Quantifying asymmetry in concerted reactions: solvents effect on a Diels-Alder cycloaddition

We propose the notion that if asymmetry characterizes a concerted reaction, a quantitative treatment in terms of continuous symmetry can bridge the gap between the Woodward-Hoffmann (WH) rules, originally formulated for symmetry-idealized unsubstituted reactants, and the fact that these rules hold for a much wider scope of reactions. Instead of focusing on symmetry conservation along the minimum energy path, we suggest that the distortion with respect to the original expected symmetry must attain a certain minimal value, not necessarily zero. To demonstrate this approach we studied the effect of solvents on the symmetry and reactivity of the classical [4 + 2] Diels-Alder cycloaddition of (E,E)-1,4-dimethoxy-1,3-butadiene with tetracyanoethylene, revealing the predictive value of this approach. Calculations of the enthalpy of activation and the charge separation at the transition state (TS) predict increased reactivity with the polarity of the solvent. The symmetry measure is in excellent correlation with the enthalpy of activation and the charge separation at the TS, indicating the higher reactivity of the more symmetric case, thus quantifying the main teaching of the WH rules. The advantages of using a global structural parameter that takes into account all geometrical parameters, i.e., the symmetry measure, over specific ones (e.g., asynchronicity) are discussed.