Allylic strain
Encyclopedia
Allylic strain in organic chemistry
is a type of strain energy
resulting from the interaction between a substituent on one end of an olefin with an allylic substituent on the other end. If the substituents (R and R') are large enough in size, they can sterically interfere with each other such that one conformer
is greatly favored over the other. Allyic strain was first recognized in the literature in 1965 by Johnson and Malhotra. The authors were investigating cyclohexane conformations including endocyclic and exocylic double bonds when they noticed certain conformations were disfavored due to the geometry constraints caused by the double bond. Organic chemists capitalize on the rigidity resulting from allylic strain for use in asymmetric reactions.
Different methods utizilized to estimate conformational equilibrium enthalpy include: the Westheimer method, the homomorph method, and more simply—using estimated enthalpies of nonbonded interactions within a molecule. Because all of these methods are approximations, reported strain values for the same molecule can vary and should be used only to give a general idea of the strain energy.
The strain energy in 1,8-dimethylnaphthalene was calculated to be 7.6 kcalmol−1 and around 12-15 kcalmol−1 for 4,5-dimethyl-phenanthrene. Allylic strain tends to be greater for cyclic molecules compared to olefins as strain energy increases with increasing rigidity of the system. An in depth summary of allylic strain in six membered rings has been presented in a review by Johnson, F.
. The boat conformation tends to be the major conformation to the strain. The effect of allylic strain on cis alkene
s creates a preference for more linear structures.
also has an effect on allylic strain. In terms of stereoselectivity, polar groups act like large, bulky groups. Even though two groups may have approximately the same A value
s the polar group will act as though it were much bulkier. This is due to the donor character of the polar group. Polar groups increase the HOMO
energy of the σ-system
in the transition state. This causes the transition state to be in a much more favorable position when the polar group is not interacting in a 1,3 allylic strain.
ing can occur in the allylic system between the substituents. Rather than the strain that would normally occur in the close group proximity, the hydrogen bond stabilizes the conformation and makes it energetically much more favorable. This scenario occurs when the allylic substituent at the 1 position is a hydrogen bond donor (usually a hydroxyl
) and the substituent at the 3 position is a hydrogen bond acceptor (usually an ether
). Even in cases where the allylic system could conform to put a much smaller hydrogen in the hydrogen bond acceptor’s position, it is much more favorable to allow the hydrogen bond to form.
increases the allylic strain because it forces substituents into a configuration that causes their atoms to be in closer proximity, increasing the strength of repulsive Van der Waals force
s. This situation occurs most noticeably when carboxylic acid or ketone is involved as a substituent of the allylic group. Resonance effect on the carboxylic group shifts the CO double bond to a hydroxy group. The carboxylic group will thus function as a hydroxyl group that will cause a large allylic strain to form and cancel the stabilization effects of the extended conjugation. This is very common in enolization reactions and can be viewed in the figure below under "Acidic Conditions."
In situations where the molecule can either be in a conjugated system or avoid allylic strain, it has been shown that the molecule's major form will be the one that avoids strain. This has been found via the cyclization in the figure below. Under treatment of perchloric acid, molecule A cyclizes into the conjugated system show in molecule B. However, the molecule will rearrange (due to allylic strain) into molecule C, causing molecule C to be the major species. Thus, the magnitude of destabilization via the allyic strain outweighs the stabilization caused by the conjugated system.
is occurring around an allylic group (usually as part of a cyclic system), A1,3 strain can cause the reaction to be nearly impossible. In these situations, acid treatment would normally cause the alkene to become protonated
, moving the double bond to the carboxylic
group, changing it to a hydroxy group
. The resulting allylic strain between the alcohol and the other group involved in the allylic system is so great that the reaction can not occur under normal thermodynamic conditions. This same enolization occurs much more rapidly under basic conditions, as the carboxylic group is retained in the transition state and allows the molecule to adopt a conformation that does not cause allylic strain.
There is another aspect of aldol reaction that is influenced by the allylic strain. On the second aldol reaction, the product which is a 1,3 dicarbonyl is formed in high diastereoselectivity. This is because the acidity of the proton is significantly reduced because for the deprotonation to occur, it will have to go through a developing allylic strain in the unfavored conformation. In the favored conformation, the proton is not aligned properly for deprotonation to occur.
In the model studies to synthesize chlorothricolide, an intramolecular Diels Alder reaction gave a mixture of diastereomers. But by installing the a bulky TMS substituent, the reaction gave the desired product in high diastereoselectivity and regioselectivity in good yield. The bulky TMS substituent helps enhance allylic 1,3 strain in the conformation of the molecule.
