Ring thermodynamics

Keywords Sulfur rings Sulfur chains Branched rings Thermodynamics Polymerization Photochemistry... 

In an intramolecular aldol condensation of a diketone many products are conceivable, since four different ends can be made. Five- and six-membered rings, however, wUl be formed preferentially. Kinetic or thermodynamic control or different acid-base catalysts may also induce selectivity. In the Lewis acid-catalyzed aldol condensation given below, the more substituted enol is formed preferentially (E.J. Corey, 1963 B, 1965B). 

The following acid-catalyzed cyclizations leading to steroid hormone precursors exemplify some important facts an acetylenic bond is less nucleophilic than an olelinic bond acetylenic bonds tend to form cyclopentane rather than cyclohexane derivatives, if there is a choice in proton-catalyzed olefin cyclizations the thermodynamically most stable Irons connection of cyclohexane rings is obtained selectively electroneutral nucleophilic agents such as ethylene carbonate can be used to terminate the cationic cyclization process forming stable enol derivatives which can be hydrolyzed to carbonyl compounds without this nucleophile and with trifluoroacetic acid the corresponding enol ester may be obtained (M.B. Gravestock, 1978, A,B P.E. Peterson, 1969). 

Thus ring acylation of phenols is observed under Friedel-Crafts conditions because the presence of aluminum chloride causes that reaction to be subject to thermodynamic (equi librium) control... 

On reaction with acyl chlorides and acid anhydrides phenols may undergo either acylation of the hydroxyl group (O acylation) or acylation of the ring (C acylation) The product of C acylation is more stable and predominates under conditions of thermodynamic control when alu mmum chloride is present (see entry 6 m Table 24 4 Section 24 8) O acylation is faster than C acylation and aryl esters are formed under conditions of kinetic control... 

Although the number of ring atoms is the structural feature upon which we focus attention, we shall use the criteria of thermodynamics and kinetics to assess the feasibility of the reactions listed above. 

On the basis of both thermodynamic and kinetic evidence-both of which are interpretable in terms of the strain associated with rings of certain sizes or similar structural factors we see that only rings with five or six atoms have any significant stability. Accordingly, we conclude the following ... 

The ring-opening polymerization of is controUed by entropy, because thermodynamically all bonds in the monomer and polymer are approximately the same (21). The molar cycHzation equihbrium constants of dimethyl siloxane rings have been predicted by the Jacobson-Stockmayer theory (85). The ring—chain equihbrium for siloxane polymers has been studied in detail and is the subject of several reviews (82,83,86—89). The equihbrium constant of the formation of each cycHc is approximately equal to the equihbrium concentration of this cycHc, [(SiR O) Thus the total... 

Catalytic hydrogenation of the 14—15 double bond from the face opposite to the C18 substituent yields (196). Compound (196) contains the natural steroid stereochemistry around the D-ring. A metal-ammonia reduction of (196) forms the most stable product (197) thermodynamically. When R is equal to methyl, this process comprises an efficient total synthesis of estradiol methyl ester. Birch reduction of the A-ring of (197) followed by acid hydrolysis of the resultant enol ether allows access into the 19-norsteroids (198) (204). 

The other important carbocycHc ring system used in dyes is naphthalene [91-20-3]. Here the preferred position of attack is the 1-position. However, 2-substituted naphthalenes are thermodynamically more stable, and under equiUbratiag conditions the 2-isomer is formed ia preference to the 1-isomer. 

Of the legion of partially saturated six-membered ring heterocycles, an idea of their stability, or lack of it, can normally be gained by consideration of the thermodynamic stability of the various components which can be identified in them. Thus, those rings which contain ester or amide functions can be expected to possess the chemical reactivity and the... 

When hydroxypteridines are considered, it must be borne in mind that these compounds exist principally in the pteridinone forms, containing thermodynamically stable amide functions, and consequently have low reactivity. Their stability towards acid and alkali correlates well with the number of electron-donating groups which apparently redress the deficit of ir-electrons located at the ring nitrogen atoms. Quantitative correlations can be seen in the decomposition studies of various pteridinones (Table 7). These results are consistent with the number of the oxy functions and their site at the pteridine nucleus. The... 

The low basicity of pyrrole is a consequence of the loss of aromaticity which accompanies protonation on the ring nitrogen or on carbon 2 or carbon 3 of the ring. The thermodynamically most stable cation is the 2H-pyrrolium ion, and the p/sTa for protonation at C-2 has been recorded as -3.8 the corresponding pK values for protonation at C-3 and at nitrogen are -5.9 and ca. -10 (Scheme 7). 

Calculation of group increments for oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen compounds has allowed the estimation of conventional ring-strain energies (CRSE) for saturated heterocycles from enthalpies of formation. For 1,3-dioxolane, CRSE is about 20 kJ mol . In 2,4-dialkyl-l,3-dioxolanes the cis form is always thermodynamically the more stable by approximately 1 kJ mol" . 

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