3-Nitrene-2-formylthiophene and 3-Nitrene-2-formylfuran: Matrix Isolation, Conformation, and Rearrangement Reactions

Nitrenoid from Oxime: A Practical Synthesis of Planar Chiral Ferrocenyl Phenanthridines via Nitrene-Involved Ring-Expansion Reaction

Nitrenes and nitrenoids are highly reactive species and the proposed key intermediates in nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound synthesis. In this work, we developed a practical method for the synthesis of phenanthridines by the reaction of oximes and Grignard reagents (with or without diethylzinc) via ring-expansion of magnesium coordinated nitrenoid complex as the key step. The method has been used to synthesize optically active planar chiral ferrocenyl phenanthridines.

Simultaneous Tunneling Control in Conformer-Specific Reactions

We present here a new example of chemical reactivity governed by quantum tunneling, which also highlights the limitations of the classical theories. The syn and anti conformers of a triplet 2-formylphenylnitrene, generated in a nitrogen matrix, were found to spontaneously rearrange to the corresponding 2,1-benzisoxazole and imino-ketene, respectively. The kinetics of both transformations were measured at 10 and 20 K and found to be temperature-independent, providing clear evidence of concomitant tunneling reactions (heavy-atom and H-atom). Computations confirm the existence of these tunneling reaction pathways. Although the energy barrier between the nitrene conformers is lower than any of the observed reactions, no conformational interconversion was observed. These results demonstrate an unprecedented case of simultaneous tunneling control in conformer-specific reactions of the same chemical species. The product outcome is impossible to be rationalized by the conventional kinetic or thermodynamic control.

Switching on H-Tunneling through Conformational Control

H-tunneling is a ubiquitous phenomenon, relevant to fields from biochemistry to materials science, but harnessing it for mastering the manipulation of chemical structures still remains nearly illusory. Here, we demonstrate how to switch on H-tunneling by conformational control using external radiation. This is outlined with a triplet 2-hydroxyphenylnitrene generated in an N₂ matrix at 10 K by UV-irradiation of an azide precursor. The anti-orientation of the nitrene's OH moiety was converted to syn by selective vibrational excitation at the 2ν(OH) frequency, thereby moving the H atom closer to the vicinal nitrene center. This triggers spontaneous H-tunneling to a singlet 6-imino-2,4-cyclohexadienone. Computations reveal that such fast H-tunneling occurs through crossing the triplet-to-singlet potential energy surfaces. Our experimental realization provides an exciting novel strategy to attain control over tunneling, opening new avenues for directing chemical transformations.