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Multiscale Sampling of a Heterogeneous Water/Metal Catalyst Interface using Density Functional Theory and Force-Field Molecular Dynamics
Published on: April 12, 2019
Metal-cation-mediated hydrolysis of phosphonoformate diesters: chemoselectivity and catalysis(1)
Robert A Moss1, Hugo Morales-Rojas, Saketh Vijayaraghavan
1Contribution from the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA. moss@rutchem.rutgers.edu
Abstract:
Hydrolyses in D(2)O (pD 1.7-3.1) of dimethyl (7), methyl phenyl (8), phenyl methyl (9), and diphenyl (10) phosphonoformate diesters are substantially accelerated by Ce(IV), Th(IV), Zr(IV), and Hf(IV) cations. Chemoselectivity is observed, whereby Zr(IV) and Hf(IV) principally direct P-OR hydrolysis, whereas Th(IV) and Ce(IV) mainly direct C-OR hydrolysis. Leaving group efficiency (OMe vs OPh) modulates the chemoselectivity. The metal cations also mediate further hydrolytic reactions of the initially produced phosphonoformate monoesters 14, 15, 18, and 20. The origins of the P-OR/C-OR selectivity are discussed in terms of the metal cation hydroxo species likely to be present in solution and the kinetics of the reactions.
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