Nitroso group transfer from substituted N-methyl-N-nitrosobenzenesulfonamides to amines. Intrinsic and apparent reactivity

Importance of phenols structure on their activity as antinitrosating agents: A kinetic study

Objective:

Nitrosative deamination of DNA bases induced by reaction with reactive nitrogen species (RNS) has been pointed out as a probable cause of mutagenesis. (Poly)phenols, present in many food items from the Mediterranean diet, are believed to possess antinitrosating properties due to their RNS scavenging ability, which seems to be related to their structure. It has been suggested that phenolic compounds will react with the above-mentioned species more rapidly than most amino compounds, thus preventing direct nitrosation of the DNA bases and their transnitrosation from endogenous N-nitroso compounds, or most likely from the transient N-nitrosocompounds formed in vivo.

Materials and Methods:

In order to prove that assumption, a kinetic study of the nitroso group transfer from a N-methyl-N-nitrosobenzenesulfonamide (N-methyl-N-nitroso-4-methylbenzenesulfonamide, MeNMBS) to the DNA bases bearing an amine group and to a series of phenols was carried out. In the transnitrosation of phenols, the formation of nitrosophenol was monitored by Ultraviolet (UV) / Visible spectroscopy, and in the reactions of the DNA bases, the consumption of MeNMBS was followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Results:

The results obtained point to the transnitrosation of DNA bases being negligible, as well as that of phenols bearing electron-withdrawing groups. Phenols with methoxy substituents in positions 2, 4, and / or 6, although they seemed to react, did not afford the expected product. Phenols with electron-releasing substituents, unless these blocked the oxygen atom, reacted with our model compound at an appreciable rate. O-nitrosation of the phenolate ion followed by rearrangement of the C-nitrosophenol seemed to be involved.

Conclusion:

This study provided evidence that the above compounds might actually act as antinitrosating agents in vivo.

First kinetic discrimination between carbon and oxygen reactivity of enols

Nitrosation of enols shows a well-differentiated behavior depending on whether the reaction proceeds through the carbon (nucleophilic catalysis is observed) or the oxygen atom (general acid-base catalysis is observed). This is due to the different operating mechanisms for C- and O-nitrosation. Nitrosation of acetylacetone (AcAc) shows a simultaneous nucleophilic and acid-base catalysis. This simultaneous catalysis constitutes the first kinetic evidence of two independent reactions on the carbon and oxygen atom of an enol. The following kinetic study allows us to determine the rate constants for both reaction pathways. A similar reactivity of the nucleophilic centers with the nitrosonium ion is observed.

Synthesis of alpha-oximinoketones under ultrasound irradiation

The reaction of 6-acylmethylphenanthridines with isoamyl nitrite results alpha-oximino-6-acylmethylphenanthridines in 73-95% yields in DMF under ultrasound irradiation. Compared with conventional methods, the main advantages of the present procedure are milder conditions, shorter reaction time and higher yields.

Ab Initio Study of Bonding between Nucleophilic Species and the Nitroso Group

The bonding between anionic nucleophiles and the nitroso group has been studied in the common nitrosating agents nitroso chloride (ONCl), nitroso bromide (ONBr), nitroso thiocyanate (ONSCN), and dinitrogen trioxide (N2O3) in aqueous solution. A variety of theoretical methods were employed, including ab initio, density functional theory (DFT), and composite theoretical techniques, with solvent effects described using the polarizable continuum model (PCM). Experimental nitroso bond heterolytic dissociation free energies were accurately reproduced with a number of composite theoretical methods, the most successful being CBS-Q and G2MP2, with average errors of 3.1 and 3.4 kJ mol(-1), respectively. Using the MP2 and B3LYP methods, calculations were made with correlation consistent basis sets up to quadruple-zeta, extrapolated to the complete basis set (CBS) limit. The MP2/CBS calculations were accurate to around 10 kJ mol(-1), while the B3LYP/CBS calculations routinely overpredicted experimental bond free energies by ca. 40 kJ mol(-1). It is therefore highly recommended that B3LYP energies are not used for nitroso compounds, although other results demonstrate that the B3LYP method provides a good account of nitroso compound geometries, frequencies, and entropies. Single-point CBS energy calculations using MP2/aug-cc-pVQZ geometries and frequencies showed that the MP4(SDTQ) and QCISD(T) methods provide a slight improvement over MP2 at the CBS limit, although the inclusion of triple excitations is necessary to achieve this improvement in accuracy. Enthalpy-entropy compensation was also discovered, with an average isoequilibrium temperature of 825 K. This relatively large isoequilibrium temperature indicates that enthalpic effects dominate over entropic ones.

