Central carbon

A molecule is chiral if it cannot be superimposed on its mirror image (or if it does not possess an alternating axis of symmetry) and would exhibit optical activity, i.e. lead to the rotation of the plane of polarization of polarized light. Lactic acid, which has the structure (2 mirror images) shown exhibits molecular chirality. In this the central carbon atom is said to be chiral but strictly it is the environment which is chiral. 

Methane, CH4, for example, has a central carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms and the shape is a regular tetrahedron with a H—C—H bond angle of 109°28, exactly that calculated. Electrons in a lone pair , a pair of electrons not used in bonding, occupy a larger fraction of space adjacent to their parent atom since they are under the influence of one nucleus, unlike bonding pairs of electrons which are under the influence of two nuclei. Thus, whenever a lone pair is present some distortion of the essential shape occurs. 

Thus, to name just a few examples, a nucleophilic aliphatic substitution such as the reaction of the bromide 3.5 with sodium iodide (Figure 3-21a) can lead to a range of stereochemical products, from a l l mbrture of 3.6 and 3.7 (racemization) to only 3.7 (inversion) depending on the groups a, b, and c that are bonded to the central carbon atom. The ring closure of the 1,3-butadiene, 3.8, to cyclobutene... 

Another scheme for estimating thermocheraical data, introduced by Allen [12], accumulated the deviations from simple bond additivity in the carbon skeleton. To achieve this, he introduced, over and beyond a contribution from a C-C and a C-H bond, a contribution G(CCC) every time a consecutive arrangement of three carbon atoms was met, and a contribution D(CCC) whenever three carbon atoms were bonded to a central carbon atom. Table 7-3 shows the substructures, the symbols, and the contributions to the heats of formation and to the heats of atomization. 

Inspection of the values for the structure elements and their contribution to the heats of formation again allows interpretation The B-terms correspond to the energies to break these bonds, and a sequence of three carbon atoms introduces stabihty into an alkane whereas the arrangement of three carbon atoms around a central carbon atom leads to the destabilization of an alkane. 

The origin of a torsional barrier can be studied best in simple cases like ethane. Here, rotation about the central carbon-carbon bond results in three staggered and three eclipsed stationary points on the potential energy surface, at least when symmetry considerations are not taken into account. Quantum mechanically, the barrier of rotation is explained by anti-bonding interactions between the hydrogens attached to different carbon atoms. These interactions are small when the conformation of ethane is staggered, and reach a maximum value when the molecule approaches an eclipsed geometry. 

This is not the place to expose in detail the problems and the solutions already obtained in studying biochemical reaction networks. However, because of the importance of this problem and the great recent interest in understanding metabolic networks, we hope to throw a little light on this area. Figure 10.3-23 shows a model for the metabolic pathways involved in the central carbon metabolism of Escherichia coli through glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway [22]. 

Example I hc reaction coordinate for rotation about the central carbon-carbon bond in rt-bulane has several stationary points.. A, C, H, and G are m in im a and H, D, an d F arc tn axirn a. Only the structures at the m in im a represen t stable species an d of these, the art/[ con form ation is more stable th an ihc nauchc. 

Sodium me/aperiodate (NalO ) in cold aqueous solution readily oxidises 1,2-diols with splitting of the molecule and the consequent formation of aldehydes or ketones thus ethylene glycol gives formaldehyde and pinacol gives acetone. In the case of a 1,2,3-triol, the central carbon atom of the triol... 

The mechanism of the reduction remains uncertain. The work of E. D. Williams, K. A. Krieger and A. R. Day (1953) using deuterium-labelled aluminium isopropoxide, shows that hydrogen atoms are transferred predominantly from the central carbon atom of an isopropoxide group to the carbon atom of the carbonyl group undergoing reduction, the process probably involving a cyclic complex ... 

Its charge density distribution is like that of the cation (with sign reversal) because the added electron goes into the nonbonded orbital with a node at the central carbon atom. The probability of finding that electron precisely at the central carbon atom is zero. 

A remarkable feature of the allene NMR spectra is the lowfield position of the central carbon-atom, viz., 185-210 ppm relative to TMS, whereas the exterior carbon-atom resonances are generally found between 60 and 130 ppm. 

