DFT/B3LYP calculations of the ground-state conformation of eight cyclic and acyclic acetals are presented and compared with experimental data. Results of single-point GIAO/DFT calculations at five different levels of theory show that isotropic shieldings need to be empirically scaled to achieve agreement with experimental chemical shifts. Statistical evaluation of data indicates that the most accurate prediction of 13C chemical shifts is achieved at the MPW1PW91/6-311G** level of theory. An empirical equation describing the relationship between delta values and shielding constants is postulated. This equation has been applied to the non-chair ground-state conformation of the six-membered acetonide and to the conformationally flexible benzodioxonine derivative. The agreement observed between the experimental and predicted chemical shifts shows that calculations at the MPW1PW91/6-311G** level of theory are adequate for addressing questions of conformation.

Conformations of the title compounds were examined using DFT calculations and NBO analysis in order to find the origins of their conformational preferences. The most stable conformations were TBC and TCBtype-1 for the 2,4- and 3,5-benzodioxonine derivatives, respectively. In both of these conformations the acetal moiety adopts the g+/-g+/- geometry. The NBO analysis yielded values of the stabilization energy associated with the stereoelectronic nO --> sigmaC-O* interactions that were highest for conformations other than the global minima. Conformers displaying the strongest interactions followed different patterns of atom arrangement within the acetal moiety, namely g+g-, and those in which one or both of the torsion angles within the C-O-C-O-C segment were close to 90 degrees . Steric repulsion caused by alkyl substituents at the anomeric carbon was found to influence the strength of the nO --> sigmaC-O* stabilization through modification of bond lengths and torsion angles. The adopted ground-state conformations result from accommodation of steric repulsions and stabilizing stereoelectronic interactions. It was shown that DFT calculations of conformational preferences of acetals together with GIAO prediction of 13C chemical shifts should be a useful methodology for studies on conformation and conformational equilibria of acetals in solution.

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Temperature-dependent (1)H and (13)C-NMR spectra of the title compounds are presented. Coalescence effects are discussed and assigned to dynamic process--the interconversion of bicyclic system. The free energies of activation covered the range 39-52 kJ/mol. The dioxepane ring adopts twist-chair (TC) conformation. GIAO/DFT calculation of isotropic shieldings for the set of low-energy conformations showed that only one conformer is present at 298 K in solution that matched well with experimental data.