DFT investigation of sites of protonation of antitumor of 2‐(4‐aminophenyl)benzazoles in the gas phase and in solution

The proton affinity on each of the possible sites in the antitumor 2‐(4‐aminophenyl)benzazoles has been calculated at the B3LYP/6‐311G** level of theory in the gas phase and in solution. The N 3 ‐site of protonation is found to be strongly favored over the NH 2 ‐site for the studied compounds both in gas phase and in solution. The stability of N 3 ‐protonated species is explained by the resonance interaction of the NH 2 ‐group with the heterocyclic ring. The potential energy surface (PES) for the protonation process was studied at the density functional theory (DFT)/B3LYP/6‐311++G** level of theory. Solvent effects on the PES were also examined using two models: Onsager self‐consistent field and polarizable continuum model (PCM). © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2005