Molecular orbitals sigmatropic rearrangements

In this primer, Ian Fleming leads you in a more or less continuous narrative from the simple characteristics of pericyclic reactions to a reasonably full appreciation of their stereochemical idiosyncrasies. He introduces pericyclic reactions and divides them into their four classes in Chapter 1. In Chapter 2 he covers the main features of the most important class, cycloadditions—their scope, reactivity, and stereochemistry. In the heart of the book, in Chapter 3, he explains these features, using molecular orbital theory, but without the mathematics. He also introduces there the two Woodward-Hoffmann rules that will enable you to predict the stereochemical outcome for any pericyclic reaction, one rule for thermal reactions and its opposite for photochemical reactions. The remaining chapters use this theoretical framework to show how the rules work with the other three classes—electrocyclic reactions, sigmatropic rearrangements and group transfer reactions. By the end of the book, you will be able to recognize any pericyclic reaction, and predict with confidence whether it is allowed and with what stereochemistry. 

For the analysis of sigmatropic rearrangements, the correlation diagrams are not relevant since it is only the transition state and not the reactants or products that may possess molecular symmetry elements. However, these reactions can be analyzed satisfactorily by using frontier molecular orbital (FMO) and perturbation molecular orbital (PMO) methods. 

This chapter will discuss 1,3-dienes in a reaction with alkenes to give cyclohexene derivatives. This is a thermal reaction driven by interactions of molecular orbitals rather than ionic or polarized intermediates. In addition to the reaction of 1,3-dienes, 1,5-dienes undergo a rearrangement to a different 1,5-diene in what is known as a sigmatropic rearrangement. Similarly, allyl vinyl ethers rearrange to form alkenyl aldehydes or ketones. Both of these reactions tend to give difunctional molecules as products. 

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