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The gas-phase electron diffraction (GED) study of tri-tert-butyl methane (TTBM) published in 1972 by Bürgi and Bartell inspired the author to investigate the nature of the intramolecular interactions that are operative in this crowded hydrocarbon. Using the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM), a topological analysis of the theoretical charge density of TTBM is carried out. Nine bond paths corresponding to the presence of noncovalent, intramolecular interactions operating at the interfaces that separate the three t-Bu groups do emerge from the QTAIM analysis. This result supports the existence of a network of intramolecular interactions predicted by Bürgi and Bartell in their landmark GED study of TTBM. In addition, the not yet synthesized halogen analogues (t-Bu)3 CX (X=F to I) are also investigated herein. Some information about the remarkable contributions of the pioneers is provided throughout the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structures and energies of 1,2,7-thiadiazepane 1,1-dioxide and the axial and equatorial conformers of 1,2,7-thiadiazepane 1-oxide were calculated using the hybrid density functional B3LYP with the cc-pVDZ basis set. The results obtained explain the lower stabilities of equatorial conformers compared to the axial analogs and the lower stabilities of sulfones compared to sulfoxides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, the experimental and computational chemists have been attracted widely to the click synthesis of 1,2,3 triazoles and their derivatives, mainly due to the fact that they are interesting from structural and mechanistic points of view. Moreover, catalyzed click have been well established as a successful strategy showing high regioselectivity and high yield for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles. In this review, we try to highlight the recently reported computational assessments on the origins and predection of regioselectivity in the catalyzed click synthesis of triazoles from the mechanistic and thermodynamical points of view. In this light, density functional theory (DFT) calculations on the free energy profiles of azide-alkyne cycloaddition reactions have been underscored. The stereoelectronic features for the role of copper, ruthenium, and iridium as catalyst on regioselectivity of click reactions have also be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many interests have been focused on prolyl cis- trans isomerization which is related to protein folding and isomer-specific biochemical recognition. Since polyproline can adopt either type I (PPI) helices with all cis amide bonds or type II (PPII) helices with all trans amide bonds, it has been a valuable model to study the prolyl isomerization. Recent studies have shown that stereoelectronic effects govern the stability of PPII structure and the rate of PPII → PPI conversion. To further explore the terminal stereoelectronic effects on polyproline conformation, herein we synthesized a series of host-guest peptides in which (2 S,4 S)-4-fluoroproline (flp) or (2 S,4 R)-4-fluoroproline (Flp) residues are incorporated into the C- or N-terminal end of a peptide and studied the thermodynamic and kinetic consequences on polyproline conformation. Circular dichroism measurements revealed that inserting 4-fluoroproline residues into the C terminus of a polyproline peptide induces a great stereoelectronic effect on PPII stability and PPII → PPI conversion rates. From the C terminus, a (Flp) triplet stabilizes PPII structure and increases the transition barrier of PPII → PPI conversion by 1.53 kJ mol while a (flp) triplet destabilizes PPII conformation and reduce the PPII → PPI transition barrier by 4.61 kJ mol. In contrast, the 4-fluoroproline substitutions at the N terminus do not exhibit distinct stereoelectronic effects on PPII stability and PPII → PPI conversion rates. Our data demonstrate that the C-terminal stereoelectronic effects have a more dramatic impact on PPII stability and PPII → PPI conversion kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A computational investigation of anomeric effects in piperidine rings bearing fluoro and trifluoromethyl substituents shows for both compounds the most pronounced evidence of the anomeric effect, as expressed as hyperconjugative delocalization of the nitrogen lone pair, in structures with the substituent in the axial position and the N-H bond in the equatorial position. This structure is the lowest-energy structure in the fluoro case but not in the trifluoromethyl case where there is an increased axial penalty associated with the CF group. The anomeric effect is characterized via geometrical evidence, natural bond orbital analysis, electrostatic effects, and energetic criteria. Computational results from a variety of levels of theory are presented including CCSD(T) with complete basis set extrapolation, B2PLYP-D, ωB97XD, B97-D, M06-2X, B3LYP, and MP2 allowing for a comparison of performance. The CCSD(T)/CBS results are very well represented by either B2PLYP-D or ωB97XD with moderate to large basis sets (aug-cc-pVTZ or aug-cc-pVDZ). Hyperconjugation, electrostatic effects, and steric effects play a role in the relative energetic ordering of the isomers considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The saturated ring and secondary amine of proline spawn equilibria between pyrrolidine ring puckers as well as peptide bond isomers. These conformational equilibria can be modulated by alterations to the chemical architecture of proline. For example, C in the pyrrolidine ring can be replaced with sulfur, which can be oxidized either stereoselectively to yield diastereomeric S-oxides or completely to yield a sulfone. Here, the thiazolidine ring and peptide bond conformations of 4-thiaproline and its S-oxides were analyzed in an Ac-Xaa-OMe system using NMR spectroscopy, X-ray crystallography, and hybrid density functional theory. The results indicate that the ring pucker of the S-oxides is governed by the gauche effect, and the prolyl peptide bond conformation is determined by the strength of the n → π * interaction between the amide oxygen and the ester carbonyl group. These findings, which are consistent with those of isologous 4-hydroxyprolines and 4-fluoroprolines, substantiate the importance of electron delocalization in amino acid conformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]