Hydrogen catalytic proton transfer reactions

In the present paper the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects of the proton transfer reactions among cytosine tautomers assisted by specific solvent molecules was theoretically investigated. For the time being, bulk solvent effects were not considered and attention was only focused on the influence of hydrogen bonding on both (i) tautomers relative stability and (ii) the catalytic process occurring between adjacent positions of cytosine. The computational results on point (i) are compared with those of PCM calculations [15]. The results on point (ii) are discussed with reference to the conclusions of other theoretical studies available in the literature [16,17]. 

The catalytic effect of aromatic nitro groups in the substrate and product or in an added inert nitro compoimd (e.g., w-dinitrobenzene in 18) has been observed in the reaction of 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene with an amine in chloroform. Hydrogen bonding to benzil or to dimethyl sulfone and sulfoxide also provided catalysis. It is clear that the type of catalysis of proton transfer shown in structure 18 will be more effective when hydrogen bonding is to an azine-nitrogen. 

The mechanism of the Meerwein-Pondorf-Verley reaction is by coordination of a Lewis acid to isopropanol and the substrate ketone, followed by intermolecular hydride transfer, by beta elimination [41]. Initially, the mechanism of catalytic asymmetric transfer hydrogenation was thought to follow a similar course. Indeed, Backvall et al. have proposed this with the Shvo catalyst [42], though Casey et al. found evidence for a non-metal-activation of the carbonyl (i.e., concerted proton and hydride transfer [43]). This follows a similar mechanism to that proposed by Noyori [44] and Andersson [45], for the ruthenium arene-based catalysts. By the use of deuterium-labeling studies, Backvall has shown that different catalysts seem to be involved in different reaction mechanisms [46]. 

Murakami et al. studied alternative pyridoxamine-surfactant systems [23]. These authors synthesized hydrophobic pyridoxamine derivatives (30 and 31) and peptide lipid molecules (32-35). Catalyst 30 or 31 and the peptide lipids formed bilayer membranes in water, which showed transamination reactivity in the presence of metal ions such as Cu(ii). It was proposed that the pyridoxamine moiety was placed in the so-called hydrogen-belt domain interposed between the polar surface region and the hydrophobic domain that is composed of double-chain segments within the bilayer assembly. The basic group (such as imidazole) in the peptide lipid molecules could catalyze the proton transfer involved in the transamination reaction. In addition, marked substrate discrimination by these bilayer membrane systems was performed through hydrophobic interactions between substrates and the catalytic site. 

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