Valence-bond Isomers

Valence Bond Isomers of Aromatic Compounds Stabilized by Trifluoromethyl Groups Kohayashi Y Kumadaki, I Acc Chem Res 14 76-82 46... 

UV irradiafion of perfluoro o, m-, and p-xylenes in the gas phase gives a mixture of all possible Dewar benzene isomers Prismane valence bond isomers are proposed to be intermediates [148]... 

Perfluocoalkyl groups thermodynamically destabilize double bonds and small rings, but they can kineiically stabilize highly stramed molecules [75]. This remarkable perfluoroalkyl effect has made possible the isolation of stmctures that are uncommon m hydrocarbon chemistry, especially valence-bond isomers of aromatics and heteroaromatics such as 1, 2, and 3 [108],... 

Kobayashi, Y., and Kumadaki, I. Valence-Bond Isomer of Aromatic Compounds. 123, 103-150... 

Trifluoromethyl-containing valence bond isomers have been reviewed (81ACR76). 

A valence bond isomer of pentakis-(trifluoromethyl)-l, 3-diazepine (44) was prepared from (43) (81TL1113) (44) can be transformed thermally or photochemically to a 2,4-diazabicyclo(3.2.0)hepta-2,6 diene (45), which was subsequently photolysed to an imidazole in an anionic process. Compound (45) is highly acidic arising out of the bishomoaromaticity of the anion and forms a salt with Et3N (81TL1369). 

Sporadic reports of the 2//-thiopyran transformation are still available. The electrocyclic ring-opening of 2-benzyl-2,4,6-triphenyl-2//-thiopyran (131, X = PhCH2) was detected by laser flash spectroscopy (86MI1). 2-Amino-2//-thiopyran was predicted to be more stable than its valence-bond isomer on the basis of semiempirical MINDO/3 and MNDO calculations (84JPR955). 

The chemical properties of this hypothetical benzene would be just those expected for the valence-bond structures I and II, and, indeed, the substance would be correctly described as a mixture of these two isomers or tautomers. 

The first carbocationic photolysis to be investigated in detail was that of the tropylium ion (1) (van Tamelen et al., 1968, 1971), in which generation of the [3,2,0] valence bond isomer (the Dewar tropylium ion ), (2) was the dominant reaction. When irradiated for 10 minutes in 5% aqueous sulfuric acid, two major products were formed in a total... 

We have seen that carbonium ions can undergo a variety of photoreactions, affording products which often vary considerably from those obtained in the photolysis of the corresponding uncharged compounds. The predominant mode of reaction encountered would seem to be isomerization to one or more valence bond isomers, which occurs via a symmetry-allowed disrotatory electrocyclic closure, rather than a [<72a-f 7r2a] cycloaddition in the case of alkylbenzenium ions and pro-... 

In some cases, the two stereoisomers can interconvert. In cis- and trans-disubstituted cyclopropanones, for example, there is reversible interconversion that favors the more stable trans isomer. This fluxional isomerization occurs via ring opening to an unseen oxyallyl valence bond isomer. ... 

Table 2.4 shows a comparison of the experimental and PPP-MO calculated electronic spectral data for azobenzene and the three isomeric monoamino derivatives. It is noteworthy that the ortho isomer is observed to be most bathochromic, while the para isomer is least bathoch-romic. From a consideration of the principles of the application of the valence-bond approach to colour described in the previous section, it might have been expected that the ortho and para isomers would be most bathochromic with the meta isomer least bathochromic. In contrast, the data contained in Table 2.4 demonstrate that the PPP-MO method is capable of correctly accounting for the relative bathochromicities of the amino isomers. It is clear, at least in this case, that the valence-bond method is inferior to the molecular orbital approach. An explanation for the failure of the valence-bond method to predict the order of bathochromicities of the o-, m- and p-aminoazobenzenes emerges from a consideration of the changes in 7r-electron charge densities on excitation calculated by the PPP-MO method, as illustrated in Figure 2.14. 

However, the idea, that 96 may rearrange to the ortho isomer 93 via substituent migration or valence bond tautomerization, which would enable the CH3 loss to proceed as described in (20), could not be substantiated by experimental facts. For example, the secondary decompositions of the [M—CH3]+ ions formed from 93 and 96 are different with regard to the reaction channels and both the kinetic energy release and peak shapes associated with the reactions of interest. Moreover, the CA spectra of the [M—CH3]+ ions exhibit distinct differences. Thus, the [M—CH3]+ ions posses different ion structures and, consequently, a common intermediate and/or reaction mechanism for the process of methyl elimination from ionized 93 and 96 are very unlikely (22). 

Table 1 Differences of energy values (kcal mok1) of 5-substituted tetrazolo[1,5-a]pyr-idines 1 and their azido valence bond isomers 7 calculated by ab initio (6-31G /MP2)...

The fact that tetrazolo[l,5- ]pyridine reacts with phosphines - via ring opening to the valence bond isomer azide -to give a phosphorane has been long recognized. Some novel applications of this transformation have been published during the recent period. The fused tetrazoles subjected to this reaction, the resulting phosphoranes, and the literature sources are summarized in Table 4. 

Scheme 22 illustrates a special application of the azide-tetrazole ring closure described by Ponticelli et al. <2004JHC761>. The diazido compound 84 exists as an azide valence bond isomer. When this compound, however, is subjected to reduction by molybdenum hexacarbonyl, one azido group undergoes reduction selectively to an... 

