Density functional theory (DFT) on B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level was employed to investigate the substituent effects on O--H bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) and ionization potentials (IPs) of catechols. It was revealed that the ortho hydroxyl of catechol was effective for the reduction of the O--H BDE; however, the group had little influence on the IP. The para substituent effects upon O--H BDEs and IPs for catechols were roughly the same as those for monophenols, and this gave the catechol moiety more potential than monophenol to be used as a lead compound in rational design of phenolic antioxidants. In addition, the 1,4-pyrone effects on O--H BDEs of catecholic rings A or B of flavonoids were also investigated. Although 1,4-pyrone extended the conjugation system of flavonoids, it was not beneficial to reduce the O--H BDE as a result of its electron-withdrawing property. Thus, 1,4-pyrone was unlikely to be favorable to enhance the H-abstraction activity of flavonoids.
[reaction: see text] Bond dissociation enthalpies (BDEs) for the curcumin-related compounds have been calculated using density functional theory (DFT) methods. It was found that the antioxidant mechanism of curcumin was a H-atom abstraction from the phenolic group, not from the central CH2 group in the heptadienone link. Curcumin, methylcurcumin, and half-curcumin had similar O-H BDEs, indicating that the two phenolic groups in curcumin were independent of each other.
Lanthanide (Ln) oxides and cadmium (Cd) salts as sources of metals provided the first series of luminescent Ln-Cd-organic frameworks, [LnCd(imdc)(SO4)(H2O)3].0.5H2O (Ln = Tb, Eu, Dy, Gd, Er, Yb, Y, Nd, Pr; H3imdc = 4,5-imidazoledicarboxylic acid), in which the Ln atoms are linked by imdc ligands with skew coordination orientation, resulting in novel hetero-metallic-organic frameworks with left-/right-handed helical tubes (L1/R1) and channels (L2/R2) along the b axis.
The electronic effects on O-H proton dissociation energies (PDEs) of para- and meta-substituted phenolic cation radicals have been investigated by density functional theory (DFT) using B3LYP function on a 6-31G(d, p) basis set. The calculation results indicate that electron-donating groups raise the O-H PDE and electron-withdrawing groups reduce the parameter, which are opposite to the electronic effects on O-H bond dissociation energies (BDEs). In addition, the electronic effects on O-H PDE are much stronger than those on O-H BDE. The differences result from the distinct electronic effects on stabilities of phenolic cation radicals and parent phenols. The finding also implies the proton-transfer process is unlikely a rate-controlling step for phenolic antioxidants to scavenge free radicals. Moreover, like O-H BDE, O-H PDE correlate better with the resonance parameter R+ than with field/inductive parameter F. Therefore, O-H PDEs of para-substituted phenolic cation radicals are mainly governed by the resonance effect.
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