Biomedical subjects

Salai Cheettu Ammal

Publications and source records attributed to Salai Cheettu Ammal.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Synergistic dimetallic effects in propargylic substitution reaction catalyzed by thiolate-bridged diruthenium complex.

The origin of unique catalytic activity of a thiolate-bridged diruthenium complex in nucleophilic substitution reactions of propargylic alcohols, which features a diruthenium-allenylidene complex as a key intermediate, was studied with the aid of density functional calculations (B3LYP). Comparison of mono- and diruthenium systems has shown that the rigid but reasonably flexible Ru-Ru core structure plays a critical role in the catalyst turnover step (i.e., dissociative ligand exchange of the product pi-complex with the starting propargyl alcohol that goes through a coordinatively unsaturated Ru complex). In the diruthenium system, the energy loss due to coordinative unsaturation can be compensated by reinforcement of the Ru-Ru bond, while such an effect is unavailable in the monoruthenium counterpart. Weaker back-donation ability of the diruthenium complex is also advantageous for dissociation of the pi-complex. Thus, ligand exchange takes place smoothly in the diruthenium system to regenerate the reactive species, while the monoruthenium reaction stops at a dead-end Ru product pi-complex. The present studies have also shown the important role of protic molecules (e.g., MeOH) that mediate smooth proton transfer in the propargyl alcohol-allenylidene transformation.

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PubMed2005

Ring cleavage of aziridines by difluoroamine: mechanistic insights from ab initio and DFT study.

cis-2,3-Dimethylaziridine reacts with difluoroamine to give the corresponding alkene and nitrogen with retention of configuration. We have carried out a DFT study of this reaction to clarify the reaction mechanism by considering a multistep reaction pathway with possible intermediacy of several three- and four-membered cyclic intermediates and transition states (TSs). The energetics of this reaction shows that the reaction takes place in four steps including a three-membered azamine intermediate. Both the energetics and the stereochemical outcome of this reaction rule out the formation of a four-membered diazetine intermediate during the reaction. Although the first N-N bond formation step is rate determining, the final step, asynchronous concerted cleavage of the azamine intermediate, explains the stereochemistry of this reaction. The asynchronous nature of the final step makes the reaction Woodward-Hoffmann allowed, as reported by Yamabe and Minato (J. Phys. Chem. A 2001, 105, 7281). Computations at HF and MP2 levels confirm the same trends in energetics. Single point energy computations at B3LYP, MP2, and QCISD levels with the 6-311++G(d,p) and cc-pVTZ basis sets show that the larger basis sets predict higher free energies of activation and less negative free energies of reaction. Intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) analyses reveal the asynchronous nature of the first and the last steps of the reaction. The deamination of trans-2,3-dimethylaziridine was shown to follow a course of reaction similar to that of the cis isomer.

Amines↗

PubMed2004

L-shaped three-center two-electron (C-C-C)+ bonding array.

The structures and reactivities of the complexes between carbenium ions (R(+)) and acetylene or propyne have been investigated with the aid of electron-correlated quantum mechanical calculations (hybrid density functional, perturbation theory, and coupled cluster methods). Depending on the R group, the acetylene/carbenium ion interaction can produce either an "open" 3c-2e structure or the conventional vinyl cation structure. The "open" 3c-2e C-C-C bonding geometry exists as a minimum for R = methyl and primary/secondary/tertiary alkyl, and hence is the most notable. The alignment of three carbon centers is neither bridged nor linear, but L-shaped, and represents a new type of "open" 3c-2e bonding that has so far escaped proper attention.

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PubMed2003

Linear free energy relationship and kinetic isotope effects as measures for the transition state variation. A computational study.

Linear free energy relationship (LFER) and kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) are frequently used experimental means to study reaction mechanisms, in particular the nature of transition states (TSs). Density functional theory (B3LYP/6-311+G**) calculations were carried out on a model reaction, acid-catalyzed ionization of phenylethyl alcohol, to analyze how experimentally observable properties, such as nonlinearity in the Hammett and Brønsted relations and variation in KIE, are related to a variation of the transition state structure and the mechanism. Several conclusions and insights were obtained: (1) Linear Hammett plots with a dual parameter treatment may not be evidence for an invariable TS structure for a series of reactions. (2) Variations of KIEs indeed reflect the variations of TS structures. (3) Nonlinear Brønsted plots cannot always be taken as evidence for a stepwise mechanism. (4) A TS structure in the gas phase may change much more easily than a TS structure in solution.

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PubMed2003

Dynamics-driven reaction pathway in an intramolecular rearrangement.

A critical role is traditionally assigned to transition states (TSs) and minimum energy pathways, or intrinsic reaction coordinates (IRCs), in interpreting organic reactivity. Such an interpretation, however, ignores vibrational and kinetic energy effects of finite temperature. Recently it has been shown that reactions do not necessarily follow the intermediates along the IRC. We report here molecular dynamics (MD) simulations that show that dynamics effects may alter chemical reactions even more. In the heterolysis rearrangement of protonated pinacolyl alcohol Me3C-CHMe-OH2+ (Me, methyl), the MD pathway involves a stepwise route with C-O bond cleavage followed by methyl group migration, whereas the IRC pathway suggests a concerted mechanism. Dynamics effects may lead to new interpretations of organic reactivity.

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