Effects of geminal methyl groups on the tunnelling rates in the ring opening of cyclopropylcarbinyl radical at cryogenic temperature

CVT + SCT calculations on the rate of tunnelling at 20 K in the ring opening of cyclopropylcarbinyl radical, substituted with geminal methyl groups at a ring carbon (1b), have been performed. The calculations predict that, contrary to expectations based on the effect of mass on the rate of tunnelling, the geminal methyl substituents in 1b should make the rate of ring opening to 1,1-dimethyl-3-butenyl radical (2b) 10⁴ times faster than the rate of ring opening of unsubstituted cyclopropylcarbinyl radical (1a) to 3-butenyl radical (2a) and almost 10⁶ times faster than the rate of ring opening of 1b to 2,2-dimethyl-3-butenyl radical (2c). The reasons for these unexpected findings are discussed.