Ab Initio Study of the Diels-Alder Reaction of Phosphaethene and Phosphaethyne with Butadiene
Debbie C. Mulhearn and Steven M. Bachrach
Department of Chemistry, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115
Originally published in Proceedings of the First Electronic Computational Chemistry Conference - CD-ROM, S. M. Bachrach, W. Hase, D. B. Boyd, S. K. Gray, H. S. Rzepa, Eds., ARInternet:Landover, MD, 1995, Paper 11. Also available at http://www.ijc.com/articles/library/4/.
We have optimized the structures of the reactants, transition states, and products for Reactions 1-3 at the HF/6-31G* and MP2/6-31G* levels. Single point energy calculations at MP4SDQ/6-31G*//MP2/6-31G* were performed to correct for the underestimation of activation energies at MP2. ZPE correction were made using the HF/6-31G* analytical frequencies scaled by 0.89.
These reaction are exothermic, ranging from -39.0 kcal/mol for Reaction 1 to -43.1 kcal/mol for Reaction 3. The activation energies for all three reactions are small -- Reaction 1, 19.3 kcal/mol; Reaction 2, 13.0 kcal/mol; Reaction 3, 15.50 kcal/mol -- considerably less than their hydrocarbon analogues. The low activation energies are due to the very reactive P=C bond, as evidenced by its high HOMO and low LUMO.
The reaction of phosphaethene display regioselectivity. The orientation with the phosphorus lone pair exo is favored, both kinetically and thermodynamically. This orientation reduces the lone-pair pi-system interaction. The geometry of the TSs shows a twisting of the phosphaethene fragment to minimize this interaction in both TSs. This regioselectivity is similar to that found for the reaction of butadiene with formaldimine.
Topological electron density analysis was used to gauge the bond orders in the TSs. As we have found for a number of pericyclic reactions involving heteroatoms, the TSs examined here display a remarkable degree of synchronicity. Further, bond order appears to be conserved during the course of the reaction.
For the most part, the P-C multiple bond needs to be stabilized with bulky substituents in order to react with either electron-rich or electron-poor dienes. Appel and coworkers 6 were one of the first to isolate the primary Diels-Alder adduct derived from open-chain phosphaalkenes with 2,3-dimethylbutadiene, as seen in Scheme 1. They have also reported the Diels-Alder reaction using the same set of dienophiles with cyclopentadiene.7

Appel's results show that the configuration of the P=C bond is maintained and suggests a concerted pathway. Rösch and Regitz8 isolated the Diels-Alder adduct when the dienophile was a phosphaacetylene, as seen in Scheme 2.

Most of the synthetic interest reported for these reactions is the aromatization of the Diels-Alder adduct to obtain functionalized phosphabenzenes. Not much emphasis has been placed on the initial Diels-Alder reaction, besides noting that it occurs with relative ease. In order to better understand how and why the Diels-Alder step can be a useful tool for making various phosphabenzenes, some physical characteristics of the reaction need to be determined.
We examined the prototype Diels-Alder reaction of butadiene with phosphaacetylene and butadiene with phosphaethylene using ab initio calculations. These reactions will be compared to their carbon analogues since no structural or energetic data are available for the phosphorus system. Electron density analysis was also performed to aid in determining the nature of these reactions.
Topological analysis of the transition structures and products were performed
using EXTREME,18 from which the bond critical points were
located. The electron density of these critical points
is given as
(rc).
The
(rc) can be related to bond orders with the use of Equation
1.
Equation 1. n(X-Y) = exp[A[
(rc)] - B]]
where,
| X-Y | A | B |
|---|---|---|
| C-P19 | 19.628 | 0.153 |
| C-C20 | 6.458 | 0.252 |
Scheme 3
| Figure 1 Geometries of 1 and TS1 |
1
|
TS1
|
The Diels-Alder product, 1-phospha-1,4-cyclohexadiene 1 turns out to be a planar molecule. The C-C single and double bonds are as anticipated, 1.498 Å and 1.339 Å, respectively, and the P-C single and double bonds are also within expectations, 1.860 Å and 1.675 Å, respectively. The only difference from the carbon system is that the C=C bond in 1 is longer by 0.021 Å then C=C in cyclohexadiene (1.318 Å). Again, this can be rationalized in that the system is simply trying to accomodate the phosphorus into the ring.