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
is a type of strain energy
Strain energy
In a molecule, strain energy is released when the constituent atoms are allowed to rearrange themselves in a chemical reaction or a change of chemical conformation in a way that:* angle strain,* torsional strain,* ring strain and/or steric strain,...
resulting from the interaction between a substituent on one end of an olefin with an allylic substituent on the other end. If the substituents (R and R') are large enough in size, they can sterically interfere with each other such that one conformer
Conformational isomerism
In chemistry, conformational isomerism is a form of stereoisomerism in which the isomers can be interconverted exclusively by rotations about formally single bonds...
is greatly favored over the other. Allyic strain was first recognized in the literature in 1965 by Johnson and Malhotra. The authors were investigating cyclohexane conformations including endocyclic and exocylic double bonds when they noticed certain conformations were disfavored due to the geometry constraints caused by the double bond. Organic chemists capitalize on the rigidity resulting from allylic strain for use in asymmetric reactions.
Quantifying Allylic Strain Energy
The "strain energy" of a molecule is a quantity that is difficult to precisely define, so the meaning of this term can easily vary depending on one's interpretation. Instead, an objective way to view the allylic strain of a molecule is through its conformational equilibrium. Comparing the heats of formation of the involved conformers, an overall ΔHeq can be evaluated. This term gives information about the relative stabilities of the involved conformers and the effect allylic strain has on equilibrium. Heats of formation can be determined experimentally though calorimetric studies; however, calculated enthalpies are more commonly used due to the greater ease of acquisition.Different methods utizilized to estimate conformational equilibrium enthalpy include: the Westheimer method, the homomorph method, and more simply—using estimated enthalpies of nonbonded interactions within a molecule. Because all of these methods are approximations, reported strain values for the same molecule can vary and should be used only to give a general idea of the strain energy.
Olefins
The simplest type of molecules which exhibit allylic strain are olefins. Depending on the substituents, olefins maintain varying degrees of allylic strain. In 3-methyl-1-butene, the interactions between the hydrogen and the two methyl groups in the allylic system cause a change in enthalpy equal to 2 kcalmol−1. As expected, with an increase in substituent size, the equilibrium enthalpies between rotamers also increases. For example, when examining 4-methyl-2-pentene which contains an additional allylic methyl group compared to 3-methyl-1-butene, the enthalpy of rotation for the highest energy conformer increases from 2 kcalmol−1 to 4 kcalmol−1.Cyclic Molecules
Nonbonded 1,3-diaxial interaction energies are commonly used to approximate strain energy in cyclic molecules, as values for these interactions are available. By taking the difference in nonbonded interactions for each conformer, the equilibrium enthalpy can be estimated. The strain energy for methylenecyclohexane has been calculated to be 4.5 kcalmol−1 using estimations for 1,3-diaxial strain (0.9 kcalmol−1), methyl/hydrogen allylic strain (1.3kcalmol−1), and methyl/methyl allylic strain (7.6 kcalmol−1) values.The strain energy in 1,8-dimethylnaphthalene was calculated to be 7.6 kcalmol−1 and around 12-15 kcalmol−1 for 4,5-dimethyl-phenanthrene. Allylic strain tends to be greater for cyclic molecules compared to olefins as strain energy increases with increasing rigidity of the system. An in depth summary of allylic strain in six membered rings has been presented in a review by Johnson, F.
Influencing Factors
Several factors influence the energy penalty associated with the allylic strain. In order to relieve strain caused by interaction between the two methyl groups, the cyclohexanes will often exhibit a boat or twist-boat conformationCyclohexane conformation
A cyclohexane conformation is any of several three-dimensional shapes that a cyclohexane molecule can assume while maintaining the integrity of its chemical bonds....
. The boat conformation tends to be the major conformation to the strain. The effect of allylic strain on cis alkene
Alkene
In organic chemistry, an alkene, olefin, or olefine is an unsaturated chemical compound containing at least one carbon-to-carbon double bond...
s creates a preference for more linear structures.
