Potentials of the corresponding anions.29,69,329 One version of this is available online.29 Kochi and others have discussed outer-sphere electron transfer reactions of organic compounds330 and Eberson’s book on electron transfer in organic chemistry is particularly useful.331 Recently, Luo has assembled an excellent and very extensive monograph on bond dissociation energies (which is also in part available online).59 The second section below discusses the thermochemistry of nicotinamide derivatives and analogs, which are perhaps the most important biological PCET reagents with reactive C bonds. There are a number of other redox-active C bonds in biology that we would like to include, such as the glycine that is Alvocidib web oxidized to a glycyl radical in the catalytic cycle of pyruvate formate-lyase activating enzyme332 and the adenosine methyl C bond that is formed and cleaved in the catalytic cycles of vitamin B12 and radical-SAM enzymes.333 However, little experimental thermochemistry is available for these systems; the interested reader is referred to computational studies.334 Finally, this section concludes with a discussion of the PCET thermochemistry of H2. 5.8.1 Hydrocarbons–Gas phase C BDEs of hydrocarbons have been repeatedly reviewed, but the reader is cautioned that the “best” values have changed over time (the reasons for this are nicely explained by Tsang70). Two of the more valuable current sources are a review by Blanksby and Ellison of gas phase BDEs of common organic and inorganicNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptChem Rev. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 December 8.Warren et al.Pagecompounds37 and Luo’s monograph mentioned above.59 Table 17 presents some of these data for hydrocarbons (and xanthene), as well as a few pKa and E values. For a number of entries in the Table, the solution bond strength has been calculated from the gas phase value using Abraham’s model, which is expected to work well here. In the absence of strong hydrogen bonding, the energies of solution are small and the differences in these energies should be very small [e.g., Gsolv?R? ?Gsolv?RH) 0]. This means that the solution bond strengths differ from the gas phase values primarily by the different solvation energies of H?(see eq 11 above). Using this method, we estimate BDFE(H3C-H) 106 kcal mol-1 in water and, using eq 16, E?CH3?-) = -0.7 V vs. NHE. For several aromatic hydrocarbons, redox potentials E(R?/0) are available in MeCN solvent. 335 For toluene, p-xylene and fluorene there are also data for the reduction of the neutral radical R? and estimates can be made of the pKas in MeCN. Thus, a complete cycle can be made for these reagents. However, readers should be cautioned that potentials and pKas that are very high or very low are BMS-791325 web difficult to measure and may have larger errors. These hydrocarbons, as exemplified by toluene, are extreme examples of reagents that prefer to react by H?transfer rather than the stepwise paths of ET-PT or PT-ET. Few reagents are basic or oxidizing enough to mediate single electron or single proton transfers with toluene and other alkyl aromatics, yet the toluene C is of modest strength and is relatively easily abstracted. As discussed in more detail below, toluene is oxidized by a variety of transition metal complexes and most of these reactions must proceed via concerted transfer of H?because the stepwise electron transfer or proton transfer intermediates are simply too.Potentials of the corresponding anions.29,69,329 One version of this is available online.29 Kochi and others have discussed outer-sphere electron transfer reactions of organic compounds330 and Eberson’s book on electron transfer in organic chemistry is particularly useful.331 Recently, Luo has assembled an excellent and very extensive monograph on bond dissociation energies (which is also in part available online).59 The second section below discusses the thermochemistry of nicotinamide derivatives and analogs, which are perhaps the most important biological PCET reagents with reactive C bonds. There are a number of other redox-active C bonds in biology that we would like to include, such as the glycine that is oxidized to a glycyl radical in the catalytic cycle of pyruvate formate-lyase activating enzyme332 and the adenosine methyl C bond that is formed and cleaved in the catalytic cycles of vitamin B12 and radical-SAM enzymes.333 However, little experimental thermochemistry is available for these systems; the interested reader is referred to computational studies.334 Finally, this section concludes with a discussion of the PCET thermochemistry of H2. 5.8.1 Hydrocarbons–Gas phase C BDEs of hydrocarbons have been repeatedly reviewed, but the reader is cautioned that the “best” values have changed over time (the reasons for this are nicely explained by Tsang70). Two of the more valuable current sources are a review by Blanksby and Ellison of gas phase BDEs of common organic and inorganicNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptChem Rev. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2011 December 8.Warren et al.Pagecompounds37 and Luo’s monograph mentioned above.59 Table 17 presents some of these data for hydrocarbons (and xanthene), as well as a few pKa and E values. For a number of entries in the Table, the solution bond strength has been calculated from the gas phase value using Abraham’s model, which is expected to work well here. In the absence of strong hydrogen bonding, the energies of solution are small and the differences in these energies should be very small [e.g., Gsolv?R? ?Gsolv?RH) 0]. This means that the solution bond strengths differ from the gas phase values primarily by the different solvation energies of H?(see eq 11 above). Using this method, we estimate BDFE(H3C-H) 106 kcal mol-1 in water and, using eq 16, E?CH3?-) = -0.7 V vs. NHE. For several aromatic hydrocarbons, redox potentials E(R?/0) are available in MeCN solvent. 335 For toluene, p-xylene and fluorene there are also data for the reduction of the neutral radical R? and estimates can be made of the pKas in MeCN. Thus, a complete cycle can be made for these reagents. However, readers should be cautioned that potentials and pKas that are very high or very low are difficult to measure and may have larger errors. These hydrocarbons, as exemplified by toluene, are extreme examples of reagents that prefer to react by H?transfer rather than the stepwise paths of ET-PT or PT-ET. Few reagents are basic or oxidizing enough to mediate single electron or single proton transfers with toluene and other alkyl aromatics, yet the toluene C is of modest strength and is relatively easily abstracted. As discussed in more detail below, toluene is oxidized by a variety of transition metal complexes and most of these reactions must proceed via concerted transfer of H?because the stepwise electron transfer or proton transfer intermediates are simply too.