Previously, a mechanistic twist to the oxidation of imines using peracid had emerged. Time to see how substituents respond to this mechanism.
Archive for the ‘reaction mechanism’ Category
σ or π nucleophilic reactivity of imines? A mechanistic reality check using substituents.
Sunday, October 9th, 2016σ or π nucleophilic reactivity of imines? A mechanistic twist emerges.
Wednesday, September 28th, 2016The story so far. Imines react with a peracid to form either a nitrone (σ-nucleophile) or an oxaziridine (π-nucleophile).[1] The balance between the two is on an experimental knife-edge, being strongly influenced by substituents on the imine. Modelling these reactions using the “normal” mechanism for peracid oxidation did not reproduce this knife-edge, with ΔΔG (π-σ) 16.2 kcal/mol being rather too far from a fine balance.
References
- D.R. Boyd, P.B. Coulter, N.D. Sharma, W. Jennings, and V.E. Wilson, "Normal, abnormal and pseudo-abnormal reaction pathways for the imine-peroxyacid reaction", Tetrahedron Letters, vol. 26, pp. 1673-1676, 1985. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0040-4039(00)98582-4
σ or π? The ambident nucleophilic reactivity of imines: crystallographic and computational reality checks.
Wednesday, September 21st, 2016Nucleophiles are species that seek to react with an electron deficient centre by donating a lone or a π-bond pair of electrons. The ambident variety has two or more such possible sources in the same molecule, an example of which might be hydroxylamine or H2NOH. I previously discussed how for this example, the energetics allow the nitrogen lone pair (Lp) to win out over the O Lp. Here, I play a similar game, but this time setting an NLp up against a π-pair.
Molecule orbitals as indicators of reactivity: bromoallene.
Thursday, September 1st, 2016Bromoallene is a pretty simple molecule, with two non-equivalent double bonds. How might it react with an electrophile, say dimethyldioxirane (DMDO) to form an epoxide?[1] Here I explore the difference between two different and very simple approaches to predicting its reactivity. 
References
- D. Christopher Braddock, A. Mahtey, H.S. Rzepa, and A.J.P. White, "Stable bromoallene oxides", Chemical Communications, vol. 52, pp. 11219-11222, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1039/c6cc06395k
An alternative mechanism for nucleophilic substitution at silicon using a tetra-alkyl ammonium fluoride.
Friday, May 27th, 2016In the previous post, I explored the mechanism for nucleophilic substitution at a silicon centre proceeding via retention of configuration involving a Berry-like pseudorotation. Here I probe an alternative route involving inversion of configuration at the Si centre. Both stereochemical modes are known to occur, depending on the leaving group, solvent and other factors.[1],[2],[3]
References
- L. Wozniak, M. Cypryk, J. Chojnowski, and G. Lanneau, "Optically active silyl esters of phosphorus. II. Stereochemistry of reactions with nucleophiles", Tetrahedron, vol. 45, pp. 4403-4414, 1989. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0040-4020(01)89077-3
- L.H. Sommer, and H. Fujimoto, "Stereochemistry of asymmetric silicon. X. Solvent and reagent effects on stereochemistry crossover in alkoxy-alkoxy exchange reactions at silicon centers", Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol. 90, pp. 982-987, 1968. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja01006a024
- D.N. Roark, and L.H. Sommer, "Dramatic stereochemistry crossover to retention of configuration with angle-strained asymmetric silicon", Journal of the American Chemical Society, vol. 95, pp. 969-971, 1973. https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00784a081
I’ve started so I’ll finish. The mechanism of diazo coupling to indoles – forty (three) years on!
Thursday, December 24th, 2015
The BBC TV quiz series Mastermind was first broadcast in the UK in 1972, the same time I was starting to investigate the mechanism of diazocoupling to substituted indoles as part of my Ph.D. researches. The BBC program became known for the catch phrase I've started so I'll finish; here I will try to follow this precept with the project I started then. 
In 1972, one measured the rates of chemical reactions to gain insights into the transition state kinetic model. To obtain more data, we used isotopes such as 2H or 3H, together with substituents such as R-t-butyl to modify the potential energy surfaces of the reactions by inducing steric effects.[1],[2] We found that the kinetics for this reaction were actually complex‡ (in part because of pH dependence) involving a Wheland intermediate (the formation of which is shown with red curly arrows above) followed by the collapse of this intermediate to the diazo-coupled product (blue arrows). Coupling to 2-methyl indole (R=X=H, R'=Me), 2-t-butyl indole (R=H, R'=t-butyl) and 4-methyl-2-t-butyl indole (R=Me, R'=t-butyl) revealed that the kinetic isotope effects induced by replacing H by D or T were "not apparent" (i.e. close to 1), the inference being that the rate constant k1 for those systems was slower than k2; the formation of the Wheland intermediate was rate determining (the rds) for the reaction. But with 2-methyl-4,6-di-t-butyl indole (R=t-butyl, R'=Me) this changed and a deuterium isotope effect of ~7 was observed. The rate determining proton removal from the Wheland intermediate k2 was now slower than k1. With 2,4,6-tri-t-butyl indole, we ended by noting that the reaction become almost too slow to observe and furthermore was accompanied by loss of a t-butyl cation as well as a proton. At this point we attempted to infer some transition state models consistent with these observations. Note that we had relatively little data with which to derive our 3D models (one needs to define a geometry using 3N-6 variables, along with its relative energy and force constants). The text and diagram of our attempt is shown below. 
The main points of this argument were;
References
- B.C. Challis, and H.S. Rzepa, "The mechanism of diazo-coupling to indoles and the effect of steric hindrance on the rate-limiting step", Journal of the Chemical Society, Perkin Transactions 2, pp. 1209, 1975. https://doi.org/10.1039/p29750001209
- H.S. Rzepa, "Hydrogen Transfer Reactions Of Indoles", Zenodo, 1974. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18777