Borislav Kovačević

The proton affinity of the superbase 1,8-bis(tetramethylguanidino)naphthalene (TMGN) and some related compounds: a theoretical study.

The spatial and electronic structure of the very strong neutral organic bases bis(tetramethylguanidino)naphthalene (TMGN), 4,5-bis(tetramethylguanidino)fluorene (TMGF) and some related compounds are explored by ab initio computational methods. Their affinity towards the proton is scrutinized both in the gas phase and in solution in acetonitrile. The protonation at the most basic center (the imine nitrogen) yields asymmetric and relatively strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds (IHB). It is found that the angular strain effect and steric repulsion practically vanish in TMGN which implies that its high absolute proton affinity (APA) has its origin in the inherent basicity of the guanidine fragment and a relatively strong IHB in [TMGN]H(+). The nonbonded repulsions in TMGF are higher than in TMGN, which in conjunction with a slightly stronger IHB in the corresponding conjugate acid makes it more basic: APA(TMGF)>APA(TMGN). An interesting new phenomenon is observed in both TMGN and TMGF: the proton triggers the resonance stabilization not only in the directly bonded guanidine moiety, but also in the other guanidine fragment which is more distant from the proton, albeit in a less pronounced manner. The latter feature is termed a partial protonation. This supports the hydrogen bonding and contributes to the IHB stabilization. Convincing evidence is presented that the solvent effect in acetonitrile is determined by two antagonistic factors: 1) the intrinsic (gas phase) proton affinity and 2) the size effect which is given by the ratio between the positive charge in molecular cation (conjugate acid) and the magnitude of the molecular surface. The resulting pK(a) values are given by an interplay of these factors.

Advances in determining the absolute proton affinities of neutral organic molecules in the gas phase and their interpretation: a theoretical account.

A magnificent edifice called acid/base chemistry is rooted in a single proton, small in size but of enormous importance. The upper floors of this building are reserved for biochemistry, while the penthouse belongs to life science. The edifice will grow into a sky scraper-like in the 21st century. Evidence provided by this Review shows that the coalescence of experimental and theoretical/computational work is not only highly desirable for that purpose, but, in fact, greatly needed.

Basicity of exceedingly strong non-ionic organic bases in acetonitrile —Verkade's superbase and some related phosphazenes

The basicity of Verkades superbase (12) in MeCN solution is considered by a quite accurate theoretical model. It is shown that the corresponding pKa value is 29.0. Hence, its basicity is comparable or higher than that of some other P1 phosphazenes, but it is lower than the basicity of P2 phosphazenes. Structural characteristics of Verkades superbase and its conjugate acid, as well as the origin of its pronounced basicity, are briefly discussed. Extended Verkades superbase 13 and some Janus-type phosphazenes are examined too. It is shown that they are very good candidates for even stronger neutral organic superbases. A very useful by-product of the present study are quite accurate estimates of the gas phase proton affinities of some P1, P2, P3 and P4 polyaminophosphazenes obtained by the B3LYP/6-311+G(2df,p)//B3LYP/6-31G* scheme. The latter was successfully tested against G2 results on small molecules. This is of importance, because the experimentally measured gas phase values for phosphazenes are not available, implying that the theoretical data fill this gap with reliable information.

A new synthetic pathway to the second and third generation of superbasic bisphosphazene proton sponges: the run for the best chelating ligand for a proton.

We present the up to now strongest chelating neutral pincer ligand for the simplest electrophile of chemistry, the proton. Two novel bisphosphazene proton sponges, 1,8-bis(trispyrrolidinophosphazenyl)naphthalene (TPPN) and its higher homologue P2-TPPN, were obtained via a Staudinger reaction and investigated concerning their structural features and basic properties by experimental and computational means. They exhibit experimental pK(BH)(+) values in acetonitrile of 32.3 and 42.1, respectively, exceeding the existing basicitiy record for proton sponges by more than 10 orders of magnitude. We show that Schwesingers concept of homologization of phosphazene bases and Alders concept of proton chelation in a constrained geometry regime of basic centers can be combined in the design of highly basic nonionic superbases of pincer type.

Computer aided design of organic superbases: the role of intramolecular hydrogen bonding

The role of intramolecular hydrogen bonding (IMHB) in determining the proton affinities and basicities of some bis(tetramethylguanidine)systems was examined. For this purpose a series of molecular backbone moieties serving as carriers of the bis(tetramethylguanidine)crowns were explored. It was found that the best backbones are provided by phenanthrene and 9,10-dihidrophenanthrene, giving rise to proton affinities as large as 268.2 and 266.8 kcal mol1−, respectively. The corresponding pKa values in acetonitrile are 29.0 and 28.8, implying that these two compounds [6(bs)and 5(bs)] are candidates for powerful superbases. Their intramolecular hydrogen bond strengths are ≈19 kcal mol1−, which result inter alia from the partial protonation of the vis-a-vis guanidine group.

