Design of superbasic guanidines: the role of multiple intramolecular hydrogen bonds

New organic superbases have been designed using the concept of multiple intramolecular hydrogen bonds. Substituents capable of forming strong intramolecular H-bonds were selected on the basis of the energy of stabilization that occurs upon the formation of a complex between N,N',N"-trimethylguanidine and small model molecules. The proton affinities and the corresponding pK(a) values in acetonitrile of the new superbases are examined by Density Functional Theory (DFT). It is shown that N,N',N"-substitution of guanidine with appropriate substituents results in new organic superbases with gas phase proton affinities between 286 and 293 kcal mol(-1), thus being 15 to 20 kcal mol(-1) more basic than parental superbase N,N',N"-tris[(3-dimethylamino)propyl]-guanidine (tris-DMPG), whereas estimated pK(a) values in acetonitrile range between 29.5 and 33.2.