Experimental and theoretical analysis of the factors determining the conformation and stability of singlet carbene

Abstract

Experimental and theoretical analyses of 1,2-H shifts in singlet carbene RCH₂–C(:)–X (X = Cl, Ph) indicate that hyperconjugation of the carbene Ione pair and the low-lying C–R σ* orbital of the β-substituent plays an important role in determining the relative population of the carbene conformers.