Density functional theory study of the hydrogen bond interaction between lactones, lactams, and methanol.

The structure and relative stability of methanol complexes with various cyclic ketones, lactones, lactams, and N-methyl lactams from three- to seven-membered rings have been investigated using the density functional theory method. The geometries, harmonic frequencies, and energies were calculated at the B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p) level. Three stable structures, cis-a, cis-b, and trans, with respect to the ring oxygen (nitrogen) atom, were found to be local minima of the potential energy surface. For lactones and N-methyl lactams, the most stable structure is trans; it is stabilized, as in cyclic ketones, through the conventional hydrogen bond (HB) interaction between the basic carbonyl oxygen and the acidic methanolic hydrogen and an unconventional HB interaction between the methanolic oxygen and the CH hydrogen, in the alpha position of the carbonyl group. For unsubstituted lactams, the cis-a structure, stabilized through a HB interaction between the NH group and the methanol oxygen in addition to the conventional HB interaction, is the most stable. The topological properties of the electron density ratify the existence of conventional (N,O-H. . .O) and unconventional (C-H. . .O) hydrogen bonding. A good correlation was found between the HB distances and the electron density at the HB critical point. The unsubstituted lactams yield more stable complexes with methanol than N-methyl lactams, lactones, and cyclic ketones. In the most stable complexes, both components behave simultaneously as a HB donor and as a HB acceptor.

Hydrogen peroxide oxidation of mustard-model sulfides catalyzed by iron and manganese tetraarylporphyrines. Oxygen transfer to sulfides versus H(2)O(2) dismutation and catalyst breakdown.

Fe(III)- and Mn(III)-meso-tetraarylporphyrin catalysis of H(2)O(2) oxidation of dibenzyl and phenyl-2-chloroethyl sulfides, 1, is investigated in ethanol with the aim of designing catalytic systems for mustard decontamination. The sulfide conversion, the sulfoxide and sulfone yields, the oxygen transfer from H(2)O(2) to the sulfide, and the catalyst stability depend markedly on the metal, on the substituents of its ligand, and on the presence or the absence of a cocatalyst, imidazole or ammonium acetate. With Fe, sulfones, the only oxidation products, are readily obtained whatever the ligand (TPP, F(20)TPP, or TDCPP) and the cocatalyst; the oxygen transfer is fairly good, up to 95% when the catalyst concentration is small ([1]/[Cat] = 420); the catalyst breakdown is insignificant only in the absence of any cocatalyst. With Mn, the sulfide conversion is achieved completely when the ligand is TDCPP or TSO(3)PP, but not F(20)TPP or TPP; a mixture of sulfoxide, 2, and sulfone, 3, is always obtained with [2]/[3] = 3.5-0.85 depending on the ligand and the cocatalyst (electron withdrawing substituents favor 3 and NH(4)OAc, 2). The catalyst stability is very good, but the oxygen transfer is poor whatever the ligand and the cocatalyst. These results are discussed in terms of a scheme in which sulfide oxygenation, H(2)O(2) dismutation, and oxidative ligand breaking compete. It is shown that the efficiency of the oxygen transfer is related not only to the rate constant of the dismutation route but also to the concentration of the active metal-oxo intermediate, most likely a perferryl or permanganyl species, i.e., to the rate of its formation.

Changes in the relative contribution of specific and general base catalysis in cationic micelles. The cyclization of substituted ethyl hydantoates.

The rate-surfactant profiles for the HO(-)- and AcO(-)-catalyzed ring closure of two ethyl hydantoates, E2 and E3, to hydantoins with three cetyltrimethylammonium salts (CTAX, X = Br(-), Cl(-), or AcO(-)) are measured in 0.02 and 0.2 M acetate buffers 50% base with starting pH 4.65. Marked accelerations associated with large pH increases are found in 0.02 M buffered CTAOAc. Smaller accelerations and smaller pH changes are observed in 0.2 M buffered CTAOAc and CTACl. From these profiles, the micellar rate constants for the specific base- and general base-catalyzed reactions, and, respectively, of E2 and E3 are obtained separately. The resulting values of k(2,m)/k(w), E2/E3 rate constant ratios, and kinetic solvent isotope effects, KSIEs, are consistent with a strong predominance of the HO(-) reaction in the dilute buffer, while in the more concentrated buffer, specific and general catalysis compete for the two substrates. This result is in sharp contrast with that observed in water in which the reaction of E2 is almost exclusively specifically catalyzed. The increase in the general base-catalyzed pathway for E2 is attributed not to an increase in the rate constant for this pathway in micelles but to a smaller decrease than that for the specific catalysis (k(2,m)/k(w) = 0.2 and 0.4 for the specific and general catalysis, respectively). The different responses of the rate constants to the micellar media are interpreted as a larger effect of the interfacial polarity on the specific than on the general catalysis. The apparent contradiction between the rate constant decreases and the marked accelerations in micellar media is discussed in terms of pH changes, i.e., [HO(-)] changes, and of acetate inclusion via ion exchanges at micellar interfaces.

Substituent dependence of the diastereofacial selectivity in iodination and bromination of glycals and related cyclic enol ethers.

The stereochemical course of the electrophilic iodination and bromination of tri-O-benzyl-D-glucal under various conditions has been compared to that of substituted dihydropyrans 2-5. IN(3) addition in acetonitrile affords trans-alpha-iodoazides (80-87%), besides small amounts of trans-beta-adducts, in the presence or the absence of benzyloxy substituents at C-3 or C-4, and in agreement with bridged iodonium ion intermediates. In contrast, the diastereofacial selectivity of bromine addition in dichloroethane going through open bromo oxocarbenium ions depends strongly on the substituents. Whereas the trans-alpha-dibromides are the main (85-95%) adducts in the absence of C-4 and C-5 substituents, in their presence a moderate to exclusive selectivity for cis-alpha-addition (60-99%) is observed. The predominance of trans-alpha-addition is again observed whatever the substituents when the bromination is carried out in the same solvent but with a tribromide ion salt, supporting a concerted addition of the two bromine atoms under these conditions. Finally, bromine addition in methanol exhibits a completely different behavior with the nonselective formation of trans-alpha- and trans-beta-methoxybromides and a small dependence on the substituents. In agreement with the absence of azide trapping of any cationic intermediate, it is concluded that these brominations which do not go through an ionic intermediate are concerted additions of bromine and methanol with very loose rate- and product-determining transition states. Finally, the substituent conformation at C-4 influences drastically the stereoselectivity in all these brominations. Evidence for alpha-anomeric control of the nucleophile approach at C-1 is given by the highly predominant formation of alpha-adducts, except in the methanolic bromination. The factors determining the versatile selectivity of the electrophile approach are discussed in terms of PPFMO theory and of the special mechanisms of glycal reactions.