Acyl cyanides, oxetanes

The double bonds in certain heterocyclic compounds, such as furans, Af-acylpyrroles and A-acylindoles are also susceptible to photoaddition of carbonyl compounds to form oxetanes (equation 106) (77JHC1777). A wide range of carbonyl compounds can be used, including quinones, a-diketones, acyl cyanides, perfluorinated aldehydes and ketones and esters. A remarkable case of asymmetric induction in oxetane formation has been reported from optically active menthyl phenylglyoxylate and 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene the oxetane product obtained after hydrolysis of the ester group had an optical purity of 53% (79AG(E)868). 

Isatine derivatives gave the corresponding cycloadducts with high stereoselectivity when irradiated in the presence of furan and benzofuran [72]. The reaction of furan with acyl cyanides yields the corresponding oxetanes, but both diastereoisomeric endo- and exo-oxetanes are formed (Scheme 3.36). When chiral acyl cyanides are used, low asymmetric induction is observed [73]. Furan also reacts with chiral ketones. In this case, an ot-cleavage reaction before the 2+2 cycloaddition modifies the expected products (Scheme 3.37). When (—)-menthone was used as a substrate, a chiral product was obtained as a 2 1 diastereoisomeric mixture the most abundant product has the (1/ , 3R) configuration [74]. When the reaction was performed on carbohydrate 36, a complex reaction mixture was obtained (Scheme 3.38) [74, 75]. 

The facial diastereoselectivity derived from-the ratio (3 + 4)/(5 + 6) was 50%, while the exo/endo selectivity derived from the product ratio (3 + 5)/(4 4- 6) was 40%. Oxetanes 9a,b were obtained with a low diastereoselectivity from the reaction of (R)-isopropylideneglyceraldehyde 7 with 3,4-dimethylfuran 8 [6]. Oxetanes 9a,b have been used for the synthesis of asteltoxin. Enantiopure acyl cyanides were used in the same way as chiral carbonyl reaction partners [7] and camphor for the addition with electron-poor alkenes like dicyanoethylene [8]. In the latter case the reaction occurs in the S i state of the carbonyl compound. 

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