NH+-F hydrogen bonding in a fluorinated "proton sponge" derivative: integration of solution, solid-state, gas-phase, and computational studies

J Org Chem. 2011 Oct 7;76(19):7975-84. doi: 10.1021/jo2015328. Epub 2011 Sep 2.

Abstract

We report detailed studies on the characterization of an intramolecular NH-F hydrogen bond formed within a fluorinated "proton sponge" derivative. An ammonium ion, generated from 8-fluoro-N,N-dimethylnaphthalen-1-amine, serves as a charged hydrogen bond donor to a covalently bound fluorine appropriately positioned on the naphthalene skeleton. Potentiometric titrations of various N,N-dimethylnaphthalen-1-amines demonstrate a significant increase in basicity when hydrogen bonding is possible. X-ray crystallography reveals that NH-F hydrogen bonding in protonated 8-fluoro-N,N-dimethylnaphthalen-1-amine is heavily influenced by ion pairing in the solid state; bifurcated and trifurcated hydrogen bonds are formed depending on the counterion utilized. Compelling evidence of hydrogen bonding in the 8-fluoro-N,N-dimethylnaphthyl-1-ammonium cation is provided by gas-phase cryogenic vibrational photodissociation spectroscopy. Solution-phase infrared spectroscopy provides complementary results, and the frequencies of the N-H stretching mode in both phases are in excellent agreement with the computed vibrational spectra. NMR analysis of protonated 8-fluoro-N,N-dimethylnaphthalen-1-amine demonstrates significant H-F coupling between the N-H hydrogen and fluorine that cannot be attributed to long-range, through-bond interactions; the couplings correlate favorably with calculated values. The results obtained from these experiments are congruent with the formation of an NH-F hydrogen bond upon protonation of 8-fluoro-N,N-dimethylnaphthalen-1-amine.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Fluorine / chemistry*
  • Gases / chemistry*
  • Halogenation*
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Protons*
  • Quantum Theory*
  • Quaternary Ammonium Compounds / chemistry*
  • Solutions

Substances

  • Gases
  • Protons
  • Quaternary Ammonium Compounds
  • Solutions
  • Fluorine