Butane bonds

Figure C2.1.4. Potential energy as a function of the rotation about the central C-C bond in butane. The sketches show the projection of the molecule along the central C-C bond.

Fig. 1. The time evolution (top) and average cumulative difference (bottom) associated with the central dihedral angle of butane r (defined by the four carbon atoms), for trajectories differing initially in 10 , 10 , and 10 Angstoms of the Cartesian coordinates from a reference trajectory. The leap-frog/Verlet scheme at the timestep At = 1 fs is used in all cases, with an all-atom model comprised of bond-stretch, bond-angle, dihedral-angle, van der Waals, and electrostatic components, a.s specified by the AMBER force field within the INSIGHT/Discover program.

Fig. 4. The average end-to-end-distance of butane as a function of timestep (note logarithmic scale) for both single-timestep and triple-timestep Verlet schemes. The timestep used to define the data point for the latter is the outermost timestep At (the interval of updating the nonbonded forces), with the two smaller values used as Atj2 and At/A (for updating the dihedral-angle terms and the bond-length and angle terms, respectively).

Besides specifications on atoms, bonds, branches, and ring closure, SLN additionally provides information on attributes of atoms and bonds, such as charge or stereochemistry. These are also indicated in square [ ] or angle < > brackets behind the entity e.g., trans-butane CH3CH=[s=t]CHCH3). Furthermore, macro atoms allow the shorthand specification of groups of atoms such as amino adds, e.g., Ala, Protein2, etc. A detailed description of these specifications and also specifications for 2D substructure queries or combinatorial libraries can be found in the literature [26]. 

Carrying out this proeedure for propane and butane, CH3—CH2—CH3 and CH3—CH2—CH2—CH3, yields the bond matrix and enthalpies of atomization ... 

The bond matrix expresses 2 C—C bonds plus 8 C—H bonds for propane and 3 C—C bonds plus 10 C—H bonds for n-butane. Eaeh enthalpy of atomization is obtained by subtraeting the enthalpy of formation of the alkane from the sum of atomie atomization enthalpies (C 716 H 218 kJ mol ) for that moleeule. For example, the moleeular atomization enthalpy of propane is 3(716) +8(218) — (—104) = 3996 kJ mol . Enthalpies of formation are available from Pedley et al. (1986) or on-line at www.webbook.nist.gov. 

Solve the same problem for propane and isobutane (2-methylpropane). The bond matrix is the same as it is for n-butane, but the enthalpy of formation is somewhat different (n-butane) = —127.1 kJ mol vs. (isobutane) = —134.2... 

Figure 4-18 The Potential Energy for Rotation of n-Butane About its Central Bond Axis. The anti conformer in the center is slightly lower in energy than the two gauche conformers.

To conclude this computer project, we shall lirst search the potential surface for rotation of u-butane about its 23 C C bond, for which we think we know the answei, then seai ch the potential sutface foi I-butene, foi which we do not. In I -butene, the double bond establishes a rigid plane but the methyl group can take up several d i ffe ren t positions re I at i ve to i t by rotation ab ou t th e 2 - 3 s i n g I e bo n d,... 

As just noted (Section 2 7) CH3 is called a methyl group In addition to having methyl groups at both ends n butane contains two CH2 or methylene groups Isobutane con tains three methyl groups bonded to a CH unit The CH unit is called a methme group... 

Bonding m n butane and isobutane continues the theme begun with methane ethane and propane All of the carbon atoms are sp hybridized all of the bonds are ct bonds and the bond angles at carbon are close to tetrahedral This generalization holds for all alkanes regardless of the number of carbons they have... 

FIGURE 3 7 Potential energy diagram for rotation around the central carbon-carbon bond in butane... 

At Its most basic level separating the total strain of a structure into its components is a qualita tive exercise For example a computer drawn model of the eclipsed conformation of butane using ideal bond angles and bond distances (Figure 3 8) reveals that two pairs of hydrogens are separated by a distance of only 175 pm a value considerably smaller than the sum of their van der Waals radii (2 X 120 pm = 240 pm) Thus this conformation is destabilized not only by the torsional strain associ ated with its eclipsed bonds but also by van der Waals strain... 

We have seen that alkanes are not locked into a single conformation Rotation around the central carbon-carbon bond m butane occurs rapidly mterconvertmg anti and gauche conformations Cyclohexane too is conformationally mobile Through a process known as ring inversion, chair-chair mterconversion, or more simply ring flipping, one chair conformation is converted to another chair... 

We can relate the conformational preference for an equatorial methyl group m methylcyclohexane to the conformation of a noncyclic hydrocarbon we discussed ear her butane The red bonds m the following structural formulas trace paths through four carbons beginning at an equatorial methyl group The zigzag arrangement described by each path mimics the anti conformation of butane... 

