Relative stabilities of nitrenium ions derived from polycyclic aromatic amines. Relationship to mutagenicity.

The relative energetics of arylamine N-hydroxylation and N-O heterolysis (ArNH2----ArNHOH----ArNH+) for condensed systems of two, three and four rings were calculated using semiempirical AM1 molecular orbital theory. The overall thermodynamics of N-hydroxylation were almost insensitive to the structure of the amine while differences in the energetics of nitrenium ion formation varied from 0 to 35 kcal mol-1. Limited correlations between the latter and the experimental TA98 and TA100 mutagenicities of the amines are presented.