Rotational barrier for 1-acetyl-2-(p-methoxy benzyl)-3-pyrroline

Calculation of the rotational barriers for the trans- and cis-forms of 2-(p-methoxy)-1-acetyl-pyrroline are presented in this paper. It is found that thetrans-isomer is slightly more favourable energetically, while the rotations of the cis-form are highly impeded. Hence the relevant rotations are in thetrans-form which stabilizes its energy by forming a weak inner proton bond between the carbonyl oxygen and the pyrroline ring. The acetyl rotational barrier is of the order of 8 kcal, which is well in accord with experimental data reported in the literature for other acetyl-amide derivatives./p]Work supported in part by Instituto Mexicano del Petróleo.