Youssef Arfaoui

Theoretical investigations on the mechanistic pathway of the thermal rearrangement of substituted N-acyl-2,2-dimethylaziridines.

The mechanism of the thermal rearrangement of substituted N-acyl-2,2-dimethylaziridines 1 has been studied using quantum chemistry methods. Geometries of reactants, transition states and products have been optimized at the B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,2p) level. Relative energies for various stationary points have been determined and reaction identified by IRC calculations. The results show that thermal rearrangements occur in three ways. Firstly, the transition state TS1 in which a hydrogen atom of methyl groups migrates from primary carbon to oxygen of amid group to give the N-methallylamide 2. The second is via the transition state TS2 in which the attack of oxygen to the tertiary carbon yields the oxazoline 3. The third is via the transition state TS3 in which a hydrogen migrate from the secondary carbon to oxygen to give the vinylamide 4. In order to get insights into the factors determining the exact nature of its interactions with electrophiles, the application of reactivity parameters derived from density functional theory in a local sense, in particular the softness and Fukui function, to interpret and predict the mechanisms of the thermal decomposition of the N-acyl-2,2-dimethylaziridines 1, has been discussed.

A convenient synthesis of alkyl-2-(2-imino-4-oxothiazolidin-5-ylidene)acetate derivatives involving an electrogenerated base of acetonitrile

ABSTRACT We report a simple method for the synthesis of alkyl-2-(2-imino-4-oxothiazolidin-5-ylidene) acetate derivatives 3 in good yields under mild conditions. The electrogenerated cyanomethyl base (EGB), obtained from electroreduction of acetonitrile-0.1 M TBABF4, assists the reaction between thiourea derivatives 1 and dialkyl acetylene dicarboxylate 2. The expected products, 3/4, and the structure obtained from X-ray diffraction confirm that the main products are the five-membered heterocycles 3. Furthermore, a mechanism, to explain the reaction pathways, is proposed based on the thermodynamic and kinetic data obtained from quantum calculations. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Electrogenerated base-promoted synthesis and antimicrobial activity of 2-imino-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one derivatives

ABSTRACT Electrogenerated cyanomethylanions obtained by reduction of dry acetonitrile at a steel grid cathode were used to promote the addition of ethyl bromoacetate to thiourea derivatives. The reaction yields the corresponding 2-imino-1,3-thiazolidin-4-one. The reaction pathway was discussed based on the kinetic and thermodynamic data obtained by computational methods. In addition, the biological activity of these new compounds was also investigated. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Experimental and theoretical rearrangement of N-acyl-2,2- dimethylaziridines in acidic medium

AbstractThe acid isomerization of N-acyl-2,2-dimethylaziridines 1 in concentrated sulfuric acid at room temperature leads to oxazolines 2 but the neutral hydrolysis of 1 in pure water at room temperature leads to amidoalcohols 3. However, the use of aqueous solutions of H2SO4 at different concentrations at room temperature leads to a mixture of oxazolines 2, amidoalcohols 3 and allylamides 4 with yields depending on the acidity of the medium and the nature of the acyl group. A mechanism has been suggested to explain the formation of these three products. DFT calculations employing the Gaussian 09 program with DFT/B3LYP methods and 6-311++G(2d,2p) basis set were carried out which gave the most stable geometry as well as their atomic charge distributions of compounds 1-4. Graphical AbstractThe acidic aqueous solutions of the N-acyl-2,2-dimethylaziridines 1 lead to a mixture of oxazolines 2, amidoalcohols 3 and methallylamides 4. The mechanism proposed to explain the formation of products 2-4 have been confirmed by the quantum chemical calculations using the DFT/B3LYP method and 6-311++G(2d,2p) basis set.

Synthese et Etude Conformationnelle Par RMN (1H, 13C, 31P) et DFT des Cycloalcoxyphosphinallenes et des Hydrazones β-Cycloalcoxyphosphonatees

Abstract The addition of hydrazine and its derivatives to cycloalkoxyphosphinallenes leads to β-(5,5-dialkyl-2-oxo-1,3,2-dioxaphosphoranyl)-hydrazones in good yields. The structure of the obtained compounds were elucidated by the NMR (1H, 13C, 31P) spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations at B3LYP/6-311++G (2d, 2p) level of theory. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Ethyl 3-[1-(5,5-dimethyl-2-oxo-1,3,2-dioxaphosphorin-2-yl)propan-2-ylidene]carbazate: a combined X-ray and density functional theory (DFT) study.

