Activation Energy and Transition State Determination of the Olefin Insertion Process of Metallocene Catalysts Using a Semiempirical Molecular Orbital Calculation

The transition state of the olefin insertion process of metallocene catalysts can be determined by adopting the semiempirical PM3 model. In computational chemistry, the computational methods most employed are the ab initio method and density functional theory, which are very time consuming. The semiempirical molecular orbital method requires much less computational resources than the above methods. However, the accuracy and reliability of the semiempirical molecular orbital method remains to be determined. The PM3 model is the most recently developed the semiempirical molecular orbital method and can also be applied to transition metal calculations. This study is intended to investigate the reliability of computational results determined using semiempirical PM3 model on metallocene catalysts through comparison with published results on the density functional theory (DFT). The saddle point finding procedure is adopted to find the transition state of the ethylene insertion process of metallocene catalysts. Results on the geometry and energy trends of the ethylene insertion process of metallocene catalysts determined using the PM3 model are in good agreement with the DFT results. In addition, the saddle point of the potential energy surface of ethylene insertion is verified in accordance with the eigenvalue of the vibrational frequency spectrum. Correct eigenvalues indicate that the correct saddle point of the potential energy surface of ethylene insertion has been successfully located. Hence, the eigenvalue of the vibrational frequency spectrum is a valuable reference in terms of saddle point justification. Computational results and vibrational frequency spectrum analysis demonstrate that the PM3 model can be used to locate the correct saddle point of the potential energy surface. The results obtained using the PM3 model confirm that the eigenvalue of the transition state lies nearly on the vibrational frequency spectrum. The eigenvalues are also analyzed, providing a valuable reference for further studies of the transition state of olefin insertion of metallocene catalysts. The activation energies for the olefin insertion reaction are also studied for evaluation of the catalyst.