Calculations of the effect of tunneling on the Swain-Schaad exponents (SSEs) for the 1,5-hydrogen shift in 5-methyl-1,3-cyclopentadiene. Can SSEs be used to diagnose the occurrence of tunneling?

MPW1K density functional calculations, carried out with the 6-31+G(d,p) basis set, have been combined with canonical variational transition state theory (CVT) and small-curvature tunneling (SCT) corrections in order to compute the primary kinetic isotope effects for rearrangement of 5-methyl-1,3-cyclopentadiene (1) to 1-methyl-1,3-cyclopentadiene (2). The Swain-Schaad exponents, SSE = ln(kH/kT)/ln(kD/kT), for this reaction have been computed over the temperature range 100-600 K. Tunneling results in both large positive and large negative deviations from the value of SSE = 3.26, expected from consideration of only the effect of the isotopic mass on passage over the reaction barrier. In the rearrangement of 1 to 2, SSE approximately 3.26, not only at temperatures >400 K, where tunneling is relatively unimportant, but also around 170 K, where tunneling by both H and D is the dominant mode of reaction. Thus, from an experimental finding that SSE approximately 3.26 at a single temperature, it cannot be rigorously concluded that tunneling is unimportant. Measurement of SSEs over a broad temperature range is advisable; but measurement of the temperature dependence of just kH/kD can be used to establish more unequivocally whether tunneling is important, without the necessity of measuring kT.     

Ring-expansion reactions in the thermal decomposition of tert-butyl-1,3-cyclopentadiene

The thermal decomposition of tert-butyl-1,3-cyclopentadiene has been investigated in single-pulse shock-tube studies at shock pressures of 182-260 kPa and temperatures of 996-1127 K. Isobutene (2-methylpropene), 1,3-cyclopentadiene, and toluene were observed as the major stable products in the thermolysis of dilute mixtures of the substrate in the presence of a free-radical scavenger. Hydrogen atoms were also inferred to be a primary product of the decomposition and could be quantitatively determined on the basis of products derived from the free-radical scavenger. Of particular interest is the formation of toluene, which involves the expansion of the ring from a five- to a six-membered system. The overall reaction mechanism is suggested to include isomerization of the starting material; a molecular elimination channel; and C-C bond fission reactions, with toluene formation occurring via radical intermediates formed in the latter pathway. These radical intermediates are analogous to those believed to be important in soot formation reactions occurring during combustion. Molecular and thermodynamic properties of key species were determined from G3MP2B3 quantum chemistry calculations and are reported. The temperature dependence of the product spectrum was fit with a detailed chemical kinetic model, and best-fit kinetic parameters were derived using a Nelder-Mead simplex minimization algorithm. Our mechanism and rate constants are consistent with and provide experimental support for the H-atom-assisted routes to the conversion of fulvene to benzene that have been proposed in the literature on the basis of theoretical investigations.     

Effect of the medium on the rate of the degenerate rearrangement of 1,2,3,4,5-pentamethyl-1,3-cyclopentadiene

Conclusions The rate of the 1,2 hydrogen atom shift in the degenerate rearrangement of 1,2,3,4,5-pentamethyl-1,3-cyclopentadiene is only slightly sensitive to variation in the medium.Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya Khimlcheskaya, No. 11, pp. 2622–2624, November, 1985.     

Codimerization of norbornene and 1,3-cyclopentadiene: quantum chemical and experimental research

A comprehensive theoretical and experimental research of the diene synthesis involving norbornene (1) and 1,3-cyclopentadiene (2) was carried out. The thermodynamic and kinetic parameters were evaluated by quantum chemical methods, and the structures of stereoisomeric products and the quantitative estimation of their ratio were predicted. The results of quantum chemical analysis were experimentally confirmed. The structures of codimers of 1 with 2 and their ratio were determined by a number of physicochemical methods. A strategy combining the theoretical and experimental studies and enabling to optimize the search for objects for the synthesis and reaction conditions was proposed.     

Heavy‐Atom Tunneling in the Ring Opening of a Strained Cyclopropene at Very Low Temperatures

The highly strained 1H‐bicyclo[3.1.0]‐hexa‐3,5‐dien‐2‐one 1 is metastable, and rearranges to 4‐oxacyclohexa‐2,5‐dienylidene 2 in inert gas matrices (neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and nitrogen) at temperatures as low as 3 K. The kinetics for this rearrangement show pronounced matrix effects, but in a given matrix, the reaction rate is independent of temperature between 3 and 20 K. This temperature independence means that the activation energy is zero in this temperature range, indicating that the reaction proceeds through quantum mechanical tunneling from the lowest vibrational level of the reactant. At temperatures above 20 K, the rate increases, resulting in curved Arrhenius plots that are also indicative of thermally activated tunneling. These experimental findings are supported by calculations performed at the CASSCF and CASPT2 levels by using the small‐curvature tunneling (SCT) approximation.     

