The protonation of the carboxamide nitrogen atom is an essential part of in vivo and in vitro processes (cis-trans isomerization, amides hydrolysis etc). This phenomenon is well studied in geometrically strongly distorted amides, although there is little data concerning the protonation of undistorted amides. In the latter case, the participation of amide nitrogen in hydrogen bonding (which can be regarded as the incipient state of a proton transfer process) is less well-studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA possibility of non-conventional two-step protonation of 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (proton sponge) is discussed. Unlike the generally accepted mechanism, involving relatively slow direct penetration of a proton into the cleft between the peri-NMe2 groups, it consists of the rapid addition of a proton to the out-inverted NMe2 group with the subsequent slower rotational transfer of the proton into the inter-nitrogen space to produce a stable chelated cation. The following approaches were employed during the work: (1) competitive hydrogen bond formation in a specially designed alcohol in which the OH group might chelate either the proton sponge 1-NMe2 group or another basic center (N,N-dimethylaniline) of known basicity; (2) measuring the basicity of naphtho[1,8-b,c]diazabicyclo[3.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMonoprotonated N,N,N'-trimethyl-1,8-diaminonaphthalene demonstrates fast exchange of H(in) and H(out) protons, in which a counterion (BF4(-) and Br(-) were tested) participates. The process can be frozen below 185 K revealing a tremendous magnetic separation (up to Δδ = 11.6 ppm) of these otherwise equal NH protons with the enzyme-like proton transfer and a ∼7 kcal mol(-1) energetic barrier.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Org Chem
April 2007
A regular set of 2-(alpha-hydroxymethyl)- and 2,7-di(alpha-hydroxymethyl)-1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalenes has been prepared. Their X-ray, NMR, and IR studies have demonstrated that in tertiary mono-alcohols the orientation of free nitrogen electron pairs in crystals and solution corresponds to nonconventional in/out conformers stabilized by O-H..
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