COMPUTER-ASSISTED MECHANISTIC EVALUATION OF ORGANIC-REACTIONS .24. CARBENE CHEMISTRY

A module that simulates carbene chemistry has been incorporated into the CAMEO program. It is mechanistically and thermodynamically based, allowing it to correctly predict the behavior of a wide range of compounds it has never encountered before. As with CAMEO generally, the Carbene Module not only predicts the major course of reaction but also the likely side products and gives insight into the mechanistic processes occurring in the system through messages issued when mechanistic decisions are made. The module encompasses five stages: (1) Optional carbene formation, incorporating all major preparative routes. (2) Perception of carbene philicity, selectivity, and spin multiplicity, as well as the steric and electronic activation of other atoms and bonds. (3) Mechanistic analysis, incorporating a simple kinetic model to address competing reactions. (4) Product evaluation and generation. (5) Product display.