Aminequinone-hydroxylquinoneimine tautomeric equilibrium revisited: molecular modeling study of the tautomeric equilibrium and substituent effects in 4-(4-R-phenylamino)naphthalene-1,2-diones.

Semi-empirical (AM1 and PM3) and DFT (B3LYP/6-31G(d)) calculations were employed to study the tautomeric equilibrium between the aminequinone A and hydroxylquinoneimine B forms of 4-(4-R-phenylamino)naphthalene-1,2-diones. Substituent effects on the tautomeric equilibrium as well as on geometric and electronic parameters were also determined. In the gas phase the hydroxylquinoneimine B form is the most stable, whereas in water the aminequinone A form becomes more stable. The substituents do not modify the relative energies of the two tautomers. These results are in accordance with experimental data reported in the literature.