Ketonization of acetophenone enol in aqueous buffer solutions. Rate-equilibrium relations and mechanism of the uncatalyzed reaction

Elementary Reaction Steps That Precede or Follow a Unimolecular Reaction Step Can Obfuscate Interpretation of the Driving-Force Dependence to Its Rate Constant

Assessing the validity of a driving-force-dependent kinetic theory for a unimolecular elementary reaction step is difficult when the observed reaction rate is strongly influenced by properties of the preceding or following elementary reaction step. A well-known example occurs for bimolecular reactions with weak orbital overlap, such as outer-sphere electron transfer, where bimolecular collisional encounters that precede a fast unimolecular electron-transfer step can limit the observed rate. A lesser-appreciated example occurs for bimolecular reactions with stronger orbital overlap, including many proton-transfer reactions, where equilibration of an endergonic unimolecular proton-transfer step results in a relatively small concentration of reaction products, thus slowing the rate of the following step such that it becomes rate limiting. Incomplete consideration of these points has led to discrepancies in interpretation of data from the literature. Our reanalysis of these data suggests that proton-transfer elementary reaction steps have a nonzero intrinsic free energy barrier, implying, in the parlance of Marcus theory, that there is non-negligible nuclear reorganization. Outcomes from our analyses are generalizable to inner-sphere electron-transfer reactions such as those involved in (photo)electrochemical fuel-forming reactions.

Keto-anthraquinone covalent organic framework for H2O2 photosynthesis with oxygen and alkaline water

Hydrogen peroxide photosynthesis suffers from insufficient catalytic activity due to the high energy barrier of hydrogen extraction from H2O. Herein, we report that mechanochemically synthesized keto-form anthraquinone covalent organic framework which is able to directly synthesize H2O2 (4784 μmol h-1 g-1 at λ > 400 nm) from oxygen and alkaline water (pH = 13) in the absence of any sacrificial reagents. The strong alkalinity resulted in the formation of OH-(H2O)n clusters in water, which were adsorbed on keto moieties within the framework and then dissociated into O2 and active hydrogen, because the energy barrier of hydrogen extraction was largely lowered. The produced hydrogen reacted with anthraquinone to generate anthrahydroquinone, which was subsequently oxidized by O2 to produce H2O2. This study ultimately sheds light on the importance of hydrogen extraction from H2O for H2O2 photosynthesis and demonstrates that H2O2 synthesis is achievable under alkaline conditions.

Highly selective conversion of CO2 to C2H6 on graphene modified chlorophyll Cu through multi-electron process for artificial photosynthesis

Artificial photosynthesis is a promising strategy for converting carbon dioxide into hydrocarbon fuels through solar energy as it is clean, economical and environmentally friendly. Herein, we developed a selective and stable photocatalyst for CO₂ photocatalytic reduction into C₂H₆ through a multi-electron transfer pathway without the external sacrificial regents. The core component of this composite catalyst was extracted from a silkworm excrement and modified to make chlorophyll Cu (Chl-Cu), which contained a porphyrin structure as an antenna for light absorption and a Cu cation as an active centre. We found that C₂ hydrocarbons such as C₂H₂, C₂H₄, and C₂H₆ tended to generate on chlorophyll-a/graphene. After substituting Mg²⁺ with Cu²⁺ cations in the centre of the porphyrin and modifying with graphene, only C₂H₆ was detected in the 18 hours reaction. This photocatalyst presented an outstanding activity and selectivity for the photocatalytic CO₂ reduction (CO₂RR) with a C₂H₆ yield rate at 68.23 μmol m^-2 h^-1 under visible light irradiation and an apparent quantum efficiency of 1.26% at 420 nm. In this system, the porphyrin rings were excited to produce electron-hole pairs by light. The photo-induced holes oxidized water to produce oxygen while graphene worked as an adsorption centre and electron acceptor for the CO₂ reduction.

