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1. Isomer-selected ion–molecule reactions of acetylene cations with propyne and allene

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CP03953E  

   Schmid, P. C.; Greenberg, J.; Nguyen, T. L.; Thorpe, J. H.; Catani, K. J.; Krohn, O. A.; Miller, M. I.; Stanton, J. F.; Lewandowski, H. J. (September 2020, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   null (Ed.)

   One of the fundamental goals of chemistry is to determine how molecular structure influences interactions and leads to different reaction products. Studies of isomer-selected and resolved chemical reactions can shed light directly on how form leads to function. In the following, we present the results of gas-phase reactions between acetylene cations (C 2 D 2 + ) with two different isomers of C 3 H 4 : propyne (DC 3 D 3 ) and allene (H 2 C 3 H 2 ). Our highly controlled, trapped-ion environment allows for precise determination of reaction products and kinetics. From these results, we can infer details of the underlying reaction dynamics of C 2 H 2 + + C 3 H 4 . Through the synergy of experimental results and high-level quantum chemical potential energy surface calculations, we are able to identify distinct reaction mechanisms for the two isomers. We find long-range charge exchange with no complex formation is favored for allene, whereas charge exchange leads to an intermediate reaction complex for propyne and thus, different products. Therefore, this reaction displays a pronounced isomer-selective bi-molecular reactive process. 

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2. Biocatalytic, stereoconvergent alkylation of (Z/E)-trisubstituted silyl enol ethers

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s44160-023-00431-2  

   Mao, Runze; Taylor, Doris Mia; Wackelin, Daniel J.; Rogge, Torben; Wu, Sophia J.; Sicinski, Kathleen M.; Houk, K. N.; Arnold, Frances H. (February 2024, Nature Synthesis)

   The selective conversion of mixtures of Z/E alkenes into chiral products is a synthetic challenge. Biocatalytic strategies can transform isomeric alkenes into stereopure compounds, but enzymes typically convert only one alkene isomer, thereby limiting the overall yield. Additional strategies have been used to interconvert alkene isomers, often at the cost of increasing energy consumption and chemical waste. Here, we present engineered hemoproteins derived from a bacterial cytochrome P450 that efficiently catalyze α-carbonyl alkylation of isomeric silyl enol ethers, producing stereopure products. Through screening and directed evolution, we generated P450BM3 variant P411-SCA-5188, which catalyzes stereoconvergent carbene transfer in Escherichia coli with high efficiency and stereoselectivity to various Z/E mixtures of silyl enol ethers. In contrast to established stereospecific transformations that leave one isomer unreacted, P411-SCA-5188 converts both isomers to a stereopure product. This biocatalytic approach simplifies the synthesis of chiral α-branched ketones by eliminating the need for stoichiometric chiral auxiliaries, strongly basic alkali-metal enolates, and harsh conditions, delivering products with high efficiency and excellent chemo- and stereoselectivities. 

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3. Steric and electronic control of an ultrafast isomerization

   https://doi.org/10.1039/c9sc02359c  

   Porter, Tyler M.; Ostericher, Andrew L.; Kubiak, Clifford P. (August 2019, Chemical Science)

