Thermodynamic template effect

Two possible roles for the metal ion in a template reaction have been delineated (Thompson Busch, 1964). First, the metal ion may sequester the cyclic product from an equilibrium mixture such as, for example, between products and reactants. In this manner the formation of the macrocycle is promoted as its metal complex. The metal ion is thus instrumental in shifting the position of an equilibrium - such a process has been termed a thermodynamic template effect. Secondly, the metal ion may direct the steric course of a condensation such that formation of the required cyclic product is facilitated. This process has been called the kinetic template effect. 

Reactions Predominantly Involving Thermodynamic Template Effects 434... 

The template effect has been recognized to show two or three aspects. The thermodynamic template effect involves the removal of a product from an equilibrium by stabilization of its metal complex (Scheme 29). This phenomenon has also been termed the equilibrium template effect,112 but some authors5 draw a distinction between these two types of effects. They reserve the equilibrium template effect for reactions which result in the formation of different products in the metal-assisted and metal-free reactions. 

An essential feature of template reactions of both the thermodynamic and kinetic type is the formation of a new chelate ring. One of the main difficulties in a discussion of mechanistic aspects of template reactions is the inevitable mixture and overlap of mechanistic effects. Those reactions which clearly exhibit a kinetic template effect could also depend to some extent on a thermodynamic one. Also, in some multistep macrocyclization processes, for example, both effects could be involved. Despite the inherent difficulties, the following discussion in this section will be subdivided into two, to cope predominantly with the thermodynamic and kinetic template effects. A further subdivision of thermodynamic and equilibrium effects will not be made. 

The hexahydropyrimidine (58), formed from l-phenylpropane-l,2-dione and propane-1,3-diamine, is an excellent precursor for the a-diimine macrocyclic complexes (60), presumably via the amino ketone (59) (Scheme 36).126 In this case, intramolecular cyclization of (59) to (58) is reversible, so that the metal ion can exert a thermodynamic template effect in formation of the complex (60). This represents a further example of a long-known phenomenon in which a metal ion can stabilize an a-diimine structure by virtue of the formation of stable five-membered chelate rings. Many 2-hydroxy- or 2-mercapto-amines undergo reaction with a-dicarbonyl compounds to yield heterocyclic compounds rather than a-diimines. However, in the presence of suitable metal... 

The stabilization of an amino acetal by nickel ions has been reported very recently and although no mechanistic information is available, a thermodynamic template effect is likely (equation 33).132... 

Many reactions in this section probably owe a thermodynamic template effect for part of their success, but it is the kinetic effect which is most clearly illustrated. Reactions have been chosen to display a range of geometrical features and also various types of bond formation. The coverage will be selective and many topics will be developed more fully in Chapter 61.1 The present section will be subdivided according to the involvement or otherwise of donor atoms. 

One of the most spectacular and useful template reactions is the Curtis reaction , in which a new chelate ring is formed as the result of an aldol condensation between a methylene ketone or inline and an imine salt. The initial example of this reaction was the formation of a macrocyclic nickel(II) complex from tris(l,2-diaminoethane)nickel(II) perchlorate and acetone (equation 53).182 The reaction has been developed by Curtis and numerous other workers and has been reviewed.183 In mechanistic terms there is some circumstantial evidence to suggest that the nucleophile is an uncoordinated aoetonyl carbanion which adds to a coordinated imine to yield a coordinated amino ketone (equation 54). If such a mechanism operates then the template effect is largely, if not wholly, thermodynamic in nature, as described for imine formation. Such a view is supported by the fact that the free macrocycle salts can be produced by acid catalysis alone. However, this fact does not... 

Template reactions between a-diketones and diamines have been used for the synthesis of complexes of macrocyclic ligands such as (38)78 and (39).79 Some insight into the mechanism of the formation of these macrocycles has been provided by some recent work which shows the value of the thermodynamic template effect (Scheme 6).80... 

We have already looked at three key Schiff base macrocycles (Figure 3.56), which were amongst the first artificial metal macrocycle compounds to be synthesised. These compounds are generally formed by thermodynamic template effects because, unless water is removed during the course of the reaction, the condensation is reversible, allowing complexation to sequester the most stable metal-product... 