The role of Brønsted base basicity in estimating carbon acidity at enzyme active sites: a caveat

Many enzymes catalyze the abstraction of a proton from a carbon acid substrate to initiate a variety of reactions; however, the development of a complete quantitative description of enzyme-catalyzed heterolytic cleavage of a C-H bond remains a challenge to enzymologists. To determine the pK value for such substrates bound at the active site, recent studies have estimated the equilibrium for formation of the deprotonated intermediate at the active site, however, accurate knowledge of the pK of the conjugate acid of the Brønsted base catalyst (BH⁺) is also required. Herein, it is shown that using the value of pK of the enzyme-substrate complex can underestimate the value of pK by an amount between zero and pδ, where pδ is the change in basicity of BH⁺ upon going from the enzyme-substrate complex to the enzyme-intermediate complex.

Altering the Y137-K164-K166 triad of mandelate racemase and its effect on the observed pKa of the Brønsted base catalysts

Mandelate racemase (MR) catalyzes the interconversion of the enantiomers of mandelate using a two-base mechanism with Lys 166 acting as the Brønsted base to abstract the α-proton from (S)-mandelate. The resulting intermediate is subsequently re-protonated by the conjugate acid of His 297 to yield (R)-mandelate. The roles of these amino acids are reversed when (R)-mandelate is the substrate. The side chains of Tyr 137, Lys 164, and Lys 166 form a H-bonding network and the proximity of the two ε-NH₃⁺ groups is believed to lower the pK_a of Lys 166. We used site-directed mutagenesis, kinetics, and pH-rate studies to explore the roles of Lys 164 (K164 C/M) and Tyr 137 (Y137  L/F/S/T) in catalysis. The efficiency (k_cat/K_m) was reduced ∼3.5 × 10⁵-fold for K164C MR, relative to wild-type MR, indicating a major role for this residue in catalysis. The efficiency of Y137F MR, however, was reduced only 25-30-fold. pH-Rate profiles (log k_cat vs. pH) revealed that substitution of Tyr 137 by Phe increased the kinetic pK_a of Lys 166 from 5.88 ± 0.02 to 7.3 ± 0.2. Hence, Tyr 137 plays an important role in facilitating the reduction of the pK_a of the Brønsted base Lys 166 by ∼1.4 units. Interestingly, the Phe substitution also increased the kinetic pK_a of His 297 from 5.97 ± 0.04 to 7.1 ± 0.1. Thus, the Tyr 137-Lys 164-Lys 166 H-bonding network plays a broader role in modulating the pK_a of catalytic residues by influencing the electrostatic character of the entire active site, not only by decreasing the observed pK_a value of Lys 166, but also by decreasing the pK_a of His 297 by 1.1 units.

Asymmetric synthesis of β-amino ketones by using cinchona alkaloid-based chiral phase transfer catalysts

A highly enantioselective nucleophilic addition of ketones to imines catalyzed by chiral phase-transfer catalysts (N-quaternised cinchona alkaloid ammonium salts) has been developed, and the process affords the Mannich reaction products with tertiary stereocenters in good to high yields (up to 95%) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee).

A Paradigm for CH Bond Cleavage: Structural and Functional Aspects of Transition State Stabilization by Mandelate Racemase

Mandelate racemase (MR) from Pseudomonas putida catalyzes the Mg²⁺-dependent, 1,1-proton transfer reaction that racemizes (R)- and (S)-mandelate. MR shares a partial reaction (i.e., the metal ion-assisted, Brønsted base-catalyzed proton abstraction of the α-proton of carboxylic acid substrates) and structural features ((β/α)₇β-barrel and N-terminal α + β capping domains) with a vast group of homologous, yet functionally diverse, enzymes in the enolase superfamily. Mechanistic and structural studies have developed this enzyme into a paradigm for understanding how enzymes such as those of the enolase superfamily overcome kinetic and thermodynamic barriers to catalyze the abstraction of an α-proton from a carbon acid substrate with a relatively high pK_a value. Structural studies on MR bound to intermediate/transition state analogues have delineated those structural features that MR uses to stabilize transition states and enhance reaction rates of proton abstraction. Kinetic, site-directed mutagenesis, and structural studies have also revealed that the phenyl ring of the substrate migrates through the hydrophobic cavity within the active site during catalysis and that the Brønsted acid-base catalysts (Lys 166 and His 297) may be utilized as binding determinants for inhibitor recognition. In addition, structural studies on the adduct formed from the irreversible inhibition of MR by 3-hydroxypyruvate revealed that MR can form and deprotonate a Schiff-base with 3-hydroxypyruvate to yield an enol(ate)-aldehyde adduct, suggesting a possible evolutionary link between MR and the Schiff-base forming aldolases. As the archetype of the enolase superfamily, mechanistic and structural studies on MR will continue to enhance our understanding of enzyme catalysis and furnish insights into the evolution of enzyme function.

