Stereochemistry of (E)- and (Z)-1,1'-dichlorobifluorenylidenes, substituted overcrowded fullerene fragments

X-ray crystallographic and semiempirical PM3 and AM1 studies of 1,1'-dichlorobi-9H-fluoren-9-ylidene (5) are reported. The X-ray molecular structure of (Z)-5 indicated an approximately C2 symmetric conformation with pure twist around C9 = C9' of 40.4 degrees. The fjord regions are somewhat overcrowded: r(C8...C8') = 315.3 pm, r(Cl(1)...Cl(1') = 341.7 pm, r(C(8)...H(8')) = 259.0 pm. The four chlorine atoms of two neighboring molecules of (Z)-5 form a chain. The PM3 calculations showed that the global minimum of 5 is the C2 symmetric twisted conformation t(E)-5, which is 2.4 kJ/mol more stable than its diastereomer C2-t(Z)-5. The corresponding AM1 relative stability is reversed: C2-t(Z)-5 is 1.1 kJ/mol more stable than C2-t(E)-5. The pure twists of t(Z)-5 and t(E)-5 are 37.0 degrees and 37.2 degrees (PM3) and 40.5 degrees and 39.1 degrees (AM1). The corresponding (E) --> (Z) (PM3) and (Z) --> (E) (AM1) energy barriers of diastereomerization are 80.6 kJ/mol (PM3) and 75.8 kJ/mol (AM1). Two anti-folded local minima conformations C2-a(Z)-5 and C(i)-a(E)-5 were found to be 21.2 and 29.5 kJ/mol (PM3) and 25.8 and 35.2 kJ/mol (AM1) less stable than t(E)-5. The syn-folded conformations C(S)-s(Z)-5 and C2-s(E)-5 are transition states for the enantiomerization processes of C2-tz-5 and C2-tE-5, respectively, and lay 79.8 and 94.1 kJ/mol (PM3) and 108.3 and 107.4 kJ/mol (AM1) higher in energy than their corresponding twisted conformations. An alternative pathway for enantiomerization of C2-t(E)-5 via the anti-folded achiral intermediate C(i)-a(E) has a barrier of 56.0 kJ/mol (PM3) and 68.5 (AM1). An alternative pathway for enantiomerization of C2-t(Z)-5 via C2-t(E) and C(i)-a(E) has a barrier of 80.6 (PM3) and 75.8 (AM1) kJ/mol.