Suprafacial-antarafacial pathway

Thermal and photochemical cycloaddition reactions always take place with opposite stereochemistry. As with electrocyclic reactions, we can categorize cycloadditions according to the total number of electron pairs (double bonds) involved in the rearrangement. Thus, a thermal Diels-Alder [4 + 2] reaction between a diene and a dienophile involves an odd number (three) of electron pairs and takes place by a suprafacial pathway. A thermal [2 + 2] reaction between two alkenes involves an even number (two) of electron pairs and must take place by an antarafacial pathway. For photochemical cyclizations, these selectivities are reversed. The general rules are given in Table 30.2. 

Both these 1,51 hydrogen shifts occur by a symmetry-allowed suprafacial rearrangement, as illustrated in Figure 30.12. In contrast with these thermal [L,51 sigmatropic hydrogen shifts, however, thermal [1,3 hydrogen shifts are unknown. Were they to occur, they would have to proceed by a strained antarafacial reaction pathway. 

The occurrence of a 1,7-photochemical shift of H in this compound does not, of itself, establish directly that this shift proceeds via a suprafacial pathway. The relatively rigid cyclic structure of (47) must, however, rule out the possibility of the shift having proceeded via the antarafacial route. 

In theory, it might be possible for a Cope rearrangement to occur by a pathway that is suprafacial with respect to one component and antarafacial with respect to the other. It is difficult to visualize, but such a process would require a rotation—for example, in the C5-C6 bond—as the C3-C4 bond dissociates. Such pathways would be designated suprafacial-antarafacial (sa) or antarafacial-suprafacial (as). As shown in the example in Figure 11.42, however, such a mechanism would lead to an antibonding relationship between C6 and Cl, so it is forbidden by the principle of conservation of orbital symmetry. ... 

An antarafacial [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement was proposed for one reaction by Miyashi, T. Nitta, M. Mukai, T. ]. Am. Chem. Soc. 1971, 93, 3441, but an alternative explanation for the experimental results was advanced by Baldwin, J. E. Kaplan, M. S. /. Am. Chem. Soc. 1971,93,3969. Even more complicated pathways can be imagined. Hansen, H.-l Schmid, H. Tetrahedron 1974, 1959, considered seven possible transition structures for the Cope rearrangement, including boat and chair suprafacial-suprafacial, twist, cross, and plane antarafacial-antarafacial transition structures, and one anchor antarafacial-suprafacial transition structure. 

As is the case for other pericyclic reactions, the selection rules for a thermal [i, ] sigmatropic reaction are reversed for the photochemical reaction. If irradiation of a 1,5-hexadiene produces the electronically excited state of one and only one of the two allyl components, then the HOMO of one component is (/f3, and the HOMO of ihe other component is suprafacial-suprafacial reaction (Figure 11.46) is forbidden (as is the antarafacial-antar-afacial pathway), but the antarafacial-suprafacial and suprafacial-antarafacial pathways are allowed (Figure 11.47). Analysis of higher sigmatropic reactions shows that the selection rules also reverse with the addition of a carbon-carbon double bond to either of the n systems. Thus, the [3,5] sigmatropic reaction is thermally allowed to be suprafacial-antarafacial or antarafacial-suprafacial and photochemically allowed to be suprafacial- suprafacial or antarafacial-antarafacial. Two of these reaction modes are illustrated in Figure 11.48. 

The [5,5] sigmatropic rearrangement of (3Z,7Z)-l,3,7,9-decatetraene (equation 11.9) could in theory take place through either a [5a + 5a] or a [5s -I- 5s] pathway. Houk and co-workers calculated a 9 kcal/mol preference for the suprafacial-suprafacial pathway because of geometric strain in the transition structure for the antarafacial-antarafacial process. ... 

