The inversion process of pyrrole, phosphole, arsole, stibole, and bismole is analyzed in detail by using ab
initio and density functional techniques. The results are compared with the corresponding divinyl and diethyl
compounds, HM(C2H3)2 and HM(C2H5)2, respectively (M = N, P, As, Sb, and Bi). The inversion barrier
increases down the Group 15 elements and from the cyclic, via the divinyl to the diethyl compounds. The
inversion process can be rationalized in terms of a second-order Jahn−Teller distortion using HOMO/LUMO
energy differences. B3LYP calculations predict that fluorination of the pyrrole ring leads to nonplanar structures
of both the tetra- and pentafluoropyrrole.