Theoretical Study of Molecular Structure, Reactivity, Lipophilicity, and Solubility of N-Hydroxyurea, N-Hydroxythiourea, and N-Hydroxysilaurea

Abstract

Ab initio molecular orbital methods at the CBS-QB3 level of theory have been used to study the structure and gas-phase stability of various tautomers and rotamers of N-hydroxyurea, N-hydroxythiourea, and N-hydroxysilaurea, their anions and protonated forms. The geometries of N-hydroxyurea, N-hydroxythiourea, and N-hydroxysilaurea, their anions and cations were optimized at the Becke3LYP/CBSB7 level of theory. For all compounds studied, the amidic form is computed to be substantially more stable than the iminolic tautomer. N-Hydroxyurea and its thio and sila derivatives are computed to behave as Nacids in the gas phase. These compounds are in gas-phase weak acids with a calculated acidity of about 1425 to 1355 kJ-mol⁻¹. Basicities increase in the order: N-hydroxyurea < N-hydroxythiourea < N-hydroxysilaurea. The most stable protonated structures are represented by several isomers with almost equal stability. Thus, in the N-hydroxyurea, N-hydroxythiourea, and N-hydroxysilaurea, both protonation at the double bonded (C=O, C=S and Si=O) oxygen and sulfur atoms, as well as the protonation at the N(H)OH nitrogen basic center is equally probable. The experimental pK _a value (10.6) of N-hydroxyurea and the computed value (9.7) for its monohydrated complex with the specifically hydrogen-bonded water molecule to the ionizable OH group are in a good agreement. The experimental partition coefficient of N-hydroxyurea is best reproduced by the Alog P_s method. The formation of nitroxide radical in the reaction of N-hydroxyurea and its sulfur and silicon substituted derivatives with the phenol radical is an exothermic process. Thus, the \bondN(H)OH moiety of these compounds may quench the structurally related tyrosyl radicals in the active site of ribonucleotide reductase.