Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Stereoselectivity of hydrogen 1,2-shifts in singlet alkylcarbenes: A quantitative theoretical assessment of ground-state orbital alignment and torsional and steric effects

Journal Article · · Journal of the American Chemical Society; (United States)
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/ja00181a018· OSTI ID:5891507
;  [1]
  1. Univ. of California, Los Angeles (United States)

The influence of ground-state {sigma}{sub CH} alignment on the rates of singlet carbene hydrogen 1,2-shifts has been studied with ab initio molecular orbital theory. Geometry optimizations were performed on five model systems with restricted Hartree-Fock calculations and the 3-21G or 6-31G* basis sets. These systems are dimethylcarbene, cyclohexylidene (carbenacyclohexane), carbena-2-norbornane, carbena-2-norbornene, and brexan-5-ylidene (carbena-5-brexane). The effect of electron correlation was included with use of second-order Moller-Plesset theory with the 6-31G* basis on the optimized 6-31G* geometries. Electron correlation was found to have no effect upon the relative activation energies, which are in excellent accord with experiment. The exo selectivities observed and predicted for 1,2-shifts in rigid systems are explained by torsional and steric interactions that develop in the transition structures. Ground-state orbital alignment induces significant geometric distortions yet has little influence on the rates of rearrangements of singlet alkylcarbenes. Because the planar double-bond geometry of the product is already achieved in the 1,2-shift transition structure, there is no difference in the activation energy for axial and equatorial hydrogen migration in cyclohexylidene.

OSTI ID:
5891507
Journal Information:
Journal of the American Chemical Society; (United States), Journal Name: Journal of the American Chemical Society; (United States) Vol. 112:25; ISSN 0002-7863; ISSN JACSA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English