A Computational Study of the Intramolecular Carbolithiation of Aryllithiums: Solvent and Substituent Effects

The intramolecular carbolithiation of olefinic aryllithiums provides an interesting route to functionalized carbo- and heterocyclic systems. We have computed mechanistic energy profiles (DFT) by varying the nature of the solvent and aryllithium. Our calculations suggest that the solvent mainly impacts the aggregation state of the aryllithium intermediates rather than activates the reactive species themselves. Further investigations revealed that substitution of the terminal position of the double bond and the N-allyl side-chain strongly influence the energy barriers, in good agreement with experimental data.