Calculation of catalytic activity of transition metal complexes

A method is proposed for calculation of the catalytic activity of the complexes of transition metals. An effective Hamiltonian describing the behavior of the reagents in the presence of the catalyst is formulated, and a catalytic activity index tan2 is introduced. The isomerization of quadricyclane to norbornadiene is considered. It is shown that the index in the case of the catalytically active low-spin complex CoTPP is two orders of magnitude larger than in the case of the catalytically inactive high-spin complex MnTPP and the analogous Fe(III)TPP and MnPc complexes.Translated from Teoreticheskaya i Éksperimental'naya Khimiya, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp. 398–406, July–August, 1988.