We will first look at Reaction 2, where the lone-pair on phosphorus is exo to the ring. For the transition structure TS2 (see Figure 2), the forming C-P bond is 2.552 Å, which is shorter than the corresponding bond in TS1 by 0.064 Å. The forming C-C bond is 2.562 Å<, considerably longer, by 0.274 Å, than in TS1, or the analogous carbon system, where the C-C bond length is 2.2855 Å.4 The C2-C1-P and C3-C4-C5 are 98.7° and 100.0°, respectively, following what would be expected for a Diels-Alder reaction.
| Figure 2 Geometry of TS2 |
For Reaction 3, the lone-pair of electrons on the phosphorus is endo to the ring, and this ha significant affect on the reaction. In TS3 (see Figure 3), the forming C-P bond is 2.638 Å, which is 0.086 Å longer than in TS2, where the lone-pair is exo to the ring, and also longer than TS1. However, the forming C-C bond is 2.439 Å, or 0.123 Å shorter than in TS2, but still longer than TS1. To explain the lengthening and shortening of these two forming bonds, we can look closer at the position of the dienophile relative to the diene. In TS2, the dienophile is positioned so that the P is more turned in torwards the diene than the C. In TS3, the dienophile is positioned exactly opposite, the P is positioned so that it is turned away from the diene. One way to understand this is that in TS3, sterics might play more of a role with the interaction of the H on the P and the H on C1. To avoid collision of these two, the P is slightly pushed out from the diene, in turn lengthening the C-P distance. Besides this, the lone-pair of electrons is endo in TS3 where they will have more of a chance of interacting with the forming pi bond than in TS2. The angles in TS3 of C2-C1-P and C3-C4-C5 are 102.0deg. and 101.6deg., respectively, slightly larger than in TS2. This is another indication that when the phosphorus lone pair of electrons is in an endo position, TS3, the dienophile does not want to be as close to the diene as when the phosphorus lone pair of electrons is in an exo position, in TS2. One last difference that is worth noting is that the breaking C=P is slightly longer here in TS3, by 0.007 Å, than in TS2.
| Figure 3 Geometry of TS3 |
TS3
|
The same trends observed in TS2 and TS3 are also observed in the Diels-Alder reaction between butadiene and formaldimine studied by Houk and coworkers.16 As in our reactions, there is the possibility of the nitrogen lone-pair of electrons being either endo or exo to the ring. When the nitrogen lone pair is exo, the N is turned more towards the diene, but to a much greater extent than in TS2. We can also look at the trends in C-C and C-X (X=P or N) bond lengths. Comparing TS2 and TS3, the C-P distance in TS2 (lone-pair exo) is shorter than in TS3 (lone-pair endo) by 0.086 Å. This is analogous to what was found for the nitrogen system, where the exo TS had a shorter C-N bond length than the endo TS by 0.118 Å. The C-C distance in TS2 is 0.123 Å longer than in TS3, while in the nitrogen system, the C-C distance for the TS with the lone-pair exo is longer by 0.163 Å than in the TS with the nitrogen lone-pair endo.
Looking at the products, 2 is a twisted 4-phospha-cyclohexene as seen in Figure 4. This twisted structure is consistent with the carbon system.4 The C-P single bonds are nearly equivalent, 1.857 Å and 1.855 Å. The C-C bonds that were originally part of butadiene are 1.502 Å and 1.503 Å, while the C-C bond that is newly formed is 1.525 Å, slightly longer than the other two. This is most likely due to the molecule compensating for the larger size of the phosphorus.
The Diels-Alder product 3 is also a twisted 4-phosphacyclohexene structure, comparable to 2 and cyclohexene. The bond lengths are almost identical to 2, with slight differences in the angles around the phosphorus. The C1-P-C5 angle in 2 is 97.0° whereas in 3 it is 95.0°. The C2-C1-P angle is 115.9deg. in 2 and 109.8° in 3. For 3 (the lone-pair is in the endo position), the ring angles are smaller, placing more strain on the molecule than in 2. This might indicate that the more favorable product is 2, where the lone-pair of electrons are exo to the ring.
