Abstract
The regioselective production of alkenes from (thio)carbonates was calculated by MP2/6-31G(d) method via pyrolysis processes. Four (thio)carbonates were calculated in this paper. They are S-sec-butyl O-methyl thiocarbonate (I), O-sec-butyl S-methyl thiocarbonate (II), sec-butyl methyl thioncarbonate (III), and sec-butyl methyl dithiocarbonate (IV). Thirteen potential thermolysis routes were revealed for the pyrolysis of each substance, including nine routes to produce regioselective alkenes and four rearrangement/decompose alternatives. Among nine alkene generation routes, six-membered ring transition states via a two-step mechanism required the lowest energy, while the other routes exhibited higher energy barriers. The calculation results demonstrated an alkene distribution hierarchy of 1-butene > E-butene > Z-butene for substances I and II, and an order of E-butene > 1-butene > Z-butene for substances III and IV.