Imidazole derivatives nucleophilic catalysis

Stevani and coworkers prepared and characterized a peracid intermediate, 4-chloro-pheny 1-0,0-hydrogen monoperoxalate (57) and found that no chemiluminescence was observed in the presence of activators (i.e. rubrene, perylene and DPA) and the absence of a base. Based on this result, the authors excluded 57 and similar peracid derivatives as HEI in the peroxyoxalate system. Moreover, 57 only emits light in the presence of an activator and a base with pK > 6, suggesting that a slow chemical transformation must still occur prior to the chemiexcitation step. Kinetic experiments with 57, using mainly imidazole, but also in the presence of other bases such as potassium 4-chlorophenolate, f-butoxide and l,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene , showed that imidazole can act competitively as base and nucleophilic catalyst (Scheme 41). At low imidazole concentrations, base catalysis is the main pathway (steps 1 and 2) however, increasing the base concentration causes nucleophilic attack of imidazole catalyzed by imidazole to become the main pathway (steps la and 2a). Contrary to the proposal of Hohman and coworkers , the... 

The release of the phenol is much more rapid than in similar esters lacking the imidazole group. The neighboring basic nitrogen of the imidazole ring is a much more effective nucleophile toward the carbonyl center than water or the hydroxide ion under the conditions of the reaction. As in the case of carboxylate catalysis, nucleophilic catalysis is important only with esters derived from rather acidic alcohols, and most of the studies have been done with phenyl esters. 

The catalysis of hydrolysis of carboxylic acid derivatives by weak bases has not been carefully studied until relatively recently. Koshland reported in 1952 the catalysis of acetyl phosphate hydrolysis by pyridine Bafna and Gold (1953) reported the pyridine-catalyzed hydrolysis of acetic anhydride. A short time later the catalysis of aromatic ester hydrolysis by imidazole was demonstrated (Bender and Turnquest, 1957 a, b Bruice and Schmir, 1957). Since that time a large amount of work has been devoted to the understanding of catalyzed ester reactions. Much of the work in this area has been carried out with the purpose of inquiry into the mode of action of hydrolytic enzymes. These enzymes contain on their backbone weak potential catalytic bases or acids, such as imidazole in the form of histidine, carboxylate in the form of aspartate and glutamate, etc. As a result of the enormous effort put into the study of nucleophilic displacements at the carbonyl carbon, a fair understanding of these reactions has resulted. An excellent review is available for work up to 1960 (Bender, 1960). In addition, this subject has been... 

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