In search of neutral organic superbases—iminopolyenes and their amino derivatives

The intrinsic proton affinities of iminopolyenes and their amino derivatives are considered. It is shown that substitution of amino groups at strategic positions increases proton affinity (PA) to superbasic values particularly in branched polyenes. It follows that the number of double bonds, selection of the conformations and a judicious choice of substituents offer a closely spaced ladder of highly basic compounds spanning the range of values of PAs between 206.5 and 271.9 kcal mol−1, which might be of some importance in acid–base chemistry. This conclusion is strengthened by the fact that several of the studied amino derivatives of iminopolyenes exhibit very high pKa values between 30.0–33.5 in acetonitrile. Hence, they qualify as candidates for powerful neutral organic superbases.

Superbasic Alkyl‐Substituted Bisphosphazene Proton Sponges: Synthesis, Structural Features, Thermodynamic and Kinetic Basicity, Nucleophilicity and Coordination Chemistry

Herein we describe an easily accessible class of superbasic proton sponges based on the 1,8-bisphosphazenylnaphthalene (PN) proton pincer motif and P-alkyl substituents ranging from methyl (TMPN) to n-butyl (TBPN), isopropyl (TiPrPN) and cyclopentyl (TcyPPN). These neutral bases with a pK(BH)(+) value (MeCN) of ~30 were accessible via a Kirsanov condensation using commercially available 1,8-diaminonaphthalene, and in case of TMPN and TBPN, simple one-pot procedures starting from trisalkylphosphanes can be performed. Furthermore, the known pyrrolidinyl-substituted superbase TPPN previously synthesized via a Staudinger reaction could also be prepared by the Kirsanov strategy allowing its preparation in a larger scale. The four alkyl-substituted proton sponges were structurally characterized in their protonated form; molecular XRD structures were also obtained for unprotonated TiPrPN and TcyPPN. Moreover, we present a detailed description of spectroscopic features of chelating bisphosphazenes including TPPN and its hyperbasic homologue P2-TPPN on which we reported recently. The four alkyl-substituted superbases were investigated with respect to their basic features by computational means and by NMR titration experiments revealing unexpectedly high experimental pK(BH)(+) values in acetonitrile between 29.3 for TMPN and 30.9 for TBPN. Besides their thermodynamic basicity, we exemplarily studied the kinetic basicity of TMPN and TPPN by means of NMR-spectroscopic methods. Furthermore, the competing nucleophilic versus basic properties were examined by reacting the proton sponges with ethyl iodide. Insight into the coordination chemistry of chelating superbases was provided by reacting TMPN with trimethylaluminum and trimethylgallium to give cationic complexes of Group XIII metal alkyls that were structurally characterized.

High basicity of phosphorus–proton affinity of tris-(tetramethylguanidinyl)phosphine and tris-(hexamethyltriaminophosphazenyl)phosphine by DFT calculations

It is shown by approximate but reliable DFT calculations that the title compounds represent very strong superbases in gas phase and MeCN. In particular, tris-(hexamethyltriaminophosphazenyl)phosphine has a proton affinity, PA, of 295.5 kcal mol(-1) and records a pKa(MeCN) of 50 +/- 1 units.

Toward engineering of very strong organic bases: pronounced proton affinity of molecules possessing imino structural and electronic motif

Abstract The absolute proton affinity of a group of compounds involving AN imino group is examined by employing the MP2(fc)/6-311+G ∗∗ // HF/6-31G ∗ + ZPVE(HF/6-31G ∗ ) theoretical model. It appears that these systems exhibit high proton affinity thus representing good candidates for efficient proton sponges. Their heavily substituted derivatives, involving bulky alkyl groups, which protect the reactive double bonds, should possess even higher proton affinity being at the same time apt to chemical synthesis.

Neutral vs. zwitterionic form of arginine—an ab initio study

The problem of the intramolecular proton transfer isomerism in arginine, leading to conventional neutral and zwitterionic forms of this compound, is addressed by high level theoretical models. It is shown that arginine has two neutral and two zwitterionic isomers implying that there exist two additional unconventional isomers, which have not been identified so far. It appears also that the most stable neutral isomer is energetically more favourable than both zwitterions, which implies that the former should be preferred in the gas phase. Examination of atomic charges obtained by the electron density partitioning techniques reveals that the charge distributions of neutral and zwitterionic isomers are not as widely different as expected. This finding is counterintuitive, since it contradicts the classical notion of chemical bonding and a customary picture of zwitterions involving two local complementary fragments possessing unit charges of opposite sign. The true distribution of the electron density is more uniform and quite similar to that of the neutral form. The proton affinity of arginine is estimated to be 249 kcal mol–1. Hence, it follows that arginine is a very basic compound although it belongs to a family of 20 fundamental α-amino acids. A very high proton affinity is interpreted in terms of the resonance effect spurred by protonation in the guanidine moiety and by a strong hydrogen bonding taking place in the protonated form.