The simplest Diels-Alder reactions are not endo-selective

There is a widespread perception that the high level of endo selectivity witnessed in many Diels-Alder reactions is an intrinsic feature of the transformation. In contrast to expectations based upon this existing belief, the first experimental Diels-Alder reactions of a novel, deuterium-labeled 1,3-butadiene with commonly used mono-substituted alkenic dienophiles (acrolein, methyl vinyl ketone, acrylic acid, methyl acrylate, acrylamide and acrylonitrile) reveal kinetic endo : exo ratios close to 1 : 1. Maleonitrile, butenolide, α-methylene γ-butyrolactone, and N-methylmaleimide behave differently, as does methyl vinyl ketone under Lewis acid catalysis. CBS-QB3 calculations incorporating solvent and temperature parameters give endo : exo product ratios that are in near quantitative agreement with these and earlier experimental findings. This work challenges the preconception of innate endo-selectivity by providing the first experimental evidence that the simplest Diels-Alder reactions are not endo-selective. Trends in behaviour are traced to steric and electronic effects in Diels-Alder transition structures, giving new insights into these fundamental processes.