Organic photochemistry with high energy (6.7 eV) photons: duality of carbene intermediates from cyclic olefins

A computational study of the mechanisms of the photoisomerization reactions of monocyclic and bicyclic olefins

The mechanisms of the photochemical isomerization reactions were investigated theoretically using a model system of cyclohexene (1), cycloheptene (2), norbornene (3), and two bicyclic olefins (4 and 5) using the CASSCF (six-electron/six-orbital active space) and MP2-CAS methods with the 6-311(d,p) basis set. The structures of the conical intersections, which play a decisive role in such photoisomerizations, were obtained. The intermediates and transition structures of the ground state were also calculated to assist in providing a qualitative explanation of the reaction pathways. Two photoreaction pathways were examined in the present work. The first can produce a photoproduct with an extra ring. The other can yield a photoproduct with a smaller ring with an external double bond. Both pathways involve cyclic carbene intermediates. Also, our model investigations suggest that both reaction pathways follow a similar photochemical pattern as follows: reactant → Franck-Condon region → conical intersection → cyclic carbene intermediate → transition state → photoproduct. Moreover, these two reaction pathways can compete with each other since the energetics of their conical intersection points are quite similar. Our present theoretical results agree with the available experimental observations.

"H/Vinyl" and "Alkyl/Vinyl" conical intersections leading to carbene formation from the excited states of cyclohexene and norbornene

The photochemical [1,2]-shifts leading to carbene intermediates from cyclohexene and norbornene have been studied using CASSCF calculations and a 6-31G* basis set. In each case, a S(1)/S(0) conical intersection hyperline was identified that extends from the region of the reactant excited state to the carbene product. It is traditionally thought that the Rydberg R(pi,3s) state is responsible for carbene formation on photolysis of cyclic alkenes, but these new results indicate an efficient mechanism for carbene formation following excitation to the (1)(pipi*) state. This pathway is essentially barrierless and involves internal conversion to the ground-state surface via conical intersections between the excited zwitterionic valence state and the ground-state surface, similar to those responsible for cis-trans isomerization in ethene and other acyclic alkenes. These results are in excellent agreement with recent experimental data obtained using femtosecond spectroscopy.