Cláudio M. Nunes

The Pyrolysis of Isoxazole Revisited: A New Primary Product and the Pivotal Role of the Vinylnitrene. A Low-Temperature Matrix Isolation and Computational Study

This paper describes the pyrolysis of parent isoxazole and of its 5-methyl and 3,5-dimethyl derivatives by the high-pressure pulsed pyrolysis method, where activation of the precursor molecules occurs predominantly by collisions with the host gas (Ar in our case), rather than with the walls of the pyrolysis tube, where catalyzed processes may occur. The products were trapped at 15 K in Ar matrices and were characterized by vibrational spectroscopy. Thereby, hitherto unobserved primary products of pyrolysis of isoxazole and of its 5-methyl derivative, 3-hydroxypropenenitrile or 3-hydroxybutenenitrile, respectively, were observed. E-Z photoisomerization could be induced in the above hydroxynitriles. On pyrolysis of isoxazole, ketenimine and CO were observed as decomposition products, but this process did not occur when the 5-methyl derivative was pyrolyzed. Instead, the corresponding ketonitrile was formed. In the case of 3,5-dimethylisoxazole, 2-acetyl-3-methyl-2H-azirine was detected at moderate pyrolysis temperatures, whereas at higher temperatures, 2,5-dimethyloxazole was the only observed rearrangement product (next to products of dissociation). These findings are rationalized on the basis of quantum chemical calculations. Thereby it becomes evident that carbonyl-vinylnitrenes play a pivotal role in the observed rearrangements, a role that had not been recognized in previous theoretical studies because it had been assumed that vinylnitrenes are closed-shell singlet species, whereas they are in fact open-shell singlet biradicaloids. Thus, the primary processes had to be modeled by the multiconfigurational CASSCF method, followed by single-point MR-CISD calculations. The picture that emerges from these calculations is in excellent accord with the experimental findings; that is, they explain why some possible products are observed while others are not.

Near-IR laser generation of a high-energy conformer of L-alanine and the mechanism of its decay in a low-temperature nitrogen matrix

Monomers of L-alanine (ALA) were isolated in cryogenic nitrogen matrices at 14 K. Two conformers were identified for the compound trapped from the gas-phase into the solid nitrogen environment. The potential energy surface (PES) of ALA was theoretically calculated at the MP2 and QCISD levels. Twelve minima were located on this PES. Seven low-energy conformers fall within the 0-10 kJ mol(-1) range and should be appreciably populated in the equilibrium gas phase prior to deposition. Observation of only two forms in the matrices is explained in terms of calculated barriers to conformational rearrangements. All conformers with the O=C-O-H moiety in the cis orientation are separated by low barriers and collapse to the most stable form I during deposition of the matrix onto the low-temperature substrate. The second observed form II has the O=C-O-H group in the trans orientation. The remaining trans forms have very high relative energies (between 24 and 30 kJ mol(-1)) and are not populated. The high-energy trans form VI, that differs from I only by rotation of the OH group, was found to be separated from other conformers by barriers that are high enough to open a perspective for its stabilization in a matrix. The form VI was photoproduced in situ by narrow-band near-infrared irradiation of the samples at 6935-6910 cm(-1), where the first overtone of the OH stretching vibration in form I appears. The photogenerated form VI decays in N2 matrices back to conformer I with a characteristic decay time of ∼15 min. The mechanism of the VI → I relaxation is rationalized in terms of the proton tunneling.

Capture of an Elusive Nitrile Ylide as an Intermediate in Isoxazole–Oxazole Photoisomerization

