A photochemical and theoretical study of the triplet reactivity of furano- and pyrano-1,4-naphthoquionones towards tyrosine and tryptophan derivatives.

The photochemical reactivity of the triplet state of pyrano- and furano-1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives (1 and 2) has been examined employing nanosecond laser flash photolysis. The quinone triplets were efficiently quenched by l-tryptophan methyl ester hydrochloride, l-tyrosine methyl ester hydrochloride, N-acetyl-l-tryptophan methyl ester and N-acetyl-l-tyrosine methyl ester, substituted phenols and indole (k q ∼109 L mol-1 s-1). For all these quenchers new transients were formed in the quenching process. These were assigned to the corresponding radical pairs that resulted from a coupled electron/proton transfer from the phenols, indole, amino acids, or their esters, to the excited state of the quinone. The proton coupled electron transfer (PCET) mechanism is supported by experimental rate constants, isotopic effects and theoretical calculations. The calculations revealed differences between the hydrogen abstraction reactions of phenol and indole substrates. For the latter, the calculations indicate that electron transfer and proton transfer occur as discrete steps.

Theoretical study of photochemical hydrogen abstraction by triplet aliphatic carbonyls by using density functional theory.

The density functional theory (DFT) and quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) have been used to study the lowest lying spin states of the photochemical hydrogen abstraction reaction by formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and acetone in the presence of different hydrogen donors: propane, 2-propanol, and methylamine. Calculations of all the critical points on the PES of these reactions were performed at uB3LYP/6-311++G(d,p). Methylamine is the best hydrogen donor, in thermodynamic and kinetic terms, followed by 2-propanol and finally propane. Secondary C-H hydrogen abstraction in 2-propanol and C-H abstraction in methylamine is thermodynamically and kinetically favored with respect to hydrogen abstraction from the OH and NH functional groups. Charge transfer takes place before the transition state when methylamine is the hydrogen donor, and for other hydrogen donors, charge transfer begins only in the transition state. The extent of the charge transfer in the transition states corresponds to about 50% of the total change in electron density of the oxygen atom of the T(1) carbonyl compounds during the course of the hydrogen abstraction reactions. The effect of solvent was investigated using the continuum solvation model for the reaction of triplet acetaldehyde in acetonitrile, which resulted in a barrierless transition state for hydrogen abstraction from methylamine.

Singlet oxygen production by pyrano and furano 1,4-naphthoquinones in non-aqueous medium.

The influence of ring size on the photobehaviour of condensed 1,4-naphthoquinone systems, such as pyrano- and furano-derivatives (1 and 2, respectively) has been investigated. The absorption spectra for both families of naphthoquinones reveal clear differences; in the case of 2 they extend to longer wavelengths. A solvatochromic red shift in polar solvents is consistent with the π,π* character of the S(0)→ S(1) electronic transition in all cases. Theoretical (B3LYP) analysis of the HOMO and LUMO Kohn-Sham molecular orbitals of the S(0) state indicates that they are π and π* in nature, consistent with the experimental observation. A systematic study on the efficiency of singlet oxygen generation by these 1,4-naphthoquinones is presented, and values larger than 0.7 were found in every case. In accordance with these results, laser flash photolysis of deoxygenated acetonitrile solutions led to the formation of detectable triplet transient species with absorptions at 390 and 450 nm (1) and at 370 nm (2), with φ(ISC) close to 1. Additionally, the calculated energies for the T(1) states relative to the S(0) states at UB3LYP/6-311++G** are ca. 47 kcal mol(-1) for 1 and 43 kcal mol(-1) for 2. A comparison of the geometrical parameters for the S(0) and T(1) states reveals a marked difference with respect to the arrangement of the exocyclic phenyl ring whilst a comparison of electronic parameters revealed the change from a quinone structure to a di-dehydroquinone diradical structure.

A laser flash photolysis and theoretical study of hydrogen abstraction from phenols by triplet alpha-naphthoflavone.

The hydrogen abstraction (HA) reaction by the triplet of alpha-naphthoflavone (1) has been investigated experimentally by the use of laser flash photolysis (LFP) and theoretically with density functional theory (DFT) and atoms in molecules (AIM). The triplet excited state of 1, in acetonitrile, has an absorption maximum at 430 nm and lifetime of 10 micros. The quenching rate constants for the triplet of 1 with 1,4-cyclohexadiene, substituted phenols and amines were determined. The low reactivity of this ketone with respect to HA from 1,4-cyclohexadiene is in accord with a pi,pi* excited state. HA from phenols in acetonitrile is proposed to occur in a diffusion controlled reaction from free phenol based upon the determination of the Abraham beta(H)(2) value for acetonitrile and correction of the quenching rate constants for hydrogen bonding of the phenols to acetonitrile. A molecular orbital analysis of the triplet (SOMO and SOMO-1) of 1 reveals contributions from the carbonyl oxygen atom, but principally from the alpha-carbon and the associated pi-bond network, consistent with a pi,pi* excited state. From a thermodynamic point of view, the triplet HA from phenol to oxygen of the carbonyl group is 17 kcal mol(-1) less demanding than the transfer to the alpha-carbon, consistent with the acidic nature of the phenolic hydrogen atom. DFT and AIM analysis of the hydrogen abstraction reaction reveals that the transition state (TS) is pseudo-symmetrically polarized and that HA in the hydrogen bonded exciplex occurs in a concerted manner but not necessarily by simultaneous electron and proton transfer.

