Secondary N-nitrosocarbamate Anions: Structure and Alkylation Reactions. A DFT Study

The current article reports theoretical studies (DFT: B3LYP/6-31+G(d)) on the structure and alkylation reactions of the anions of some secondary N-nitrosocarbamates, a class of ambident nucleophiles whose chemistry has been little explored. Several anions (1–4), with an increasing size of the carbamate alkyl (aryl) group were investigated, in an attempt to establish the influence of the size of that group on the thermal stability and regioselectivity of alkylation of the title anions. The conclusion is that thermal stability and the mode of reaction are affected significantly only in the presence of very large and branched carbamate groups. The thermal decomposition studies at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d) level of theory yield quantitative results that are in very good or excellent agreement with experimental data. A detailed study of N- vs. O-alkylation reactions was conducted, in an attempt to reveal the nature and origin of regioselectivity. Several factors seem to play prominent role: (1) charge distribution within the N-nitrosocarbamate anion; (2) exothermicity of alkylation; (3) size of electrophile and (4) size of the carbamate alkyl (aryl) group. Computational results on the alkylation reactions of N-nitrosocarbamate anions are compared to results for alkylation of the acetone enolate ion, the outcome for the latter being in sharp contrast to earlier, lower-level calculations. In addition, alkylation studies were conducted on the Z-isomers of the title anions and the results indicate that they undergo O-alkylation with significantly lower barriers compared to the E-isomers. However, Z-isomers are 5–6 kcal/mol less stable thermodynamically and application of the Curtin–Hammett principle leads to the conclusion that O-alkylation occurs almost exclusively on the E-isomers

Preparation of Some Substituted Terephthalic Acids

We report in detail the preparation of two substituted terephthalic acids: 2‐sulfomethylterephthalic acid (1) and 2‐phosphonoterephthalic acid (2). Efficient, short syntheses have been developed for both compounds. They are potentially useful monomers for construction of acid‐pendant polymer chains

Synthesis, Structural Studies and Desilylation Reactions of Some N-2-(Trimethylsilyl)ethyl-N-nitrosocarbamates

The present report describes the preparation and characterization of several N-2-(trimethylsilyl)ethyl-N-nitrosocarbamates, designed as precursors to thermally unstable secondary N-nitrosocarbamate anions via fluoride-assisted cleavage. X-ray structural studies demonstrate that the core N-nitrosocarbamate moiety has a nearly planar geometry, with an s-E orientation at the N–N bond. DFT calculations (B3LYP/6-31+G(d)) reproduce accurately the structural features of the title compounds and detailed conformational analysis at the same level of theory addresses the long-standing issue of preferred geometries for three classes of related structures: N-nitrosocarbamates, N-nitrosoureas and N-nitrosoamides. Desilylation studies demonstrate that both the solvent and the fluoride concentration influence the rate of the process

C–N bond rotation and E–Z isomerism in some N-benzyl-N-methylcarbamoyl chlorides: A DFT study

The current report presents the first theoretical study of the restricted CN bond rotation in carbamoyl chlorides. Several N-benzyl-N-methylcarbamoyl chlorides were investigated, with varying pattern of substitution in the aromatic ring. Optimizations and frequency calculations were conducted employing DFT at the B3LYP/6-31+G(d) level of theory. Each of the studied structures exhibits a pair of rotamers (s-Z and s-E), generated upon rotation around the C(O)N bond. The s-E isomer is the global minimum in every case, but the preference for it is usually less than 1 kcal/mol. Two possible transition state structures were identified for the rotamer interconversion: TSsyn and TSanti, in close analogy to other related compounds, such as amides and carbamates. In contrast to the two latter types, however, the preferred transition state in the case of carbamoyl chlorides is TSsyn, which we attribute to a stabilizing gauche effect. The optimized minima structures of the studied carbamoyl chlorides were subjected to GIAOB3LYP/6-311+G(2d,p) calculations, and the resultant isotropic shifts were found to be in excellent agreement with available experimental values. This has allowed us to provide unambiguous NMR signal assignments for the s-E and s-Z isomers of the studied compounds

Theoretical Investigation of a Reported Antibiotic from the \u27Miracle Tree\u27 Moringa Oleifera

