Thermodynamics and kinetics of monohalogenation of 2,2,5,5-tetramethylimidazolidin-4-one: A theoretical study

ORGN 122

Akin Akdag, akdaga1@auburn.edu, Michael L. McKee, mckee@chem.auburn.edu, and S. D. Worley, worlesd@auburn.edu. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849
For more than two decades, our research group at Auburn University has been involved in synthesis and development of N-halamines as biocidal agents. In this regard, numerous N-halamine compounds have been developed and synthesized. It was found that monohalogenation of 1 occurs at the amide nitrogen; then the halogen migrates to the amine nitrogen (2 to 3). In other words, the kinetically controlled and thermodynamically controlled products are 2 and 3, respectively. Although this phenomenon was observed by NMR studies, the course of the halogen migration was not understood. In this study, this problem has been approached from a theoretical point of view. We have investigated the problem at the level of B3LYP/6-311+G(2d, p) and the CPCM solvation model. The results of this study are consistent with the prior experiments and will be presented.