Mechanism of Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Aromatic Ketones Catalyzed by a Combined System of Ru(π-CH2C(CH3)CH2)2(cod) and the Chiral sp(2)N/sp(3)NH Hybrid Linear N4 Ligand Ph-BINAN-H-Py

The combination of a Goodwin-Lions-type chiral N4 ligand, (R)-Ph-BINAN-H-Py ((R)-3,3'-diphenyl-N(2),N(2')-bis((pyridin-2-yl)methyl)-1,1'-binaphthyl-2,2'-diamine; L), with Ru(π-CH2C(CH3)CH2)2(cod) (A) (cod = 1,5-cyclooctadiene) catalyzes the hydrogenation of acetophenone (AP) to (R)-1-phenylethanol (PE) with a high enantiomer ratio (er). Almost no Ru complex forms, with A and L remaining intact throughout the reaction while generating PE quantitatively according to [PE] = k(obs)t(2). An infinitesimal amount of reactive and unstable RuH2L (B) with C2-Λ-cis-α stereochemistry is very slowly and irreversibly generated from A by the action of H2 and L, which rapidly catalyzes the hydrogenation of AP via Noyori's donor-acceptor bifunctional mechanism. A CH-π-stabilized Si-face selective transition state, CSi, gives (R)-PE together with an intermediary Ru amide, D, which is inhibited predominantly by formation of the Ru enolate of AP. The rate-determining hydrogenolysis of D completes the cycle. The time-squared term relates both to the preliminary step before the cycle and to the cycle itself, with a highly unusual eight-order difference in the generation and turnover frequency of B. This mechanism is fully supported by a series of experiments including a detailed kinetic study, rate law analysis, simulation of t/[PE] curves with fitting to the experimental observations at the initial reaction stage, X-ray crystallographic analyses of B-related octahedral metal complexes, and Hammett plot analyses of electronically different substrates and ligands in their enantioselectivities.

A case study of the mechanism of alcohol-mediated Morita Baylis-Hillman reactions. The importance of experimental observations

The mechanism of the Morita Baylis-Hillman reaction has been heavily studied in the literature, and a long series of computational studies have defined complete theoretical energy profiles in these reactions. We employ here a combination of mechanistic probes, including the observation of intermediates, the independent generation and partitioning of intermediates, thermodynamic and kinetic measurements on the main reaction and side reactions, isotopic incorporation from solvent, and kinetic isotope effects, to define the mechanism and an experimental mechanistic free-energy profile for a prototypical Morita Baylis-Hillman reaction in methanol. The results are then used to critically evaluate the ability of computations to predict the mechanism. The most notable prediction of the many computational studies, that of a proton-shuttle pathway, is refuted in favor of a simple but computationally intractable acid-base mechanism. Computational predictions vary vastly, and it is not clear that any significant accurate information that was not already apparent from experiment could have been garnered from computations. With care, entropy calculations are only a minor contributor to the larger computational error, while literature entropy-correction processes lead to absurd free-energy predictions. The computations aid in interpreting observations but fail utterly as a replacement for experiment.

