Nitrile ylides: allenic and propargylic structures from pyrazinylnitrenes. Experimental and theoretical characterization

Matrix photolysis of 2-pyrazinyl azides/tetrazolo[1,5-a]pyrazines generates nitrile ylides 15 via pyrazinylnitrenes 13 and triazacycloheptatetraenes 14. The nitrile ylides 15 are characterized by IR spectroscopy in conjunction with harmonic and anharmonic vibrational frequency calculations. The nitrile ylides exist in the matrices in the Z,Z-conformations in which they are born. Substitution on the nitrile carbon of nitrile ylides has a profound effect on their structure. Even different conformers of the same molecule can have differences up to 200 cm in the IR absorptions of the ylide moieties. Nitrile ylides 15a and 15b (R = H or Cl, R' = H) have allenic structures (15 Allenic). Nitrile ylide 15c (R = R′ = CH) has a distinctly propargylic structure (15 Propargylic) in the experimentally observed Z,Z-conformation

Iminopropadienones RN=C=C=C=O and bisiminopropadienes RN=C=C=C=NR: Matrix infrared spectra and anharmonic frequency calculations

Methyliminopropadienone MeN=C=C=C=O 1a was generated by flash vacuum thermolysis from four different precursors and isolated in solid argon. The matrix-isolation infrared spectrum is dominated by unusually strong anharmonic effects resulting in complex fine structure of the absorptions due to the NCCCO moiety in the 2200 cm-1 region. Doubling and tripling of the corresponding absorption bands are observed for phenyliminopropadienone PhN=C=C=C=O 1b and bis(phenylimino)propadiene PhN=C=C=C=NPh 9, respectively. Anharmonic vibrational frequency calculations allow the identification of a number of overtones and combination bands as the cause of the splittings for each molecule. This method constitutes an important tool for the characterization of reactive intermediates and unusual molecules by matrix-isolation infrared spectroscopy

Aryl nitrile imines and diazo compounds. Formation of indazole, pyridine N-imine, and 2-pyridyldiazomethane from tetrazoles

Both photolysis and flash vacuum pyrolysis (FVP) of tetrazoles (1/5) are known to generate nitrile imines (13, 19, and 38), which rearrange to 1H-diazirines, imidoylnitrenes, and carbodiimides. Moreover, FVP of S-aryltetrazoles is a convenient source of aryldiazo compounds (30/47) and arylcarbenes, including pyridylcarbenes. The factors that determine which path is followed are poorly understood. Calculations at the density functional theory and CASPT2 levels now examine cyclization of N-phenylnitrile imine 13 to indazole 17. A corresponding cyclization of C-phenylnitrile imine 19 can also lead to indazole, but this reaction, which passes through a carbenic nitrile imine, requires a much higher activation energy and is therefore not competitive with the known rearrangements to phenyldiazirines, ring expansion to diazenylcycloheptatetraene, or a new, potential rearrangement to cyanoazepine. C-(2-Pyridyl)nitrile imine 38 is predicted to undergo a new rearrangement to cyanopyridine N-imide 40 with an activation energy of 43 kcal/mol. The experimental observation that 2-pyridyldiazomethane 47 is actually formed requires a reaction with an energy barrier below 43 kcal/mol. This is found in the H-transfer from the tetrazole ring in 5-(2-pyridyl)tetrazole to the pyridine ring with a subsequent formation of 1H-2-(diazomethylene)pyridine and elimination of N-2 with a barrier of ca. 26 kcal/mol. This new, facile mechanism has not previously been considered

Ethynamine - Ketenimine - Acetonitrile - Rearrangements: A computational Study of Flash Vacuum Pyrolysis Processes

