We previously developed a reliable method for multiparametric scaling of Fermi contacts to achieve fast and accurate prediction of proton-proton spin-spin coupling constants (SSCC) in (1)H NMR. We now report that utilization of NBO hybridization coefficients for carbon atoms in the involved C-H bonds allows for a significant simplification of this parametric scheme, requiring only four general types of SSCCs: geminal, vicinal, 1,3-, and long-range constants. The method is optimized for inexpensive B3LYP/6-31G(d) molecular geometries. A new DU8 basis set, based on a training set of 475 experimental spin-spin coupling constants, is developed for hydrogen and common non-hydrogen atoms (Li, B, C, N, O, F, Si, P, S, Cl, Se, Br, I) to calculate Fermi contacts. On a test set of 919 SSCCs from a diverse collection of natural products and complex synthetic molecules the method gave excellent accuracy of 0.29 Hz (rmsd) with the maximum unsigned error not exceeding 1 Hz.

Spin-spin coupling constants in (1)H NMR carry a wealth of structural information and offer a powerful tool for deciphering molecular structures. However, accurate ab initio or DFT calculations of spin-spin coupling constants have been very challenging and expensive. Scaling of (easy) Fermi contacts, fc, especially in the context of recent findings by Bally and Rablen (Bally, T.; Rablen, P. R. J. Org. Chem. 2011, 76, 4818), offers a framework for achieving practical evaluation of spin-spin coupling constants. We report a faster and more precise parametrization approach utilizing a new basis set for hydrogen atoms optimized in conjunction with (i) inexpensive B3LYP/6-31G(d) molecular geometries, (ii) inexpensive 4-31G basis set for carbon atoms in fc calculations, and (iii) individual parametrization for different atom types/hybridizations, not unlike a force field in molecular mechanics, but designed for the fc's. With the training set of 608 experimental constants we achieved rmsd <0.19 Hz. The methodology performs very well as we illustrate with a set of complex organic natural products, including strychnine (rmsd 0.19 Hz), morphine (rmsd 0.24 Hz), etc. This precision is achieved with much shorter computational times: accurate spin-spin coupling constants for the two conformers of strychnine were computed in parallel on two 16-core nodes of a Linux cluster within 10 min.

Previously, we reported a reliable DU8 method for natural bond orbital (NBO)-aided parametric scaling of Fermi contacts to achieve fast and accurate prediction of proton-proton spin-spin coupling constants (SSCC) in (1)H NMR. As sophisticated NMR experiments for precise measurements of carbon-proton SSCCs are becoming more user-friendly and broadly utilized by the organic chemistry community to guide and inform the process of structure determination of complex organic compounds, we have now developed a fast and accurate method for computing (13)C-(1)H SSCCs. Fermi contacts computed with the DU8 basis set are scaled using selected NBO parameters in conjunction with empirical scaling coefficients. The method is optimized for inexpensive B3LYP/6-31G(d) geometries. The parametric scaling is based on a carefully selected training set of 274 ((3)J), 193 ((2)J), and 143 ((1)J) experimental (13)C-(1)H spin-spin coupling constants reported in the literature. The DU8 basis set, optimized for computing Fermi contacts, which by design had evolved from optimization of a collection of inexpensive 3-21G*, 4-21G, and 6-31G(d) bases, offers very short computational (wall) times even for relatively large organic molecules containing 15-20 carbon atoms. The most informative SSCCs for structure determination, i.e., (3)J, were computed with an accuracy of 0.41 Hz (rmsd). The new unified approach for computing (1)H-(1)H and (13)C-(1)H SSCCs is termed "DU8c".

Ring the changes: A new photoassisted approach to give conformationally constrained N,O,S‐polyheterocyclic scaffolds of unprecedented topologies was achieved by intramolecular [4+4] and [4+2] cycloadditions of photogenerated o‐azaxylylenes (23 examples; see scheme). The precursors can be readily assembled by simple and high‐yielding reactions, thus making this a powerful synthetic method amenable to high‐throughput diversity‐oriented synthesis.

The mechanism of intramolecular cycloadditions of azaxylylenes photogenerated via excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) in aromatic o-amido ketones and aldehydes bearing unsaturated functionalities was studied experimentally and computationally. In time-correlated single-photon counting experiments, no relation was found between lifetimes of singlet species and the nature of the amide pendant, either unsaturated furanpropanamide, capable of photocyclization, or the acetamide control. Steady-state emission for amido-tetralone derivatives showed comparable dual emission bands, but bromo substitution decreased the intensity of the ESIPT band. The most reactive derivatives of amidobenzaldehydes were virtually lacking the ESIPT band. The quantum yield of cycloaddition is decreased in the presence of triplet quenchers, O2 or trans-piperylene, and improved with heavy atom substitution in the aromatic ring, providing further evidence for the initial mechanistic hypothesis in which the fast singlet-state ESIPT is accompanied by the ISC in the tautomer (azaxylylene), which undergoes stepwise addition to the tethered unsaturated pendants.