Aggregation Behavior of Lithionaphthalenes in Solution: Experimental and Theoretical Study

"Buttressing Effect" in the Halogen-Lithium Exchange in ortho-Bromo-N,N-dimethylanilines and Related Naphthalenes

Non-covalent interactions such as coordination of an organolithium reagent by a directing group and steric repulsion of substituents strongly affect the halogen-lithium exchange process. Here we present the manifestation of the "buttressing effect" - an indirect interaction between two substituents issued by the presence of a third group - and its influence on the ease and selectivity of the bromine-lithium exchange and the reactivity of formed aryllithiums. The increase of the size of the "buttressing" substituent strongly affects the conformation of a NMe2 group, forcing it to hinder ortho-bromine and thus slowing down the exchange. In naphthalene substrates bearing two bromines, this suppresses regioselectivity of the reaction. The "buttressing effect" forces formed aryllithiums to deaggregate, thus boosting their reactivity. This facilitates the decomposition via protolisys by ethereal solvents even at low temperatures and in some cases initiates fast Wurtz-Fittig coupling.

Transition-Metal-Free Synthesis of 2-Substituted Benzo[cd]Indoles via the Reaction of 1-Halo-8-lithionaphthalenes with Nitriles

A simple and effective organolithium approach to the synthesis of 2-substituted benzo[cd]indoles from peri-dihalonaphthalenes and nitriles has been developed. The reaction proceeds via a surprisingly easy intramolecular aromatic nucleophilic substitution facilitated by the "clothespin effect". The discovered transformation provides good isolated yields, allows usage of an extensive range of nitriles, and demonstrates a good substituents tolerance. UV-absorption and NMR spectra of the obtained benzo[cd]indoles and their protonated forms demonstrated exclusive protonation to the indole nitrogen atom even in the presence of two NMe2 groups in positions 5 and 6 (i. e. "proton sponge" moiety).

NMR detection of the strained metallacycles in organolithiums: theoretical study

For the first time through quantum chemistry methods, the effective use of 1JCLi spin-spin coupling constants as descriptors for assessing the formation of strained metallacycles is demonstrated. Both acyclic organolithiums and 3- to 7-membered metallacycles are examined. 80 organolithium compounds, including both monomeric and dimeric species, with ligands containing fluorine, nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon (in the form of carbanions), are tested. In general, the 1JCLi values below 12 Hz for monomeric species and below 6 Hz for dimeric species serve as clear indicators of strained monomeric metallacycle formation (for 6Li nuclei). The primary contributor to the overall 1JCLi value is the Fermi-contact term, which correlates directly with the carbon-lithium interatomic distance and allows to distinguish between dimers and monomers.

Recent advances in the liquid-phase 6,7 Li nuclear magnetic resonance

The present review is focused on experimental methods and structural applications, including computational aspects, of classical lithium liquid-phase nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). It consists of four parts covering accordingly a brief overview, early experimental reports (papers of up to about 2015) and more recent (papers appearing in the interim of about 2015 until 2022) results, together with very few but highly prospective computational results.

Spontaneous Cyclization of peri-Diiminonaphthalenes Leading to the Formation of Benzo[de]isoquinolines and Stable Benzo[de]isoquinoliniums

The interaction of peri-dilithionaphthalenes with organic cyanides was studied. Instead of the expected peri-diimines, the reaction leads to the formation of three types of benzo[de]isoquinolines. Treatment of unsubstituted 1,8-dilithionaphthalene with aromatic nitriles results in the formation of 1-amino-1,3-diaryl-1H-benzo[de]isoquinolines. In contrast, 4,5-dilithio-1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene gives an aromatic isoquinolonium cation via elimination of ammonia under the same condition. Upon treatment with tert-butylcyanide, both dilithionaphthalenes undergo a transformation to 1-amino-3,4-di-tert-butyl-4H-benzo[de]isoquinolines. The observed reactivity was supported by quantum chemical calculations.

Choice of computational protocol for carbon-lithium spin-spin coupling constants 1 JCLi

In this work, we tested various computational schemes for calculations of ¹ J_CLi constants with a high accuracy. On the example of six organolithium reagents (phenyllithium monomer and dimer, monomer s-butyllithium, monomers of 1- and 2-lithionaphthalenes, and a methyllithium tetramer), the following aspects are discussed: (i) the role of a model system geometry, (ii) influence of solvent effects, and (iii) the choice of a functional and basis set. Practical recommendations for calculation of ¹ J_CLi with an accuracy ±2 Hz are formulated.

Non-covalent interactions in the glutathione peroxidase active center and their influence on the enzyme activity

In this computational work, the structure of the active center of the enzyme glutathione peroxidase (in three forms -SeH, -SeOH and -Se(O)OH) and the non-covalent interactions in it were investigated using modern quantum chemistry methods. The non-covalent interactions are described in detail. The presence of σ-hole interactions (chalcogen, tetrel and pnictogen bonds) formed mostly by a selenium atom as an electrophile in the glutathione peroxidase active center is confirmed for the first time. It is shown that a number of non-covalent interactions stabilize intermediates along the catalytic cycle and that modelling of the whole enzyme active center is necessary for accurate predictions of thermodynamic parameters, in particular, activation barriers.