Sketch an approximate potential energy diagram similar to that shown in Figures 3 4 and 3 7 for rotation about the carbon-carbon bond in 2 2 dimethylpropane Does the form of the poten tial energy curve of 2 2 dimethylpropane more closely resemble that of ethane or that of butane" ... 

In principle cis 2 butene and trans 2 butene may be mterconverted by rotation about the C 2=C 3 double bond However unlike rotation about the C 2—C 3 single bond in butane which is quite fast mterconversion of the stereoisomeric 2 butenes does not occur under normal circumstances It is sometimes said that rotation about a carbon-carbon double bond is restricted but this is an understatement Conventional lab oratory sources of heat do not provide enough energy for rotation about the double bond m alkenes As shown m Figure 5 2 rotation about a double bond requires the p orbitals of C 2 and C 3 to be twisted from their stable parallel alignment—m effect the tt com ponent of the double bond must be broken at the transition state... 

Addition to double bonds is not the only kind of reaction that converts an achiral molecule to a chiral one Other possibilities include substitution reactions such as the formation of 2 chlorobutane by free radical chlorination of butane Here again the prod uct IS chiral but racemic... 

Alkyl substituents stabilize a carbonyl group m much the same way that they sta bilize carbon-carbon double bonds and carbocations—by releasing electrons to sp hybridized carbon Thus as then heats of combustion reveal the ketone 2 butanone is more stable than its aldehyde isomer butanal... 

Shape of potential energy diagram is identical with that for ethane (Figure 3 4) Activation energy for rotation about the C—C bond is higher than that of ethane lower than that of butane... 

Example The reaction coordinate for rotation about the central carbon-carbon bond in -butane has several stationary points. A, C, E, and G are minima and B, D, and Fare maxima. Only the structures at the minima represent stable species and of these, the anti conformation is more stable than the gauche. 

A cross-linked polymer has a density of 0.94 g cm" at 25°C and a molecular weight between crosslinks of 28,000. The conformation of one bond in the middle of the molecule changes from trans to gauche, and the molecule opens up by 120°. In w-butane, the trans to gauche transformation requires about 3.3 kJ mol". Estimate a value for AH of stretching based on this model, and use the law of cosines to estimate the magnitude of the opening up that results. 

At combustion temperatures, the oxidation of butane [106-97-8] is similar to that of propane (153). This is because most butyl radicals are consumed by carbon—carbon bond scission (reaction 28). 

Irradiation of ethyleneimine (341,342) with light of short wavelength ia the gas phase has been carried out direcdy and with sensitization (343—349). Photolysis products found were hydrogen, nitrogen, ethylene, ammonium, saturated hydrocarbons (methane, ethane, propane, / -butane), and the dimer of the ethyleneimino radical. The nature and the amount of the reaction products is highly dependent on the conditions used. For example, the photoproducts identified ia a fast flow photoreactor iacluded hydrocyanic acid and acetonitrile (345), ia addition to those found ia a steady state system. The reaction of hydrogen radicals with ethyleneimine results ia the formation of hydrocyanic acid ia addition to methane (350). Important processes ia the photolysis of ethyleneimine are nitrene extmsion and homolysis of the N—H bond, as suggested and simulated by ab initio SCF calculations (351). The occurrence of ethyleneimine as an iatermediate ia the photolytic formation of hydrocyanic acid from acetylene and ammonia ia the atmosphere of the planet Jupiter has been postulated (352), but is disputed (353). 

Only 20—40% of the HNO is converted ia the reactor to nitroparaffins. The remaining HNO produces mainly nitrogen oxides (and mainly NO) and acts primarily as an oxidising agent. Conversions of HNO to nitroparaffins are up to about 20% when methane is nitrated. Conversions are, however, often ia the 36—40% range for nitrations of propane and / -butane. These differences ia HNO conversions are explained by the types of C—H bonds ia the paraffins. Only primary C—H bonds exist ia methane and ethane. In propane and / -butane, both primary and secondary C—H bonds exist. Secondary C—H bonds are considerably weaker than primary C—H bonds. The kinetics of reaction 6 (a desired reaction for production of nitroparaffins) are hence considerably higher for both propane and / -butane as compared to methane and ethane. Experimental results also iadicate for propane nitration that more 2-nitropropane [79-46-9] is produced than 1-nitropropane [108-03-2]. Obviously the hydroxyl radical attacks the secondary bonds preferentially even though there are more primary bonds than secondary bonds. 

Reactions of carbon nucleophiles with organohalogen compounds have great diversity for the construction of now carbon-carbon bonds. The intriguing synthon, ethoxyethynylsodium, is generated and alkylated in 1-ETHOXY-1-BUTANE. Following an alkylation of propynylsodium, a vinyl halide is generated in a stereoselective manner... 

Fig. 3.3. Potential energy diagram for rotation about C(2)—C(3) bond of n-butane.

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