Electronic substituent effect on intramolecular CH/π interaction as evidenced by NOE experiments

In order to demonstrate the hydrogen-bond-like character of the CH/π interaction, electronic substituent effects on the equilibria between the stretched and the folded conformers of series of compounds capable of forming CH/π interactions were examined by measurements of NOE enhancements of 1H NMR signals. Nuclear Overhauser enhancement is shown to be useful to determine the abundance of the CH/π proximate folded conformer. The Hammett plots of all series of the compounds capable of having CH/π interaction gave negative ρ values. Together with other substituent effects (effects of electronegative substituents, on the CH donor, of ring size, and of α-alkyl substituent), the involvement of delocalization interaction and the hydrogen-bond-like character of the CH/π interaction were established.