Novak et al. <1998JA1643> devised a novel approach to amino-substituted tctrazolo[ 1,5-tf Jpyridine which provides a really unique pathway (Scheme 34). These authors studied the possibility of formation of nitrenium ions from the pivaloylhydroxylamine 143 and found that if azide anion is present in the main reaction route is the formation of tetrazolo[l,5-tf]pyridine 146. The authors concluded that the first intermediate is the formation of the carbonium cation 144 which captures the azide anion to yield 2-azidopyridine 145, that is, the valence bond isomer of the product 146. 

Because of the presence of two azide groups in positions adjacent to the ring nitrogen atoms in compound 13a, valence bond isomerization can result in formation of 6-azido-7-methyltetrazolo[l,5-A pyridazine 14a, 6-azido-8-methyltetrazolo[l,5-A pyridazine 15a, and the bis-tetrazole compound 16a. Calculations have been carried out by using hybrid density functional theory (B3LYP/6-311+G(d,p)) and complete basis set treatments (CBS-4M). All calculations revealed that the 8-methyl derivative 15a is the most stable isomer. Similar studies on the triazide derivative 13b, however, indicated that in this case the equilibrium is shifted to the 7-methyl form 14b. All these conclusions proved to be in entire agreement with the experimental findings (see Section 11.18.3.2.). 

Sato et al. carried out detailed studies on the possibilities of transformation of tetrazolo[l,5-tf]pyrazines 54 to 2-aminopyrazines 56 < 1994S931 >. These authors found that the generally used methods for this conversion fail because the starting compound exists in the stable bicyclic form 54, whereas partial formation of the azide valence bond isomer 55 would be necessary for the success of the transformation. Application of special reaction conditions succeeded, however hydrogenation over palladium catalyst in the presence of ammonium hydroxide or treatment with stannous chloride in a mixture of methanol and hydrochloric acid solved this problem. Thus, a great number of derivatives of 54 was reduced to the corresponding 2-aminopyrazine 56 in medium to high yields (45-100%). 

Ring closure to the 5//-tetrazolo[5,l-t][l,3]oxazine skeleton has been reported by Hoornaert and co-workers <1996T8813>. These authors treated variously substituted 2,4-dichloro[l,4]oxazin-2-ones 133 with sodium azide. The fused tetrazoles 135 obtained were formed via the formation of their azide valence bond isomer intermediate 134. A similar approach proved to be suitable for the benzologues of these compounds. Thus, the benzoxazinone compounds 136 gave the tricyclic ring-closed tetrazoles 137. Both reactions yielding 135 and 137 proceeded in high yields (80-90%). 

The thermal isomerization of this compound (a valency bond isomer of bicyclo[2,2,0]hexane) is of particular interest. Between 327 and 366° C and at pressures from 0<2 to 20 mm, Srinivasan and Levi (1963) found that this compound isomerized cleanly by a first-order process to give diallyl. 

Molecular dynamics free-energy perturbation simulations utilizing the empirical valence bond model have been used to study the catalytic action of -cyclodextrin in ester hydrolysis. Reaction routes for nucleophilic attack on m-f-butylphenyl acetate (225) by the secondary alkoxide ions 0(2) and 0(3) of cyclodextrin giving the R and S stereoisomers of ester tetrahedral intermediate were examined. Only the reaction path leading to the S isomer at 0(2) shows an activation barrier that is lower (by about 3kcal mol ) than the barrier for the corresponding reference reaction in water. The calculated rate acceleration was in excellent agreement with experimental data. ... 

It has proved possible actually to isolate the valence bond isomers from photolysis of some perfluoropyridines. Irradiation of (289) gives pentakis(pentafluoroethyl)-l-azabicyclo[2.2.0]hexa-2,5-diene (290), a colourless liquid (b.p. 176 °C), almost quantitatively (equation 186). Further irradiation gives pentakis(pentafluoroethyl)-l-azaprismane (291) which is also a stable colourless liquid (73JCS(Pl)l542). The remarkable stability of these products has been attributed in part to relief of steric strain when the planar adjacent bulky pentafluoroethyl groups take up a nonplanar position in the valence isomers. 

The parent structure, oxepin (7), exists in a state of spontaneous equilibration with the valence bond isomer benzene oxide at ambient temperature. 

There has been relatively little study of this system and synthetic routes are few. The fully unsaturated structure (482) has not been detected, its valence bond isomer (483) being the more stable form cf. 5H- 1,2-diazepines, p. 595). 

Pyrans seem to be valence-bond isomers of the corresponding cis dienals or cis dienones with which they often form equilibrium mixtures (see Section V,E, 1). Hence only such cases will be considered where a pyran is the isolable isomer. 

Hydroxy-2,4,6-triphenyl-4//-pyran (40) reacted with potassium borohydride, possibly with the participation of its valence-bond isomer 41, to provide 2,4,6-triphenyl-4//-pyran (151c).88... 

A pyran or a thiopyran ring can reversibly or irreversibly isomerize to open-chain or cyclic products. Isomerization seems to be more common for pyrans than for thia analogs and for 2H relative to 4H isomers. Isomeriza-tions may be divided into four types, i.e., valence-bond tautomerism, endocyclic hydrogen shifts, exocyclic shifts, and migrations of nonhydrogen substituents. 

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