We noted in Chapter 15 that, for the most part, the orbital symmetry rules are not directly applicable to photochemistry. However, some photochemical reactions of simple tt systems do give products that are consistent with expectations based on orbital symmetry, although this does not prove that these are concerted, pericyclic processes, The photochemical selection rules for pericyclic reactions are opposite of those for thermal pericyclic reactions. For example, there are many examples of [1,3] and [1,7] sigmatropic shifts that appear to go by the photochemically "allowed" suprafacial-suprafacial pathway Eqs. 16.22 and 16.23 show two (recall that the thermal reactions would be suprafacial-antarafacial). These reactions occur upon direct irradation, while sensitized photolysis produces products more consistent with biradical-type reactions. 

Similarly, when retention occurs at both the ends ofo-bond, it is involved in suprafacial manner and addition at jt-bond occurs in antarafacial manner, pathway is classified as o s-i-Tt acycloaddition (Fig. 7.4). 

When this prior stereoi merization is accounted for, the rearrangonent is found to have resulted fixtm a mixture of all possible suprafacial, antarafacial, inversion, and retention combinations in reughly equal amounts, indicating that no stereochemical pathway is strongly preferred. Substituted systems, however, show higher stereoselectivity. Theoretical modeling of the reaction finds no intermediate, but tire titumtinn state is diradical in character. ... 

Cycloaddition reactions are those in which two unsaturated molecules add together to yield a cyclic product. For example, Diels-AJder reaction between a diene (four tt electrons) and a dienophile (two tt electrons) yields a cyclohexene. Cycloadditions can take place either by suprafacial or antarafacial pathways. Suprafacial cycloaddition involves interaction between lobes on the same face of one component and on the same face of the second component. Antarafacial cycloaddition involves interaction between lobes on the same face of one component ancl on opposite faces of the other component. The reaction course in a specific case can be found by looking at the symmetry of the HOMO of one component and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the other component. 

Dihydrothiophene-1,1-dioxides (42) and 2,17-dihydrothiepin-1,1-dioxides (43) undergo analogous 1,4 and 1,6 eliminations, respectively (see also 17-38). These are concerted reactions and, as predicted by the orbital-symmetry rules (p. 1067), the former is a suprafacial process and the latter an antarafacial process. The rules also predict that elimination of SO2 from episulfones cannot take place by a concerted mechanism (except antarafacially, which is unlikely for such a small ring), and the evidence shows that this reaction occurs by a non-concerted pathway.The eliminations of SO2 from 42 and 43 are examples of cheletropic reactions, which are defined as reactions in which two a bonds that terminate at a single atom (in this case the sulfur atom) are made or broken in concert. 

The actual reported results bear out this analysis. Thus a thermal [1,3] migration is allowed to take place only antarafacially, but such a transition state would be extremely strained, and thermal [1,3] sigmatropic migrations of hydrogen are unknown." On the other hand, the photochemical pathway allows suprafacial [1,3] shifts, and a few such reactions are known, an example being " ... 

Eq. 17 is meant to represent the possibility for a concerted formation of oxetane product. A problem that always exist in cycloadditions is the question of whether the reaction takes place by a two-step biradical reaction pathway or through a concerted mechanism. Such questions have not even been resolved for purely thermal reactions. 4> A recent speculation on this point proposes almost universal concertedness for all cycloaddition reactions. 79> In that work, mixed stereochemistry in the products of [2+2] cycloaddition reactions is generally attributed to a mixture of two concerted reactions, suprafacial-suprafacial, and supra-facial-antarafacial. It will be seen later that the PMO calculations generally do not support this idea. A mixture of biradical and concerted reactions is in better agreement with experimental facts. 

From examination of Fig. 11, it is inferred that the zn-n state is less reactive, and a biradical mechanism should be the major reaction pathway. The degenerate stabilizing perturbation of the bonding levels is missing, and concerted pathways are not likely if stabilized only by much smaller secondary interactions. If the hi-n singlet state could be intercepted in some way, the all-suprafacial concerted mechanism would be favored [K(ji ) -0(jr )] relative to the suprafacial-antarafacial mechanism [O(tt) - -K( i )]. 

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