Density functional theory addition-elimination mechanism

Nucleophilic vinylic substitutions of 4//-pyran-4-onc and 2,6-dimethyl-4//-pyran-4-one with a hydroxide ion in aqueous solution were calculated by the density functional theory (B3LYP) and ab initio (MP2) methods using the 6-31+G(d) and 6-31G (d) basis sets. The aqueous solution was modelled by a supermolecular approach, where 11 water molecules were involved in the reaction system. The calculations confirmed a different addition-elimination mechanism of the reaction compared with that in the gas phase or non-polar solution. Addition of OH- at the C(2) vinylic carbon of the pyranone ring with an activation barrier of 10-11 kcalmol-1 (B3LYP) has been identified as the rate-determining step, in good quantitative and qualitative agreement with experimental kinetics. Solvent effects increase the activation barrier of the addition step and, conversely, decrease the barrier of the elimination step.138... 

Puddephatt etal. [41] have studied the C-H or C-C bond activation in the alkane complexes [PtMe(CH4)L2] or [PtMe(CHjCH3)L2] (L = NH3 or PH3) as well as the reductive elimination of methane or ethane from the five-coordinate model complexes [PtHMe2L2] or [PtMesLi], respectively, by carrying out extended Hiickel molecular orbital calculations and density functional theory. The oxidative addition and reductive elimination reactions occur by a concerted mechanism, probably with a pinched trigonal-bipyramidal complex on the... 

Enantiopure dehydropiperidinones 60 were prepared by nickel-catalyzed [4-1-2] annulation using azetidinones 61 derived from a-amino acids (Scheme 3.33) [42]. The reaction mechanism of the annulation of l-Boc-3-azetidinone (Boc, fert-butoxycarbonyl) with alkynes was investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations [43]. The results showed that the reaction proceeds via an oxidative addition mechanism not via a P-carbon elimination mechanism. 

The unimolecular gas-phase elimination kinetics of 2-methoxy-l-chloroethane, 3-methoxy-l-chloropropane, and 4-methoxy-l-chlorobutane has been studied using density functional theory (DFT) methods. Results calculated for 2-methoxy-l-chloroethane and 3-methoxy-l-chloropropane suggest that the corresponding olefin forms by dehydrochlorination through a concerted nonsynchronous four-centered cyclic transition state. In the case of 4-methoxy-l-chlorobutane, in addition to the 1,2-elimination mechanism, anchimeric assistance by the methoxy group, through a polar five-centered cyclic transition state, provides 4-methoxybutene, tetrahydrofuran, and chloromethane. Polarization of the C-Cl bond is rate limiting in these elimination reactions. 

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