| Figure 4 Geometries of 2 and 3 |
2
|
3
|
| HF/6-31G*a | MP2(full)/6-31G* | MP4SDQ/6-31G* b | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reaction | Ea | Erxn | Ea | Erxn | Ea | Erxn |
| 1 | 30.82 kcal/mol | -42.29 kcal/mol | 7.62 kcal/mol | -42.90 kcal/mol | 17.89 kcal/mol | -43.10 kcal/mol |
| (32.25 kcal/mol) | (-38.20 kcal/mol) | (9.04 kcal/mol) | (-38.82 kcal/mol) | (19.33 kcal/mol) | (-38.99 kcal/mol) | |
| 2 | 24.01 kcal/mol | -47.94 kcal/mol | 1.79 kcal/mol | -53.72 kcal/mol | 10.84 kcal/mol | -49.65 kcal/mol |
| (26.15 kcal/mol) | (-42.91 kcal/mol) | (4.46 kcal/mol) | (-48.69 kcal/mol) | (12.97 kcal/mol) | (-44.62 kcal/mol) | |
| 3 | 26.40 kcal/mol | -46.32 kcal/mol | 4.18 kcal/mol | -52.42 kcal/mol | 13.47 kcal/mol | -48.20 kcal/mol |
| (28.43 kcal/mol) | (-41.20 kcal/mol) | (6.21 kcal/mol) | (-47.30 kcal/mol) | (15.50 kcal/mol) | (-43.08 kcal/mol) | |
a) Energies corrected for ZPE listed in parantheses.
b) MP4SDQ(full)6-31G*//MP2(full)/6-31G*
First looking at the Diels-Alder reaction of butadiene with P-acetylene, reaction 1, the Ea is only 19.33 kcal/mol. This activation barrier is much lower than for the reaction of butadiene with acetylene (Ea = 30.63 kcal/mol),15 indicating that the Diels-Alder reaction with phosphaacetylene is much more likely to occur than the carbon analogue. This is an exothermic reaction having a Erxn = -38.99 kcal/mol, but not as exothermic as the carbon reaction where Erxn = -68.75 kcal/mol.15 Even though the phosphorus system is not as exothermic as the carbon system, it will occur more readily due to its lower activation barrier. This agrees with the known difficulty of reacting butadiene with acetylene15, and the substantially easier reactions of dienes with substituted phosphaacetylenes.8, 12
The Ea for reaction 2 is 12.97 kcal/mol, lower than reaction 3 which has Ea = 15.50 kcal/mol. Both of these are quite a bit lower than for Reaction 1, suggesting that the Diels-Alder reaction with phosphaethene may be more likely to occur due to its lower barrier. Compared to the prototype butadiene + ethylene reaction, where the experimental21 Ea = 27.5 kcal/mol, the phosphorus system is substantially lower. This is in agreement with the mild reaction conditions for numerous Diels-Alder reactions between dienes and substituted phosphaethylenes. In many cases, these reactions take place at room temperature and usually react within 24 hours.12
Reaction 2 forms the more stable product, having a Erxn = -44.62 kcal/mol and Erxn(reaction 3) = -43.08 kcal/mol. Even though this difference is only 1.54 kcal/mol, there is a slight preference for Reaction 2, where the lone-pair of electrons are exo to the ring. The Ea for Reaction 2 is lower (by 2.53 kcal/mol) than the activation barrier for Reaction 3. This is also the same trend seen in the reaction of butadiene with formaldimine, where the more favorable pathway is the one going through a TS with the lone pair of electrons exo to the ring.16 The Diels-Alder reaction between phosphaethene and butadiene is energetically more favorable when the lone-pair is exo (or the substituent H is endo) to the ring.
| Bond | TS1 | TS2 (H endo) | TS3 (H exo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-2 | 1.69 | 1.67 | 1.70 |
| 2-3 | 1.53 | 1.51 | 1.52 |
| 3-4 | 1.68 | 1.71 | 1.69 |
| 4-5 | 0.29 | 0.27 | 0.28 |
| 5-6 | 2.63 | 1.61 | 1.54 |
| 1-6 | 0.11 | 0.13 | 0.12 |
| SUM | 7.93 | 6.90 | 6.85 |
The bond orders for the partial double bonds for all thre TSs are remarkably similar, ranging from 1.71 to 1.51. Bonding appears to be made and broken to very similar degrees around the ring in these TSs.
For Reaction 1, there are 2 C=C bonds, 1 C-C, and 1 CP triple bond in the reactant for a total number of 8 bonds. The sum of bond orders for TS1 is 7.93, consistent with a concerted pathway. For Reactions 2 and 3, there are 2 C=C bond, 1 C-C bond, and 1 C=P bond for a total of 7. The sum of bond orders for TS2 and TS3 are 6.85 and 6.90, respectively, once again indicating concertedness.