In the title compound, C(11)H(21)N(2)O(5)P, one of the two carbazate N atoms is involved in the C=N double bond and the H atom of the second N atom is engaged in an intramolecular hydrogen bond with an O atom from the dimethylphosphorin-2-yl group, which is in an uncommon cis position with respect to the carbamate group. The cohesion of the crystal structure is also reinforced by weak intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations at the B3LYP/6-311++g(2d,2p) level revealed the lowest energy structure to have a Z configuration at the C=N bond, which is consistent with the configuration found in the X-ray crystal structure, as well as a less stable E counterpart which lies 2.0 kcal mol(-1) higher in potential energy. Correlations between the experimental and computational studies are discussed.

Stereoselective synthesis of 4-hydroxymethyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-one derivatives from novel 2-hydroxymethylaziridines

Abstract A stereoselective and simple method for the synthesis of trans-2-hydroxymethyl-N-alkyl-1,3-oxazolidin-2-ones is described. The synthesis involved the reduction of trans-aziridine-2-carboxylates with LiAlH4, followed by a ring opening and a cyclization reaction in the presence of methyl chloroformate to afford the target trans-oxazolidinones in completely regio- and stereoselective process. A plausible reaction mechanism has been proposed involving an SN1 pathway and a detailed computational study of this mechanistic process has been carried out using theoretical calculations. Graphical Abstract

Synthesis of [MnCl3(H2O)2(Hatz)]·H2O and investigation of its structure via X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic measurements and DFT calculations

The 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (atz)-based manganese complex was prepared and characterized through single-crystal X-ray diffraction, IR, EPR, and UV–visible spectroscopy. In the crystal structure, individual complex are interconnected through N(O)–H…Cl hydrogen bonds into 1D undulating chains running parallel to the [110] direction of the unit cell. Chains further grow into 2D supramolecular layers by way of the lattice water molecules of coordination and the chloride anions (O–H…Cl). Layers pack along the b-axis of the unit cell mediated by O–H…Cl(N) and N–H…O(Cl) hydrogen bonds forming a 3D supramolecular architecture. The theoretical calculations were also performed to optimize the structure of the complexes in the gas phase to confirm the structures proposed by X-ray crystallography. In addition, IR and UV–visible spectra of complex were calculated and compared with the corresponding experimental spectra to complete the experimental structural identification. The three-dimensional Hirshfeld surface (3D-HS) and their relative two-dimensional fingerprint plots (2D-FP) reveal that the structure is dominated by H…Cl/Cl…H (50.5%), H…O/O…H (11.3%) and N…O/O…N (10.2%) contacts.

Reactivity of pyrazole derivatives with halomethanes: A DFT theoretical study

The N-alkylation reaction of pyrazole derivatives with halomethanes was studied using density functional theory (DFT). The hybrid method B3LYP was employed, along with an ECP basis set such as LANL2DZ for halogen atoms (X = Cl, Br, I) and the 6–311 + G(d,p) basis set for all other atoms. In order to predict the specific site at which the pyrazole derivatives interact with halomethanes, local reactivity descriptors such as the Fukui functions were calculated. Detailed analysis of transition-state energies showed that alkylation occurred at the nitrogen atom N2 in the pyrazole derivatives, in agreement with the chemical reactivity results. The reaction mechanisms were elucidated by performing intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) calculations that considered the effects of the solvent and the species of halogen in the halomethane.

Crystal structure determination, and DFT Calculations of dichlorobis-(dimethylsulfoxide-O)copper(II)

The crystal structure of dichlorobis(dimethylsulfoxide-O)copper(II), [CuCl2(DMSO)2] (I), previously determined by Willett and Chang, is reinvestigated. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic system with the space group Pnma (N°62), Z = 4, and unit cell parameters a = 8.053(1) Å, b = 11.642(5) Å, c = 11.347(3) Å. Our structure determination is of a significantly higher precision in terms of bond lengths, angles, and R factors (e.g., Cu1–O1 = 1.9737(24) Å, O1–Cu1–O1i = 173.08(13)° (symmetry code: Ix, 1/2–y, z) and R(F2) = 0.046 compared to 1.955(4) Å, 173.0(3)° and R(F) = 0.075). In contrast to the previous investigation, all H atoms are placed at calculated positions. In the title molecule, the CuII atom is five coordinated in a distorted square pyramidal geometry. Thus, as reported previously, it can be shown that the crystal structure consists of [CuCl2(DMSO)2] molecules which, by virtue of long Cu–Cl interactions, are tied together to form chains parallel to the [100] direction. The density functional theory (DFT) optimized structure at the B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,2p) level is compared with the experimentally determined molecular structure. The HOMO-LUMO energy gap and other related molecular properties are also calculated. Comprehensive experimental and theoretical structural studies on the studied complex are carried out by FT-IR and UV-visible spectroscopies.