Solid-state reactions conformational effects

Photochemical dimerization of the diene (160) has been carried out in the solid state. The styry1isoxazoles (161) are also photoreactive and yield (2+2)-dimers. Oxidation of these affords the a-truxillic acids derivatives (162). The photochemical dimerization of (163) has been reported to afford a cyclobutane derivative when irradiated in the solid phase. A detailed review has surveyed the conformation effects influencing photochemical solid state reactions. ... 

By chance rather than by design, the third chapter in this volume also emanates from Israel. Bernard S. Green, Rina Arad-Yellin, and Mendel D. Cohen have surveyed organic reactions in the solid state from the standpoint of the stereochemist. In the first part of the chapter, the authors discuss the stereochemical consequences of the crystallization of conformationally mobile systems. Conformational, crystal-field, and hydrogen-bonding effects, among others, are responsible for the selective crystallization of stereoisomers that may not be dominant in solution. The second part of the chapter is concerned with the stereochemical consequences of chemical, and especially photochemical, reactions in the solid state. 

To this point, all the examples presented have been ones in which the origin of the asymmetric induction has been unimolecular in nature, that is, the molecules adopt homochiral conformations in the solid state that favor the formation of one enantiomer over the other, usually through the close intramolecular approach of reactive centers bimolecular crystal packing effects appear to play little or no role in governing the stereochemical outcome of such reactions. This raises the interesting question of whether the soUd-state ionic chiral auxiUary approach to asymmetric synthesis could be made to work for conformationally unbiased reactants, i.e., those possessing symmetrical, conformationally locked structures. Two such cases are presented and discussed below. 

In previous sections we have shown clearly that intramolecular dihydrogen bonds X-H- H-Y, with X and Y representing various chemical elements, can exist in both the solid state and in solution. In addition, the bonds can be a critical factor in the control of molecular conformational states or effects on rapid and reversible hydride-proton exchanges related to the process shown in Scheme 5.1, or the well-known H-D isotope exchanges in similar subsystems [23]. Such bonds could also play an important role in the stabilization of transition states, appearing as a reaction coordinate in many transformations. This is particularly... 

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a most effective and significant method for observing the structure and dynamics of polymer chains both in solution and in the solid state [1]. Undoubtedly the widest application of NMR spectroscopy is in the field of structure determination. The identification of certain atoms or groups in a molecule as well as their position relative to each other can be obtained by one-, two-, and three-dimensional NMR. Of importance to polymerization of vinyl monomers is the orientation of each vinyl monomer unit to the growing chain tacticity. The time scale involved in NMR measurements makes it possible to study certain rate processes, including chemical reaction rates. Other applications are isomerism, internal relaxation, conformational analysis, and tautomerism. 

Hydroxamic acids have been the subject of six papers 43 90 94 Earlier the operation of the a-effect in the reaction of p-nitrophcnyl acetate with benzohydroxamates in aqueous MeCN was discussed.43 The conformational behaviour of series of mono- (105) and di-hydroxamic acids (106) in MeOH, DMSO, and chloroform and in the solid state has been examined witii IR and NMR spectroscopy.90 X-ray crystal structure determinations of (105 X = Me, R = Me) and die monohydrate of glutarodihydroxamic acid (106 n = 3, R = H) together widi ab initio MO calculations for several hydrated and non-hydrated acids have been performed. The cis-Z conformation of the hydroxamate groups is preferentially stabilized by H-bonding witii water. 

Several studies have tackled the structure of the diketopiperazine 1 in the solid state by spectroscopic and computational methods [38, 41, 42]. De Vries et al. studied the conformation of the diketopiperazine 1 by NMR in a mixture of benzene and mandelonitrile, thus mimicking reaction conditions [43]. North et al. observed that the diketopiperazine 1 catalyzes the air oxidation of benzaldehyde to benzoic acid in the presence of light [44]. In the latter study oxidation catalysis was interpreted to arise via a His-aldehyde aminol intermediate, common to both hydrocyanation and oxidation catalysis. It seems that the preferred conformation of 1 in the solid state resembles that of 1 in homogeneous solution, i.e. the phenyl substituent of Phe is folded over the diketopiperazine ring (H, Scheme 6.4). Several transition state models have been proposed. To date, it seems that the proposal by Hua et al. [45], modified by North [2a] (J, Scheme 6.4) best combines all the experimentally determined features. In this model, catalysis is effected by a diketopiperazine dimer and depends on the proton-relay properties of histidine (imidazole). R -OH represents the alcohol functionality of either a product cyanohydrin molecule or other hydroxylic components/additives. The close proximity of both R1-OH and the substrate aldehyde R2-CHO accounts for the stereochemical induction exerted by RfOH, and thus effects the asymmetric autocatalysis mentioned earlier. 

To what aspect of the solid-state environment can the high ees be attributed In general, one can imagine two scenarios a topochemical effect, in which the course of the reaction is governed by steric effects between the reactant and its lattice neighbors, and a conformational effect, in which reactivity is controlled by the conformation of the individual reacting molecules in the crystal. Zimmerman and Flechtner showed that the photoisomerization of cyclopropyl ketone 5 most likely involves rupture of the C1-C2 (or C1-C3) bond followed by C2-C3... 

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