Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 12, 2026

Preparation of Stable Bicyclic Aziridinium Ions and Their Ring-Opening for the Synthesis of Azaheterocycles
Published on: August 22, 2018
A quantum-mechanical description of macrocyclic ring rotation in benzylic amide
D A Leigh1, A Troisi, F Zerbetto
1Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK. david.leigh@warwick.ac.uk
Quantum mechanical modeling accurately predicts catenane ring rotation rates and energy barriers. This computational approach, validated by NMR experiments across different solvents, offers a new way to study these complex molecular machines.
Area of Science:
- Supramolecular Chemistry
- Computational Chemistry
- Chemical Physics
Background:
- Catenanes are mechanically interlocked molecules with unique rotational properties.
- Understanding catenane ring rotation is crucial for predicting macroscopic and molecular behaviors.
- Relative ring positions significantly influence molecular properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a low-dimensional quantum-mechanical model for catenane circumrotation.
- To accurately predict the rate constants and energy barriers of ring rotation.
- To demonstrate the model's applicability across various solvent environments.
Main Methods:
- Low-dimensional quantum-mechanical modeling.
- Harmonic transition state theory.
- Comparison with temperature-dependent nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy data.
- Validation using both hydrogen bond disrupting and non-disrupting solvents (e.g., [D6]DMSO, CDCl3).
Main Results:
- The quantum-mechanical model successfully reproduced experimental rate constants and barriers for catenane rotation.
- The model demonstrated validity across different solvent types, including those disrupting hydrogen bonds.
- Effective harmonic frequency approximation accurately described anharmonic energy levels.
Conclusions:
- Low-dimensional quantum-mechanical modeling provides a reliable method for studying catenane circumrotation.
- The developed model accurately predicts rotational dynamics, validated by experimental data.
- This computational approach is extendable to calculating other properties related to catenane rotational activity.
Related Concept Videos
Chair Conformation of Cyclohexane
The hydrogen atoms linked to carbons are arranged in two different axial and equatorial orientations to achieve this staggered...
Stability of Substituted Cyclohexanes
The two chair conformations of cyclohexanes undergo rapid interconversion at room temperature. Both forms have identical energies and stabilities, each comprising equal amounts of the equilibrium mixture. Replacing a hydrogen atom with a functional group makes the two conformations energetically non-equivalent.
For example, in...
Stereoisomerism of Cyclic Compounds
¹H NMR of Conformationally Flexible Molecules: Temporal Resolution
ortho–para-Directing Activators: –CH3, –OH, –⁠NH2, –OCH3
π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Aromatic and Antiaromatic Compounds