Derivatives of spiropentadiene dication: new species with planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) atom.

In this work, nine tetrasubstituted derivatives [NH(2), OCH(3), Li, Na, Si(CH(3))(3)/SiH(2)CH(3,) P(CH(3))(2), Cl, F, and CN] of the spiropentadiene dication were analyzed within the framework of QTAIM. In the studied series, the electron-withdrawing substituents destabilize the ptC-containing spiropentadiene dication. On the other hand, stabilization of this dication is possible for electron-donating substituents only through sigma bonds, such as Li and Na. In all studied systems, according to QTAIM, the pi-electron system does not participate in the stabilization of the ptC atom in the spiropentadiene dication. sigma-electron-donating groups stabilize the spiropentadiene dication system by increasing the charge density of C(ext)-ptC bonds, whereas electron-withdrawing groups remove the charge density from C(ext)-ptC bonds.

Understanding the planar tetracoordinate carbon atom: spiropentadiene dication.

The atoms in molecule theory shows that the spiropentadiene dication has a planar tetracoordinate carbon (ptC) atom stabilized mainly through the sigma bonds and this atom has a negative charge. The bonds to the ptC atom have less covalent character than the central carbon from neutral spiropentadiene. The total positive charge is spread along the structure skeleton. The analysis of the potential energy surface shows that the dication spiropentadiene has a 2.3 kcal/mol activation barrier for ring opening.

Laser flash photolysis of 1,2-diketopyracene and a theoretical study of the phenolic hydrogen abstraction by the triplet state of cyclic alpha-diketones.

Laser flash photolysis (LFP) studies, atoms in molecules (AIM) studies, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed in order to study the mechanism of the hydrogen abstraction by alpha-diketones in the presence of phenols. Laser irradiation of a degassed solution of 1,2-diketopyracene in acetonitrile resulted in the formation of a readily detectable transient with absorption at 610 nm, but with very low absorptivity. This transient decays with a lifetime of around 2 micros. The quenching rate constant for substituted phenols, kq, ranged from 1.10x10(8) L mol-1 s-1 (4-cyanophenol) to 3.87x10(9) L mol-1 s-1 (4-hydroxyphenol). The Hammett plot for the reaction of the triplet of 1,2-diketopyracene with phenols gave a reaction constant rho=-0.9. DFT calculations (UB3LYP/6-311++G**//UB3LYP/6-31G*) of the triplet complex ketone-phenol revealed that hydrogen transfer has predominantly occurred and that the reaction with alpha-diketones are generally 7 kcal/mol less endothermic than the respective reactions of the monoketones. These results together with the geometries obtained from the DFT calculations, natural bond order (NBO) analysis, and AIM results indicate that hydrogen abstraction for alpha-diketones is facilitated by the electrophilicity of the ketone, instead of neighboring group participation by the second carbonyl group.

Neutral structures with a planar tetracoordinated carbon based on spiropentadiene analogues.

Neutral hydrocarbon structures containing a planar tetracoordinated carbon atom are proposed on the basis of quantum chemical calculations. The planarity at the central carbon atom is achieved by using aromaticity for stabilizing a positively charged core moiety that contains the planar atom. This charge is compensated by negatively charged cyclopentadienyl rings fused on the structure, leading to neutral structures. These are found to be stable from a dynamic point of view and are potentially synthesizable through carbene chemistry. These structures can lead to new breakthroughs in the chemical structure theory. A family of species derived from this model is also presented.

A fast and easy computational method to calculate the (13)C NMR chemical shift of organic species adsorbed on the zeolite surface.

Calculations of the 13C NMR chemical shifts for the methoxy and ethoxy groups adsorbed on Y and ZSM-5 zeolites were computed at GIAO/B3LYP/6-31+G*//MM+ level of theory, using a cluster representing a real part of the zeolites. The Y zeolite was represented by a cluster with 168 atoms, while ZSM-5 was represented by a cluster with 144 atoms. The calculated chemical shifts agreed well with reported experimental values, showing that the difference in chemical shifts is associated with differences in the geometry of the alkoxides on the two zeolites.