Conformational studies by dynamic NMR. 78. Stereomutation of the helical enantiomers of trigonal carbon diaryl-substituted compounds: dimesitylketone, dimesitylthioketone, and dimesitylethylene.

The free energies of activation for the enantiomerization of the title compounds (Mes2C = X, Mes = 2,4,6-trimethylphenyl) were determined by dynamic NMR to be 4.6, 6.5, and 9.2 kcal mol-1 for X = O, S, and CH2, respectively. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction showed that the structure of dimesitylketone is that of a propeller (C2 symmetry) with the mesityl rings twisted by 50 degrees with respect to the plane of carbonyl. The same structure was predicted by molecular mechanics calculations, which also produced good agreement between computed and experimental barriers for a dynamic process where a disrotatory one-ring flip pathway reverses the helicity of the conformational enantiomers. Solid-state NMR spectra indicated that the enantiomerization barrier in the crystal must be much higher (at least 19 kcal mol-1) than that in solution. Contrary to the case of dimesitylketone, the calculated barrier of dimesitylethylene agrees better with the experimental value if the enantiomerization process is assumed to be a conrotatory two-ring flip pathway.