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Quantum chemical study on the mechanism of intramolecular cyclization of 2‐benzyloxyphenyl trimethylsilyl ketone to give the benzofuran derivatives
Author(s) -
Cai Dinglong,
Wang Mian,
Wang Jianyi,
Duan Wengui
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of physical organic chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.325
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1099-1395
pISSN - 0894-3230
DOI - 10.1002/poc.1930
Subject(s) - chemistry , intramolecular force , trimethylsilyl , benzofuran , ketone , oniom , computational chemistry , stereochemistry , insertion reaction , migratory insertion , medicinal chemistry , photochemistry , molecule , organic chemistry , catalysis
Quantum chemical calculations have been performed to explore the mechanism of intramolecular cyclization of 2‐benzyloxyphenyl trimethylsilyl ketone (acylsilane) to give the benzofuran derivatives stereoselectively. This reaction involves a formation of siloxycarbene intermediate and a C–H bond insertion of siloxycarbene. The comparative studies on three possible insertion of siloxycarbene show that the concerted insertion of siloxycarbene into C–H bond (pathway a), which needs overcoming an energy barrier of 45.1 kcal/mol, is the most unlikely pathway, and the stepwise insertion of siloxycarbene without spin multiplicity change (pathway c) is energetically more favorable than the stepwise insertion of siloxycarbene with spin multiplicity change (pathway b). More importantly, this work can provide an insight into the stereoselectivity in this reaction in atomic molecular level. The formation of siloxycarbene is calculated to be endergonic by 22.9 kcal/mol with an energy barrier of 30.2 kcal/mol, being the rate‐determining step of the whole process. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.