Molecular and electronic structures of the purple chromophore RC(NH2)(NSePh) (R = H, 4-CH3C6H4)

Abstract

The reaction of Li[4-CH3C6H4C(NSiMe3)2] with PhECl (E = S, Se) in a 1:1 molar ratio produces the monosubstituted derivatives 4-CH3C6H4C(NEPh)[N(SiMe3)2] (3b, E = Se; 3d, E = S). The thermolysis of 3b at 130 °C produces PhSeN(SiMe3)2 and 4-CH3C6H4CN. Crystals of 3b slowly acquire a purple stain upon prolonged standing at 23 °C owing to the formation of 4-CH3C6H4C(NH2)(NSePh) (4c, λmax = 551 nm). The formamidine derivative HC(NH2)(NSePh) (4a, λmax = 472 nm) was isolated from the reaction of HCN2(SiMe3)3 with PhSeCl (1:3 molar ratio) in dichloromethane. The structure of 4a was shown by X-ray crystallography to involve a syn configuration at the [Formula: see text] bond and hydrogen bonding between amino nitrogen atoms. The crystals of 4a are monoclinic, space group P21 (No. 4), with a = 7.514(1), b = 5.575(1), c = 8.925(1) Å, β = 100.71(1)°, V = 367.40(6) Å3, and Z = 2. The final R and Rw values were 0.055 and 0.060, respectively. The 1H and 77Se NMR spectra indicate that both 4a and 4c exist as a mixture of tautomers in THF solution. DFT calculations for the model tautomers HC(NH2)(NER) and HC(NH)(NHER) (E = S, Se; R = H, Ph) show that the former is more stable in all cases, but the difference in total bonding energy is smaller for selenium than for sulfur (17.5 vs. 29 kJ mol−1). The visible absorption band for 4a is assigned to the HOMO–LUMO transition (ΔE = 2.90 eV, λmax = 427 nm) of the minor tautomer. Keywords: formamidine, tautomer, selenium, purple chromophore.