Experimental and Theoretical Study on the Homodimerization Mechanism of 3-Acetylcoumarin.

In the present study, the reaction conditions for homodimerization process of 3-acetylcoumarin were achieved under sonication using combination of zinc and metallic salt (ZnCl2 or Zn(OAc)2). Appropriate frequency and sound amplitude have been identified as significant variables for the initiation of the reaction. On the base of first principal calculations and experimental results, the mechanism of the reaction was investigated. The relative stability of the possible intermediates has been compared, including evaluation on the ionic and radical reaction pathways for the dimerization process. Theoretical results suggested that the radical mechanism is more favorable. The C-C bond formation between the calculated radical intermediates occurs spontaneously (∆G = -214 kJ/mol for ZnCl2, -163 kJ/mol in the case of Zn(OAc)2), which proves the possibility for the homodimerization of 3-acetylcoumarin via formation of radical species. Both experimental and theoretical data clarified the activation role of the solvent on the reactivity of the Zn-salt. The formation of complexes of solvent molecules with Zn-atom from the ZnCl2 reduces the energy barrier for the dissociation of Zn-Cl bond and facilitate the formation of the dimeric product.

Efficient Synthesis of Fluorescent Coumarins and Phosphorous-Containing Coumarin-Type Heterocycles via Palladium Catalyzed Cross-Coupling Reactions.

Quantum-chemical calculations on the spectral properties of some aryl substituted 3-phosphonocoumarins were performed, and the effect of the substituents in the aryl moiety was evaluated. The structures possessing promising fluorescent properties were successfully synthesized via Suzuki and Sonogashira cross-coupling. The synthetic protocol was also applied for the phosphorous chemoisomer of 3-phosphonocoumarin, 1,2-benzoxaphosphorin, and their carboxylate analogues. The optical properties of the arylated and alkynylated products were experimentally determined. The obtained quantum-chemical and experimental results give the possibility for a fine tuning of the optical properties of phosphorous-containing coumarin systems by altering the substituent at its C-6 position.

Synthesis and Chemical Properties of 3-Phosphono-coumarins and 1,2-Benzoxaphosphorins as Precursors for Bioactive Compounds.

Coumarins are an important class of natural heterocyclic compounds that have attracted considerable synthetic and pharmacological interest due to their various biological activities. This review emphasizes on the synthetic methods for the preparation of dialkyl 2-oxo-2H-1-benzo- pyran-3-phosphonates and alkyl 1,2-benzoxaphosphorin-3-carboxylates. Their chemical properties as acceptors in conjugate addition reactions, [2+2] and [3+2] cycloaddition reactions are discussed.

Ultrasound-Assisted Metal-Mediated Method for the Formation of Tetrahydro-3,3'-Disubstituted Biscoumarins.

A new method for faster and simple preparation of 3,3',4,4'-tetrahydro-3,3'-disubstituted-4,4'-biscoumarins with participation of an organozinc reagent is reported. The reaction is promoted by ultrasound irradiation and it offers a simple experimental setup and excellent reproducibility of the results. Moreover, homodimers were isolated in yields of 45⁻92%. The dimerization conditions are applicable to coumarins with electron-withdrawing groups at third position.

Theoretical and experimental local reactivity parameters of 3-substituted coumarin derivatives.

Local reactivity descriptors, such as atomic charges, atomic electrostatic potential and atomic Fukui indices were computed for a series of 3-substituted coumarin (2-oxo-2H-1-benzopyran) derivatives, using density functional theory (DFT) and Möller-Plesset methods (MP2). The variation of those properties as a function of the substituents was compared with the variation of the measured XPS binding energies. The atomic electrostatic potentials and XPS binding energies serves as indicators of the electrophilicity of a given center within a molecule, while the atomic Fukui indices describe its degree of electronic localization, known as atomic softness. The correlation between those theoretical and experimental properties allowed us to follow the effect of electron withdrawing substituents on the electrophilicity of a given atomic center. The Fukui indices provided additional information about the softening/hardening of the center of interest due to presence of different substituents to the coumarin system. On the basis of these analysis, the 1,2-addition would be favored for 3-acetyl, 3-phosphono, and 7-diethylamino substituents, while 3-carboxyl, 3-ethoxycarbonyl, and 3-nitro substituent would favor 1,4-addition. The substituted coumarins would preferably react with soft nucleophiles at position 2 and with hard nucleophiles at position 4.