Quantum chemical studies on structure, conformation and isomerization of nitroso, nitro substituted benzene and 1,3-cyclopentadiene

The molecular structure, conformational stability and isomerization of nitroso, nitro substituted benzene and 1,3-cyclopentadiene in gas phase have been investigated using ab initio and density functional theory methods. The molecular geometries and energetics of possible conformers were obtained by employing MP2, B3LYP and B3PW91 levels of theory implementing 6-31G* basis set. The relative stabilities of the conformations were evaluated from the energy differences of the structure. Chemical hardness (η) and chemical potential (μ) were calculated at HF/6-31G* level of theory for all the positional and geometrical isomers to study the maximum hardness principle. Each optimized structure has been tested against the imaginary frequencies at MP2/6-31G* level of theory in order to be sure they are located at energy minimum.     

Copolymerization of carbon monoxide with 1,3-cyclopentadiene by palladium complexes

Copolymerization of carbon monoxide with 1,3-cyclopentadiene (CPD) by palladium complexes, [Pd(CH₃CN)_4?n (PPh₃)n] (BF₄)₂, n = 1–3 (especially n = 1), was studied at 60°C. Results of elementary analysis, infrared spectra, and NMR spectra showed that copolymers containing ketone and ring structures were produced. Phosphorus compounds such as PPh₃ were found to be more effective stabilizing ligands for the catalytic activity compared to arsenic or nitric ligands. A higher activity of the catalyst for the copolymerization of CPD with carbon monoxide was observed in noncoordinating solvents such as CHCl₃ even at a pressure as low as 300 psi. The amount of 1,2 structure for the CPD-CO copolymer increased as the polarity of solvent increased. The copolymer was confirmed to be partially crystalline by the x-ray diffraction. TGA shows that weight loss of copolymer starts at 120°C and the maximum peak of decomposition occurs at 469°C. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Enthalpy of formation of the cyclopentadienyl radical: photoacoustic calorimetry and ab initio studies

The gas-phase C-H bond dissociation enthalpy (BDE) in 1,3-cyclopentadiene has been determined by time-resolved photoacoustic calorimetry (TR-PAC) as 358 +/- 7 kJ mol(-1). Theoretical results from ab initio complete basis-set approaches, including the composite CBS-Q and CBS-QB3 procedures, and basis-set extrapolated coupled-cluster calculations (CCSD(T)) are reported. The CCSD(T) prediction for the C-H BDE of 1,3-cyclopentadiene (353.3 kJ mol(-1)) is in good agreement with the TR-PAC result. On the basis of the experimental and the theoretical values obtained, we recommend 355 +/- 8 kJ mol(-1) for the C-H BDE of 1,3-cyclopentadiene and 271 +/- 8 kJ mol(-1) for the enthalpy of formation of cyclopentadienyl radical.     

Direct-dynamics VTST study of the [1,7] hydrogen shift in 7-methylocta-1,3(Z),5(Z)-triene. A model system for the hydrogen transfer reaction in previtamin D3

Direct-dynamics canonical variational transition-state theory calculations with microcanonically optimized multidimensional transmission coefficient (CVT/muOMT) for tunneling were carried out at the MPWB1K/6-31+G(d,p) level to study the [1,7] sigmatropic hydrogen rearrangement in 7-methylocta-1,3(Z),5(Z)-triene. This compound has seven conformers, of which only one leads to products, although all of them have to be included in the theoretical treatment. The calculated CVT/muOMT rate constants are in good agreement with the available experimental data. To try to understand the role of tunneling in the hydrogen shift reaction, we have also calculated the thermal rate constants for the monodeuterated compound in the interval T = 333.2-388.2 K. This allowed us to evaluate primary kinetic isotope effects (KIEs) and make a direct comparison with the experiment. Our calculations show that both the large measured KIE and the large measured difference in the activation energies between the deuterated and root compounds are due to the quantum tunneling. The tunneling contribution to the KIE becomes noticeable only when the coupling between the reaction coordinate and the transverse modes is taken into account. Our results confirm previous experimental and theoretical works, which guessed that the obtained kinetic parameters pointed to a reaction with an important contribution due to tunneling. The above conclusion would be essentially valid for the case of the [1,7] hydrogen shift in previtamin D3 because of the similarity to the studied model system.     

