The Naphthylcarbene Potential Energy Hypersurface

The naphthylcarbene potential energy surface (PES) was examined ab initio, employing self-consistent field (SCF), second-order perturbation theory (MP2), and density functional (Becke3LYP) methods in conjunction with 6-31G*, DZ, DZP, and 6-311+G* basis sets. All stationary structures were characterized by vibrational frequency analyses at the Becke3LYP/6-31G* level; final energies were evaluated at the Becke3LYP/6-311+G*//Becke3LYP/6-31G* + ZPVE level. Cyclobuta[de]naphthalene is the global minimum on this part of the C11H8 PES. Generally, seven-membered benzocarbenes are no minima as they converge to their corresponding allenes. Both 1- and 2-naphthylcarbene have triplet ground states, but the small S−T gaps (ca. 5 kcal mol-1) allow facile rearrangements in the singlet manifold to take place. The triplet rotational barrier for the exo-methylene in 2-naphthylcarbene is relatively small (3.5 kcal mol-1) due to weak π-bonding. At low temperatures, singlet 2-naphthylcarbene equilibrates with 2,3-benzobicyclo...