D. Hertsen

Formation of Fluorinated Amido Esters through Unexpected C3-C4 Bond Fission in 4-Trifluoromethyl-3-oxo-β-lactams

H.D. Thi, H. Goossens, D. Hertsen, V. Otte, T. Van Nguyen, V. Van Speybroeck, M. D'Hooghe

Chemistry - An Asian Journal

13 (4), 421-431

2018

A1

Abstract

4-Trifluoromethyl-3-oxo-β-lactams were unexpectedly transformed into 2-[(2,2-difluorovinyl)amino]-2-oxoacetates as major products, accompanied by minor amounts of 2-oxo-2-[(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)amino]acetates, upon treatment with alkyl halides and triethylamine in DMSO. This peculiar C3-C4 bond fission reactivity was investigated in-depth, from both an experimental and a computational point of view, in order to shed light on the underlying reaction mechanism.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/asia.201701636

Reactivity of 3-oxo-β-lactams with respect to primary amines - an experimental and computational approach

N. Piens, H. Goossens, D. Hertsen, S. Deketelaere, L. Crul, L. Demeurisse, J. De Moor, E. Van den Broeck, K. Mollet, K. Van Hecke, V. Van Speybroeck, M. D'Hooghe

Chemistry - A European Journal

2017 (23), 1-9

2017

A1

Abstract

The reactivity of 3-oxo-β-lactams with respect to primary amines was investigated in depth. Depending on the specific azetidin-2-one C4 substituent, this reaction was shown to selectively produce 3-imino-β-lactams (through dehydration), α-aminoamides (through CO elimination) or ethanediamides (through an unprecedented C3-C4 ring opening). In addition to the experimental results, the mechanisms and factors governing these peculiar transformations were also examined and elucidated by means of density functional theory calculations.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/chem.201703852

Tandem addition of phosphite nucleophiles across unsaturated nitrogen-containing systems: mechanistic insights on regioselectivity

W. Debrouwer, D. Hertsen, T.S.A Heugebaert, E. Birsen Boydas, V. Van Speybroeck, S. Catak, C.V. Stevens

Journal of Organic Chemistry

82 (1), 188–201

2017

A1

Abstract

The addition of phosphite nucleophiles across linear unsaturated imines is a powerful and atom-economical methodology for the synthesis of aminophosphonates. These products are of interest from both a biological and a synthetic point of view: they act as amino acid transition state analogs and Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reagents, respectively. In this work the reaction between dialkyl trimethylsilyl phosphites and α,β,γ,δ-diunsaturated imines was evaluated as a continuation of our previous efforts in the field. As such, the first conjugate 1,6-addition of a phosphite nucleophile across a linear unsaturated N-containing system is reported herein. Theoretical calculations were performed to rationalize the observed regioselectivites and to shed light on the proposed mechanism.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.6b02340

Influence of solvation and dynamics on the mechanism and kinetics of nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions in liquid ammonia

S.L. Moors, B. Brigou, D. Hertsen, P. Balazs, P. Geerlings, V. Van Speybroeck, S. Catak, F. De Proft

Journal of Organic Chemistry

81 (4), 1635-1644

2016

A1

Abstract

The role of the solvent and the influence of dynamics on the kinetics and mechanism of the SNAr reaction of several halonitrobenzenes in liquid ammonia, using both static calculations and dynamic ab initio molecular dynamics simulations, are investigated. A combination of metadynamics and committor analysis methods reveals how this reaction can change from a concerted, one-step mechanism in gas phase to a stepwise pathway, involving a metastable Meisenheimer complex, in liquid ammonia. This clearly establishes, among others, the important role of the solvent and highlights the fact that accurately treating solvation is of crucial importance to correctly unravel the reaction mechanism. It is indeed shown that H-bond formation of the reacting NH3 with the solvent drastically reduces the barrier of NH3 addition. The halide elimination step, however, is greatly facilitated by proton transfer from the reacting NH3 to the solvent. Furthermore, the free energy surface strongly depends on the halide substituent and the number of electron-withdrawing nitro substituents.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/acs.joc.5b02794