Reaction of 2,2-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,1-dicyanoethylene with 6,6-dimethylfulvene: cycloadditions and a rearrangement

Reaction of 2,2-bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,1-dicyanoethylene (BTF; 1) with 6,6-dimethylfulvene (2) affords the expected Diels-Alder cycloadduct, 7-(1-methylethylidene)-3,3-bis(trifluoromethyl)bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,2-dicarbonitrile (3), in good yield. The cycloadduct 3 is unstable and exists in equilibrium with the starting materials in less polar solvents. In more polar environment, the [4 + 2] adduct 3 either reverts to starting materials, or, in a competing process, is converted to the formal [2 + 2] adduct, 2-(1-methylethylidene)-7,7-bis(trifluoromethyl)bicyclo[3.2.0]hept-3-ene-6,6-dicarbonitrile (6). In the presence of acid, 3 is converted to a third isomeric form, 1,3a,5,6-tetrahydro-7-methyl-5,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)-4H-indene-4,4-dicarbonitrile (8). Both 6 and 8 are formed with complete regiospecificity. Quantum mechanical calculations and X-ray crystallographic studies of this ensemble of reactions by BTF, and the analogous set of reactions by its progenitor, tetracyanoethylene (TCNE), reveal several interesting facets. The conversion of 3 to 6 occurs in certain polar solvents, in the presence of silica gel and alumina, as well as in the solid state. Single crystals of 3 were observed by X-ray crystallography to undergo crystal-to-crystal rearrangement to 6. The conversion of 3 to 8 proceeds by the initial retro-Diels-Alder reaction followed by isomerization of the fulvene to 1-isopropenyl-1,3-cyclopentadiene that then reacts with BTF to give the alternative Diels-Alder product as a single regioisomer. A hybrid density functional theory (DFT) method at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory gave calculated relative energies of 0.0, -9.0, and -18.8 kcal/mol for 3, 6, and 8, respectively. The same method was also used to correctly predict the regiochemical outcome of the cycloaddition of BTF with 1-isopropenyl-1,3-cyclopentadiene. Finally, an explanation is offered for the preference of the persubstituted cyanoolefins BTF and TCNE to add to the exocyclic diene portion of 1-isopropenyl-1,3-cyclopentadiene and the contrasting preference of 2-acetyloxy-2-propenenitrile to add to the endocyclic diene.     

Heavy-Atom Tunneling in Semibullvalenes: How Driving Force,Substituents, and Environment Influence the Tunneling Rates

The Cope rearrangement of selectively deuterated isotopomers of 1,5-dimethylsemibullvalene 2 a and 3,7-dicyano-1,5-dimethylsemibullvalene 2 b were studied in cryogenic matrices. In both semibullvalenes the Cope rearrangement is governed by heavy-atom tunneling. The driving force for the rearrangements is the small difference in the zero-point vibrational energies of the isotopomers. To evaluate the effect of the driving force on the tunneling probability in 2 a and 2 b , two different pairs of isotopomers were studied for each of the semibullvalenes. The reaction rates for the rearrangement of 2 b in cryogenic matrices were found to be smaller than the ones of 2 a under similar conditions, whereas differences in the driving force do not influence the rates. Small curvature tunneling (SCT) calculations suggest that the reduced tunneling rate of 2 b compared to that of 2 a results from a change in the shape of the potential energy barrier. The tunneling probability of the semibullvalenes strongly depends on the matrix environment; however, for 2 a in a qualitatively different way than for 2 b .     

Oxidative Diels-Alder reaction of 2, 5-dihydroxybenzoic acid with 1, 3-cyclopentadiene

The electrochemical oxidation of 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (1) has been studied in the presence of 1,3-cyclopentadiene (2) as a diene in water/ethanol (40/60, v/v) mixture using cyclic voltammetry and controlled-potential coulometry. A plausible mechanism for the oxidation of 1 in the presence of 2 is presented. Compound 1 was converted into bis-adduct 5 via electrooxidation, Diels-Alder reaction of 2 to anodically generated 3,6-dioxocyclohexa-1,4-dienecarboxylic acid (1ox), decarboxylation reaction, electrooxidation and Diels-Alder reaction. The electrochemical synthesis of 5 was performed in a onepot reaction, without toxic reagents, at a carbon electrode in a simple cell using an environmentally friendly method.     

