The diradical nature of ketocarbenes occurring in the Wolff rearrangement. An MC-SCF study
- 1 January 1987
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in Journal of the Chemical Society, Faraday Transactions 2: Molecular and Chemical Physics
- Vol. 83 (9) , 1629-1636
- https://doi.org/10.1039/f29878301629
Abstract
Using MC–SCF gradient optimisation techniques (at the 6–31G* basis-set level) the minima and transition structures occurring in the rearrangements of formylmethylene to oxirene have been characterised. The triplet-state and singlet-state surfaces and the crossing region have been studied. The results show that the lowest-energy singlet state of formylmethylene is a pure diradical. The related triplet state has a very similar geometrical structure and lies only slightly lower in energy. Further, both states have the two unpaired electrons in sigma orbitals and the minimum-energy singlet–triplet crossing point occurs very near singlet–triplet diradical minimum of formylmethylene.Keywords
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