Ab initio study on the internal rotation of five π-conjugated hydrocarbons at MP2 level

The potential-energy curves of internal rotation were calculated for 1,3-butadiene at the MP2/6-311G** level, for isoprene and 1,3-pentadiene at the MP2/6-311G* level, and for 2,3-dimethyl-1,3-butadiene and styrene at the MP2/6-31G* level. The geometries of the energy minima (stable conformers) and maxima (transition states) on the curves are completely optimized. For butadiene and its methyl derivatives, two stable rotamers, s-trans and gauche conformers, are obtained. s-trans forms have the lowest energies and gauche conformers twisted by 39.9°–48.3° around the central bond of the butadiene skeleton are, on average, 9.8 kJ/mol above the trans forms. s-cis forms are rotational transition states. The computed gauche–cis barriers range from 4.30 to 11.70 kJ/mol. The regular effects of methyl substitutions at the end and central carbons are found. For styrene, the planar form is calculated to be a saddle point which is only about 1 kJ/mol higher in total energy than a twisted minimum, in which the torsional angle between the phenyl and vinyl planes is 27.4°. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 69: 659–667, 1998