13C Chemical shifts of some azaindolizines versus electron charge distribution

Abstract

Azaindolizines, which contain all possible combinations of nitrogen atoms within the five-membered ring moiety, are used as models for the investigation of a relationship between electron charge distribution and 13C shifts. A linear correlation is observed between the shifts and total rather than π-charge densities as calculated by the INDO-MO method. The average excitation energy (AEE) approximation in the theory of nuclear screening is shown to hold separately for the CH moieties and the carbon atoms at the ring junction in indolizines. An empirical correlation with charge densities is obtained from the AEE method, as a result of the compensation of effects within the local paramagnetic term and the prevailing contribution to the latter of the effective nuclear charge. 13C shifts afford a reasonable measure of the total net charges at the carbon atoms of indolizines. The INDO calculations indicate that the π-charges follow the pattern suggested by simple resonance structures but the overall charge density depends heavily on σ-core polarization effects.