Planar structure, with polar bonds

As described in the beginning of this chapter, the peptide bond is rigid, polar, and prefers a planar structure with hydrogen of the amino group and oxygen of the carbonyl almost trans. It is easily understood that this conformational preference and rigidity has profound implications to the tertiary and quaternary structure of proteins and similarly on the binding of smaller peptides to receptors. 

Preferred geometry of the benzene oxide-oxepin system can be predicted by molecular orbital methods. Thus benzene oxide la is predicted to be markedly non-planar (with the epoxide ring at an angle of 73° to the benzene ring), while the oxepin lb has been predicted to prefer a shallow boat structure (MINDO/3) or a planar structure ab initio) As previously mentioned, the proportion of each tautomer present at equilibrium is both temperature and solvent-dependent. Molecular orbital calculations have been used to rationalize the solvent effects, both in terms of the more polar character of the arene oxide that is favored in polar solvents and the strengthening of the oxirane C-C bond upon coordination of the oxygen atom lone pair in polar solvents. Thus values in the range 1.5-2.0 D and 0.76-1.36 D for the dipole moments of arene oxide la and oxepin lb have been calculated. 

The role of lithium chloride in the rearrangement can be deduced from structures 7 A and 7B for the c/.r-derivative, where the planar carbanion with a strong polarization of the P—O bond is fixed by Li+ coordination. 

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