Moringa oleifera, sometimes called the “Miracle Tree,” has received international attention for its potential to improve health in impoverished tropical areas. In addition to high vitamin content in the leaves and pods, the tree contains compounds with antioxidant and antibacterial properties. This study focused on the theoretical investigation of the suggested structure of one antibacterial compound, “pterygospermin,” whose existence was proposed after some studies of the roots of M. oleifera. The structure of pterygospermin was first proposed by a research group working in the 1950s, but later studies have not found evidence of this compound and have instead attributed the antibacterial properties of Moringa to isothiocyanates. In order to investigate the possible existence and properties of pterygospermin, extensive ab initio and DFT calculations were conducted, to determine the most favorable isomer of pterygospermin and examine plausible decomposition pathways. This study concludes that pterygospermin, as proposed, would not be stable enough to exist in ambient conditions

The Tetrafluoroborate Salt of 4-Methoxybenzyl N-2-(dimethylamino)ethyl-N-nitrosocarbamate: Synthesis, Crystal Structure and DFT Calculations

The tetrafluoroborate salt of 4-methoxybenzyl N-2-(dimethylamino)ethyl-N-nitrosocarbamate was prepared in two steps, via the corresponding carbamate. Its crystal structure is monoclinic, space group P21/c. The unit cell dimensions are: a = 19.499(8) Å, b = 5.877(3) Å, c = 15.757(7) Å, α = 90°, β = 110.019(7)°, γ = 90°, V = 1696.5(12) Å3, Z = 4. The structure exhibits an unexpected, pseudo-gauche conformation with respect to the C2–C3 bond, due to a stabilizing hydrogen bond between the carbonyl oxygen (O1) and the hydrogen atom at the trialkylammonium center (H3n), with a distance between them of 2.37 Å. DFT calculations on the cation (B3LYP/6-31 + G(d)) confirm that the hydrogen bond stabilized gauche conformation is the global minimum structure

Preparation of Phosphonoterephthalic Acids via Palladium-catalyzed Coupling of Aromatic Iodoesters

The current article reports in detail the preparation of two phosphonoterephthalic acids: 2-phosphonoterephthalic acid (1) and 2,5-diphosphonoterephthalic acid (2). Efficient, scalable syntheses have been developed for both compounds based on Pd-catalyzed coupling reactions of iodinated terephthalate esters. Phosphonoterephthalic acids are potentially useful as flame-retardant additives or as monomers for the construction of acid-pendant polymer chains

Synthesis and Flame Retardant Testing of New Boronated and Phosphonated Aromatic Compounds

The present report describes the preparation and use of some dimethyl terephthalate derivatives in transition metal-catalyzed coupling reactions to produce new reactive flame retardants. Dimethyl iodoterephthalate and dimethyl 2,5-diiodoterephthalate were successfully employed in the preparation of phosphonic and boronic esters and acids. The latter were tested for heat release with a microcombustion calorimeter (ASTM D7309) to determine the potential for heat release reduction of these flame retardant molecules. The results showed that the addition of boronic or phosphonic acids greatly lowered the heat release, due to a condensed phase (char formation) mechanism. Adding ester groups to the boronic acids or phosphonic acids could either completely remove all flame retardant effects or make the molecule act more like a vapor phase flame retardant. Finally, the various potential flame retardants were solventblended with a thermoplastic polyurethane to assess their flammability reduction effects by microcombustion calorimetry. The results of these experiments found that the molecules that reduced heat release the most by themselves showed the greatest reduction in heat release in a polyurethane as well, with the boronic acids yielding the greatest reduction in heat release

A Sodium Salt of the Dimer of Boronoterephthalic Acid Anhydride

The title compound, sodium bis­(6-carb­oxy-1-hy­droxy-3-oxo-1,3-dihydro-2,1-benzoxaborol-1-yl)oxidanium, Na+·C16H15B2O13-, was prepared in two steps from 2-bromo-p-xylene. Its crystal structure was determined at 140 K and has triclinic (P) symmetry. The compound presents a unique structural motif, including two units of the cyclic anhydride of boronoterephthalic acid, joined by a protonated, and thereby trivalent, oxonium center. Association in the crystal is realized by complementary hydrogen bonding of the carboxyl groups, as well as by coordination of the sodium cations to the oxygen centers on the five-membered rings

Preparation and Characterization of Some Substituted Benzyl N-nitrosocarbamates Containing an N-2-(methylthio)ethyl or a Bis(2-aminoethyl)sulfide Functionality

The synthesis and characterization of some substituted benzyl N-nitrosocarbamates with an N-2-(methylthio)ethyl or a bis(2-aminoethyl)sulfide functionality is reported, as a part of a long-term goal to design and prepare novel photolabile structures that could be used as substances for controlled release of alkylating and/or crosslinking agents. The synthesis was accomplished by reaction of benzyl chloroformates with the corresponding amines, resulting in the preparation of carbamates. The latter were subsequently nitrosated, utilizing two different N-nitrosation methods, to yield the target structures