The rearrangements of ethynamine 3 (H-CºC-NH2) to ketenimine 4 (CH2=C=NH) and acetonitrile 5 (CH3CN) were investigated computationally up to the MP4(SDTQ)/6-31G*//MP2(FU)/6-31G* level. The calculated barrier for a concerted reaction 3 -> 4 is very high, 74 kcal/mol, the structure of the transition state very unusual, and this path is discredited. A lower barrier of about 60 kcal/mol via aminovinylidene 2 and imidoylcarbene 15 has been found. The calculated barrier for a concerted second step 4 -> 5 is 61 kcal/mol, and the transition state structure is again very unusual with a virtually linear CCN backbone, but this does not appear to correspond to physical reality. Instead, CASPT2 calculations predict reaction via vinylnitrene 9 and/or homolysis of 4 to the radical pair ·CH2CN + H· (11) with a barrier of 67-70 kcal/mol in agreement with experimental shock-tube data. Recombination (maybe via roaming) affords acetonitrile 5. There is strong experimental evidence for homolytic paths in pas-phase pyrolyses of ketenimines.</p

Iminocyclohexadienylidenes: carbenes or diradicals? the hetero-Wolff rearrangement of benzotriazoles to cyanocyclopentadienes and 1H-benzo[b]azirines

The thermal rearrangements of benzotriazole 1 to fulvenimine 4 and 1H-benzazirine 7 are investigated at DFT and CASPT2 levels of theory. Ring opening of benzotriazole 1 to 2-diazo-cyclohexadienimine 2 followed by N2 elimination affords Z- and E-2-iminocyclohexadienylidenes 3, which have triplet ground states (3A″). The open-shell singlet (OSS) (1A″) and closed-shell singlet (CSS) (1A') of 3 lie ∼15 and 40 kcal/mol higher in free energy, respectively. The OSS 3 (1A″) is best described as a 1,3-diradical, whereas the CSS (1A') has the character of a carbene. A hetero-Wolff rearrangement of OSS 3 yields fulvenimine 4, which is a precursor of cyanocyclopentadiene 5, with a calculated activation barrier of 38 kcal/mol at the CASPT2(8,8) level, whereby there is a surface crossing from the OSS to the CSS near the transition state. The barrier for cyclization to 1H-benzo[b]azirine 7 is only ∼13 kcal/mol. Therefore, reaction paths involving the singlet iminocyclohexadienylidene diradicals 3 will necessarily cause equilibration with 1H-benzazirine 7 prior to ring contraction to iminofulvene 4 and cyanocyclopentadiene 5, in agreement with experimental observations based on 13C labeling. The thermolysis of 1-acetylbenzotriazole 7 leads to the analogous N-acetyl-diazocyclohexadienimines 8, N-acetyliminocyclohexadienylidene diradicals 9, and N-acetylfulvenimine 10. The E-N-acetyliminocyclohexadienylidene E9 ring closes to the N-acetyl-1H-benzazirine 11 prior to ring contraction to N-acetylfulvenimine 10, and the Z-N-acetyl-2-diazocyclohexadienimine Z8 ring closes to 2-methylbenzoxazole 12. 1H-benzazirines are predicted to be spectroscopically observable species

Ethynamine - Ketenimine - Acetonitrile - Rearrangements: A computational Study of Flash Vacuum Pyrolysis Processes

<p>The rearrangements of ethynamine <b>3</b> (H-CºC-NH₂) to ketenimine <b>4</b> (CH₂=C=NH) and acetonitrile <b>5</b> (CH₃CN) were investigated computationally up to the MP4(SDTQ)/6-31G*//MP2(FU)/6-31G* level. The calculated barrier for a concerted reaction <b>3</b> -> <b>4</b> is very high, 74 kcal/mol, the structure of the transition state very unusual, and this path is discredited. A lower barrier of about 60 kcal/mol via aminovinylidene <b>2</b> and imidoylcarbene <b>15</b> has been found. The calculated barrier for a concerted second step <b>4 </b>-><b> 5</b> is 61 kcal/mol, and the transition state structure is again very unusual with a virtually linear CCN backbone, but this does not appear to correspond to physical reality. Instead, CASPT2 calculations predict reaction via vinylnitrene <b>9</b> and/or homolysis of <b>4 </b>to the radical pair ·CH₂CN + H· (<b>11</b>) with a barrier of 67-70 kcal/mol in agreement with experimental shock-tube data. Recombination (maybe via roaming) affords acetonitrile <b>5</b>. There is strong experimental evidence for homolytic paths in pas-phase pyrolyses of ketenimines.</p