Bagrat A. Shainyan, Svetlana V. Kirpichenko, Erich Kleinpeter, Sergey A. Shlykov, Dmitriy Yu. Osadchiy

• The molecular structure and conformational behavior of 3-methyl-3-phenyl-3-silatetrahydropyran 1 was studied by gas-phase electron diffraction (GED-MS), low temperature C-13 NMR spectroscopy (LT NMR) and theoretical calculations. The 1-Ph-eq and 1-Ph-ax conformers were located on the potential energy surface. Rotation about the Si-C-ph bond revealed the phenyl ring orthogonal to the averaged plane of the silatetrahydropyran ring for 1-Ph-eq and a twisted orientation for 1-Ph-ax. Theoretical calculations and GED analysis indicate the predominance of 1-Ph-ax in the gas phase with the ratio of conformers (GED) 1-Ph-eq:1-Ph-ax=38:62 (Delta G degrees(307)=-0.29 kcal/mol). In solution, LT NMR spectroscopy gives almost the opposite ratio Ph-eq:1-Ph-ax=68:32 (Delta G degrees(103)=0.16 kcal/mol). Simulation of solvent effects using the PCM continuum model or by calculation of the solvent-solute complexes allowed us to rationalize the experimentally observed opposite conformational predominance of the conformers of compound 1 in the gas phaseThe molecular structure and conformational behavior of 3-methyl-3-phenyl-3-silatetrahydropyran 1 was studied by gas-phase electron diffraction (GED-MS), low temperature C-13 NMR spectroscopy (LT NMR) and theoretical calculations. The 1-Ph-eq and 1-Ph-ax conformers were located on the potential energy surface. Rotation about the Si-C-ph bond revealed the phenyl ring orthogonal to the averaged plane of the silatetrahydropyran ring for 1-Ph-eq and a twisted orientation for 1-Ph-ax. Theoretical calculations and GED analysis indicate the predominance of 1-Ph-ax in the gas phase with the ratio of conformers (GED) 1-Ph-eq:1-Ph-ax=38:62 (Delta G degrees(307)=-0.29 kcal/mol). In solution, LT NMR spectroscopy gives almost the opposite ratio Ph-eq:1-Ph-ax=68:32 (Delta G degrees(103)=0.16 kcal/mol). Simulation of solvent effects using the PCM continuum model or by calculation of the solvent-solute complexes allowed us to rationalize the experimentally observed opposite conformational predominance of the conformers of compound 1 in the gas phase and in solution. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.…