Carbenic vs. ionic mechanistic pathway in reaction of cyclohexanone with bromoform

J Mol Model. 2012 Oct;18(10):4721-8. doi: 10.1007/s00894-012-1468-2. Epub 2012 Jun 2.

Abstract

The extensive computation study was done to elucidate the mechanism of formation dibromoepoxide from cyclohexanone and bromoform. In this reaction, the formation of dihaloepoxide 2 is postulated as a key step that determines the distribution and stereochemistry of products. Two mechanistic paths of reaction were investigated: the addition of dibromocarbene to carbonyl group of ketone, and the addition of tribromomethyl carbanion to the same (C=O) group. The mechanisms for the addition reactions of dibromocarbenes and tribromomethyl carbanions with cyclohexanone have been investigated using ab initio HF/6-311++G** and MP2/6-311+G* level of theory. Solvent effects on these reactions have been explored by calculations which included a continuum polarizable conductor model (CPCM) for the solvent (H₂O). The calculations showed that both mechanisms are possible and are exothermic, but have markedly different activation energies.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cyclohexanones / chemistry*
  • Ions
  • Ketones / chemistry
  • Methane / analogs & derivatives*
  • Methane / chemistry
  • Models, Molecular*
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Oxygen / chemistry
  • Solvents / chemistry
  • Thermodynamics
  • Trihalomethanes / chemistry

Substances

  • Cyclohexanones
  • Ions
  • Ketones
  • Solvents
  • Trihalomethanes
  • carbene
  • cyclohexanone
  • Methane
  • Oxygen
  • bromoform