Photochemical Valence Isomerization to High Energy Products-Bicyclobutanes and Oxabicyclobutanes.

DFT calculations were used to determine the structures and energies of bicyclobutane and oxabicyclobutane as valence isomers derived from electronic excitation of their corresponding precursors, 1,3-butadiene and acrolein, respectively. Proton affinities of these strained compounds were determined and compared with their simple ring components, cyclopropane and ethylene oxide. The basicity as determined from proton affinities showed that bicyclobutane is the most basic saturated hydrocarbon, even more basic than oxabicyclobutane.

Predicted Reversal in N-Methylazepine/N-Methyl-7-azanorcaradiene Equilibrium Upon Formation of Their N-Oxides.

Density functional calculations and up to five different basis sets have been applied to the exploration of the structural, enthalpy and free energy changes upon conversion of the azepine to the corresponding N-oxide. Although it is well known that azepines are typically much more stable than their 7-azanorcaradiene valence isomers, the stabilities are reversed for the corresponding N-oxides. Structural, thermochemical as well as nucleus-independent chemical shift (NICS) criteria are employed to probe the potential aromaticity, antiaromaticity and nonaromaticity of N-methylazepine, its 7-azanorcaradiene valence isomer.

Synthesis of Cyclobutane Analogue 4: Preparation of Purine and Pyrimidine Carbocyclic Nucleoside Derivatives.

The coupling of 2-bromo-3-benzoyloxycyclobutanone with purine under basic conditions produces two regioisomers consisting of the and alkylated products in equal amounts in their racemic forms. The distribution of the isomers is consistent with the charge delocalization between the and positions of the purinyl anion. The structural assignments and relative stereochemistry of each regioisomer were based on 1 and 2D NMR techniques.

Crystal structures of the synthetic inter-mediate 3-[(6-chloro-7-purin-7-yl)meth-yl]cyclo-butan-1-one, and of two oxetanocin derivatives: 3-[(6-chloro-8,9-di-hydro-7-purin-7-yl)meth-yl]cyclo-butan-1-ol and 3-[(6-chloro-9-purin-9-yl)meth-yl]cyclo-butan-1-ol.

The crystal structures of an inter-mediate, CHClNO, 3-[(6-chloro-7-purin-7-yl)meth-yl]cyclo-butan-1-one (I), and two N-7 and N-9 regioisomeric oxetanocin nucleoside analogs, CHClNO, 3-[(6-chloro-8,9-di-hydro-7-purin-7-yl)meth-yl]cyclo-butan-1-ol (II) and CHClNO, 3-[(6-chloro-9-purin-9-yl)meth-yl]cyclo-butan-1-ol (IV), are reported. The crystal structures of the nucleoside analogs confirmed the reduction of the N-7- and N-9-substituted cyclo-butano-nes with LiAl(OtBu) to occur with facial selectivity, yielding -nucleosides analogs similar to those found in nature. Reduction of the purine ring of the N-7 cyclo-butanone to a di-hydro-purine was observed for compound (II) but not for the purine ring of the N-9 cyclo-butanone on formation of compound (IV).

Synthesis of cyclobutane nucleoside analogues 3: Preparation of carbocyclic derivatives of oxetanocin.

A synthesis of cyclobutene nucleoside analogs in which the nucleobase is tethered by a methylene group is described. The coupling of 6-chloropurine with 3-hydroxymethyl-cyclobutanone proceeds via its triflate to give both N-7 and N-9 regioisomers with relative yields corresponding to the calculated charge distribution of the 6-chloropurinyl anion. The stereoselective reduction of the N-alkylated ketones yielded quantitatively one stereoisomer in each case.