   Synthetic control of the influence of steric and electronic factors on the ultrafast (picosecond) isomerization of penta-coordinate ruthenium dithietene complexes (Ru((CF 3 ) 2 C 2 S 2 )(CO)(L) 2 , where L = a monodentate phosphine ligand) is reported. Seven new ruthenium dithietene complexes were prepared and characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction. The complexes are all square pyramidal and differ only in the axial vs. equatorial coordination of the carbonyl ligand. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to study the ν (CO) bandshapes of the complexes in solution, and these reveal rapid exchange between two or three isomers of each complex. Isomerization is proposed to follow a Berry psuedorotation-like mechanism where a metastable, trigonal bipyramidal (TBP) intermediate is observed spectroscopically. Electronic tuning of the phosphine ligands L = PPh 3 , P(( p -Me)Ph) 3 , (( p -Cl)Ph) 3 , at constant cone angle is found to have little effect on the kinetics or thermodynamic stabilities of the axial, equatorial and TBP isomers of the differently substituted complexes. Steric tuning of the phosphine ligands over a range of phosphine cone angles (135 < θ < 165°) has a profound impact on the isomerization process, and in the limit of greatest steric bulk, the axial isomer is not observable. Temperature dependence of the FTIR spectra was used to obtain the relative thermodynamic stabilities of the different isomers of each of the seven ruthenium dithietene complexes. This study details how ligand steric effects can be used to direct the solution state dynamics on the picosecond time scale of discrete isomers energetically separated by <2.2 kcal mol −1 . This work provides the most detailed description to date of ultrafast isomerization in the ground states of transition metal complexes. 

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4. A topological isomer of the Au ₂₅ (SR) ₁₈ ⁻ nanocluster

   https://doi.org/10.1039/D0CC03334K  

   Matus, María Francisca; Malola, Sami; Kinder Bonilla, Emily; Barngrover, Brian M.; Aikens, Christine M.; Häkkinen, Hannu (July 2020, Chemical Communications)

   null (Ed.)

   Energetically low-lying structural isomers of the much-studied thiolate-protected gold cluster Au 25 (SR) 18 − are discovered from extensive (80 ns) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations using the reactive molecular force field ReaxFF and confirmed by density functional theory (DFT). A particularly interesting isomer is found, which is topologically connected to the known crystal structure by a low-barrier collective rotation of the icosahedral Au 13 core. The isomerization takes place without breaking of any Au–S bonds. The predicted isomer is essentially iso-energetic with the known Au 25 (SR) 18 − structure, but has a distinctly different optical spectrum. It has a significantly larger collision cross-section as compared to that of the known structure, which suggests it could be detectable in gas phase ion-mobility mass spectrometry. 

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5. The bismuth tetramer Bi ₄ : the ν ₃ key to experimental observation

   https://doi.org/10.1039/C8CP03529F  

   Lahm, Mitchell E.; Hoobler, Preston R.; Turney, Justin M.; Peterson, Kirk A.; Schaefer, Henry F. (January 2018, Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics)

   The spectroscopic identification of Bi 4 has been very elusive. Two constitutional Bi 4 isomers of T d and C 2v symmetry are investigated and each is found to be a local energetic minimum. The optimized geometries and vibrational frequencies of these two isomers are obtained at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVQZ-PP level of theory, utilizing the Stoll, Metz, and Dolg 60-electron effective core potential. The fundamental frequencies of the T d isomer are obtained at the same level of theory. The focal point analysis method, from a maximum basis set of cc-pV5Z-PP, and proceeding to a maximum correlation method of CCSDTQ, was employed to determine the dissociation energy of Bi 4 ( T d ) into two Bi 2 and the adiabatic energy difference between the C 2v and T d isomers of Bi 4 . These quantities are predicted to be +65 kcal mol −1 and +39 kcal mol −1 , respectively. Two electron vertical excitation energies between the T d and C 2v electronic configurations are computed to be 156 kcal mol −1 for the T d isomer and 9 kcal mol −1 for the C 2v isomer. The most probable approach to laboratory spectroscopic identification of Bi 4 is via an infrared spectrum. The predicted fundamentals (cm −1 ) with harmonic IR intensities in parentheses (km mol −1 ) are 94(0), 123(0.23), and 167(0) for the T d isomer. The moderate IR intensity for the only allowed fundamental may explain why Bi 4 has yet to be observed. Through natural bond orbital analysis, the C 2v isomer of Bi 4 was discovered to exhibit “long-bonding” between the furthest apart ‘wing’ atoms. This long-bonding is postulated to be facilitated by the σ-bonding orbital between the ‘spine’ atoms of the C 2v isomer. 

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