergo a reductive elimination reaction almost as easily as compound...

Syntheses, Structures and Properties of Kinetically Stabilized Distibenes and Dibismuthenes, Novel Doubly Bonded Systems between Heavier Group 15 Elements.

Abstract: The first stable distibene (RSb=SbR) and dibismuthene (RBi=BiR) were successfully synthesized by taking advantage of steric protection using an efficient steric protection group, 2,4,6-tris[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]phenyl (Tbt). Since it is quite difficult to investigate the reactivities of the distibene (TbtSb=SbTbt) and dibismuthene (TbtBi=BiTbt) in solution due to their extremely low solubility values, similarly overcrowded distibene and dibismuthene, BbtE=EBbt (E = Sb, Bi), with sufficiently high solubility were also synthesized using another bulky substituent, 2,6-bis[bis(trimethylsilyl)methyl]-4-[tris(trimethylsilyl)methyl]phenyl group (Bbt). The crystallographic analysis and spectroscopic studies of these stable dipnictenes led to the systematic comparison of structural parameters and physical properties for all homonuclear doubly bonded systems between heavier group 15 elements. In addition to these experimentally obtained results, theoretical calculations for these doubly bonded systems also rev...

Dependence of the rate of an interfacial Diels-Alder reaction on the steric environment of the immobilized dienophile: an example of enthalpy-entropy compensation.

Abstract: This paper describes a physical organic study of the relationship between the rate for an interfacial Diels−Alder reaction and the steric environment around the reacting molecules. The study used as a model reaction the cycloaddition of cyclopentadiene with a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) presenting benzoquinone groups surrounded by hydroxyl-terminated alkanethiolates. The accessibility of the quinone was varied by preparing monolayers from hydroquinone-terminated alkanethiols of different lengths [HS(CH2)n-HQ, n = 6−14] and a hydroxyl-terminated alkanethiol [HS(CH2)11-OH] of constant length. Cyclic voltammetry was used to measure the rate of the reaction by monitoring the decay of the redox-active quinone. The second-order rate constant showed a modest change as the position of quinone was varied relative to the hydroxyl groups of the monolayer. For monolayers wherein the quinone groups were extended from the interface, the rate constants oscillated near 0.20 M-1 s-1 with an even−odd dependence on the l...

Low barrier hydrogen bonds in sterically modified Schiff bases

Abstract: Five derivatives of an ortho-hydroxy Schiff base (2-(N-alkyl-α-iminoethyl)phenols) with very short intramolecular hydrogen bonds (dO(H)⋯N ≤ 2.500 A) were synthesised. The crystal structures were determined. The steric repulsion of the substituted methyl group results in an unusual strengthening of the hydrogen bonds, decreasing the barrier for the proton movement within the hydrogen bridge, which leads to a delocalization of the proton position. The very strong influence of the character of the substituent in the phenol ring as well as the character of the N-alkyl chain on the proton distribution is demonstrated for these hydrogen bonds from the so-called inversion range.

Background of the Hammett Equation As Observed for Isolated Molecules: Meta- and Para-Substituted Benzoic Acids

Abstract: Fundamental model compounds for the Hammett equation, meta- and para-substituted benzoic acids, were investigated by the density functional theory at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level. Energies of 25 acids and of their anions were calculated in all possible conformations and from them the energies of the assumed mixture of conformers. Relative acidities correlated with the experimental gas-phase acidities almost within the experimental uncertainty, much more precisely than in the case of previous calculations at lower levels. Dissection of the substituent effects into those operating in the acid molecule and in the anion was carried out by means of isodesmic reactions starting from monosubstituted benzenes. Both effects are cooperating in the resulting effect on the acidity; those in the acid molecule are smaller but not negligible. They are also responsible for some deviations from the Hammett equation (through-resonance of para donor substituents) and for the weaker resonance in the acid molecule in meta derivatives; in the anions the inductive and resonance effects are almost equal. On the other hand, the cooperation of effects in the acid and in the anion makes the relative acidity more sensitive to electron withdrawing and is probably one of the reasons why the Hammett equation is so generally valid.

Photophysical Characterization of Free-Base N-Confused Tetraphenylporphyrins

Abstract: We report the photophysical characterization of the two tautomers (1e and 1i) of 5,10,15,20-tetraphenyl N-confused free-base porphyrin, potential building blocks in assemblies designed for artificial photosynthesis, using a combination of steady state and time-resolved techniques. Tautomer 1e was found to have a significantly higher quantum yield of fluorescence than tautomer 1i (ΦFl = 0.036 vs ΦFl = 0.0016, respectively), despite the fact the fluorescence lifetimes were quite similar (i.e., 1.98 ns vs 1.60 ns, respectively). These differences were attributed to a more rapid rate of internal conversion or intersystem crossing in 1i due to steric conditions in the interior of the macrocycle. The absorption spectra of these porphyrins were also examined using the results from B3LYP/6-31G(d)//B3LYP/3-21G(d) calculations and interpreted using the four electron four orbital model.

Highly diastereoselective dioxetane formation in the photooxygenation of enecarbamates with an oxazolidinone chiral auxiliary: steric control in the [2 + 2] cycloaddition of singlet oxygen through conformational alignment.

Abstract: The photooxygenation of oxazolidinone-substituted enecarbamates leads to diastereomerically pure dioxetanes. The high diastereoselectivity is rationalized in terms of effective π-facial control achieved by shielding one side of the double bond with the chiral auxiliary. The absolute configuration of the dioxetanes is assigned by derivatization to diols.