Quantum-chemical study on the relative stability of sildenafil tautomers

The tautomeric equilibrium of sildenafil molecule was theoretically studied using B3LYP and M06-2X density functional theory (DFT) methods in connection with aug-cc-pVDZ correlation consistent basis set. Calculations were performed for gas phase and water solution conditions modelled by polarizable continuum model (PCM). Three tautomeric forms are possible. Two keto forms: A — where the tautomeric proton in more distant from carbonyl group and B — where it is closer, and one enol form denoted, C. Both DFT methods qualitatively give similar tautomer stability order: B > A > C. The B tautomer is dominant in gas phase and water environment, whereas the C tautomer is too high in energy to be present in the tautomeric mixture. Regarding the A tautomer, it is not present in the gas phase but is present in small amounts in water solution. According to B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ, the relative Gibbs-free energies for A and C relative to B are 10.05 kcal/mol and 11.91 kcal/mol for gas phase and 5.49 kcal/mol and 12.49 kcal/mol for water solution. According to M06-2X/aug-cc-pVDZ, the relative Gibbs-free energies for A and C are 9.12 kcal/mol and 10.60 kcal/mol for gas phase and 4.27 kcal/mol and 10.23 kcal/mol for water solution. Therefore, for in vivo conditions, we expect that the B tautomer is dominant, and there may exist small amounts of the A tautomer. The C enol tautomer is not present at all. This picture is very different from the parent tautomeric system: 4-hydroxypyrimidine/4-pyrimidinone where the C enol tautomer is less stable than keto B only by about 1 kcal/mol in the gas phase and the A keto tautomer is the least stable and not present in the tautomeric mixture. In order to understand these differences, we performed additional calculations for a series of parent molecules starting from 4-hydroxypyrimidine/4-pyrimidinone, going through two in-between model molecules and ending at Sildenafil molecule. We found that the most important reasons of C form destabilization are dearomatization of the 6-membered ring caused by the fusion with pyrazole ring, lack of strong intramolecular hydrogen bond in C form of sildenafil and presence of destabilizing steric interaction of oxygen and nitrogen atoms of two 6-memberd rings in this tautomer.

Quantum-Chemical Study on the Relative Stability of Sildenafil Tautomers

The tautomeric equilibrium of Sildenafil molecule was theoretically studied using B3LYP and M06-2X Density Functional Theory (DFT) methods in connection with aug-cc-pVDZ correlation consistent basis set. Calculations were performed for gas phase and water solution conditions modelled by Polarizable Continuum Model (PCM). Three tautomeric forms are possible. Two keto forms: A – where the tautomeric proton in more distant from carbonyl group, B – where it is closer, and one enol form denoted C. Both DFT methods qualitatively give similar tautomer stability order: B>A>C. The B tautomer is dominant in gas phase and water environment, whereas the C tautomer is too high in energy to be present in the tautomeric mixture. Regarding the A tautomer, it is not present in the gas phase but is present in small amounts in water solution. According to B3LYP/ aug-cc-pVDZ the relative Gibbs free energies for A and C relative to B, are 10.05 kcal/mol and 11.91 kcal/mol for gas phase and 5.49 kcal/mol and 12.49 kcal/mol for water solution. According to M06-2X/aug-cc-pVDZ the relative Gibbs free energies for A and C are 9.12 kcal/mol and 10.60 kcal/mol for gas phase and 4.27 kcal/mol and 10.23 kcal/mol for water solution. Therefore, for in vivo conditions we expect that the B tautomer is dominant and there may exist small amounts of the A tautomer. The C enol tautomer is not present at all. This picture is very different from the parent tautomeric system: 4-hydroxypyrimidine/4-pyrimidinone where the C enol tautomer is less stable than keto B only by about 1 kcal/mol in the gas phase and the A keto tautomer is the least stable and not present in the tautomeric mixture. In order to understand these differences we performed additional calculations for series of parent molecules starting from 4-hydroxypyrimidine/4-pyrimidinone, going through two in-between model molecules and ending at Sildenafil molecule. We found that the most important reasons of C form destabilization are: dearomatization of the 6-membered ring caused by the fusion with pyrazole ring, lack of strong intramolecular hydrogen bond in C form of Sildenafill and presence of destabilizing steric interaction of oxygen and nitrogen atoms of two 6-memberd rings in this tautomer.

Quantum-Chemical Search for Keto Tautomers of Azulenols in Vacuo and Aqueous Solution

