Valence bond calculations of vicinal proton coupling constants in cyclopropane

Vicinal proton couplings in cyclopropane have been calculated using Dirac-Van Vleck and variational methods in valence bond formalism. The couplings may be considered as taking place along a path comprising either three or four intervening bonds. Inclusion of all exchange integrals in the appropriate fragment models leads to a satisfactory ratio of J_cis/J_trans . In this respect valence bond results appear to be superior to those obtained using a molecular orbital approach. The present valence bond results on couplings in cyclopropane are not affected by the choice of models for bonding in cyclopropane, namely the Coulson-Moffitt model or the Walsh model.