Tailoring the Gibbs Free Energy of the Nitroxide Exchange Reaction: Substituent and Solvent Effects.

ABSTRACT

A quantum chemical study of the nitroxide exchange reaction is presented. Inspired by the recent use of this reaction in the synthesis of dynamic covalent polymer networks, we studied the influence of substituents and solvents on the Gibbs free energy, which plays a crucial role for both the reversibility of the reaction and the extent of product formation. We provide accurate benchmark values based on CCSD(T) and COSMO-RS theory for a series of structural modifications and make suggestions for improving the molecular building blocks used so far.