Substituent Size
The size of the substituents interacting at the 1 and 3 positions of an allylic group is often the largest factor contributing to the magnitude of the strain. As a rule, larger substituents will create a larger magnitude of strain. Proximity of bulky groups causes an increase in repulsive Van der Waals forces. This quickly increases the magnitude of the strain. The interactions between the hydrogen and methyl group in the allylic system cause a change in enthalpy equal to 3.6 kcal/mol. The strain energy in this system was calculated to be 7.6 kcal/mol due to interactions between the two methyl groups.Substituent Polarity
PolarityChemical polarity
In chemistry, polarity refers to a separation of electric charge leading to a molecule or its chemical groups having an electric dipole or multipole moment. Polar molecules interact through dipole–dipole intermolecular forces and hydrogen bonds. Molecular polarity is dependent on the difference in...
also has an effect on allylic strain. In terms of stereoselectivity, polar groups act like large, bulky groups. Even though two groups may have approximately the same A value
A value
thumb|400px|right| The A-value for a [[methyl]] group is 1.74 as derived from the [[chemical equilibrium]] above. This means it costs 1.74 [[kcal/mol]] of energy to have a methyl group in the axial position compared to the equatorial position....
s the polar group will act as though it were much bulkier. This is due to the donor character of the polar group. Polar groups increase the HOMO
HOMO/LUMO
HOMO and LUMO are acronyms for highest occupied molecular orbital and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital, respectively. The energy difference between the HOMO and LUMO is termed the HOMO-LUMO gap...
energy of the σ-system
Sigma bond
In chemistry, sigma bonds are the strongest type of covalent chemical bond. They are formed by head-on overlapping between atomic orbitals. Sigma bonding is most clearly defined for diatomic molecules using the language and tools of symmetry groups. In this formal approach, a σ-bond is...
in the transition state. This causes the transition state to be in a much more favorable position when the polar group is not interacting in a 1,3 allylic strain.
Hydrogen Bonding
With certain polar substituents, hydrogen bondHydrogen bond
A hydrogen bond is the attractive interaction of a hydrogen atom with an electronegative atom, such as nitrogen, oxygen or fluorine, that comes from another molecule or chemical group. The hydrogen must be covalently bonded to another electronegative atom to create the bond...
ing can occur in the allylic system between the substituents. Rather than the strain that would normally occur in the close group proximity, the hydrogen bond stabilizes the conformation and makes it energetically much more favorable. This scenario occurs when the allylic substituent at the 1 position is a hydrogen bond donor (usually a hydroxyl
Hydroxyl
A hydroxyl is a chemical group containing an oxygen atom covalently bonded with a hydrogen atom. In inorganic chemistry, the hydroxyl group is known as the hydroxide ion, and scientists and reference works generally use these different terms though they refer to the same chemical structure in...
) and the substituent at the 3 position is a hydrogen bond acceptor (usually an ether
Ether
Ethers are a class of organic compounds that contain an ether group — an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups — of general formula R–O–R'. A typical example is the solvent and anesthetic diethyl ether, commonly referred to simply as "ether"...
). Even in cases where the allylic system could conform to put a much smaller hydrogen in the hydrogen bond acceptor’s position, it is much more favorable to allow the hydrogen bond to form.
Solvents
Solvents also have an effect on allylic strain. When used in conjunction with knowledge of the effects of polarity on allylic strain, solvents can be very useful in directing the conformation of a product that contains an allylic structure in its transition state. When a bulky and polar solvent is able to interact with one of the substituents in the allylic group, the complex of the solvent can energetically force the bulky complex out of the allylic strain in favor of a smaller group.Conjugation
ConjugationConjugated system
In chemistry, a conjugated system is a system of connected p-orbitals with delocalized electrons in compounds with alternating single and multiple bonds, which in general may lower the overall energy of the molecule and increase stability. Lone pairs, radicals or carbenium ions may be part of the...
increases the allylic strain because it forces substituents into a configuration that causes their atoms to be in closer proximity, increasing the strength of repulsive Van der Waals force
Van der Waals force
In physical chemistry, the van der Waals force , named after Dutch scientist Johannes Diderik van der Waals, is the sum of the attractive or repulsive forces between molecules other than those due to covalent bonds or to the electrostatic interaction of ions with one another or with neutral...
s. This situation occurs most noticeably when carboxylic acid or ketone is involved as a substituent of the allylic group. Resonance effect on the carboxylic group shifts the CO double bond to a hydroxy group. The carboxylic group will thus function as a hydroxyl group that will cause a large allylic strain to form and cancel the stabilization effects of the extended conjugation. This is very common in enolization reactions and can be viewed in the figure below under "Acidic Conditions."
