Gilles Frison

Expanding the Scope of Enantioselective FerroPHANE‐Promoted [3+2] Annulations with α,β‐Unsaturated Ketones

The planar chiral 2-phospha[3]ferrocenophane I has been shown to be the first efficient nucleophilic organocatalyst for the enantioselective synthesis of cyclopentenylphosphonates, through [3+2] cyclizations between diethyl allenylphosphonate and alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones. The same catalyst has also been applied to the highly enantioselective [3+2] cyclizations of allenic esters with dibenzylideneacetone and analogous bis-enones, leading to functionalised cyclopentenes with either monocyclic or spirocyclic structures (ee 84-95 %). It has been shown that the residual enone functions in the resulting cyclopentenes can be involved in subsequent cyclization steps to afford unprecedented C(2)-symmetric bis-cyclopentenylketones. In order to provide insight into the behaviour of FerroPHANE I as a chiral catalyst in [3+2] cyclisations, the energetically most favoured isomers of the key phosphine-allene adduct have been calculated by DFT methods. Factors likely to control the chiral induction process are highlighted.

Structure of Electron-Capture Dissociation Fragments from Charge-Tagged Peptides Probed by Tunable Infrared Multiple Photon Dissociation

In this study, we propose the first spectroscopic structural characterization of c-type ions produced by ECD of a peptide. The structure of c-type ions formed by electron capture dissociation and the overall mechanism leading to their formation are still a question of debate. Depending on the mechanism, c-type ions have been proposed to have either an enol-imine structure (-C(OH)NH) or an amide one (-C(O)-NH2). Since these ions are isomeric, mass spectrometry only cannot discriminate between them, but infrared spectroscopy can bring experimental evidence and help determine which scheme is operative. Using the coupling between a tunable free electron laser and a FT-ICR mass spectrometer, we show that c-type ions have an amide structure, characterized by an IR signature of the C=O stretch at 1731 cm(-1). This result is particularly interesting from the perspective of the elucidation of the ECD mechanism.

Electronic Structure Trends in N-Heterocyclic Carbenes (NHCs) with Varying Number of Nitrogen Atoms and NHCTransition-Metal Bond Properties

Carbenes derived from five-membered heterocycles with different numbers of nitrogen atoms ranging from two to four lead formally either to normal N-heterocyclic or mesoionic carbenes with, in some cases, the same skeletal structure. The electronic structures of fourteen of these compounds were examined by means of DFT calculations at the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ level. The examined parameters include the energies of the σ-lone pair at Ccarbene and the π-HOMO of the protonated form, which are correlated to the first and second proton affinities. The singlet-triplet energy gap was used as a measure of the stability of the N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) towards dimerisation. Natural population analysis provided insight into the variation of the pπ population and the natural charge at Ccarbene with NHC structure. Additionally, the transition metalNHC bond in L-AuCl and L-TiCl4 and the nature of the orbital interactions between the NHC and the transition-metal fragment were analysed in detail by the extended transition state-natural orbitals for chemical valence (ETS-NOCV) approach at the BP86/TZ2P level. Similarities and differences between the NHCgold and the NHCtitanium bond are discussed, and trends in key bonding properties can be traced back to the variation of the electronic parameters of the NHC.

A comparative study of semiempirical, ab initio, and DFT methods in evaluating metal-ligand bond strength, proton affinity, and interactions between first and second shell ligands in Zn-biomimetic complexes.

Although theoretical methods are now available which give very accurate results, often comparable to the experimental ones, modeling chemical or biological interesting systems often requires less demanding and less accurate theoretical methods, mainly due to computer limitations. Therefore, it is crucial to know the precision of such less reliable methods for relevant models and data. This has been done in this work for small zinc‐active site models including O‐ (H2O and OH−) and N‐donor (NH3 and imidazole) ligands. Calculations using a number of quantum mechanical methods were carried out to determine their precision for geometries, coordination number relative stability, metal–ligand bond strengths, proton affinities, and interaction energies between first and second shell ligands. We have found that obtaining chemical accuracy can be as straightforward as HF geometry optimization with a double‐ζ plus polarization basis followed by a B3LYP energy calculation with a triple‐ζ quality basis set including diffuse and polarization functions. The use of levels as low as PM3 geometry optimization followed by a B3LYP single‐point energy calculation with a double‐ζ quality basis including polarization functions already yields useful trends in bond length, proton affinities or bond dissociation energies, provided that appropriate caution is taken with the optimized structures. The reliability of these levels of calculation has been successfully demonstrated for real biomimetic cases.

The alkylation mechanism of zinc-bound thiolates depends upon the zinc ligands.

