Transition state tetrahedral model

Kinetic studies of the reaction of Z-phenyl cyclopropanecarboxylates (1) with X-benzylamines (2) in acetonitrile at 55 °C have been carried out. The reaction proceeds by a stepwise mechanism in which the rate-determining step is the breakdown of the zwitterionic tetrahedral intermediate, T, with a hydrogen-bonded four-centre type transition state (3). The results of studies of the aminolysis reactions of ethyl Z-phenyl carbonates (4) with benzylamines (2) in acetonitrile at 25 °C were consistent with a four- (5) and a six-centred transition state (6) for the uncatalysed and catalysed path, respectively. The neutral hydrolysis of p-nitrophenyl trifluoroacetate in acetonitrile solvent has been studied by varying the molarities of water from 1.0 to 5.0 at 25 °C. The reaction was found to be third order in water. The kinetic solvent isotope effect was (A h2o/ D2o) = 2.90 0.12. Proton inventories at each molarity of water studied were consistent with an eight-membered cyclic transition state (7) model. 

Initial theoretical studies focused on steps (1) and (2). Several model systems were examined with ab initio calculations.1191 For the reaction of methyl amine with methyl acetate, it was shown that the addition/elimi-nation (through a neutral tetrahedral intermediate) and the direct displacement (through a transition state similar to that shown in Figure 5a) mechanisms for aminolysis had comparable activation barriers. However, in the case of methyl amine addition to phenyl acetate, it was shown that the direct displacement pathway is favored by approximately 5 kcal/mol.1201 Noncovalent stabilization of the direct displacement transition state was therefore the focus of the subsequent catalyst design process. 

Fig. 3 The hydrolysis of an aryl ester [1] (X = CH2) or a carbonate [1] (X = O) proceeds through a tetrahedral intermediate [2] which is a close model of the transition state for the reaction. It differs substantially in geometry and charge from both...

Molecular models show that during the course of the acylation reaction, the bound substrate is pulled partially out of the cyclodextrin cavity in forming the tetrahedral reaction intermediate. In other words, the model enzyme is not exhibiting the required transition state selectivity. Furthermore, excessively rigid substrates experience difficulty in rotating while bound in order to accommodate the need of the cyclodextrin hydroxyl group to attach perpendicular to the substrate ester plane, and subsequently rotate to become incorporated into the plane of the new ester product (Scheme 12.1). These problems were addressed by examination of substrates, such as p-nitro derivatives in which the ester protrudes further from the cavity, and substrates with more rotational flexibility such as alkyne 12.3. In these refined systems, much more enzyme-like rate accelerations of factors of up to 5 900 000-fold were observed for 12.4, for example. 

The tetrahedral intermediate is a high-energy intermediate. Therefore, independently of its charge and also independently of the detailed formation mechanism, it is formed via a late transition state. It also reacts further via an early transition state. Both properties follow from the Hammond postulate. Whether the transition state of the formation of the tetrahedral intermediate has a higher or a lower energy than the transition state of the subsequent reaction of the tetrahedral intermediate determines whether this intermediate is formed in an irreversible or in a reversible reaction, respectively. Yet, in any case, the tetrahedral intermediate is a transition state model of the rate-determining step of the vast majority of SN reactions at the carboxyl carbon. In the following sections, we will support this statement by formal kinetic analyses of the most important substitution mechanisms. 

In additions of hydride donors to a-chiral carbonyl compounds, whether Cram or anti-Cram selectivity, or Felkin-Anh or Cram chelate selectivity occurs is the result of kinetic control. The rate-determining step in either of these additions is the formation of a tetrahedral intermediate. It takes place irreversibly. The tetrahedral intermediate that is accessible via the most stable transition state is produced most rapidly. However, in contrast to what is found in many other considerations in this book, this intermediate does not represent a good transition state model for its formation reaction. The reason for this deviation is that it is produced in an... 

When we examined molecular models of this system we discovered that the tetrahedral intermediate for acetyl transfer has a geometry such that the f-butylphenyl group is pulled somewhat out of the cavity. That is, the substrate is bound nicely but the transition state is bound more poorly, at least judged from models. This is the opposite of the situation needed to achieve maximum acceleration. Thus, we set out to improve this kind of reaction in two directions. The goal here was to discover if we could indeed produce accelerations that were of enzymatic magnitude by careful attention to geometrical relationships between the lock and the key. 

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