Nitroso Group Transfer in S-Nitrosocysteine: Evidence of a New Decomposition Pathway for Nitrosothiols

The rate of S-nitrosocysteine decomposition in a pH range between 0.7 < pH < 13 exhibits first- and second-order dependence on total cysteine concentration. The second-order term is only observed for pH values between 6.9 < pH < 12. Both first- and second-order terms show a complex dependence on the acidity of the medium. They increase with increasing pH, reaching a maximum value around pH = 8 and then decrease with further increase in pH. An analysis of the reaction products reveals the absence of nitrite ion and ammonia. No evidence of catalysis by copper ions is observed. These results suggest the existence of a new decomposition pathway for S-nitrosocysteine, which proceeds via an intramolecular nitroso group transfer producing a primary N-nitrosamine that decomposes rapidly to give the corresponding diazonium salt. The nitroso group transfer reaction occurs intermolecularly for the decomposition pathway exhibiting a quadratic dependence on cysteine concentration. Both nitroso group transfer pathways are subject to acid catalysis by cysteine. Kinetic results indicate that the extent of S...NO bond cleavage in the transition state is ahead of protonation of the AH...S sulfur atom. The results obtained show the existence of a new decomposition pathway for the S-nitrosocysteine where NO is not released, and hence, it has a significant biological impact due to the potential use of nitrosothiols as NO donors.

Determination of N−NO Bond Dissociation Energies of N-Methyl-N-nitrosobenzenesulfonamides in Acetonitrile and Application in the Mechanism Analyses on NO Transfer

The heterolytic and homolytic N-NO bond dissociation energies of seven substituted N-methyl-N-nitrosobenzenesulfonamides (abbreviated as G-MNBS, G = p-OCH(3), p-CH(3), p-H, p-Cl, p-Br, 2,5-2Cl, m-NO(2)) in acetonitrile solution were evaluated for the first time by using titration calorimetry and relative thermodynamic cycles according to Hess' law. The results show that the energetic scales of the heterolytic and homolytic N-NO bond dissociation energies of G-MNBS in acetonitrile solution cover the ranges from 44.3 to 49.5 and from 33.0 to 34.9 kcal/mol for the neutral G-MNBS, respectively, which indicates that N-methyl-N-nitrosobenzenesulfonamides are much easier to release a NO radical (NO(*)) than to release a NO cation (NO(+)). The estimation of the heterolytic and homolytic (N-NO)(-)(*) bond dissociation energies of the seven G-MNBS radical anions in acetonitrile solution gives the energetic ranges of -15.8 to -12.9 and -3.1 to 1.8 kcal/mol for the (N-NO)(-)(*) bond homolysis and heterolysis, respectively, which means that G-MNBS radical anions are very unstable at room temperature and able to spontaneously or easily release a NO radical or NO anion (NO(-)), but releasing a NO radical is easier than releasing NO anion. These determined N-NO bond dissociation energies of G-MNBS and their radical anions have been successfully used in the mechanism analyses of NO transfer from G-MNBS to 3,6-dibromocarbazole and the reactions of NO with the substituted N-methyl-benzenesulfonamide nitranions (G-MBSN(-)) in acetonitrile solution.

Reactivity of sulfur nucleophiles with N-methyl-N-nitroso-p-toluenesulfonamide

The transfer of the nitroso group from N-methyl-N-nitroso-p-toluenesulfonamide (MNTS) to cysteine (CYS) and 2-aminoethanethiol (AET) has been studied in a pH range between pH = 7 and pH = 13. Kinetic results clearly indicate that both nucleophiles react through the corresponding thiolate to give the corresponding nitrosothiol. The existence of two (AET) or three (CYS) macroscopic acidity constants has been kinetically evidenced and the nitrosation rates of the corresponding bases have been identified. Nitrosation rate constants of the different species present in the reaction medium have been determined and a Bronsted-type plot has been established giving a beta(nuc) value approximately equal to 0.08 clearly different from the values of beta(nuc) approximately equal to 0.7 obtained in the nitrosation of primary and secondary amines by MNTS. The low beta(nuc) value has been attributed to the need for previous desolvation of the nucleophile.