MM3 Conformational Analysis and X‐ray Crystal Structure of 2,3,4,5‐Tetra‐O‐Acetyl‐N,N′‐Dimethyl‐D‐Glucaramide as a Conformational Model for the d‐Glucaryl Unit of Poly(Alkylene 2,3,4,5‐Tetra‐O‐Acetyl‐d‐Glucaramides)

Abstract

This report describes the MM3 conformational analysis and X‐ray crystal structure of tetra‐O‐acetyl‐N,N′‐dimethyl‐d‐glucaramide as a conformational model for the D‐glucaryl monomer unit of poly(alkylene tetra‐O‐acyl‐d‐glucaramides). The driving force for this study was to determine the conformational preferences for the diacid unit as a function of the increasing steric bulk of pendant O‐acyl groups: acetyl, propanoyl, 2‐methylpropanoyl, and 2,2‐dimethylpropanoyl. The model dialkyl d‐glucaramides all displayed a large vicinal proton coupling between the central backbone glucaryl hydrogens, indicating an essentially fixed anti conformational arrangement of these protons. The MM3 molecular mechanics program was then applied to calculate the corresponding low‐energy conformations of the structurally simplest of these molecules, tetra‐O‐acetyl‐N,N′‐dimethyl‐d‐glucaramide (4). Given the large number of dihedral angles to be considered and the apparent rigidity of these molecules around the central carbons of the glucaryl backbone, a number of conformational approximations based upon model compounds were applied regarding the rotameric disposition of the pendant O‐acetyl and terminal N‐methyl groups. The calculated, and dominant, lowest energy conformer has a sickle structure very similar to the global minimum conformation previously calculated for unprotected d‐glucaramide. The x‐ray crystal structure data from 4 indicated an extended conformation in the solid state and gave solid‐state torsion angle information that was comparable to that obtained computationally.

Keywords:

• Molecular mechanics
• MM3
• Tetra‐O‐acetyl‐N
• N′‐dimethyl‐d‐glucaramide

Acknowledgements

This work was funded by grants from the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Services, awards 2002‐34463‐11929 and 2003‐34463‐13003, and the Nebraska Corn Development, Utilization and Marketing Board. J. Zhang also thanks the Shafizadeh Center for additional support as a graduate student while at the University of Montana.