Interplay between aromaticity and strain in double group transfer reactions to 1,2-benzyne.

Density Functional Theory calculations are used to explore the double hydrogen atom transfer from different alkanes to 1,2-benzyne. State-of-the-art calculations including the Activation Strain Model of reactivity, Energy Decomposition Analysis, and Valence Bond methods, reveal the origins of the relatively low activation barriers computed for these processes compared to the analogous reaction involving acetylene. In addition, the interplay between the in-plane aromaticity of the corresponding transition states and the variation of the π-aromaticity associated with the benzyne moiety as well as their influence on the barrier heights of the transformations are analyzed in detail.
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