Theoretical studies on the ene reaction mechanisms of propene and cyclopropene with ethylene and cyclopropene: concerted or stepwise

The potential energy surfaces of the ene reactions of propene and cyclopropene with ethylene and cyclopropene were studied by ab initio molecular orbital (MO) methods. The reaction mechanisms were analyzed by CiLC method on the basis of CASSCF MOs. The concerted and stepwise reaction pathways of the ene reaction of propene with ethylene as the parent reaction were located. The energy barrier of the stepwise process is about 4 kcal/mol lower than that of the concerted one. The other reactions can be found only the stepwise mechanism. Although the endo-type reaction of propene with cyclopropene, where cyclopropene is the enophile, probably occurs through a one-step process, the mechanism is divided into the CC bond formations and the hydrogen migration as a stepwise reaction. The CiLC-IRC analysis of the concerted process of propene with ethylene shows the different patterns of the electronic state variation for the CC bond formation/breaking and the hydrogen migration.