A new and efficient method for the synthesis of 3,4-disubstituted pyrrolidine-2,5-diones.

A newly found reaction for the synthesis of 3,4-disubstituted 1-hydroxy-pyrrolidine-2,5-diones from 3-substituted coumarins and nitromethane has been elaborated. The reaction involved a simple and convenient experimental procedure. The applicability of the rearrangement reaction is determined.

Individual control of singlet lifetime and triplet yield in halogen-substituted coumarin derivatives.

The photophysical properties of three 3-diethylphosphonocoumarin derivatives are studied by transient absorption spectroscopy and DFT calculations. The measured lifetime of the first excited singlet state changes upon halogen substitution at the 6-position from 40 ps for the unsubstituted compound to 100 ps for Cl and 24 ps for Br. This observation is in clear contradiction with the estimated singlet-triplet quantum yield, which increases with atomic weight of the substituted atom and is usually referred as a heavy-atom effect. The DFT calculations give evidence that the main reason for this behavior is the different composition of the HOMO, while the LUMO is similar for all three compounds. The optical excitation leads to intramolecular charge transfer from the halogen lone pairs to the π* molecular orbital and thus to a significant change in the molecular dipole moment. Hence, the latter phenomenon in combination with the heavy-atom effect enables an independent control of singlet lifetime and singlet-triplet quantum yield in the studied 3-diethylphosphonocoumarin derivatives.

Correction: Individual control of singlet lifetime and triplet yield in halogen-substituted coumarin derivatives.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1039/D0RA05737A.].

Esters of 1-coumarinylbenzylphosphonic acid-IR-spectroscopic and theoretical elucidation.

The IR-spectroscopic properties of three esters of 1-coumarinylbenzylphosphonic acid are elucidated both in solution and in solid-state. Linear-polarized IR-spectroscopy of oriented colloid suspensions in nematic host is used for experimental IR-characteristic band assignment in solid-state. Theoretical quantum chemical DFT calculations at B3LYP level of theory and 6-31++G** basis set are carried. Theoretical electronic structure and vibrational properties of compounds studied are discussed.

Computational elucidation of the reaction mechanism for synthesis of pyrrolidinedione derivatives via Nef-type rearrangement - cyclization reaction.

This paper reports a quantum chemical study of all stages of a one-pot synthesis of pyrrolidinedione derivatives from nitromethane and coumarin, which includes Michael addition, migration of an oxygen atom (Nef-type rearrangement), and cyclization to a pyrrolidine ring. The energy barrier of deprotonated nitromethane addition to coumarin is 21.7 kJ mol-1, while the barrier of proton transfer from the methylene to the nitro group in the nitromethyl group is notably higher, 197.8 kJ mol-1. The second stage of the reaction, migration of an oxygen atom within the nitromethyl group, occurs with lowest energy barrier, 142.4 kJ mol-1, when it is assisted by an additional water molecule. The last stage - cyclization, passes with a very low energy barrier of 11.9 kJ mol-1 but the tautomerization of the nitrosohydroxymethyl group to the hydroxy-N-hydroxyiminomethyl, necessary for the process, has an energy barrier of 178.4 kJ mol-1. Analogous calculations for the same process with the ethyl ester of 3-coumarin-carboxylic acid as substrate show that the relative energies of the intermediates and transition states are by at most 10-16 kJ mol-1 more stable than the corresponding structures with coumarin.