Theoretical study of electrophilic addition: O(3P)+C2H4

A b initio Hartee–Fock (HF) and multiconfiguration Hartee–Fock (MCHF) calculations have been carried out to characterize the reactants, transition state, and products of the electrophilic addition of O(3P) to the π bond of ethylene. The results show that the diradical product CH2CH2O is stable with respect to the reactants. The transition state has Cs symmetry, not C2v, with the oxygen atom localized on one of the two double-bond C atoms.