Substituent effects on the Bergman cyclization of (Z)‐1,5‐hexadiyne‐3‐enes: a systematic computational study

The effects of several substituents (? BH₂, ? BF₂, ? AlH₂, ? CH₃, ? C₆H₅, ? CN, ? COCH₃, ? CF₃, ? SiH₃, ? NH₂, ? NH₃⁺, ? NO₂, ? PH₂, ? OH, ? OH₂⁺, ? SH, ? F, ? Cl, ? Br) on the Bergman cyclization of (Z)‐1,5‐hexadiyne‐3‐ene (enediyne, 3 ) were investigated at the Becke–Lee–Yang–Parr (BLYP) density functional (DFT) level employing a 6‐31G* basis set. Some of the substituents (? NH₃⁺, ? NO₂, ? OH, ? OH₂⁺, ? F, ? Cl, ? Br) are able to lower the barrier (up to a minimum of 16.9 kcal mol^?1 for difluoro‐enediyne 7rr ) and the reaction enthalpy (the cyclization is predicted to be exergonic for ? OH₂⁺ and ? F) compared to the parent system giving rise to substituted 1,4‐dehydrobenzenes at physiological temperatures. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Comput Chem 22: 1605–1614, 2001