Thermal decomposition of 2-phenylethanol: A computational study on mechanism

Quantum mechanical calculations for the thermal decomposition of 2-phenylethanol have been performed using the CBS-QB3 method. Based on the potential energy surfaces at the CBS-QB3 level of theory, the preferred reaction channel for the thermal decomposition of 2-phenylethanol was the six-membered cyclic rearrangement reaction and the dehydration reaction to form styrene and H2O. Further quantum chemical calculations of the subsequent reactions followed by the six-membered cyclic rearrange reaction of 2-phenylethanol were carried out and it was revealed that the barrier height for the ring opening reaction was the lowest among all of the other subsequent reactions. (C) 2012 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.