Keto-enol prototropic conversions for carbonyl compounds and phenols have been extensively studied, and many interesting review articles and even books appeared in the last 50 years. Quite a different situation takes place for derivatives of biologically active azulene, for which only scanty information on this phenomenon can be found in the literature. In this work, quantum-chemical studies have been undertaken for symmetrically and unsymmetrically substituted azulenols (constitutional isomers of naphthols). Stabilities of two enol (OH) rotamers and all possible keto (CH) tautomers have been analyzed in the gas phase {DFT(B3LYP)/6-311+G(d,p)} and also in aqueous solution {PCM(water)//DFT(B3LYP)/6-311+G(d,p)}. Contrary to naphthols, for which the keto forms can be neglected, at least one keto isomer (C1H, C2H, and/or C3H) contributes significantly to the tautomeric mixture of each azulenol to a higher degree in vacuo (non-polar environment) than in water (polar amphoteric solvent). The highest amounts of the CH forms have been found for 2- and 5-hydroxyazulenes, and the smallest ones for 1- and 6-hydroxy derivatives. The keto tautomer(s), together with the enol rotamers, can also participate in deprotonation reaction leading to a common anion and influence its acid-base properties. The strongest acidity in vacuo exhibits 6-hydroxyazulene, and the weakest one displays 1-hydroxyazulene, but all azulenols are stronger acids than phenol and naphthols. Bond length alternation in all DFT-optimized structures has been measured using the harmonic oscillator model of electron delocalization (HOMED) index. Generally, the HOMED values decrease for the keto tautomers, particularly for the ring containing the labile proton. Even for the keto tautomers possessing energetic parameters close to those of the enol isomers, the HOMED indices are low. However, some kind of parallelism exists for the keto forms between their relative energies and HOMEDs estimated for the entire molecules.

Regioselective synthesis of functionalized pyrazole-chalcones via a base mediated reaction of diazo compounds with pyrylium salts

A base-mediated reaction of triaryl/alkyl pyrylium tetrafluoroborate salts with α-diazo-phosphonates, sulfones and trifluoromethyl compounds affords the corresponding functionalized pyrazole-chalcones as 5-P-5 and 3-P-3 tautomeric mixture.

New theoretical insights on tautomerism of hyperforin—a prenylated phloroglucinol derivative which may be responsible for St. John’s wort ( Hypericum perforatum ) antidepressant activity

The thermodynamic aspects of keto-enol tautomerism of hyperforin were investigated theoretically using density functional theory methods. At the B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ//B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ level of theory the enol tautomer dominates the tautomeric mixture and the second enol tautomer 1OH-HB has Gibbs free energy higher by 1.2 kcal/mol, despite possessing an intramolecular hydrogen bond. The purely keto tautomer is less stable by 3.3 kcal/mol compared with the 1OH tautomer, which means that the percentage of the keto tautomer in the tautomeric mixture is only about 0.4%. This is a different picture than in the parent compound of hyperforin—the phloroglucinol, where the keto tautomer is more stable than corresponding enol 1OH tautomer by 0.6 kcal/mol. To explain this difference, several in-between model molecules reflecting gradual transformation from phloroglucinol to hyperforin were build, and all the tautomeric forms were optimized for each molecule. It turned out that the addition of an aliphatic three-carbon bridge to phloroglucinol ring is crucial for the reversal of the tautomer stability order to that for hyperforin. The probable reason is the unfavorable strain in the keto tautomer introduced by the carbon bridge, which forces a specific geometric configuration which destabilizes in consequence the keto tautomer. This picture of hyperforin tautomerism underlines the dominance of enol tautomers, which can be important when studying the antidepressant activity of hyperforin—its interactions with neurotransmitters receptors.

Unprecedented directed lateral lithiations of tertiary carbons on NHC platforms

Deprotonation of the tautomeric mixture of 4-amido-imidazoliums and 4-amino-N-heterocyclic carbenes led to dilithiated dianionic functional NHCs, via an unprecedented regioselective, directed remote lateral lithiation of a tertiary CHMe2 carbon. DFT calculations support that the nature of products is under thermodynamic control.

Reactions of δ-valerolactone with lithio trithio-orthoformates

δ-Valerolactone (3), on treatment with tris(methylthio)methyllithium (7) followed by weakly acidic aqueous work-up, gave a tautomeric mixture of 1, 1-bis(methylthio)-6-hydroxy-2-hexanone (8a) and tetrahydro-2-bis(methylthio)methyl-2-pyranol (8b). Under analogous conditions 3 reacted with tris(phenylthio)methyllithium (10) to form tetrahydro-3-(phenylthiocarbonyl)-2-pyranone (11). With 2-(methylthio)-1,3-dithian-2-yllithium (16) it gave a tautomeric mixture of 2-(5-hydroxy-1-oxopentyl)-2-(methylthio)-1,3-dithiane (17a) and 2-(tetrahydro-2-hydroxy-2-pyranyl)-2-(methylthio)-1,3-dithiane (17b). Treatment of 17 with methanol in the presence of acidic ion-exchange resin gave a mixture of 2-(5,6-dihydro-3-(methylthio)-2(4H)-pyranyl)-1,3-dithiane (20), 2-(tetrahydro-2-methoxy-2-pyranyl)-1,3-dithiane (21), and 2-(tetrahydro-2-methoxy-4-(methylthio)-2-pyranyl)-1,3-dithiane (22). Similar treatment of 20 gave a mixture of 20, 21, and 22. Compound 21 was synthesized independently by similar treatment of 2-(tetrahydro-2-hydroxy-2-pyranyl)-1,3-dithiane (23). The origins of the anomalous products are discussed briefly. It is concluded that because of these anomalies the preparation of tetrahydro-2-hydroxypyran-2-carboxylic acid acetals and related glycosides via trithio-orthoformate derivatives can encounter difficulties, although dithioacetals may serve this purpose. Key words: 1,3-dithianes, α-hydroxy acids,δ-lactones, trithio-orthoformates.