AM1 SEMIEMPIRICAL SEARCHING FOR SUITABLE THIOPHENE DERIVATIVES THAT WILL ENABLE THIOPHENES TO ACT AS A DIENE IN THE DIELS-ALDER REACTIONS

The AM1 semiempirical method was used for theoretical searching of activation of thiophene as a diene for the Diels-Alder reaction. The reactivity of thiophene, electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituted thiophenes, as well as the S-methylthiophenium ion were studied as the diene for Diels-Alder reactions by evaluating their frontier orbital energies and by calculating reaction barriers with activated and deactivated dienophiles. It was demonstrated that slight activation of the thiophene ring can be obtained with both electron-donating and electron-withdrawing groups attached to the thiophene ring. It was predicted that the actual transformation of thiophenes into the corresponding S-methylthiophenium anions is the best means of activating the thiophenes. The calculated activation energies for normal (non-activated) dienophiles are moderate so mild reaction conditions are predicted. If dienophiles are activated with electron-donating substituents, AM1 calculations predict a two step cycloaddition reaction with a very small activation barrier.