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Updated: Nov 11, 2025

Characterizing Lewis Pairs Using Titration Coupled with In Situ Infrared Spectroscopy
Published on: February 20, 2020
Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Diels-Alder Reactions: Reactivity Trends across the Periodic Table
Pascal Vermeeren1, Marco Dalla Tiezza1, Michelle van Dongen1
1Department of Theoretical Chemistry, Amsterdam Institute of Molecular and Life Sciences (AIMMS), Amsterdam Center for Multiscale Modeling (ACMM), Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV, Amsterdam (The, Netherlands.
Abstract:
The catalytic effect of various weakly interacting Lewis acids (LAs) across the periodic table, based on hydrogen (Group 1), pnictogen (Group 15), chalcogen (Group 16), and halogen (Group 17) bonds, on the Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction between 1,3-butadiene and methyl acrylate was studied quantum chemically by using relativistic density functional theory. Weakly interacting LAs accelerate the Diels-Alder reaction by lowering the reaction barrier up to 3 kcal mol-1 compared to the uncatalyzed reaction. The reaction barriers systematically increase from halogen
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