Nature of bonding in the cyclization reactions of (2-ethynylphenyl)triazene and 2-ethynylstyrene

The topological analysis of the electron localization function (ELF) has been applied to explore the nature of bonding in thermal cyclizations of (2-ethynylphenyl)triazene and 2-ethynylstyrene. These processes have been proposed to occur through both five- (i.e., coarctate) and six-membered (i.e., pericyclic) transition states. The analysis of electron delocalization, as measured from an irreducible ELF f-localization domain reduction diagram, allows us to characterize these cyclizations of 2-ethynyl styrene in terms of a more pronounced pericyclic or coarctate character than those associated with (2-ethynylphenyl)triazene. The latter evolve through pseudopericyclic and pseudocoarctate pathways. It is found that ELF results are also in good agreement with recent magnetic evidence data obtained from the anisotropy of induced current density (ACID) calculations.