In situations where the molecule can either be in a conjugated system or avoid allylic strain, it has been shown that the molecule's major form will be the one that avoids strain. This has been found via the cyclization in the figure below. Under treatment of perchloric acid, molecule A cyclizes into the conjugated system show in molecule B. However, the molecule will rearrange (due to allylic strain) into molecule C, causing molecule C to be the major species. Thus, the magnitude of destabilization via the allyic strain outweighs the stabilization caused by the conjugated system.
Acidic Conditions
In cases where an enolizationKeto-enol tautomerism
In organic chemistry, keto-enol tautomerism refers to a chemical equilibrium between a keto form and an enol . The enol and keto forms are said to be tautomers of each other...
is occurring around an allylic group (usually as part of a cyclic system), A1,3 strain can cause the reaction to be nearly impossible. In these situations, acid treatment would normally cause the alkene to become protonated
Protonation
In chemistry, protonation is the addition of a proton to an atom, molecule, or ion. Some classic examples include*the protonation of water by sulfuric acid:*the protonation of isobutene in the formation of a carbocation:2C=CH2 + HBF4 → 3C+ + BF4−*the protonation of ammonia in the...
, moving the double bond to the carboxylic
Carboxylic acid
Carboxylic acids are organic acids characterized by the presence of at least one carboxyl group. The general formula of a carboxylic acid is R-COOH, where R is some monovalent functional group...
group, changing it to a hydroxy group
Hydroxyl
A hydroxyl is a chemical group containing an oxygen atom covalently bonded with a hydrogen atom. In inorganic chemistry, the hydroxyl group is known as the hydroxide ion, and scientists and reference works generally use these different terms though they refer to the same chemical structure in...
. The resulting allylic strain between the alcohol and the other group involved in the allylic system is so great that the reaction can not occur under normal thermodynamic conditions. This same enolization occurs much more rapidly under basic conditions, as the carboxylic group is retained in the transition state and allows the molecule to adopt a conformation that does not cause allylic strain.
Application of Allylic Strain in Organic Reactions and Total Synthesis
Origin of Stereoselectivity of Organic Reactions from Allylic Strain
When one is considering allylic strain, one needs to consider the possible conformers and the possible stereoelectronic demand of the reaction. For example, in the conformation of (Z)-4-methylpent-2-ene, the molecule isn't frozen in the favored conformer but rotates in the dihedral angle around 30o at <1kcal/mol cost. In stereoselective reactions, there are 2 effects of allylic strain on the reaction which is the sterics effect and the electronic effects. The sterics effect is where the largest group prefer to be the farthest from the alkene. The electronic effect is where the orbitals of the subsituents prefer to align anti or outside of the orbitals depending on the reaction.Hydroboration Reaction
The hydroboration reaction is a useful reaction to functionalize alkenes to alcohols. In the reaction the trimethylsilyl (TMS) group fulfill 2 roles in directing the stereoselectivity of the reaction. First, the bulky size of TMS helped the molecule to preferably adopt a conformation where the TMS is not close to the methyl group on the alkene. Second, the TMS group conferred a stereoelectronic effect on the molecule by adopting an anti conformation to the directing orbitals of the alkene. For the regioselectivity of the reaction, the TMS group can stabilize the developing partial positive charge on the secondary carbon a lot better than a methyl group.Aldol Reaction
In the highly versatile and widely used Evans’ Aldol Reaction, allylic strain played a major role in the development of the reaction. The Z enolate was created to avoid the allylic strain with oxazolidinone. The formation of a specific enolate enforces the development of relative stereochemistry throughout the reaction, making the aldol reaction a very predictive and useful methodology out there to synthesize chiral molecules. The absolute stereochemistry is then determined by the chirality of the oxazolidinone.There is another aspect of aldol reaction that is influenced by the allylic strain. On the second aldol reaction, the product which is a 1,3 dicarbonyl is formed in high diastereoselectivity. This is because the acidity of the proton is significantly reduced because for the deprotonation to occur, it will have to go through a developing allylic strain in the unfavored conformation. In the favored conformation, the proton is not aligned properly for deprotonation to occur.
Diels-Alder Reaction
In intramolecular Diels-Alder Reaction, asymmetric induction can be induced through allylic 1,3 strain on the diene or the dienophile. In the following example, the methyl group on the dienophile forced the molecule to adopt that specific 6-membered ring conformation on the molecule.In the model studies to synthesize chlorothricolide, an intramolecular Diels Alder reaction gave a mixture of diastereomers. But by installing the a bulky TMS substituent, the reaction gave the desired product in high diastereoselectivity and regioselectivity in good yield. The bulky TMS substituent helps enhance allylic 1,3 strain in the conformation of the molecule.