The aromatic ene reaction

The ene reaction is a pericyclic process in which an alkene having an allylic hydrogen atom (the ene donor) reacts with a second unsaturated species (the enophile) to form a new product with a transposed π-bond. The aromatic ene reaction, in which the alkene component is embedded in an aromatic ring, has only been reported in a few (four) instances and has proceeded in low yield (≤6%). Here we show efficient aromatic ene reactions in which a thermally generated aryne engages a pendant m-alkylarene substituent to produce a dearomatized isotoluene, itself another versatile but rare reactive intermediate. Our experiments were guided by computational studies that revealed structural features conducive to the aromatic ene process. We proceeded to identify a cascade comprising three reactions: (i) hexadehydro-Diels-Alder (for aryne generation), (ii) intramolecular aromatic ene, and (iii) bimolecular Alder ene. The power of this cascade is evident from the structural complexity of the final products, the considerable scope, and the overall efficiency of these multi-stage, reagent- and byproduct-free, single-pot transformations.

Flash photolytic generation of two keto tautomers of 1-naphthol in aqueous solution: kinetics and equilibria of enolization

Benzo[b]cyclohexa-2,4-dien-1-one (4) and benzo[b]cyclohexa-2,5-dien-1-one (5), the two most stable keto tautomers of 1-naphthol (1), were generated in aqueous solution by Norrish Type II fission of 4- and 2-phenacyl-1-tetralone, respectively, and the pH-rate profiles of their enolization were measured by flash photolysis. Several isotopic exchange rates of 1 were measured in aqueous acid to determine the corresponding rate constants of ketonization. The resulting equilibrium constants for enolization are pKE(4) = -7.1 and pKE(5) = -6.2. The acidity constants of the carbon acids 4 and 5, pKa(4) = 2.1 and pKa(5) = 3.0, were then obtained from a thermodynamic cycle using pKa(1) = 9.25.

Ab initio molecular dynamics study of the keto-enol tautomerism of acetone in solution

We have studied the keto-enol interconversion of acetone to understand the mechanism of tautomerism relevant to numerous organic and biochemical processes. Applying the ab initio metadynamics method, we simulated the keto-enol isomerism both in the gas phase and in the presence of water. For the gas-phase intramolecular mechanism we show that no other hydrogen-transfer reactions can compete with the simple keto-enol tautomerism. We obtain an intermolecular mechanism and remarkable participation of water when acetone is solvated by neutral water. The simulations reveal that C deprotonation is the kinetic bottleneck of the keto-enol transformation, in agreement with experimental observations. The most interesting finding is the formation of short H-bonded chains of water molecules that provide the route for proton transfer from the carbon to the oxygen atom of acetone. The mechanistic picture that emerged from the present study involves proton migration and emphasizes the importance of active solvent participation in tautomeric interconversion.

Flash-photolytic generation of dienols and dienolates from α,β-unsaturated esters and kinetics of their amine-catalyzed ketonization in nonaqueous media

Dienols of alpha,beta-unsaturated esters were generated and observed by flash photolysis and their decay rates in acetonitrile and in hexane solutions were measured in the presence of amines or aminoalcohols. In acetonitrile, 1 ratio 1 ammonium dienolate transient intermediates were observed. In hexane, no dienolate could be detected and two moles of the inductor participated in the rate-determining step for tautomerization.

Hydration of the carbonyl group — Acetic acid catalysis in the co-operative mechanism

In a co-operative reaction, solvent molecules, specifically water molecules, participate actively in the mechanism to circumvent the formation of charged intermediates. This paper extends our earlier theoretical treatment of the neutral co-operative hydration of acetone to include general acid catalysis by acetic acid. As before, the predominant neutral channel employs three catalytic water molecules. The principal acetic acid catalyzed channels employ one catalytic water molecule and, in approximately equal proportions, one or both oxygens of the carboxyl group. The theoretical rate constant for general acid catalysis is calculated to be 0.49 M–1s–1at 298 K. This compares to an estimated experimental value of 0.30 M–1s–1for acetic acid catalyzed hydration of acetone at 298 K in water solvent, determined by using the18O-isotope shift in the13C NMR spectrum of 2-13C-labelled acetone as a kinetic probe. It is concluded that the notion of co-operativity can be extended to include general acid catalysis of the hydration of a carbonyl group in water solvent. This creates an obvious problem for the generally accepted view that multistep ionic mechanisms are operative in the low dielectric media that exist at the active sites of hydrolytic enzymes. The relevance of this finding to the mechanisms of action of β-lactam antibiotics has been noted.Key words: hydration, reaction mechanism, co-operativity, general acid catalysis, ab initio, SCRF,18O-isotope shift.

