Search for: All records

Little attention has been focused on diradical and zwitterionic photoperoxides formed from nitrosamine compounds. Here, an attempt is made to probe the electronic character of the nitrooxide intermediate formed in photochemical reactions with triplet oxygen (³O₂). Theoretical studies have been conducted to screenpara‐substituted phenyl nitrosamines. In particular, we find that electron‐withdrawing substituents produce low‐lying triplet nitrooxide diradicals. A clear electronic dependence in theS₀–T₁andS₀–S₁energy gaps of nitrooxides was found using Hammett plots. Computed geometries show a twisted diradical triplet nitrooxide moiety, which contrasts to the nearly flat singlet zwitterionic ground state nitrooxide moiety; analyses of charges (natural bond order), molecular orbitals (HOMO/LUMO) and spin densities enable these assignments. Calculations predict the former triplet species is photogenerated initially from nitrosamine with O₂. The conversion of the triplet nitrooxide diradical to the singlet ground state is an example where longer‐lived zwitterionic nitrooxide structures become possible. The reaction mechanism is consistent with a zwitterionic ground state nitrooxide playing an important role in the bimolecular oxygen‐transfer reaction with phosphine and phosphite trapping agents as has been observed experimentally.

Multidimensional tunneling calculations are carried out for 13 reactions, to test the scope of heavy‐atom tunneling in organic chemistry, and to check the accuracy of one‐dimensional tunneling models. The reactions include pericyclic, cycloaromatization, radical cyclization and ring opening, and S_N2. When compared at the temperatures that give the same effective rate constant of 3×10⁻⁵ s⁻¹, tunneling accounts for 25–95 % of the rate in 8 of the 13 reactions. Values of transmission coefficients predicted by Bell's formula, κ_Bell , agree well with multidimensional tunneling (canonical variational transition state theory with small curvature tunneling), κ_SCT. Mean unsigned deviations of κ_Bellvs. κ_SCTare 0.08, 0.04, 0.02 at 250, 300 and 400 K. This suggests that κ_Bellis a useful first choice for predicting transmission coefficients in heavy‐atom tunnelling.

Mono‐ andbis‐decylated lumazines have been synthesized and characterized. Namely,mono‐decyl chain [1‐decylpteridine‐2,4(1,3H)‐dione]6aandbis‐decyl chain [1,3‐didecylpteridine‐2,4(1,3H)‐dione]7aconjugates were synthesized by nucleophilic substitution (S_N2) reactions of lumazine with 1‐iododecane inN,N‐dimethylformamide (DMF) solvent. Decyl chain coupling occurred at theN¹site and then theN³site in a sequential manner, without DMF condensation. Molecular orbital (MO) calculations show ap‐orbital atN¹but notN³, which along with a nucleophilicity parameter (N) analysis predict alkylation atN¹in lumazine. Only after the alkylation atN¹in6a, does ap‐orbital onN³emerge thereby reacting with a second equivalent of 1‐iododecane to reach the dialkylated product7a. Data from NMR (¹H,¹³C, HSQC, HMBC), HPLC, TLC, UV‐vis, fluorescence and density functional theory (DFT) provide evidence for the existence ofmono‐decyl chain6aandbis‐decyl chain7a. These results differ to pterinO‐alkylations (kinetic control), whereN‐alkylation of lumazine is preferred and then to dialkylation (thermodynamic control), with an avoidance of DMF solvent condensation. These findings add to the list of alkylation strategies for increasing sensitizer lipophilicity for use in photodynamic therapy.

Alkylation patterns and excited‐state properties of pterins were examined both experimentally and theoretically. 2DNMRspectroscopy was used to characterize the pterin derivatives, revealing undoubtedly that the decyl chains were coupled to either the O4 or N3 sites on the pterin. At a temperature of 70°C, the pterin alkylation regioselectively favored the O4 over the N3. The O4 was also favored when using solvents, in which the reactants had increased solubility, namelyN,N‐dimethylformamide andN,N‐dimethylacetamide, rather than solvents in which the reactants had very low solubility (tetrahydrofuran and dichloromethane). Density functional theory (DFT) computed enthalpies correlate to regioselectivity being kinetically driven because the less stable O‐isomer forms in higher yield than the more stable N‐isomer. Once formed these compounds did not interconvert thermally or undergo a unimolecular “walk” rearrangement. Mechanistic rationale for the factors underlying the regioselective alkylation of pterins is suggested, where kinetic rather than thermodynamic factors are key in the higher yield of theO‐isomer. Computations also predicted greater solubility and reduced triplet state energetics thereby improving the properties of the alkylated pterins as¹O₂sensitizers. Insight on thermal and photostability of the alkylated pterins is also provided.