1,5‐Sigmatropic shifts of bromine over a cyclopentadiene ring

The intrinsic mechanism of circumambulatory rearrangements of 5‐bromo‐5‐methyl‐1,2,3,4‐tetramethoxycarbonylcyclopentadiene, 5‐bromo‐1,2,3,4 5‐pentamethoxycarbonylcyclopentadien and 5‐bromo‐ 1,2,3,4,5‐pentaphenylcyclopentadiene due to sigmatropic shifts of bromine over the cyclopentadiene ring was proved, using the dynamic 13C and 1H NMR technique, to be governed by successive intramolecular 1,5‐sigmatropic shifts. Semi‐empirical AM1 and MINDO/3 calculations of reactions paths performed for fluoro‐, chloro‐ and bromocyclopentadienes are in accord with the conclusion of a preference for a 1,5‐ over a 1,3‐shift reaction path of halogen migration over a cyclopentadiene system. Intramolecular 1,5‐sigmatropic shifts of chlorine in 5‐chloro‐5‐methyl‐1,2,3,4‐tetramethoxycarbonylcyclopentadiene with the free energy barrier of ΔG = 26.1 kcal mol−1 were studied using 1H NMR spectroscopy.