Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 23, 2025

Preparation of a Corannulene-functionalized Hexahelicene by CopperI-catalyzed Alkyne-azide Cycloaddition of Nonplanar Polyaromatic Units
Published on: September 18, 2016
Understanding the mechanism and regioselectivity of the copper(i) catalyzed [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction between
Hicham Ben El Ayouchia1, Lahoucine Bahsis1, Hafid Anane1
1Laboratoire de Chimie Analytique et Moléculaire, LCAM, Faculté Polydisciplinaire de Safi, Université Cadi Ayyad Safi 46030 Morocco ananehafid@gmail.com +212-5-24669517.
Abstract:
The copper(i) catalyzed azide-alkyne [3 + 2] cycloaddition (32CA) reaction and its uncatalyzed version have been studied for systematic understanding of this relevant organic transformation, using DFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) (LANL2DZ for Cu) computational levels. In the absence of a copper(i) catalyst, two regioisomeric reaction paths were studied, indicating that the 32CA reaction takes place through an asynchronous one-step mechanism with a very low polar character. The two reactive channels leading to 1,4- and 1,5-regisomer present similar high activation energies of 18.84 and 18.51 kcal mol-1, respectively. The coordination of copper(i) to alkyne produces relevant changes in this 32CA reaction. Analysis of the global and local electrophilicity/nucleophilicity allows explaining correctly the behaviors of the copper(i) catalyzed cycloaddition. Coordination of the copper to alkyne changes the mechanism from a non-polar one-step mechanism to a polar stepwise one, as a consequence of the high nucleophilic character of the dinuclear Cu(i)-acetylide complex. Parr and Fukui functions and Dual Descriptor correctly explain the observed regioselectivity by means of the most favorable two-center interaction that takes place along the 1,4 reaction path.
Related Concept Videos
Cycloaddition Reactions: Overview
[4+2] Cycloaddition of Conjugated Dienes: Diels–Alder Reaction
Cycloaddition Reactions: MO Requirements for Thermal Activation
Aryldiazonium Salts to Azo Dyes: Diazo Coupling
Preparation of 1° Amines: Azide Synthesis
Azide ions act as good nucleophiles and react with unhindered alkyl halides to form alkyl azides. Alkyl azides do not participate in further nucleophilic substitution reactions, thereby eliminating the chances of polyalkylated products. Alkyl azides are reduced by hydride-based reducing agents, like lithium aluminum...
Electrophilic Addition to Alkynes: Halogenation
Halogenation is another class of electrophilic addition reactions where a halogen molecule gets added across a π bond. In alkynes, the presence of two π bonds allows for the addition of two equivalents of halogens (bromine or chlorine). The addition of the first halogen molecule forms a trans-dihaloalkene as the major product and the cis isomer as the minor product. Subsequent addition of the second equivalent yields the tetrahalide.

