Use of quantum-chemical parameters for forecasting antiradical (HO·) activity of related structures containing a cinnamic mold fragment. III. Chalcones, flavanones and flavones with phloroglucinic type of ring “A”

42 derivatives of chalcone, flavanone and flavone having a phloroglucinic type of ring “A” and containing the same electron-donating substituents on ring “B”, have been studied. Flavonoids with the phloroglucinic type of ring “A” are the most common in nature, which is due to the peculiarities of biogenetic formation with the participation of malonyl and acetyl fragments.

The aim. To determine the effect of the hydroxy group in position 6’ of chalcones and in position 5 of flavanones and flavones on bond numbers (Nµ), free valence indices (Fµ), Mulliken charges (a.e), electron density, unsaturation indices (IUA) of the carbon atoms C-1 → C-6 → C-7 → C-8.

Materials and methods. The calculations of the listed above parameters with the use of the semi-empirical method PM7 (WinMopac 2016 program) have been carried out on a workstation with an Intel Xeon E5-1620 3.5 GHz processor, 20 GB of RAM.

Results. The quantum-chemical characteristics of the considered derivatives having a phloroglucinic type of the “A” ring, indicate that the OH group in position 6’ of chalcones (in the corresponding flavanones and flavones in position 5) has different effects: a slight increase occurs in chalcones negative charge (a.e.) and electron density, the bond numbers take different values, which depends on the position and number of substituents on the ring “B”. In flavanones, Nµ practically remains at the same level of 3.822–3.829. For flavones, the binding numbers Nµ for C-8 are in the range of 3.700–3.706, and the Mulliken charges are in the range from –0.4120 to –0.4356. For position-substituted C-3 (6anone and 7anone), the charges are –0.4436 and –0.4479, respectively. The charge on C-7 of chalcones is negative for compounds 4x, 5x, 10x and 13x from –0.0204 to –0.0470. The remaining derivatives of the chalcone, as well as the corresponding flavanones and flavones, are characterized by a positive value of a.e. on C-7. Based on the bond numbers (Nµ), free valency indices (Fµ) have been found for the carbon atoms of the cinnamoyl fragment C-1 → C-6 → C-7 → C-8. When comparing the obtained data, it was found out that for chalcones on C-1 → C-8 atoms, the values of the free valence indices are in the range of 0.900–0.980 for compounds 12x, 13x, where Fµ>1. For flavanones on C-1, C-3, and C-5 atoms (compounds 12anone and 13anone), the free valence indices are in the range of 0.984-1.024, and for the remaining atoms the value of Fµ is approximately the same as that of chalcones. On the C-8 atoms of all the derivatives, as well as on C-1, C-3 and C-5 (compounds 12one, 13one), Fµ≥1.0. It can be assumed that at values of Fµ=0.850–0.955 for all the analyzed compounds, coupling reactions on the double bond are possible, and if Fµ≥1, the coupling will take place according to the free radical mechanism. The data obtained indicate that the OH group in position 6’ for the chalcone and 5 for the flavanones, does not significantly effect the Mulliken charge (a.e) and the electron density on C-8 atoms.

Conclusion. It has been established that the OH group in position 6’ of the “A” ring of chalcones (in position 5 of the “A” ring in flavones and flavanones) has a conflicting effect on the bond numbers: when passing from chalcone to flavanone, Nµ increases, and then, in flavone, sharply decreases. For C-8 of all flavone derivatives, Fµ≥1. The following conclusion has been confirmed: at the initial stage of the reaction the electrophilic hydroxyl radical is attached at the C-8 position of the cinnamoyl fragment