The unimolecular photochemistry of 3,5-dimethylisoxazole (1) induced by a narrow-band tunable UV laser was studied using low-temperature matrix isolation coupled with infrared spectroscopy. Monomers of 1 were isolated in argon matrices at 15 K and characterized spectroscopically. Irradiation of matrix-isolated 1 at λ = 222 nm (near its absorption maximum) led to the corresponding 2H-azirine 3 and ketenimine 6 as primary photoproducts and also to nitrile ylide 4 and 2,5-dimethyloxazole (5). The photoproducts were identified (i) by comparison with infrared spectra of authentic matrix-isolated samples of 3 and 5 and (ii) using additional irradiations at longer wavelengths (where 1 does not react) which induce selective photoisomerizations of 4 and 6. In particular, irradiation with λ = 340 nm led to the unequivocal identification of the nitrile ylide anti-4, which was transformed into oxazole 5. The details of the 1,5-electrocyclization of the carbonyl nitrile ylide 4 and its structural nature (propargyl-like versus allene-like geometry) were also characterized using theoretical calculations. Thus, the elusive carbonyl nitrile ylide 4 was captured and characterized for the first time as an intermediate in the isoxazole-oxazole photoisomerization.

Conformational Switching in Pyruvic Acid Isolated in Ar and N2 Matrixes: Spectroscopic Analysis, Anharmonic Simulation, and Tunneling

Monomers of pyruvic acid (PA) isolated in cryogenic argon and nitrogen matrixes were characterized by mid- and near-infrared spectroscopy. Interpretation of the experiments was aided by fully anharmonic calculations of the fundamental modes, overtones, and combinations up to two quanta, including their infrared intensities. The initially dominating PA conformer (Tc) has a cis CCOH arrangement and is stabilized by a strong intramolecular H-bond. Selective near-infrared excitation of Tc at the first OH overtone (6630 cm(-1) in Ar, 6643 cm(-1) in N2) induced a large scale conformational conversion to the higher-energy conformer (Tt) with trans CCOH arrangement. Tt was then converted back to Tc by selective NIR irradiation at the first Tt OH overtone (6940 cm(-1) in Ar, 6894 cm(-1) in N2). In N2 matrix, the Tt form was stabilized due to interaction between the OH group and the matrix molecules. This stabilization manifested itself in the absence of Tt → Tc relaxation and in a considerable change of the vibrational Tt signature upon going from argon to nitrogen matrix. In argon, the Tt form spontaneously decayed back to Tc in the dark (characteristic lifetime +16 h). In the presence of broad-band near-infrared light, the Tt → Tc relaxation speed considerably increased. The decay mechanisms are discussed.

UV-laser photochemistry of isoxazole isolated in a low-temperature matrix.

The photochemistry of matrix-isolated isoxazole, induced by narrowband tunable UV-light, was investigated by infrared spectroscopy, with the aid of MP2/6-311++G(d,p) calculations. The isoxazole photoreaction starts to occur upon irradiation at λ = 240 nm, with the dominant pathway involving decomposition to ketene and hydrogen cyanide. However, upon irradiation at λ = 221 nm, in addition to this decomposition, isoxazole was also found to isomerize into several products: 2-formyl-2H-azirine, 3-formylketenimine, 3-hydroxypropenenitrile, imidoylketene, and 3-oxopropanenitrile. The structural and spectroscopic assignment of the different photoisomerization products was achieved by additional irradiation of the λ = 221 nm photolyzed matrix, using UV-light with λ ≥ 240 nm: (i) irradiation in the 330 ≤ λ ≤ 340 nm range induced direct transformation of 2-formyl-2H-azirine into 3-formylketenimine; (ii) irradiation with 310 ≤ λ ≤ 318 nm light induced the hitherto unobserved transformation of 3-formylketenimine into 3-hydroxypropenenitrile and imidoylketene; (iii) irradiation with λ = 280 nm light permits direct identification of 3-oxopropanenitrile; (iv) under λ = 240 nm irradiation, tautomerization of 3-hydroxypropenenitrile to 3-oxopropanenitrile is observed. On the basis of these findings, a detailed mechanistic proposal for isoxazole photochemistry is presented.

