Rodrigo M. Pontes

Structural characterization of two novel potential anticholinesterasic agents

Abstract Two novel compounds with possible anticholinesterase activity have been synthesized containing a carbamate and a dimethylamine group in 1,2-positions of a cyclohexane ring ( cis and trans isomers). Conformer populations were established by a combination of NMR 1 H coupling constant analysis and DFT (B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p)) calculations. 13 C chemical shifts were calculated in order to confirm signal attributions. The cis isomer adopts a conformation in which the carbamate group lies at the axial position (>99%), whereas the trans isomer adopts a diequatorial arrangement (98%). These preferences have been explained in terms of syn -1,3-diaxial interactions of the individual groups.

Theoretical and experimental investigation of the polyeletrophilic β-enamino diketone: straightforward and highly regioselective synthesis of 1,4,5-trisubstituted pyrazoles and pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyridazinones

Obtaining a new precursor enamino diketone with five electrophilic centers is reported, along with theoretical and experimental studies of its reactivity against mono- or dinucleophiles. The Fukui function showed that the β-carbon is the most electrophilic center, followed by the carbonyl ketone and the carbonyl ester, respectively. The reaction of enamino diketone with aniline and hydrazines allowed for the synthesis of a new enamino diketone and 1,4-disubstituted pyrazoles-5-carboxylates, respectively. The regiochemistry and mechanism of syntheses of 1,4-disubstituted pyrazoles-5-carboxylates were determined from reaction monitoring by ESI-MS, NMR analysis and crystallographic data, and fully agreed with the theoretical results. The versatility and efficiency of the enamino diketone was demonstrated by the reaction with hydrazines furnishing multi-functionalized pyrazoles and pyrazolo[3,4-d]pyridazinone derivatives with high regioselectivity.

The conformational analysis of 2-halocyclooctanones.

The establishment of the most stable structures of eight membered rings is a challenging task to the field of conformational analysis. In this work, a series of 2-halocyclooctanones were synthesized (including fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine derivatives) and submitted to conformational studies using a combination of theoretical calculation and infrared spectroscopy. For each compound, four conformations were identified as the most important ones. These conformations are derived from the chair-boat conformation of cyclooctanone. The pseudo-equatorial (with respect to the halogen) conformer is preferred in vacuum and in low polarity solvents for chlorine, bromine and iodine derivatives. For 2-fluorocyclooctanone, the preferred conformation in vacuum is pseudo-axial. In acetonitrile, the pseudo-axial conformer becomes the most stable for the chlorine derivative. According to NBO calculations, the conformational preference is not dictated by electron delocalization, but by classical electrostatic repulsions.

Theoretical aspects of the unexpected regiospecific synthesis of pyrazole-5-carboxylates from unsymmetrical enaminodiketones

Pyrazoles are heterocycles with economic importance because of the wide applications of such compounds in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. Pyrazoles can be prepared from the cyclocondensation of unsymmetrical enaminodiketones with hydrazines. However, this method often suffers from the formation of a regioisomeric mixture of pyrazoles with generally poor selectivity. Only in few cases, the regiospecific synthesis was possible. Nevertheless, up to now, the factors behind the regiospecificity of this reaction were unknown. Thus, in this work, we use density functional theory (M06-2X/6-31++G(d,p)) to analyze the reaction mechanism. Our results show that the activation-free energy leading to the possible products are similar, but the products present very different stabilities which explain the formation of a single regioisomer experimentally observed. In this way, the regiospecificity is governed by thermodynamical factors.

Acidities under the Perspective of Energy Decomposition Analysis

The rationalization of acid/base behavior is a central concern for chemistry and related fields. In this work, we describe an alternative approach toward the understanding of gas phase acidities based on the localized molecular orbital energy decomposition analysis (LMOEDA) method. Upon partitioning the molecules (and the corresponding anions) over the X-OH (or X-O-) bond, we have observed a perfect correlation between the interaction energy of the two fragments and the acidity, as given by the energy difference between the anion and the neutral molecule. On the basis of this correlation, acidities could be interpreted according to the energy components provided by LMOEDA, namely, electrostatic, exchange repulsion, polarization, and dispersion. For example, alkyl groups increase the gas phase acidities of alcohols mainly due to electrostatic and polarization interactions. Carboxylic acids are stronger acids than alcohols through the ability of oxygen to stabilize the extra charge formed in the anion (electrostatic interactions) and also through a decrease of exchange repulsions between the two fragments. Polarization interaction (orbital relaxation) also plays an important role. Electrostatic and polarization interactions dominate the enhanced acidity of sulfuric acid over ethanol. Electrostatic and polarization interactions are also responsible for the higher acidity of sulfuric over boric acid. The anomalous behavior of formic acid compared to acetic, propionic, and butyric acids is also explained. The examples worked in this report evince the still unexplored potential of energy decomposition to the comprehension of acid/base phenomena.

Cholinesterases Inhibition by Novel cis- and trans-3-Arylaminocyclohexyl N,N-Dimethylcarbamates: Biological Evaluation and Molecular Modeling

The present study describes the synthesis, assessment of the anticholinesterase activity and the inhibition type of novel cis- and trans-3-arylaminocyclohexyl N,N-dimethylcarbamates. In vitro inhibition assay by Ellmans method with human blood samples showed that carbamates were selective for butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) with compound concentration that inhibits 50% of enzyme activity (IC50) between 0.11 and 0.18 mmol L-1. cis- and trans-3-(4-Methoxyphenylamino)cyclohexyl N,N-dimethylcarbamate hydrochloride were the most active for BuChE, showing that the presence of methoxyl group enhanced the anticholinesterase activity. The enzyme kinetics studies indicate a noncompetitive inhibition against acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and mixed type inhibition for BuChE. Molecular modeling studies confirm the ability of carbamates to bind both the active and peripheral sites of the BuChE.

Theoretical perspectives on carbocation chemistry from energy decomposition analysis

Understanding carbocation formation is a central concern for all chemical sciences. The widely accepted explanation in terms of inductive/field and delocalization effects is based on quantities that are not straightforwardly computed in popular electronic structure methods. This work reports an alternative approach to the carbocation formation problem based on energy decomposition analysis, more specifically, CMOEDA. The order of stability for carbocations formation was successfully accounted in terms of the energy components. The focus of the analysis shifts from the product of the reaction, i.e., the carbocation itself, to the reactant neutral molecule. Notably, exchange repulsions are the largest energy contribution to increase carbocation stability in the order methyl, primary, secondary and tertiary. Polarization (orbital relaxation) plays a secondary role. Insertion of bulky groups increases the repulsion with the incipient anion (a hydride ion) and decreases the strength of the C–H bond. This pattern is confirmed for several other hydrocarbon cases. Additional systems like halomethanes, amino- and nitro-derivatives are also described.

Stereoelectronic effects of the glycosidic linkage on the conformational preference of D-sucrose

The stereoelectronic effects involved in the conformations shown by D-sucrose were analysed at the M06-2X/6-31++G(d,p) level, both under vacuum and in water with the continuum solvation model IEF-PCM, and employing the natural bond orbital theory (NBO) and non-covalent interactions (NCI). Different groups of conformations for D-sucrose in relation to the glycosidic linkage were evaluated and the results showed that not only were hydrogen bonds important to explain the relative energy observed, but it was also necessary to consider any stabilizing orbital interactions involving the glycosidic linkage. The most stable conformation observed in water had dihedral angles for the glycosidic linkage with values of 110.8° and −44.9° for ϕ and ψ, respectively.