Using a multiple linear regression computer program, a set of substituent parameters was calculated for a number of the most commonly occurring groups. The calculated substituent effects allow a prediction of the chemical shifts of the exterior and central carbon atoms of the allene with standard deviations of l.Sand 2.3 ppm, respectively Although most compounds were measured as neat liquids, for a number of compounds duplicatel measurements were obtained in various solvents. 

The substituent effects on the chemical shift of the central carbon are given in Fig. 1 and are described by eg. 2 ... 

Interestingly, some nucleophiles attack the central carbon of the 7r-allyl system to form a palladacyclobutane 316 and its reductive elimination gives... 

Two monomeric and dimeric 2-substituied 7r-allylic complexes (548 and 549) are obtained by treatment of allene with PdCl2(PhCN)2. They are formed by the nucleophilic attack at the central carbon of allene[493, 494],... 

Aryl or alkenyl halides attack the central carbon of the allene system in the 2,3-butadien-l-ol 120 to form the 7r-allyl intermediate 121, which undergoes elimination reaction to afford the o,/3-unsaturated ketone 122 or aldehyde. The reaction proceeds smoothly in DMSO using dppe as a ligandflOl]. 

When allene derivatives are treated with aryl halides in the presence of Pd(0), the aryl group is introduced to the central carbon by insertion of one of the allenic bonds to form the 7r-allylpalladium intermediate 271, which is attacked further by amine to give the allylic amine 272. A good ligand for the reaction is dppe[182]. Intramolecular reaction of the 7-aminoallene 273 affords the pyrrolidine derivative 274[183]. 

Another reaction occurs by the attack of a soft nucleophile at the central carbon to form the 7r-allylpalladium complex 7, which undergoes further reaction with the nucleophile typical of rr-allylpalladium complexes to form the alkene 8,... 

No reaction of soft carbon nucleophiles takes place with propargylic acet-ates[37], but soft carbon nucleophiles, such as / -keto esters and malonates, react with propargylic carbonates under neutral conditions using dppe as a ligand. The carbon nucleophile attacks the central carbon of the cr-allenylpal-ladium complex 81 to form the rr-allylpalladium complex 82, which reacts further with the carbon nucleophile to give the alkene 83. Thus two molecules of the a-monosubstituted /3-keto ester 84, which has one active proton, are... 

The electronic structure of a trimethine asymmetrical cyanine, controls the attack of a ketomethylene (Scheme 54). There is a condensation of the nucleophilic carbon on the electrophilic central carbon atom of the methine chain, leading to a neutrodimethine cyanine and simultaneously elimination of the more basic nucleus. 

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

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... 

The three carbons of allene he in a straight line with relatively short carbon-carbon bond distances of 131 pm The central carbon because it bears only two substituents is sp hybridized The terminal carbons of allene are sp hybridized... 

Structural studies show allene to be nonplanar As Figure 10 7 illustrates the plane of one HCH unit is perpendicular to the plane of the other Figure 10 7 also portrays the reason for the molecular geometry of allene The 2p orbital of each of the terminal car bons overlaps with a different 2p orbital of the central carbon Because the 2p orbitals of the central carbon are perpendicular to each other the perpendicular nature of the two HCH units follows naturally... 

When three contiguous carbons bear hydroxyl groups two moles of periodate is consumed per mole of carbohydrate and the central carbon is oxidized to a molecule of formic acid... 

Figure 4.7 shows that any substituted methane, in which all four groups attached to the central carbon atom are different, as for example in CHFClBr, forms enantiomers. You can either use your imagination or constmct models of these enantiomers to show that you can superimpose the carbon atoms and any two of the other atoms, such as H and F, but the remaining two atoms. Cl and Br, cannot be superimposed. 

In the early days following the discovery of chirality it was thought that only molecules of the type CWXYZ, multiply substituted methanes, were important in this respect and it was said that a molecule with an asymmetric carbon atom forms enantiomers. Nowadays, this definition is totally inadequate, for two reasons. The first is that the existence of enantiomers is not confined to molecules with a central carbon atom (it is not even confined to organic molecules), and the second is that, knowing what we do about the various possible elements of symmetry, the phrase asymmetric carbon atom has no real meaning. 