Reduction of intrinsic kinetic and thermodynamic barriers for enzyme-catalysed proton transfers from carbon acid substrates

Many enzymes catalyse the heterolytic abstraction of the alpha-proton from a carbon acid substrate. Gerlt and Gassman have applied Marcus formalism to such proton transfer reactions to argue that transition states for concerted general acid-general base catalysed enolization at enzyme active sites occur late on the reaction coordinate (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 115 (1993) 11552). We postulate that as an enzyme evolves, it may decrease deltaG++ for a proton transfer step associated with substrate enolization by following the path of steepest descent on the two-dimensional surface corresponding to deltaG++, as defined by Marcus formalism. We show that for an enzyme that has decreased deltaG++ following the path of steepest descent, the values of the intrinsic kinetic (deltaG++(int,E)) and thermodynamic (deltaG(E)0) barriers for proton transfer reactions on the enzyme may be predicted from the known values of deltaG++(int,N) and deltaG(N)0 for the corresponding non-enzymic reaction and the free energy of activation on the enzyme (deltaG++(E)). In addition, the enzymic transition state will occur later on the reaction coordinate than the corresponding non-enzymic transition state (i.e. x++(E)>x++(N)) if the condition (6 - square root 2)/8<x++(N)<(6 + square root 2)/8 is satisfied. For enzyme-catalysed abstraction of the alpha-proton from carbon acid substrates with high pK(a) values (e.g. pK(a) approximately 29), the free energy of activation for the non-enzymic reaction (deltaG++(N)) is dominated by deltaG(N)0. Reduction of deltaG++, via the path of steepest descent will reduce deltaG0 to a greater extent (i.e. differential binding) than deltaG++(int) if deltaG(N)0>2deltaG++(int,N).

Kinetics of base catalyzed racemization of ibuprofen enantiomers

The kinetics of base catalyzed racemization of ibuprofen enantiomers has been studied in DMSO-water mixed medium. The dynamic equilibrium rate of keto-enol tautomerism leading to racemization of ibuprofen enantiomers, is proportional to the concentrations of base catalyst and substrate. A kinetic model capable of predicting the time course of racemization, under different base and substrate concentrations, is established and experimentally verified.

Lifetimes and UV-visible absorption spectra of benzyl, phenethyl, and cumyl carbocations and corresponding vinyl cations. A laser flash photolysis study

