High binding yet accelerated guest rotation within a cucurbit[7]uril complex. Toward paramagnetic gyroscopes and rolling nanomachines †

International audienceThe (15-oxo-3,7,11-triazadispiro[5.1.5.3]hexadec-7-yl)oxidanyl, a bis-spiropiperidinium nitroxide derived from TEMPONE, can be included in cucurbit[7]uril to form a strong (K a ∼ 2 × 10 5 M −1) CB[7]@bPTO complex. EPR and MS spectra, DFT calculations, and unparalleled increased resistance (a factor of ∼10 3) toward ascorbic acid reduction show evidence of deep inclusion of bPTO inside CB[7]. The unusual shape of the CB[7]@bPTO EPR spectrum can be explained by an anisotropic Brownian rotational diffusion, the global tumbling of the complex being slower than rotation of bPTO around its " long molecular axis " inside CB[7]. The CB[7] (stator) with the encapsulated bPTO (rotator) behaves as a supramolecular para-magnetic rotor with increased rotational speed of the rotator that has great potential for advanced nano-scale machines requiring wheels such as cucurbiturils with virtually no friction between the wheel and the axle for optimum wheel rotation (i.e. nanopulleys and nanocars)

Conformational analysis by molecular mechanics of five-membered rings : application to nitroxides

International audienceWe report here a method to perform the conformational analysis of five-membered rings. This method is based on the Cremer and Pople description and it has been implemented in the GenMol software. After testing our method on a series of five-membered rings, we used it to study the behavior of pyrrolidine-N-oxy radicals. These calculations allowed us to calculate ESR β-hyperfine coupling constants (β-hfcc) and to compare them with experimental ones. This approach can be used to assist the design of new nitroxide targets with desired properties

Reaction mechanism studies made simple using simulated annealing. Potential energy surface exploration

International audienceA new and easy way to study reaction mechanisms by theoretical means is proposed. Simulated annealing is used to explore the potential energy surface of three different systems. This approach enables a facile finding of most stationary points involved in the various possible reaction paths arising from a given molecular system and thus allows one to determine a whole set of competing reactions. Therefore, by a comparison of the activation barriers, we can qualitatively estimate whether a reaction should be stereoselective or if side-products may arise. This paper deals with the [2 + 2] cycloaddition leading to beta-lactones and the thermolysis of thiirane and thiiranium cation

Theoretical study to explain how chirality is stored and evolves throughout the radical cascade rearrangement of enyne-allenes

International audienceThis article reports a theoretical study to explain how the intrinsic property of chirality is retained throughout the radical cascade rearrangement of an enantiopure chiral enyne-allene (bearing one stereogenic center) selected as a model for this family of reactions. Calculations at the MRPT2/6-31G(d)//CASSCF(10,10)/6-31G(d) level of theory were used to determine the entire reaction pathway which includes singlet state diradicals and closed-shell species. The cascade process involves three elementary steps, i.e., by chronological order: Myers–Saito cycloaromatization (M-S), intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer (HAT), and recombination of the resulting biradical. The enantiospecificity of the reaction results from a double transmission of the stereochemical information, from the original center to an axis and eventually from this axis to the final center. The first two steps lead to a transient diradical intermediate which retains the chirality via the conversion of the original static chirogenic element into a dynamic one, i.e., a center into an axis. The only available routes to the final closed-shell tetracyclic product imply rotations around two σ bonds (σ(C–C) and σ(C–N), bonds β and α respectively). The theoretical calculations confirmed that the formation of the enantiomerically pure product proceeds via the nonracemizing rotation around the σ(C–C) pivot. They ruled out any rotation around the second σ(C–N) pivot. The high level of configurational memory in this rearrangement relies on the steric impediment to the rotation around the C–N bond in the chiral native conformation of the diradical intermediate produced from tandem M-S/1,5-HAT

Theoretical modelling of the epoxidation of vinylallenes to give cyclopentenones

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Reative Stability of a Series of 1,2,3-Triazolines. Theoretical Study of Substituent Effects

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Mechanistic Investigation of Enediyne Connected Amino Esters Rearrangement. Theoretical Rationale for the Exclusive Preference for 1,6- or 1,5-Hydrogen Atom Transfer Depending on the Substrate. A Potential Route to Chiral Naphtho-Azepines

International audienceMemory of chirality (MOC) and deuterium-labeling studies were used to demonstrate that the cascade rearrangement of enediyne-connected amino esters 1a and 1b evolved through exclusive 1,5- or 1,6-hydrogen atom transfer, subsequent to 1,3-proton shift and Saito–Myers cyclization, depending on the structure of the starting material. These results were independently confirmed by DFT theoretical calculations performed on model monoradicals. These calculations clearly demonstrate that in the alanine series, 1,5-hydrogen shift is kinetically favored over 1,6-hydrogen shift because of its greater exergonicity. In the valine series, the bulk of the substituent at the nitrogen atom has a major influence on the fate of the reaction. N-Tosylation increases the barrier to 1,5-hydrogen shift to the benefit of 1,6-hydrogen shift. The ready availability of 1,6-hydrogen atom transfer was explored as a potential route for the enantioselective synthesis of naphthoazepines

Spin exchange monitoring of the strong positive homotropic allosteric binding of a tetraradical by a synthetic receptor in water

International audienceThe flexible tetranitroxide 4T has been prepared and was shown to exhibit a nine line EPR spectrum in water, characteristic of significant through space spin exchange (Jij) between four electron spins interacting with four nitrogen nuclei (Jij ≫ aN). Addition of CB[8] to 4T decreases dramatically all the Jij couplings, and the nine line spectrum is replaced by the characteristic three line spectrum of a mononitroxide. The supramolecular association between 4T and CB[8] involves a highly cooperative asymmetric complexation by two CB[8] (K1 = 4027 M–1; K2 = 202 800 M–1; α = 201) leading to a rigid complex with remote nitroxide moieties. The remarkable enhancement for the affinity of the second CB[8] corresponds to an allosteric interaction energy of ≈13 kJ mol–1, which is comparable to that of the binding of oxygen by hemoglobin. These results are confirmed by competition and reduction experiments, DFT and molecular dynamics calculations, mass spectrometry, and liquid state NMR of the corresponding reduced complex bearing hydroxylamine moieties. This study shows that suitably designed molecules can generate allosteric complexation with CB[8]. The molecule must (i) carry several recognizable groups for CB[8] and (ii) be folded so that the first binding event reorganizes the molecule (unfold) for a better subsequent recognition. The presence of accessible protonable amines and H-bond donors to fit with the second point are also further stabilizing groups of CB[8] complexation. In these conditions, the spin exchange coupling between four radicals has been efficiently and finely tuned and the resulting allosteric complexation induced a dramatic stabilization enhancement of the included paramagnetic moieties in highly reducing conditions through the formation of the supramolecular 4T@CB[8]2 complex

Alkoxyamines of Stable Aromatic Nitroxides: N-O vs. C-O Bond Homolysis

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