Structure and isomerization of arenonium ions of dichlorobenzenes in the gas phase. A theoretical study

Ab initio MP2 calculations of all isomeric arenoium ions (AI) ofortho-, meta-, andpara-dichlorobenzenes in the gas phase were carried out with full optimization of geometry with the 6–31 G^* basis set. The calculated proton affinities depend substantially on the position of geminal center in the corresponding dichlorobenzenonium ion and decrease in the series 1,2-dichloro-4H-benzenonium>1,2-dichloro-3H-benzenonium>1,2-dichloro-2H-benzenonium; 1,3-dichloro-4H-benzenonium>1,2-dichloro-3H-benzenonium >1,3-dichloro-5H-benzenonium>1,3-dichloro-3H-benzenonium; 1,4-dichloro-2H-benzenonium >1,4-dichloro-4H-benzenonium. The structures of transition states and activation energies (E _a) of almost all 1,2-shifts of H and Cl atoms in Al were determined. The activation energies of migrations of H atoms are about 6 kcal mol⁻¹ less than those of migrations of Cl atoms in similar structures. The isomerization routes and relations between the rate constants for isomerization of dichlorobenzenes through Al were established. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 9, pp. 1726–1731, September, 1998.