Journal of Physical Chemistry A, Vol.123, No.42, 9175-9184, 2019
Infrared-Spectroscopic Study of (4-Methylpent-3-en-1-ynyl)methylthiocarbene, Its Photochemical Transformations, and Reactions in an Argon Matrix
The first representative of singlet carbenes bearing both ethynyl and methylthio groups at the carbene center, (4-methylpent-3-en-1-ynyl)methylthiocarbene, has been generated in a low-temperature Ar matrix upon UV photolysis of 3,3-dimethyl-5-methylthioethynyl-3H-pyrazole and detected by FTIR spectroscopy. The generation of the carbene proceeds via intermediate (3-diazo-5-methylhex-4-en-1-ynyl)methylsulfane. The comparison of FTIR spectroscopy data with the results of quantum chemical to calculations (B3LYP/aug-cc-pVTZ) and NRT analysis shows that (4-methylpent-3-en-1-ynyl)methylthiocarbene has a singlet ground state with the localization of the unpaired spins on the carbon atom in the alpha-position to methylthio moiety. Two major pathways of further phototransformation of the studied carbene have been found. One of them produces photochemically stable thioketone (S=CMe-C C-CH=CMe2) as a result of methyl group migration from sulfur to the neighboring carbon atom, and the other one leads to the formation of labile thioketene (S=C=C(Me)-CH=CH-CMe=CH2). Ability of (4-methylpent-3-en-1-ynyl)methylthiocarbene to insert into the H-Cl bond was established, which additionally confirms the singlet nature of this intermediate.