Solvent Effect on the Stability and Reverse Substituent Effect in Nitropurine Tautomers

The solvent effect on the stability and electron-accepting properties (EA) of the nitro group attached to the C2, C6, or C8 position of nitropurine NH tautomers is investigated. For this purpose, the density functional theory (DFT) and the polarizable continuum model (PCM) of solvation in a wide range of solvents (1 < epsilon < 109) are used. We show that the EA properties of the NO2 group, described by the charge of the substituent active region (cSAR) model, are linearly dependent on the reciprocal of the solvent dielectric constant; in all cases, solvation enhances the EA properties of this group. Furthermore, the sensitivity of EA properties of the nitro group to the solvent effect depends on the proximity effects. It has been shown that the proximity of two endocyclic N atoms (two repulsive interactions) results in higher sensitivity than the asymmetric proximity of the endocyclic N atom and NH group (one repulsive and one attractive interaction). To explain this phenomenon, the geometry of the nitro group in coplanar form and after forcing its rotation around the CN bond is discussed. Relative stabilities of nitropurine tautomers in different solvents are also presented. Differences in the stabilities and solvation energies are explained by aromaticity, electronic structure, and intramolecular interactions of the nitropurine tautomers.