Abstract
There are eight possible pathways for the iron-tricarbonyl-assisted thermal electrocyclic ring opening of fluorocyclobutene due to variations in the orientation of the binding of Fe(CO)3 relative to the fluorine substituent (R1 or R2), stereoselectivity (conrotatory or disrotatory, i.e., C or D), and the torquoselectivity of fluorine (inward-facing or outward-facing, i.e., in or out). A density functional study revealed that the energetically favored pathway is R1 Din. Not only is the D mode favored energetically, but the in configuration was observed to be the lowest-lying mode of R1, despite the general tendency of fluorine substituents to prefer an out configuration. Data on the activation hardness and aromaticity indices such as BAC and HOMA lead to the same conclusion. However, the R2 mode surprisingly shows no particular preference for either the Cout or the Dout pathway (i.e., the R2 mode shows less stereoselectivity than R1). This behavior occurs due to the influences of both the fluorine substituent and metal coordination. Also, the geminal bond orbitals σ(C-F) and σ*(C-F) appear to participate in ring opening, given the excellent correlation of ∆BE with the activation barrier of the transition state.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.