Synthesis of 1,3-diazepines and ring contraction to cyanopyrroles

Several tetrazolo[1,5-a]pyridines/2-azidopyridines undergo photochemical nitrogen elimination and ring expansion to 1,3-diazacyclohepta-1,2,4,6-tetraenes, as well as ring cleavage to cyanovinylketenimines, in low temperature Ar matrices. 6,8-Dichlorotetrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine/2-azido-3,5-dichloropridine undergoes ready exchange of the chlorine in position 8 (3) with ROH/RONa. 8-Chloro-6-trifluoromethyltetrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine undergoes solvolysis of the CF(3) group to afford 8-chloro-6-methoxycarbonyltetrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine. Several tetrazolopyridines/2-azidopyridines afford 1H- or 5H-1,3-diazepines in good yields on photolysis in the presence of alcohols or amines. 5-Chlorotetrazolo[1,5-a]pyridines/2-azido-6-chloropyridines and undergo a rearrangement to 1H- and 3H-3-cyanopyrroles and, respectively. The mechanism of this rearrangement was investigated by (15)N-labelling and takes place via transient 1,3-diazepines. The structures of 6,8-dichloro-tetrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine, 6-chloro-8-ethoxytetrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine, dipyrrolylmethane, and 2-isopropoxy-4-dimethylamino-5H-1,3-diazepine were determined by X-ray crystallography. In the latter case, this represents the first reported X-ray crystal structure of a 5H-1,3-diazepine.     

Conformational thermodynamic and kinetic parameters of methyl-substituted 1,3-butadienes

The s-trans/s-cis conformational equilibria of 10 methyl-substituted 1,3-butadienes [(E)- and (Z)-1,3-pentadiene; 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene; (E)-2-methyl-1,3-pentadiene; 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene; (E,E)-, (E,Z)-, and (Z,Z)-2,4-hexadiene; 2,5-dimethyl-2,4-hexadiene; and (E,E)-2,4-dimethyl-2,4-hexadiene] were explored by trapping high-temperature conformational equilibria by cryogenic deposition. The vapor state enthalpy differences of these s-trans/s-cis conformers, DeltaH(t equilibrium c), were determined by varying the equilibrating temperature and integrating the resulting matrix isolated IR spectra. The results obtained are in good agreement with ab initio calculations at the G3 level. From these thermodynamic parameters, methyl group nonbonded interactions in conjugated 1,3-butadienes were delineated. Rates of decay of s-cis conformers to their s-trans rotamers were obtained in the solid-state by warming up trapped high-temperature equilibrated samples formed from neat depositions. These data were analyzed in terms of dispersive kinetics with matrix site effects in the solid-state modeled by a Gaussian distribution of activation energies. The activation barriers thus obtained were compared with G3 calculations of the enthalpies of activation.     

With a little help from my friends: forty years of fruitful chemical collaborations

Over the past 40 years, much of the author's research, both computational and experimental, has involved collaborations. This Perspective describes some of the author's collaborative research in eight different areas of organic and theoretical chemistry: (1) hydrocarbons containing unsaturatively, 1,3-bridged cyclobutane rings, (2) the use of orbital topology for predicting the ground states of diradicals, (3) violations of Hund's rule, (4) the chemistry of phenylnitrenes, (5) tunneling by carbon in organic reactions, (6) the Cope rearrangement and the effect of substituents on it, (7) pyramidalized alkenes, dehydrocubanes, cubyl cation, and octanitrocubane, and (8) the effects of geminal fluorine substitution at C-2 of 1,3-diradicals. Highlighted in this Perspective are the synergism between calculations and experiments in the author's research and the many different roles that serendipity has played in the collaborations that are described herein.     

Effects of spiroconjugation on the calculated singlet-triplet energy gap in 2,2-dialkoxycyclopentane-1,3-diyls and on the experimental electronic absorption spectra of singlet 1,3-diphenyl derivatives. Assignment of the lowest-energy electronic transition of singlet cyclopentane-1,3-diyls

