Journal article

Publication year: 2024

Pages: 19070-19076

Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society

Volume number: 146

Issue number: 28

ISSN: 0002-7863

eISSN: 1520-5126

DOI Link: https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c03461

Publisher: American Chemical Society

Abstract: 
Catalysis plays a pivotal role in both chemistry and biology, primarily attributed to its ability to stabilize transition states and lower activation free energies, thereby accelerating reaction rates. While computational studies have contributed valuable mechanistic insights, there remains a scarcity of experimental investigations into transition states. In this work, we embark on an experimental exploration of the catalytic energy lowering associated with transition states in the photorearrangement of the phenylperoxy radical-water complex to the oxepin-2(5H)-one-5-yl radical. Employing matrix isolation spectroscopy, density functional theory, and post-HF computations, we scrutinize the (photo)catalytic impact of a single water molecule on the rearrangement. Our computations indicate that the barrier heights for the water-assisted unimolecular isomerization steps are approximately 2-3 kcal mol(-1) lower compared to the uncatalyzed steps. This decrease directly coincides with the energy difference in the required wavelength during the transformation (Delta lambda = lambda(546 nm) - lambda(579 nm) Xi 52.4-49.4 = 3.0 kcal mol(-1)), allowing us to elucidate the differential transition state energy in the photochemical rearrangement of the phenylperoxy radical catalyzed by a single water molecule. Our work highlights the important role of water catalysis and has, among others, implications for understanding the mechanism of organic reactions under atmospheric conditions.

Harvard Citation style: Mardyukov, A., Hernandez, F., Song, L., Crespo-Otero, R. and Schreiner, P. (2024) Experimentally Delineating the Catalytic Effect of a Single Water Molecule in the Photochemical Rearrangement of the Phenylperoxy Radical to the Oxepin-2(5H)-one-5-yl Radical, Journal of the American Chemical Society, 146(28), pp. 19070-19076. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c03461

APA Citation style: Mardyukov, A., Hernandez, F., Song, L., Crespo-Otero, R., & Schreiner, P. (2024). Experimentally Delineating the Catalytic Effect of a Single Water Molecule in the Photochemical Rearrangement of the Phenylperoxy Radical to the Oxepin-2(5H)-one-5-yl Radical. Journal of the American Chemical Society. 146(28), 19070-19076. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.4c03461