The synthesis of pyrrole from C4-olefinated isoxazole catalyzed by ruthenium: A density functional theory study

摘要

The mechanisms of ruthenium-catalyzed synthesis of pyrrole from C4-olefinated isoxazole were investigated by employing the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Three main steps are included in this reaction: N-O cleavage, 1,5-cyclization, and H-transfer steps. The H-transfer is calculated to be the rate-determining step with the overall barrier of 19.7 kcal/mol. The role of Cu(OAc)(2) employed in this reaction is to supply HOAc molecule, which could reduce the barrier of the rate-determining step to make the step more feasible.