A Mechanochemical Study of the Effects of Compression On a Diels-Alder Reaction
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
8-1-2016
School
Polymer Science and Engineering
Abstract
We examine the effects of compressive external forces on the mechanisms of the parent Diels-Alder (DA) reaction between butadiene and ethylene. Reaction pathways and transition states were calculated using the nudged elastic band method within a mechanochemical framework at the CASSCF(6,6)/6-31G**, as well as the B3LYP/6-311++G** levels of theory. Our results suggest that compressive hydrostatic pressure lowers the energy barrier for the parent DA reaction while suppressing the undesirable side reaction, thereby leading to a direct increase in the yield of cyclohexene. Compressive pressure also increases the exothermicity of the parent DA reaction, which would lead to increased temperatures in a reaction vessel and thereby indirectly increase the yield of cyclohexene. Our estimates indicate that the compression used in our study corresponds to a range of 68 MPa–1410 MPa.
Publication Title
The Journal of Chemical Physics
Volume
145
Issue
7
Recommended Citation
Jha, S. K.,
Brown, K.,
Todde, G.,
Subramanian, G.
(2016). A Mechanochemical Study of the Effects of Compression On a Diels-Alder Reaction. The Journal of Chemical Physics, 145(7).
Available at: https://aquila.usm.edu/fac_pubs/16764