This mle is applicable to any molecule, whether or not it contains a central carbon atom, or indeed any carbon atom at all. 

The methyl and ethyl esters of cyanoacetic acid are slightly soluble ia water but are completely miscible ia most common organic solvents including aromatic hydrocarbons. The esters, like the parent acid, are highly reactive, particularly ia reactions involving the central carbon atom however, the esters tend not to decarboxylate. They are prepared by esterification of cyanoacetic acid and are used principally as chemical iatermediates. 

The basis for the high reactivity of the isocyanates is the low electron density of the central carbon as iadicated by the foUowiag resonance stmctures ... 

The presence of free radicals can invert this rule, to form anti-Markovnikov products. Free-radical addition in this fashion produces a radical on the central carbon, C-2, which is more stable than the allyl radical. This carbon can then experience further addition. For example, acid-catalyzed addition of... 

The ortho hydrogen atoms surrounding the central carbon atom show considerable steric overlap. Therefore, it can be assumed that the three aryl groups in the dye are not coplanar, but are twisted in such a fashion that the shape of the dye resembles that of a three-bladed propeller (9). Substitution in the para position of the three aryl groups determines the hue of the dye. When only one amino group is present, as in fuchsoriimine hydrochloride [84215-84-9] = 440 nm (2), the shade is a weak orange-yeUow. 

The central carbon atom is derived from an aromatic aldehyde or a substance capable of generating an aldehyde during the course of the condensation. Malachite green is prepared by heating benzaldehyde under reflux with a slight excess of dimethyl aniline in aqueous acid (Fig. 2). The reaction mass is made alkaline and the excess dimethylaniline is removed by steam distillation. The resulting leuco base is oxidized with freshly prepared lead dioxide to the carbinol base, and the lead is removed by precipitation as the sulfate. Subsequent treatment of the carbinol base with acid produces the dye, which can be isolated as the chloride, the oxalate [2437-29-8] or the zinc chloride double salt [79118-82-4]. 

In the ketone method, the central carbon atom is derived from phosgene (qv). A diarylketone is prepared from phosgene and a tertiary arylamine and then condenses with another mole of a tertiary arylamine (same or different) in the presence of phosphoms oxychloride or zinc chloride. The dye is produced directly without an oxidation step. Thus, ethyl violet [2390-59-2] Cl Basic Violet 4 (15), is prepared from 4,4 -bis(diethylamino)benzophenone with diethylaruline in the presence of phosphoms oxychloride. This reaction is very useful for the preparation of unsymmetrical dyes. Condensation of 4,4 -bis(dimethylamino)benzophenone [90-94-8] (Michler s ketone) with AJ-phenjl-l-naphthylamine gives the Victoria Blue B [2580-56-5] Cl Basic Blue 26, which is used for coloring paper and producing ballpoint pen pastes and inks. 

Diphenylmethane Base Method. In this method, the central carbon atom is derived from formaldehyde, which condenses with two moles of an arylamine to give a substituted diphenylmethane derivative. The methane base is oxidized with lead dioxide or manganese dioxide to the benzhydrol derivative. The reactive hydrols condense fairly easily with arylamines, sulfonated arylamines, and sulfonated naphthalenes. The resulting leuco base is oxidized in the presence of acid (Fig. 4). 

BenZotrichloride Method. The central carbon atom of the dye is supphed by the trichloromethyl group from iJ-chlorobenzotrichloride. Both symmetrical and unsymmetrical triphenyhnethane dyes suitable for acryhc fibers are prepared by this method. 4-Chlorobenzotrichloride is condensed with excess chlorobenzene in the presence of a Lewis acid such as aluminium chloride to produce the intermediate aluminium chloride complex of 4,4, 4"-trichlorotriphenylmethyl chloride (18). Stepwise nucleophihc substitution of the chlorine atoms of this intermediate is achieved by successive reactions with different arylamines to give both symmetrical (51) and unsymmetrical dyes (52), eg, N-(2-chlorophenyl)-4-[(4-chlorophenyl) [4-[(3-methylphenyl)imino]-2,5-cyclohexadien-l-yhdene]methyl]benzenaminemonohydrochloride [85356-86-1J (19) from. w-toluidine and o-chloroaniline. 

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