Quantitative 2H NMR spectroscopy

The selectivity of deuterium distribution between the nonequivalent positions in 3-carene (1), 4-alpha-acetyl-2-carene (2), and 4-(1-hydroxyethyl)-2-carene (3) has been measured by H-2-{H-1} NMR spectroscopy at the natural abundance of deuterium. These "H/D-isotope portraits" were shown to be typical of terpenes and terpenoids produced in plants via the biosynthetic DXP pathway. The mechanism of acylation of 1 was studied by the density functional theory method (PBE functional, TZ2p basis set). The six-membered ring in compound 1 is planar. However, the endo attack of electrophiles on this ring is more favorable both kinetically and thermodynamically. It was shown both experimentally and theoretically that the elimination of a hydrogen atom in the second reaction step proceeds stereoselectively at the C(2) atom from the anti position with respect to the three-membered ring and occurs with pronounced nucleophilic assistance from the carbonyl group.