Synthesis of poly(2-oxazoline)s with side chain methyl ester functionalities: Detailed understanding of copolymerization behavior of methyl ester containing monomers with 2-alkyl-2-oxazolines

P. Bouten, D. Hertsen, M. Vergaelen, B. Monnery, S. Catak, J. van Hest, V. Van Speybroeck, R. Hoogenboom

Journal of Polymer Science Part A: Polymer Chemistry

7 (17), 2711-2719

2015

A1

Abstract

Poly(2-oxazoline)s with methyl ester functionalized side chains are interesting as they can undergo a direct amidation reaction or can be hydrolyzed to the carboxylic acid, making them versatile functional polymers for conjugation. In this work, detailed studies on the homo- and copolymerization kinetics of two methyl ester functionalized 2-oxazoline monomers with 2-methyl-2-oxazoline, 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline, and 2-n-propyl-2-oxazoline are reported. The homopolymerization of the methyl ester functionalized monomers is found to be faster compared to the alkyl monomers, while copolymerization unexpectedly reveals that the methyl ester containing monomers significantly accelerate the polymerization. A computational study confirms that methyl ester groups increase the electrophilicity of the living chain end, even if they are not directly attached to the terminal residue. Moreover, the electrophilicity of the living chain end is found to be more important than the nucleophilicity of the monomer in determining the rate of propagation. However, the monomer nucleophilicity can be correlated with the different rates of incorporation when two monomers compete for the same chain end, that is, in copolymerizations. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2015

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pola.27733

Accelerated living cationic ring-opening polymerization of a methyl ester functionalized 2-oxazoline monomer

P.J.M. Bouten, D. Hertsen, M. Vergaelen, B. Monnery, M.A. Boerman, H. Goossens, S. Catak, J.C.M. van Hest, V. Van Speybroeck, R. Hoogenboom

Polymer Chemistry

6, 514-518

2015

A1

Abstract

Kinetic studies on the homo- and copolymerization of 2-methoxycarboxyethyl-2-oxazoline (MestOx) with 2-methyl-2-oxazoline (MeOx) and 2-ethyl-2-oxazoline (EtOx) were performed. For the homopolymerisation of MestOx an increased propagation rate constant was observed compared to MeOx and EtOx while the copolymerization of MestOx with MeOx or EtOx unexpectedly revealed slower incorporation of MestOx. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that nearby MestOx residues in the living chain can activate both the oxazolinium chain end and the attacking monomer, stabilizing the propagation transition state, leading to faster homopolymerisation of MestOx. These effects also accelerate incorporation of both monomers in the copolymerisations. However, since MeOx is shown to be more nucleophilic than MestOx, the incorporation order is reversed in the copolymerisations.

Open Access version available at UGent repository

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1039/C4PY01373E

Nucleophile-Dependent Regio- and Stereoselective Ring Opening of 1-Azoniabicyclo-[3.1.0]hexane Tosylate

Mi-Kyung Ji, D. Hertsen, D.-H. Yoon, H. Eum, H. Goossens, M. Waroquier, V. Van Speybroeck, M. D'Hooghe, N. De Kimpe, H.-J. Ha

Chemistry - An Asian Journal

2014 (9), 1060-1067

2014

A1

Abstract

1-[(1R)-(1-Phenylethyl)]-1-azoniabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane tosylate was generated as a stable bicyclic aziridinium salt from the corresponding 2-(3-hydroxypropyl)aziridine upon reaction with p-toluenesulfonyl anhydride. This bicyclic aziridinium ion was then treated with various nucleophiles including halides, azide, acetate, and cyanide in CH3CN to afford either piperidines or pyrrolidines through regio- and stereoselective ring opening, mediated by the characteristics of the applied nucleophile. On the basis of DFT calculations, ring-opening reactions under thermodynamic control yield piperidines, whereas reactions under kinetic control can yield both piperidines and pyrrolidines depending on the activation energies for both pathways.