Benzyl (4-MeO, 4-Me, and 4-methoxy-1-naphthylmethyl), phenethyl (4-Me2N, 4-MeO, 3,4-(MeO)2, 4-Me, 3-Me, 4-F, 3-MeO, 2,6-Me2, parent, and 4-methoxy-1-naphthylethyl) and cumyl (4-Me2N, 4-MeO, 4-Me, parent) cations have been studied by laser flash photolysis (LFP) in 2,2,2-trifluoroethanol (TFE) and 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP). In most cases styrene or α-methylstyrene precursors were employed for the phenethyl and cumyl ions, the intermediate being obtained by solvent protonation of the excited state. Benzyl cations were generated by photoheterolysis of trimethylammonium and chloride precursors. While a 4-MeO substituent provides sufficient stabilization to permit observation of cations in TFE, cations with less stabilizing substituents usually require the less nucleophilic HFIP. Even in this solvent, the parent benzyl cation is too short-lived (lifetime <20 ns) to be observed. When generated in HFIP, phenethyl cations can be seen to react with unphotolyzed styrene, giving rise to dimer cations that are observed to grow in as the initial phenethyl cation decays. The dimer cations, in common with the oligomer cations seen in cationic styrene polymerization, have a λmax 15-20 nm higher than the monomer and react with both solvent and styrene several orders of magnitude more slowly. This stabilization relative to the phenethyl may reflect an interaction with the aryl group present at the gamma-carbon. Cations 4-MeOC6H4C+(R)-CH3 (R = Me, Et, i-Pr, t-Bu, cyclopropyl, C6H5, 4-MeOC6H4) were generated in TFE via the photoprotonation route. The alkyl series shows that steric effects are important in the decay reaction. The cation with R = cyclopropyl is a factor of 1.5 less reactive than the cation where R = phenyl. Several vinyl cations have also been generated by photoprotonation of phenylacetylenes. ArC+=CH2 has a reactivity very similar to that of its analog ArC+H-CH3, the vinyl cation being slightly (factors of 2-5) shorter-lived. For the various series of cations, including vinyl, substituents in the aryl ring have a consistent effect on the λmax, a shift to higher wavelength relative to hydrogen of 15 nm for 4-Me, 30 nm for 4-MeO, and 50 nm for 4-Me2N.Key words: photogenerated carbocations, carbocation lifetime, styrene, photoprotonation.

Ketonization equilibria of phenol in aqueous solution

The two keto tautomers of phenol (1), cyclohexa-2,4-dienone (2) and cyclohexa-2,5-dienone (3), were generated by flash photolysis of appropriate precursors in aqueous solution, and the pH-rate profiles of their enolization reactions, 2 –> 1 and 3 –> 1, were measured. The rates of the reverse reactions, 1 –> 2 and 1 –> 3, were determined from the rates of acid-catalyzed hydron exchange at the ortho- and para-positions of 1; the magnitude of the kinetic isotope effect was assessed by comparing the rates of hydrogenation of phenol-2t and -2d. The ratios of the enolization and ketonization rate constants provide the equilibrium constants of enolization, pKE(2, aq, 25°C) = -12.73 ± 0.12 and pKE(3, aq, 25°C) = -10.98 ± 0.15. Combination with the acidity constant of phenol also defines the acidity constants of 2 and 3 through a thermodynamic cycle. These ketones are remarkably strong carbon acids: pKa(2) = -2.89 ± 0.12 and pKa(3) = -1.14 ± 0.15. They disappear by proton transfer to the solvent with lifetimes, τ(2) = 260 μs and τ(3) = 13 ms, that are insensitive to pH in the range from 3-10.Key words: proton transfer, tautomers, flash photolysis, kinetic isotope effect, pH-rate profiles.

An assay for mandelate racemase using high-performance liquid chromatography

Mandelate racemase (EC 5.1.2.2) catalyzes the interconversion of the two stereoisomers of mandelic acid. A fixed-time assay for the quantification of mandelate racemase activity has been developed. The assay involves enzymatic conversion of R-mandelate to S-mandelate (or the reverse reaction) followed by separation and detection of the substrate and product using isocratic reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography on a Sumichiral OA-6100 column and absorbance detection. This method offers an economical and efficient alternative to the existing circular dichroism-based and coupled assays.

"Strong" hydrogen bonds in chemistry and biology

Hydrogen bonds are a key feature of chemical structure and reactivity. Recently there has been much interest in a special class of hydrogen bonds called "strong" or "low-barrier" and characterized by great strength, short distances, a low or vanishing barrier to hydrogen transfer, and distinctive features in the NMR spectrum. Although the energy of an ordinary hydrogen bond is ca 5 kcal mol-1, the strength of these hydrogen bonds may be > or = 10 kcal mol-1. The properties of these hydrogen bonds have been investigated by many experimental techniques, as well as by calculation and by correlations among those properties. Although it has been proposed that strong, short, low-barrier hydrogen bonds are important in enzymatic reactions, it is concluded that the evidence for them in small molecules and in biomolecules is inconclusive.