1H dynamic nuclear magnetic resonance study of hindered rotations inN-aryl-N-benzyl alkyl carbamates

Rotational isomers of N-methyl-N-arylacetamides and their derived enolates: implications for asymmetric Hartwig oxindole cyclizations

The rotational preferences of N-(2-bromo-4,6-dimethylphenyl)-N-methyl 2-phenylpropanamide were studied as a model of precursors for Hartwig asymmetric oxindole cyclizations. The atropisomers of this compound were separated by flash chromatography, and then the enantiomers were resolved and the interconversions of the stereocenter and the N-Ar axis were studied. Under thermal conditions, the axis is very stable. Under the basic conditions of the Hartwig cyclization, both the stereocenter and the chiral axis equilibrate via enolate formation. The N-Ar rotation barrier of a 2-phenylacetamide analogue was reduced from 31 kcal mol(-1) in the precursor to 17 kcal mol(-1) in the enolate. Reasons for this dramatic barrier reduction and implications of both N-Ar and amide C-N rotations for Hartwig cyclizations are discussed.

Medium Effect on the Rotational Barrier of Carbamates and Its Sulfur Congeners

The solvent effect on rotation about the conjugated C-N bond has been studied for methyl N,N-dimethylcarbamate (1), S-methyl N,N-dimethylthiocarbamate (2), O-methyl N,N-dimethylthiocarbamate (3), and methyl N,N-dimethyldithiocarbamate (4). The present investigation included experimental determination of activation parameters (DeltaH, DeltaS, and DeltaG) combined with theoretical calculations via both quantum and classical approaches. Rotational barriers were measured through dynamic NMR experiments in solvents of varied polarity and proton donor ability. In the less polar solvents, the values were 15.3+/-0.5 (CS2), 14.0+/-1.1 (CS2), 17.5+/-0.4 (CCl4), and 14.6+/-0.5 kcal/mol (CCl4) for 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Upon changing to an aqueous solution, the greatest variations occurred for 2 and 4, whereas for 1 and 3, there was no observable effect. Quantum chemical calculations at the HF/6-311+G(2d,p) and B3LYP/6-311+G(2d,p) levels, with the inclusion of solvation effects via the isodensity polarizable continuum model (IPCM), correctly reproduced the experimentally observed trends but failed to account for some of the measured rotational barrier's magnitudes. Hydrogen-bonding effects were included by performing molecular dynamic simulations. For these latter calculations, it was necessary to parametrize the force field against energies of water-solute complexes calculated at B3LYP/6-31+G(d,p). Through the results of radial distribution functions, solution rotational barriers could be calculated, presenting good agreement with experimental determinations and revealing the role of hydrogen bonding. Interestingly, only for 2, the rotational barrier is predicted to increase as a result of complexation with water. For the remaining compounds, hydrogen bonding causes the barrier to decrease, contrasting with most of the molecular systems studied up to now.

Evidence for unimolecular CO2 elimination in C-N bond metathesis reactions of basic carbamatozinc complexes Zn4O(O2CAm)6(Am=N-diethylamino, N-piperidyl, N-pyrrolidyl)

The tetranuclear basic zinc carbamates Zn4O(O2CAm)6(1, Am =N-diethylamino; 2, Am =N-piperidyl; 3, Am =N-pyrrolidyl) were shown by transient FTIR spectroscopy to undergo C-N bond metathesis reactions that result in exchange of the carboxyl group with bulk carbon dioxide and exchange of the amino group with bulk secondary amine (transamination). The net rate for CO2 exchange was measured by monitoring the uptake of 13CO2 and the concomitant release of 12CO2. This revealed a CO2-dependent and CO2-independent component to the CO2 exchange process. The CO2-dependent process was interpreted in terms of preassociation of the incoming CO2 with the complex prior to the N-CO2 bond cleavage process while the CO2-independent process was interpreted in terms of a unimolecular elimination of CO2 from the complex. The transamination reaction gave rates that are independent of the concentration of the incoming amine. Furthermore, the transamination rate for each complex was within a factor of four of the CO2-independent CO2 exchange rate for that complex. These data were interpreted in terms of a common rate-limiting process for CO2 exchange and transamination that involves unimolecular elimination of CO2. Rate-limiting unimolecular dissociation of intact carbamato ligands was eliminated as a possible pathway by showing that ligand exchange dynamics is rapid relative to the overall rate of C-N bond metathesis. The ability of these metal carbamate complexes to undergo facile C-N bond metathesis reactions of this type has implications in heterocumulene metathesis and CO2 fixation chemistry.

Synthesis and structural characterization of new stiff rod oligomeric domains by X-ray crystallography and NMR

The monomers N,N'-dibenzylbenzene-1,4-diamine (1), N,N'-dibenzylnaphthalene-1,5-diamine (2), and N,N'-dibenzylanthracene-1,9-diamine (3) were reacted with phosgene in the presence of a base to produce the corresponding N,N'-dibenzyl-1,4-bis(chlorocarbonylamino)benzene (4), N,N'-dibenzyl-1,5-bis(chlorocarbonylamino)naphthalene (5), and N,N'-dibenzyl-9,10-bis(chlorocarbonylamino)anthracene (6). These monomers were used to create zigzag type stacks, in a stepwise fashion, of trimers and 9-mers of either 1,4-diureidobenzenes ((Phe)K(3) and (Phe)K(9)) or 1,5-diureidonaphthalenes ((Nap)K(3) and (Nap)K(9)). A byproduct in the formation of (Phe)K(9) was a cyclic hexamer (Phe)K(6). NMR gave evidence of the structure in solution while X-ray crystallographic information was obtained for 5, 6, (Nap)K(3), and the cyclic (Phe)K(6).