The effect of a 2,2-ethylene-ketal functionality on the singlet-triplet energy gap (Delta E(ST)) and on the first electronic transition in singlet cyclopentane-1,3-diyls (1) has been investigated. UDFT calculations predict a significant increase in the preference for a singlet ground state in the diradical with the cyclic ketal at C2 (1g; Delta E(ST) = -6.6 kcal/mol in C(2) symmetry and -7.6 kcal/mol in C(2v) symmetry), compared to the 2,2-dihydroxy- and 2,2-dimethoxy-disubstituted diradicals (1d, Delta E(ST) = -3.6 kcal/mol in C(2) symmetry, and 1e, Delta E(ST) = -3.4 kcal/mol in C(2) symmetry). Spiroconjugation is shown to be responsible for the larger calculated value of absolute value Delta E(ST) in 1g, relative to 1d and 1e. A strong correlation between the calculated values of Delta E(ST) and the computed electronic excitation energies of the singlet diradicals is found for diradicals 1d, 1e, and 1g and for 2,2-difluorocyclopentane-1,3-diyl (1c). A similar correlation between Delta E(ST) and lambda(calcd) is predicted for the corresponding 1,3-diphenylcyclopentane-1,3-diyls 3, and the predicted blue shift in the spectrum of 3g, relative to 3e, has been confirmed by experimental comparisons of the electronic absorption spectra of the annelated derivatives 2c, 2e, and 2g in a glass at 77 K. The wavelength of the first absorption band in the singlet diradicals decreases in the order 2e (lambda(onset) = 650 nm) > 2g (lambda(onset) = 590 nm) > 2c (lambda(onset) = 580 nm). The combination of these computational and experimental results provides a sound basis for reassignment of the first electronic absorption band in singlet diradicals 2c, 2e, and 2g to the excitation of an electron from the HOMO to the LUMO of these 2,2-disubstituted derivatives of cyclopentane-1,3-diyl.     

Effect on kinetics by deuterium in the 1,5-hydrogen shift of a cisoid-locked 1,3(Z)-pentadiene, 2-methyl-10-methylenebicyclo[4.4.0]dec-1-ene: evidence for tunneling?

Prompted by extensive theoretical interest in the role of tunneling in the intramolecular 1,5-hydrogen shift in 1,3(Z)-pentadienes and the large uncertainty in the published values of the theoretically relevant kinetic deuterium-isotope effect and its dependence on temperature, we have examined a degenerate bicyclic version, 2-methyl-10-methylenebicyclo[4.4.0]dec-1-ene, which is locked into the rearrangement-competent cisoid conformation, in the hope of obtaining more precise and accurate values. From rate constants determined over a range of 33 degrees C from 167.7 to 201.6 degrees C, Arrhenius parameters, Ea = 32.8 +/- 0.4 kcal mol(-1) and log A = 11.1 +/- 0.2, were obtained. An average kinetic isotope effect of 4.2 +/- 0.5 obtained from all values for kH/kD and k-H/k-D may be compared with a value of 5.0 +/- 0.3, recalculated from data in the pioneering publication of Roth and K?nig. From a highly problematic extrapolation of the temperature dependence, a value of kH/kD of 16.6 (standard error between 6.5 and 43) is calculated for the kinetic isotope effect at 25 degrees C (Roth and K?nig: 12.2). With curvature in Arrhenius plots being one of the three types of experimental evidence considered indicative of tunneling, the kinetic study of the previously published rearrangement of 1-phenyl-5-p-tolyl-1,3(Z)-pentadiene has been extended over a period of 339 days to a range of 108 degrees C (77-185 degrees C) without discerning any deviation from a straight-line Arrhenius plot: Ea = 28.7 +/- 0.5 (kcal mol(-1)) and log A = 9.41 +/- 0.30.     

Reaction path dynamics and theoretical rate constants for the SiH3Cl+H→SiH2Cl+H2 reaction by ab initio direct dynamics method

Ab initio direct dynamics method has been used to study the title reaction. Electronic structure information including geometries, gradients and force constants (Hessians) are calculated at the UQCISD/6-311+G^** level. Energies along the minimum energy path are improved by a series of single-point G2//QCISD calculations. The changes of the geometries, vibratioanal frequencies, potential energies and total curvature along the reaction path are discussed. The rate constants in the temperature range 200–3000 K are calculated by canonical variational transition state theory with small-curvature tunneling correction (CVT/SCT) method. The results show that the variational effect is small and in the lower temperature range, the small curvature tunneling effect is important for the reaction.     

Oxidative Transformation of 1,3-Cyclopentadiene in a System CuBr2-Ethylene Glycol

Oxidation of 1,3-cyclopentadiene with copper(II) bromide in dimethylformamide containing ethylene glycol resulted in 1,4-dioxabicyclo-6-nonene. The kinetic parameters of the oxidation reaction were studied. In contrast to oxidation of acyclic dienes at cyclopentadiene oxidation its interaction with one molecule of CuBr₂ is an irreversible and limiting stage.