Pericyclic Reactions Involving Ionic Transition States

Pericyclic reactions are a class of reactions that include some of the most powerful synthetically useful reactions such as the Diels-Alder reaction. Pericyclic reactions often proceed with simultaneous reorganization of bonding electron pairs and involve a cyclic delocalized transition state. They differ from ionic or free radical reactions as there are no ionic or free radical intermediates formed during the course of the reaction. They proceed by one-step concerted mechanisms and have certain characteristic properties (although there are some exceptions to all these rules). 

Many reactions involve a cyclic transition state. Of these, some involve radical or ionic intermediates and proceed by stepwise mechanisms. Pericyclic reactions are concerted, and in the transition state the redistribution of electrons occurs in a single continuous process. In this chapter, we will consider several different types of pericyclic reactions, including electrocyclic transformations, cycloadditions, sigmatropic rearrangements, and the ene reaction. 

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