Photochemistry and Vibrational Spectra of Matrix-Isolated Methyl 4-Chloro-5-phenylisoxazole-3-carboxylate

Methyl 4-chloro-5-phenylisoxazole-3-carboxylate (MCPIC) has been synthesized, isolated in low temperature argon and xenon matrices, and studied by FTIR spectroscopy. The characterization of the low energy conformers of MCPIC was made by undertaking a systematic investigation of the DFT(B3LYP)/6-311++G(d,p) potential energy surface of the molecule. The theoretical calculations predicted the existence of three low energy conformers. Two of them (I and II) were observed experimentally in the cryogenic matrices. The third one (III) was found to be converted into conformer II during deposition of the matrices, a result that is in agreement with the predicted low III → II energy barrier (<0.3 kJ mol(-1)). In situ UV irradiation (λ > 235 nm) of matrix-isolated MCPIC yielded as final photoproduct the corresponding oxazole (methyl 4-chloro-5-phenyl-1,3-oxazole-2-carboxylate). Identification of the azirine and nitrile-ylide intermediates in the spectra of the irradiated matrices confirmed their mechanistic relevance in the isoxazole → oxazole photoisomerization.

Generation and Characterization of a 4π-Electron Three-Membered Ring 1H-Diazirine: An Elusive Intermediate in Nitrile Imine–Carbodiimide Isomerization

The photolysis at 222 nm of 5-methyltetrazole isolated in a cryogenic argon matrix leads to formation of methyl nitrile imine as primary product. Subsequent irradiation at 328 nm induces transformation of the nitrile imine into 4π-electron three-membered-ring 3-methyl-1H-diazirine, which photorearranges to give methyl carbodiimide. These products were characterized by IR spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. For the first time, a 1H-diazirine was captured as intermediate in the photoisomerization of nitrile imines into carbodiimides.

Bond-shift isomers: The co-existence of allenic and propargylic phenylnitrile imines

We discovered a 1,3-dipolar species co-existing in two different structures. Photolysis of matrix-isolated 5-phenyltetrazole generates two forms of phenylnitrile imine: propargylic and allenic. They are not resonance structures but correspond to different energy minima, representing bond-shift isomers. These distinct species were characterized spectroscopically and confirmed by calculations up to the CASSCF(14,12) theory level.

Matrix Isolation Infrared Spectra and Photochemistry of Hydantoin

Hydantoin (C(3)H(4)N(2)O(2), 2,4-imidazolidinedione) was isolated in argon matrix at 10 K and its infrared spectrum and unimolecular photochemistry were investigated. The molecular structure of the compound was studied both at the DFT(B3LYP) and MP2 levels of approximation with valence triple- and quadruple-ζ basis sets (6-311++G(d,p); cc-pVQZ). It was concluded that the minima in the potential energy surfaces of the molecule correspond to C(1) symmetry structures. However, the energy barrier separating the two-equivalent-by-symmetry minima stays below their zero-point energy, which makes the C(s) symmetry structure, which separates the two minima, the experimentally relevant one. The electronic structure of the molecule was studied in detail by performing the Natural Bond Orbital analysis of its electronic configuration within the DFT(B3LYP)/cc-pVQZ space. The infrared spectrum of the matrix isolated compound was fully assigned also with help of the theoretically predicted spectrum. Upon irradiation at λ = 230 nm, matrix-isolated hydantoin was found to photofragment into isocyanic acid, CO, and methylenimine.

Photochemistry of 2-Formylphenylnitrene: A Doorway to Heavy-Atom Tunneling of a Benzazirine to a Cyclic Ketenimine

The slippery potential energy surface of aryl nitrenes has revealed unexpected and fascinating reactions. To explore such a challenging surface, one powerful approach is to use a combination of a cryogenic matrix environment and a tunable narrowband radiation source. In this way, we discovered the heavy-atom tunneling reaction involving spontaneous ring expansion of a fused-ring benzazirine into a seven-membered ring cyclic ketenimine. The benzazirine was generated in situ by the photochemistry of protium and deuterated triplet 2-formylphenylnitrene isolated in an argon matrix. The ring-expansion reaction takes place at 10 K with a rate constant of ∼7.4 × 10-7 s-1, despite an estimated activation barrier of 7.5 kcal mol-1. Moreover, it shows only a marginal increase in the rate upon increase of the absolute temperature by a factor of 2. Computed rate constants with and without tunneling confirm that the reaction can only occur by a tunneling process from the ground state at cryogenic conditions. It was also found that the ring-expansion reaction rate is more than 1 order of magnitude faster when the sample is exposed to broadband IR radiation.