Quantum mechanical inspection of the Diels–Alder approach to biaryls mechanism

The Diels–Alder reaction of substituted cyclohexadienes with substituted phenylacetylenes offers an attractive alternative for the synthesis of biaryl compounds via a two-step cycloaddition/cycloelimination pathway. Quantum mechanical calculations using B3LYP and M06-2X density functional methods for the reaction of 2-chloro-6-nitrophenylacetylene with 1-carbomethoxy-cyclohexadiene show the reaction proceeds by a stepwise diradical [4+2] cycloaddition followed by concerted [2+4] cycloelimination of ethylene. [2+2] cycloadducts are also the result of stepwise addition. [2+2] cycloadducts isomerize to [4+2] cycloadducts via diradical pathways, which involve the same diradical intermediate in cycloaddition. There is also a competitive conrotatory ring opening followed by trans-cis double bond isomerization pathway of the [4.2.0] bicycle (the [2+2] cycloadduct) to give the cis,cis,cis-1,3,5-cyclooctatriene.