Such complexes form a precursor to a full discussion of the vast and highly topical field of self-assembly (Chapter 10). We consider them here since they resemble structurally the types of compounds discussed in Section 4.7, but unlike metal-based anion receptors the simple thermodynamic equilibrium between host, anion and complex is not the only process occurring in solution. In fact multiple equilibria are occurring covering all possible combinations of interaction between anions, cations and ligands. These systems have the appeal that the formation of particular metal coordination complexes are thus subject to thermodynamic anion templating (cf. the thermodynamic template effect in macrocycle synthesis, Section 3.9.1) and vice versa. 

In contrast, the thermodynamic template effect in macrocycle synthesis is a process by which the presence of a metal ion template stabilises thermodynamically, or removes (e.g. by precipitation) one particular (usually cyclic) product from an equilibrating mixture, driving the equilibrium towards this thermodynamic minimum. This leads us to the conclusion that any thermodynamically stabilising influence may drive an equilibrium mixture towards a particular product according to Le Chatalier s Principle (in an equilibrating situation, the system will react to diminish the effects of externally applied changes in conditions). 

Macrocycles formed by reactions that are described as proceeding by the thermodynamic template effect can take place in the absence... 

Myriad polydentate aza-macrocycles have been reported 41. The extent of the subject forces limitation of this discussion to only macrocycles containing a pyridine or dipyridine subunit. Most of these coronands have been synthesized by a SchifF base condensation of an aldehyde or ketone with a hfc-primary amine in the presence of a metal ion. The metal ion acts as a template, resulting in dramatic increases in yield of the desired cyclic product over linear polymerization products42 46. Lindoy and Busch45 have described this effect in two ways, kinetic and thermodynamic. If the metal ion controls the steric course of a series of stepwise reactions, the template effect is considered to be kinetic. If the metal ion influences an equilibrium in an organic reaction sequence by coordination with one of the reactants, the template effect is termed thermodynamic. It is the kinetic effect that is believed to be operative in most metal ion-assisted (in situ) syntheses of... 

Metal ion template mediation in macrocyclic synthesis has been a part of the field since its inception, its importance having been realized early in the development of this area. Two specific roles for the metal ion in template reactions have been proposed. These are, in turn, kinetic and thermodynamic in origin." In the kinetic template effect, the arrangement of ligands already coordinated to the metal ion provides control in a subsequent condensation during which the macrocycle is formed. The thermodynamic effect serves to promote stabilization of a structure which would not be favored in the absence of a metal ion. Schiff base condensations tend to be dependent on this latter type of template effect. Some of the more routine and general synthetic procedures will be described here. A more in-depth treatment can be found in a review by Curtis, with particular emphasis on general methods as well as modifications of preformed macrocycles." ... 

Some believe that there are two main template effects kinetic and thermodynamic [8]. The latter is responsible for an increase in the yield of the complex with ligands formed in situ in the presence of metal ions, which bind products that result from ordinary reactions and to withdraw them from the reaction medium. These procedures are not true template reactions since they do not satisfy the above-mentioned conditions, and the metal ion causes equilibrium shift only. It is impossible to distinguish between kinetic and thermodynamic contributions to the template effect, since the coordination to the metal ion simultaneously causes both steric... 

The thermodynamic or equilibrium template effect is based on the fact that in the absence of the template the desired product is formed, but with one or more (undesired) compounds that are in equilibrium with each other [42], A marked tendency of the product to form chelates enables a template to displace the product equilibrium in the desired direction. The first example of an equilibrium template effect was the formation of a nickel(II) complex of the Schiff base 33 formed from -aminoethanethiol 31 and the a-diketone 32 (Scheme 11) [43]. 

As the equilibria are frequently complex, it is often difficult to recognize a thermodynamic template effect unequivocally. The best indication is the formation of a product in unexpectedly high yield. The principle of complementarity must be emphasized here If a ligand (host) in a product mixture is complementary to an available metal ion or neutral (guest) molecule, then this will be bound selectively, and the equilibrium shifted in its favor. 

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