Origins of Regioselectivity in CuH-Catalyzed Hydrofunctionalization of Alkenes

J Org Chem. 2023 Mar 3;88(5):2750-2757. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.2c02296. Epub 2023 Feb 15.

Abstract

Factors controlling the regioselectivity in alkene hydrocupration were computationally investigated using energy decomposition analysis. The results demonstrate that the Markovnikov-selective hydrocupration with electronically activated mono-substituted olefins is mostly affected by the destabilizing Pauli repulsion, which is due to the electron delocalization effect. The anti-Markovnikov-selective hydrocupration with 1,1-dialkyl-substituted terminal olefins is dominated by the repulsive electrostatic interactions, which is because of the unequal π electron distribution caused by the induction effect of alkyl substituents.