Synlett 2024; 35(03): 319-324
DOI: 10.1055/a-2153-6819
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Organic Chemistry Under Visible Light: Photolytic and Photocatalytic Organic Transformations

A Combination of Computational and Experimental Studies to Correlate Electronic Structure and Reactivity of Donor–Acceptor Singlet Carbenes

Shweta Singh
a   Dept. of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University, Tehsil Dadri, Gautam Buddha Nagar, U.P. 201314, India
,
Ludovic Gremaud
b   University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland, Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Department of Chemistry, Pérolles 80, Fribourg 1700, Switzerland
,
Subhabrata Sen
a   Dept. of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University, Tehsil Dadri, Gautam Buddha Nagar, U.P. 201314, India
,
Debajit Maiti
a   Dept. of Chemistry, School of Natural Sciences, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence Deemed to be University, Tehsil Dadri, Gautam Buddha Nagar, U.P. 201314, India
› Author Affiliations
Funding and facility for this research have been provided by Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence deemed to be University.


Abstract

Most of the reactivities of donor–acceptor (D–A) singlet carbenes are similar to metal carbenoids. However, the lone pair at the carbenoid carbon, coordinated with metal, is free in D–A carbene thereby making it nucleophilic as well. Herein, DFT-optimized structural features of D–A carbene has been investigated and is compared with rhodium carbenoid. It was observed that, when a D–A carbene reacts with cyclic-1,3-diones in different ethereal solvents, it is the lone pair at the sp2 orbital of the carbene that abstracts the proton from the enol form (of the cyclic-1,3-diones) to form a benzylic carbocation and an enolate. Subsequently, the carbocation undergoes nucleophilic attack by O of the ether solvents and then by the enolate to afford the desired ether-linked products. Accordingly, herein the reaction in THF, which otherwise had failed to work as a substrate in reported amino etherification reactions, worked well. DFT-calculated orbital energy levels and reaction profile support this reverse reactivity of singlet carbenes. Furthermore, HOMO–LUMO calculations indicated that electron-rich arenes in D–A carbene stabilizes the LUMO and destabilizes the HOMO which increases yield. Additionally, a library of 37 enol ether and 39 ether-linked compounds of potential medicinal relevance have been synthesized with good to excellent yields using numerous cyclic-1,3-diones.

Supporting Information



Publication History

Received: 07 July 2023

Accepted after revision: 14 August 2023

Accepted Manuscript online:
14 August 2023

Article published online:
28 September 2023

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