Chemical Forums

Chemistry Forums for Students => Organic Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: google470 on February 17, 2016, 03:16:29 AM

Title: one question about 1,3-diene' conformation
Post by: google470 on February 17, 2016, 03:16:29 AM
hi guys,

I am reading a paper published in Chem. Eur. J. 2014, 20, 14575 – 14578, and found one strange question about the configuration of 1,3-diene in the transformation 25-->26 using Lindlar/H2 condition.  After this reaction, the 1,3-diene of product rotate to form cis!...(see the photo attached)
Could anyone tell me why??
Thanks!
Title: Re: one question about 1,3-diene' conformation
Post by: google470 on February 17, 2016, 03:31:31 AM
I think the rotation barrier is very high, and the rotation cannot happen in this reaction. Do you think so?
Title: Re: one question about 1,3-diene' conformation
Post by: AWK on February 17, 2016, 04:40:46 AM
This is not a reduction center. Rotation around a single bond shows a rather low barrier.
Title: Re: one question about 1,3-diene' conformation
Post by: google470 on February 17, 2016, 05:30:23 AM
This is not a reduction center. Rotation around a single bond shows a rather low barrier.

yeah I know it is NOT the reduction center, and I am asking the 1,3-diene.
Even the barrier is low, the trans one should be much more thermodynamically stable, so it is strange to see that the molecule is cis rather than trans.
Title: Re: one question about 1,3-diene' conformation
Post by: AWK on February 17, 2016, 05:49:44 AM
I think this is effect of automatic drawing program, eg from SMILES.
Look at the Fig. 1 how different drowings are for very close structures.
Title: Re: one question about 1,3-diene' conformation
Post by: Borek on February 17, 2016, 08:39:04 AM
Somehow I fail to see the rotation around the double bond. There is a rotation around a single bond, the one the arrows point at, but as far I can tell both involved double bonds stay trans.
Title: Re: one question about 1,3-diene' conformation
Post by: Dan on February 17, 2016, 10:17:57 AM
Even the barrier is low, the trans one should be much more thermodynamically stable, so it is strange to see that the molecule is cis rather than trans.

There is no strict convention regarding the conformation in which molecules are depicted in papers if there is a low energy difference between them (unless you are specifically illustrating a point related to conformation).

This is not cis/trans isomerism, they are s-cis/s-trans conformers (http://goldbook.iupac.org/S05508.html) which will interconvert rapidly. Usually you pick the one that is more aesthetically pleasing, or the one that most efficiently fills the available space, which is not necessarily the lowest energy conformation. In some cases it might be clearer for the reader if you depict the molecule in a higher energy conformation - for example, if you are showing a Diels-Alder reaction, it is easier to follow if the diene is drawn in the s-cis reactive conformation (whether or not it is the lowest energy conformation).
Title: Re: one question about 1,3-diene' conformation
Post by: hairygorillaz on February 17, 2016, 08:21:06 PM
Somehow I fail to see the rotation around the double bond. There is a rotation around a single bond, the one the arrows point at, but as far I can tell both involved double bonds stay trans.

I think the OP is referring to s-cis vs s-trans around the single bond (Something like when talking about diene conformation in a Diels-Alder)
Title: Re: one question about 1,3-diene' conformation
Post by: google470 on February 18, 2016, 10:18:17 PM
Even the barrier is low, the trans one should be much more thermodynamically stable, so it is strange to see that the molecule is cis rather than trans.

There is no strict convention regarding the conformation in which molecules are depicted in papers if there is a low energy difference between them (unless you are specifically illustrating a point related to conformation).

This is not cis/trans isomerism, they are s-cis/s-trans conformers (http://goldbook.iupac.org/S05508.html) which will interconvert rapidly. Usually you pick the one that is more aesthetically pleasing, or the one that most efficiently fills the available space, which is not necessarily the lowest energy conformation. In some cases it might be clearer for the reader if you depict the molecule in a higher energy conformation - for example, if you are showing a Diels-Alder reaction, it is easier to follow if the diene is drawn in the s-cis reactive conformation (whether or not it is the lowest energy conformation).

Thank you so much! I totally agree with you, and thank all the people replied above. ;D ;D ;D ;D