Non-Planar Structures of Sterically Overcrowded Trialkylamines

Several amines with three bulky alkyl groups at the nitrogen atom, which exceed the steric crowding of triisopropylamine significantly, were synthesized, mainly by treating N-chlorodialkylamines with Grignard reagents. In six cases, namely tert-butyldiisopropylamine, 1-adamantyl-tert-butylisopropylamine, di-1-adamantylamines with an additional N-cyclohexyl or N-exo-2-norbonyl substituent, as well as 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine derivatives with N-cyclohexyl or N-neopentyl groups, appropriate single crystals were generated that enabled X-ray diffraction studies and analysis of the molecular structures. The four noncyclic amines adopt triskele-like conformations, and the sum of the three C-N-C angles is always in the range of 351.1° to 352.4°. Consequently, these amines proved to be structurally significantly flatter than trialkylamines without steric congestion, which is also signalized by the smaller heights of the NC3 pyramids (0.241-0.259 Å). There is no clear correlation between the heights of these pyramids and the degree of the steric crowding in the new amines, presumably because steric repulsion is partly compensated by dispersion interaction. In the cases of the two heterocyclic amines, the steric stress is smaller, and the molecular structures include quite different conformations. Quantum chemical calculations led to precise gas-phase structures of the sterically overcrowded trialkylamines exhibiting heights of the NC3 pyramids and preferred molecular conformers which are similar to those resulting from the X-ray studies.

Steric Hindrance Underestimated: It is a Long, Long Way to Tri- tert-alkylamines

Ten different processes (Methods A-J) were tested to prepare tertiary amines bearing bulky alkyl groups. In particular, S_N1 alkylation of secondary amines with the help of 1-adamantyl triflate (Method D) and reaction of N-chlorodialkylamines with organometallic reagents (Method H), but also attack of the latter reagents at iminium salts, which were generated in situ by N-alkylation of imines (Method J), led to trialkylamines with unprecedented steric congestion. These products showed a restriction of the rotation about the C-N bond. Consequently, equilibration of rotamers was slow on the NMR time scale resulting in distinguishable sets of NMR data at room temperature. Furthermore, tertiary amines with bulky alkyl substituents underwent Hofmann-like elimination when heating in toluene to form an olefin and a secondary amine. Since the tendency to take part in this decay reaction correlated with the degree of steric hindrance around the nitrogen atom, Hofmann elimination at ambient temperature, which made the isolation of the tertiary amine difficult, was observed in special cases.

Turning the heat on conjugated polyelectrolytes: an off–on ratiometric nanothermometer

A ratiometric single component nanothermometer fluorescent probe.