No abstract

Hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) is a fundamental reaction that takes part in a wide variety of chemical and biological processes, with relevant examples that include the action of antioxidants, damage to biomolecules and polymers, and enzymatic and biomimetic reactions. Moreover, great attention is currently devoted to the selective functionalization of unactivated aliphatic C-H bonds, where HAT based procedures have been shown to play an important role. In this Account, we describe the results of our recent studies on the role of structural and medium effects on HAT from aliphatic C-H bonds to the cumyloxyl radical (CumO(•)). Quantitative information on the reactivity and selectivity patterns observed in these reactions has been obtained by time-resolved kinetic studies, providing a deeper understanding of the factors that govern HAT from carbon and leading to the definition of useful guidelines for the activation or deactivation of aliphatic C-H bonds toward HAT. In keeping with the electrophilic character of alkoxyl radicals, polar effects can play an important role in the reactions of CumO(•). Electron-rich C-H bonds are activated whereas those that are α to electron withdrawing groups are deactivated toward HAT, with these effects being able to override the thermodynamic preference for HAT from the weakest C-H bond. Stereoelectronic effects can also influence the reactivity of the C-H bonds of ethers, amines, and amides. HAT is most rapid when these bonds can be eclipsed with a lone pair on an adjacent heteroatom or with the π-system of an amide functionality, thus allowing for optimal orbital overlap. In HAT from cyclohexane derivatives, tertiary axial C-H bond deactivation and tertiary equatorial C-H bond activation have been observed. These effects have been explained on the basis of an increase in torsional strain or a release in 1,3-diaxial strain in the HAT transition states, with kH(eq)/kH(ax) ratios that have been shown to exceed one order of magnitude. Medium effects on HAT from aliphatic C-H bonds to CumO(•) have been also investigated. With basic substrates, from large to very large decreases in kH have been measured with increasing solvent hydrogen bond donor (HBD) ability or after addition of protic acids or alkali and alkaline earth metal ions, with kinetic effects that exceed 2 orders of magnitude in the reactions of tertiary alkylamines and alkanamides. Solvent hydrogen bonding, protonation, and metal ion binding increase the electron deficiency and the strength of the C-H bonds of these substrates deactivating these bonds toward HAT, with the extent of this deactivation being modulated by varying the nature of the substrate, solvent, protic acid, and metal ion. These results indicate that through these interactions careful control over the HAT reactivity of basic substrates toward CumO(•) and other electrophilic radicals can be achieved, suggesting moreover that these effects can be exploited in an orthogonal fashion for selective C-H bond functionalization of substrates bearing different basic...

A laser flash photolysis study of the spectral properties and beta-scission reactions of a series of ring-substituted cumyloxyl radicals has been carried out. All cumyloxyl radicals display a broad absorption band in the visible region of the spectrum, which decays on the microsecond time scale, leading to a strong increase in absorption in the UV region of the spectrum, which is attributed to the corresponding acetophenone formed after beta-scission of the cumyloxyl radicals. The position of the visible absorption band is red-shifted by the presence of electron-donating ring substituents, while a blue-shift is observed in the presence of electron-withdrawing ring substituents, suggesting that + R ring substituents promote charge separation in the excited cumyloxyl radical through stabilization of the partial positive charge on the aromatic ring of an incipient radical zwitterion. Along this line, an excellent Hammett-type correlation between the experimentally measured energies at the visible absorption maxima of the cumyloxyl radicals and sigma(+) substituent constants is obtained. A red-shift is also observed on going from MeCN to MeCN/H(2)O for all cumyloxyl radicals, pointing toward a specific effect of water. The ring substitution does not influence to a significant extent the rate constants for beta-scission of the cumyloxyl radicals, which varies between 7.1 x 10(5) and 1.1 x 10(6) s(-1), a result that suggests that cumyloxyl radical beta-scission is not governed by the stability of the resulting acetophenone. Finally, k(beta) increases on going from MeCN to the more polar MeCN/H(2)O 1:1 for all cumyloxyl radicals, an observation that reflects the increased stabilization of the transition state for beta-scission through increased solvation of the incipient acetophenone product.

Monosubstituted cycloalkanes undergo regio- and enantioselective aliphatic C–H oxidation with H2O2 catalyzed by biologically inspired manganese catalysts. The reaction furnishes the corresponding ketones resulting from oxidation at C3 and C4 methylenic sites (K3 and K4, respectively) leading to a chiral desymmetrization that proceeds with remarkable enantioselectivity (64% ee) but modest regioselectivity at C3 (K3/K4 ≈ 2) for tert-butylcyclohexane, and with up to 96% ee and exquisite regioselectity toward C3 (up to K3/K4 > 99) when N-cyclohexylalkanamides are employed as substrates. Efficient H2O2 activation, high yield, and highly enantioselective C–H oxidation rely on the synergistic cooperation of a sterically bulky manganese catalyst and an oxidatively robust alkanoic acid. This represents the first example of nonenzymatic highly enantioselective oxidation of nonactivated methylenic sites. Furthermore, the principles of catalyst design disclosed in this work constitute a unique platform for further development of stereoselective C–H oxidation reactions.

The mesolytic cleavage of a beta-C-X bond (ArCR(2)-X(*+) --> ArCR(2)(*/+) + X(+/*)) is one of the most important reactions of alkylaromatic radical cations. In this Account, our group's results concerning some fundamental aspects of this process (cleavage mode, structural and stereoelectronic effects, competitive breaking of different beta-bonds, nucleophilic assistance, possible stereochemistry, carbon vs oxygen acidity in arylalkanol radical cations) are presented and critically discussed for reactions where X = H, CR(3), SR, and SiR(3). Several examples illustrating how this information was exploited as a tool to detect electron-transfer mechanisms in chemical and enzymatic oxidations are also reported.

Methods for selective oxidation of aliphatic C–H bonds are called on to revolutionize organic synthesis by providing novel and more efficient paths. Realization of this goal requires the discovery of mechanisms that can alter in a predictable manner the innate reactivity of these bonds. Ideally, these mechanisms need to make oxidation of aliphatic C–H bonds, which are recognized as relatively inert, compatible with the presence of electron rich functional groups that are highly susceptible to oxidation. Furthermore, predictable modification of the relative reactivity of different C–H bonds within a molecule would enable rapid diversification of the resulting oxidation products. Herein we show that by engaging in hydrogen bonding, fluorinated alcohols exert a polarity reversal on electron rich functional groups, directing iron and manganese catalyzed oxidation toward a priori stronger and unactivated C–H bonds. As a result, selective hydroxylation of methylenic sites in hydrocarbons and remote aliphatic C–H oxidation of otherwise sensitive alcohol, ether, amide, and amine substrates is achieved employing aqueous hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. Oxidations occur in a predictable manner, with outstanding levels of product chemoselectivity, preserving the first-formed hydroxylation product, thus representing an extremely valuable tool for synthetic planning and development.

No abstract

A kinetic study of the H-atom abstraction reactions from 1,4-cyclohexadiene and triethylamine by the cumyloxyl radical has been carried out in different solvents. Negligible effects are observed with 1,4-cyclohexadiene, whereas with triethylamine a significant decrease in rate constant (k(H)) is observed on going from benzene to MeOH. A good correlation between log k(H) and the solvent hydrogen bond donor parameter alpha is observed, indicative of an H-bonding interaction between the amine lone pair and the solvent.