Theoretical Examination of the S-C-P Anomeric Effect

Three decades after the discovery of a strong S-C-P anomeric effect in 2-diphenylphosphinoyl-1,3-dithiane (1) and 2-trimethylphosphonium-1,3-dithiane (4), its definitive interpretation is still lacking. The present study reports DFT geometry optimizations of 1-ax, 1-eq, 4-ax, and 4-eq, which do reproduce the S-C-P anomeric effect in 1 and 4, worth 5.45 and 3.08 kcal/mol, respectively (in chloroform solvent). Weinholds NBO analysis supports the existence of dominant n(X) -> sigma*(C-Y) stereoelectronic interactions that stabilize the axial conformers.