Conformational dynamic investigation of 1,5-benzodioxepin and its dimethyl derivative by 1H and 13C nmr

Abstract

The conformational and dynamic properties of 1,5-dioxa-6,7-benzocycloheptene (2; 1,5-benzodioxepin) and its dimethyl derivative (7) have been investigated by dynamic 1H and 13C nmr methods. Analysis of the spectra at low temperatures (below coalescence) indicates that the most stable seven-membered ring conformations detected for solutions in CHF2Cl are a mixture of the chair (C, 80%) and the twist-boat (TB, 20%) for 2 and a mixture of TB (64%) and C (36%) for 7. Free energy barriers were determined for the chair inversion of 2 (6.5 kcal/mol) and 7 (7.5 kcal/mol) as well as for the twist-boat pseudorotation of 7 (6.8 kcal/mol). The conformational properties of these seven-membered heterocycles are discussed and compared to those known for 2,4-benzodioxepins.