Resonance energies of the allyl cation and allyl anion: contribution by resonance and inductive effects toward the acidity and hydride abstraction enthalpy of propene.

Density functional theory was employed to calculate the acidities and hydride abstraction enthalpies of propene (3) and propane (4), along with their vinylogues (5 and 6, respectively). The same reaction enthalpies were calculated for the propene vinylogues in which the terminal vinyl group was rotated perpendicular to the rest of the conjugated system (7). The contribution by resonance and inductive effects toward the acidity and hydride abstraction enthalpy of each vinylogue of 5 (n = 1-3) was computed and extrapolated to n = 0 (the parent propene system). The resonance energies of the allyl cation and anion were determined to be about 20-22 and 17-18 kcal/mol, respectively. Comparisons are made to resonance energies calculated using other methodologies.