Alkylation of zinc-bound thiolates occurs in both catalytic and structural zinc sites of enzymes. Recent biomimetic studies have led to a controversy as to which mechanism is operative in thiolate alkylation. Building on one of these biomimetic complexes, we have devised a series of models that allow for an appraisal of the roles of charge, ligand nature, and hydrogen bonding to sulfur on reactivity. The reactions of these complexes with methyl iodide, leading to thioethers and zinc iodide complexes, have been examined by density functional theory calculations, in the gas phase as well as in an aqueous solution. In all cases, a S(N)2 reaction is favored over sigma-bond metathesis. Both the net electronic charge and the hydrogen bond play a significant role in the nucleophilicity of the thiolate. We find that the mechanistic diversity observed experimentally can be explained by the difference in the net charge of the complexes. A dianionic complex follows a dissociative pathway, whereas an associative one is preferred for a neutral system.

Acid–base thermochemistry of gaseous oxygen and sulfur substituted amino acids (Ser, Thr, Cys, Met)

Acid-base thermochemistry of isolated amino acids containing oxygen or sulfur in their side chain (serine, threonine, cysteine and methionine) have been examined by quantum chemical computations. Density functional theory (DFT) was used, with B3LYP, B97-D and M06-2X functionals using the 6-31+G(d,p) basis set for geometry optimizations and the larger 6-311++G(3df,2p) basis set for energy computations. Composite methods CBS-QB3, G3B3, G4MP2 and G4 were applied to large sets of neutral, protonated and deprotonated conformers. Conformational analysis of these species, based on chemical approach and AMOEBA force field calculations, has been used to identify the lowest energy conformers and to estimate the population of conformers expected to be present at thermal equilibrium at 298 K. It is observed that G4, G4MP2, G3B3, CBS-QB3 composite methods and M06-2X DFT lead to similar conformer energies. Thermochemical parameters have been computed using either the most stable conformers or equilibrium populations of conformers. Comparison of experimental and theoretical proton affinities and Δ(acid)H shows that the G4 method provides the better agreement with deviations of less than 1.5 kJ mol(-1). From this point of view, a set of evaluated thermochemical quantities for serine, threonine, cysteine and methionine may be proposed: PA = 912, 919, 903, 938; GB = 878, 886, 870, 899; Δ(acid)H = 1393, 1391, 1396, 1411; Δ(acid)G = 1363, 1362, 1367, 1382 kJ mol(-1). This study also confirms that a non-negligible ΔpS° is associated with protonation of methionine and that the most acidic hydrogen of cysteine in the gas phase is that of the SH group. In several instances new conformers were identified thus suggesting a re-examination of several IRMPD spectra.

Substituent effects in polarized phosphaalkenes: a theoretical study of aminocarbene–phosphinidene adducts

The effect of substituent has been theoretically explored in the case of polarized phosphaalkenes formed with an aminocarbene and a phosphinidene. The shape of the experimentally characterized structures has been explained in terms of electronic and steric effects. The balance between σ-donation and π-back-donation as a function of the substituent has been explored by the use of electron localization function (ELF) analysis and correlated with the bond dissociation energy and geometrical structure. The aromaticity of the carbene ring, obtained by NICS calculation, has been achieved.

SOME DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED WITH AM1 AND PM3 CALCULATIONS

Abstract AM1 and PM3 underestimate frontier interactions with respect to steric repulsions. Therefore, if two structures differ by ∼1 kcal/mol, their calculated ordering is unreliable. Activation energies tend to increase with substitution, regardless of electronic effects. Atomic charges are sometimes unrealistic (in enolates, the negative charge is larger on C than on O). At van der Waals distances, acid-base and coulombic interactions can prevail over steric repulsions. At all distances, basicities are overestimated and nucleophilicities underestimated. This may lead to anomalous ion-molecule and transition structures in gas phase reactions. Transition structures are tighter than in ab initio calculations. Optimisations may give chemically unreasonable structures. Minimum energy paths are then difficult to obtain. Usually, but not systematically, PM3 gives more reliable structures and AM1 more realistic energies.

Theoretical study of electrophilic versus nucleophilic character of transition metal complexes of phosphinidene

Abstract A comparative theoretical study of the terminal phosphinidene complexes HPCr(CO) 5 , HPTi(Cp 2 ) and HPTiCl 2 , at the MP2 and DFT levels, has been carried out. The calculated results have then been used for determining the electron localization function (ELF) in these moieties. Both techniques show that in the singlet ground state of HPCr(CO) 5 , one gets a weak double P–Cr bond, with an electrophilic character on P (i.e. electron-deficient center). Conversely, in the singlet ground state of Ti complexes, the P–Ti bond shows a greater double bond character than in the P–Cr linkage, associated with an overall nucleophilic character of P. These results are in good agreement with all available experimental data.

Csp2-N bond formation via ligand-free Pd-catalyzed oxidative coupling reaction of N-tosylhydrazones and indole derivatives.

In a fresh approach to the synthesis of N-vinylazoles, a ligand-free palladium catalytic system was found to promote the Csp(2)-N bond-forming reaction utilizing N-tosylhydrazones and N-H azoles. This process shows functional group tolerance; di-, tri-, and tetrasubstituted N-vinylazoles were obtained in high yields. Under the optimized conditions, the reaction proceeds with high stereoselectivity depending on the nature of the coupling partners.