Computational study of reaction pathways in the course of interaction of deactivated silylenes with buta-1,3-diene

The PESs of systems including deactivated silylenes (SiHHal, SiHal2, Hal = F, Cl, and 2-silaimidazol-2-ylidene, SiN2H2C2H2) and buta-1,3-diene have been studied using G3(MP2)//B3LYP method. Two major reaction channels, (2 + 1) and (4 + 1) cycloaddition reactions, leading to 2-vinylsiliranes and silacyclopent-3-enes, respectively, as well as [1,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements between 2-vinylsiliranes and the corresponding silacyclopent-3-enes, have been considered in detail. Reactivity of silylenes toward buta-1,3-diene decreases in the following series: SiHHal > SiHal2 > SiN2H2C2H2, which is reflected in increase of the reaction barriers for both cycloaddition reactions and in decrease of exothermicity of the formation of the corresponding products. The (4 + 1) cycloaddition is preferable for SiHal2 and SiN2H2C2H2 and can compete with (2 + 1) cycloaddition for SiHHal. [1,3]-Sigmatropic rearrangement is important for isomerization of 2-vinylsiliranes to the corresponding silacyclopent-3-enes for all systems studied, except the SiCl2 system.