Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to AA Fokin.
Within the scope of phase-transfer halogenations (Br and I) of alkanes, significant H/D kinetic isotope effects (KIE = 4-5) indicate that hydrogen abstraction is rate limiting. The excellent agreement of computed and experimentally determined H/D KIE as well as trapping experiments support the involvement of trihalomethyl radicals in the activation step.
Selective oxidative cleavage-cyclization of adamantane through the bridge carbon was developed in trifluoroperacetic acid (TFPAA). The methyl group in the bridge position was found to be the substituent that directs consecutive oxygen insertion into the cage structure during the course of a Criegee rearrangement. The formation of stable 5-methyl-4,6-dioxabishomoadamant-5-yl cation at -25 degrees C was observed. Stable carboxonium ion formation allows control of the selectivity of further transformations. Hydrolysis leads to the stereospecific formation of endo,endo-3-hydroxy-7-acetoxybicyclo[3.3. 1]nonane. Its single-crystal X-ray structure was obtained. An increase in temperature results in deprotonation of the 5-methyl-4, 6-dioxabishomoadamant-5-yl cation to endo-3-trifluoroacetoxybicyclo[3.3.1]non-6-ene, which undergoes further epoxidation with TFPAA and acidic transannular cyclization in trifluoroacetic acid (TFAA). The described reactions can be used as a convenient method for the synthesis of bicyclo[3.3.1]nonane and oxaadamantane derivatives. The proposed mechanism for each transformation, as well as supporting ab initio theoretical calculations of the strain energy and the stabilization energy of the relevant oxacage structures, are discussed.
The reaction of a series of ketones with dimsylsodium in dimethyl sulfoxide resulting in the formation of gamma-unsaturated thiols was studied experimentally. [2,3]-Sigmatropic rearrangements of beta-unsaturated sulfinyl carbanions are involved at the key step of those transformations. DFT computations at the B3LYP/6-31+G level indicated that such rearrangements, as well as some typical [2, 3]-sigmatropic rearrangements, e.g., thermal rearrangements of allyl sulfoxides and Wittig rearrangements of sulfur ylides and lithiated allyloxy methyl anions, are concerted and moderately synchronous processes. Negative (diatropic) nucleus-independent chemical shifts (NICS) and high diamagnetic susceptibility exaltations indicate that the transition structures of these [2,3]-sigmatropic migrations are aromatic.
A series of charged and neutral four-center n-electron (4c-ne, n = 1-4) molecules based on the adamantane framework, but which include combinations of boron, nitrogen, and phosphorus atoms at bridgehead positions, were studied computationally at the B3LYP/6-31G* level of density functional theory (DFT). The three-dimensional aromaticity, observed earlier for the 1,3,5,7-bisdehydroadamantane dication (1), is found to be general for 4c-2e electron systems. The degree of electron delocalization, evaluated by energetic, geometric, and various magnetic criteria, is quite independent of the molecular symmetry (point groups vary from Td to Cs), the degeneracy of the orbitals, the molecular charges, and the nature of the atoms participating in the delocalized bonding. Although the multiple positive (e.g., in 1 and some of the heteroatom systems) and multiple negative charges are strongly repulsive, the rigid adamantane frameworks help hold the bridgehead atoms within bonding distances with the fewer available electrons. The corresponding 4c-1e doublets are approximately half as aromatic as the 4c-2e singlets based on the same criteria. However, the three-electron systems may either adopt distorted but still four-center delocalized structures, or alternative 3c-2e two-dimensional arrangements in which the fourth bridgehead atom is more distant. There is no need to derive special rules for each point group for 4c-ne systems. Although the three-dimensional stabilization is computed to be quite appreciable, ranging between 10 and 50 kcalmol(-1), this delocalization energy is generally not sufficient to overcome distortion due to strain in higher homologues of 1 and in analogous noncage systems. Among the various 4c-2e homoadamantanedehydro dications studied, only the 1,8-dehydrohomoadamandiyl-3,6-dication forms a three-dimensional aromatic system.
No heavy metals, no enzymes, and a simple protocol: the direct iodination of aliphatic hydrocarbons, which has not been possible to date, can now be carried out in multiphase systems [see for example Eq. (1)]. In situ generated tetraiodomethane serves as a key intermediate in this selective radical chain reaction initiated by a single electron transfer. This room-temperature, efficient transformation is highly regioselective, easy to work-up, and hence widely applicable.