Rearrangement of azirine intermediates to nitriles: Theoretical study of cleavage of 3,4-dihydro-1aH-azirine[2,3-c]pyrrol-2-one to cyanoketene-formaldimine complex

A detailed investigation of the reaction path for the thermal rearrangement of 3,4-dihydro-1aH-azirine[2,3-c]pyrrol-2-one to yield a cyanoketene–formaldimine complex is carried out at the MP2/6-31G* and B3LYP/6-31G* levels of theory. The ring opening of the five-membered pyrrolinone ring and the formation of the nitrile group takes place in a concerted manner, presenting a significant strain energy release and allowing for an electronic stabilization by coarctate conjugation of the transition structure (TS). These two factors make possible a moderate energy barrier. Although the structural features B3LYP/6-31G* theoretical levels, it is found that the MP2 energy barrier (28.8) CCSD(T)/6-31G*//MP2/6-31G* value (17.1 kcal/mol). The complex electronic rearrangement can be rationalized using the theory of coarctate transition structures developed by Herges as the evolution of an azirine structure without referring to a hypothetical vinyl nitrene intermediate.