Irradiation of imine-group VI carbene complexes in the presence of alkynes: A theoretical and experimental study

The photoreaction between imine-substituted Fischer carbene complexes and alkynes is studied at both experimental and theoretical levels. 2H-Pyrrole derivatives are easily obtained as main products in moderate to good yields, with complete control of the regiochemistry. High-level theoretical calculations are carried out in order to explore and fully understand the reaction pathway. On the basis of the theoretical results, a mechanism that accounts for the experimental findings is proposed