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Computational chemical analysis of Ru(II)-Pheox-catalyzed highly enantioselective intramolecular cyclopropanation reactions was performed using density functional theory (DFT). In this study, cyclopropane ring-fused γ-lactones, which are 5.8 kcal/mol more stable than the corresponding minor enantiomer, are obtained as the major product. The results of the calculations suggest that the enantioselectivity of the Ru(II)-Pheox-catalyzed intramolecular cyclopropanation reaction is affected by the energy differences between the starting structures 5l and 5i. The reaction pathway was found to be a stepwise mechanism that proceeds through the formation of a metallacyclobutane intermediate. This is the first example of a computational chemical analysis of enantioselective control in an intramolecular carbene-transfer reaction using C1 -symmetric catalysts.

The origin of P- or M-chirality of methyl substituted 1,3-cyclohexadienes are elucidated by time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) calculation of 1,3-cyclohexadiene derivatives and acyclic 1,3-dienes. The sign-inversion of the rotatory strength of the lowest excited state between 1,3-cyclohexadiene and (5R)-axial-methyl-1,3-cyclohexadiene is caused by the conformation around the (C=)C-C(-Me) dihedral angle. The correlation between the sign of the rotatory strength and conformation has been found not only in methyl substituted derivatives but also fluoro substituted compounds.