Two novel pinene-type ligands have been synthesized and their tautomeric and self-associating behavior studied in solution and in the solid state. The first ligand, an acetylated derivative of 5,6-pinene-bipyridine, displays keto-enol tautomerism in solution. This tautomeric equilibrium was studied by NMR and UV-Vis spectroscopy in various solvents, and the results were compared with the ones obtained through DFT calculations. The second ligand was obtained by an unusual oxidation of the phenanthroline unit of a pinene-phenanthroline derivative. This compound exists as a single tautomer in solution and aggregates both in solution (as observed by NMR) and in the solid state through H-bonding as observed by X-ray structure determination and confirmed by DFT studies.
Keywords: H-bonding; chiral ligands; keto-enol tautomerism; molecular spectroscopy; pinene derivatives; tautomerism; theoretical description.