Arenediazonium salts radical cyclizations

The photolysis of arenediazonium salts has been widely used for intramolecular cyclizations in the synthesis of 1-phenylethylisoquinoline alkaloids by Kametani and Fukumoto (review 1972). An example is the photolysis of the diazonium ion 10.73, which resulted in the formation of O-benzylandrocymbine (10.74) (Kametani et al., 1971). The mechanism of this cyclization is obviously quite complex, since the carbon (as cation or radical ) to which the diazonio group is attached in 10.73 does not react with the aromatic CH group, but with the tertiary carbon (dot in 10.73), forming a quinone-like ring (10.74). In our opinion the methyl cation released is likely to react with the counter-ion X- or the solvent. 

Indolines and indoles were prepared by a direct electrochemical reduction of arenediazonium salts. As a result, radical intermediates were generated from which 3,4-disubstituted tetrahydrofuran skeleta were constructed <02OL2735>. A short and stereoselective total synthesis of furano lignans was realized by radical cyclization of epoxides using a transition-metal radical source <02JOC3242>. Other preparations of tetrahydrofurans using radical cyclization include the synthesis of novel amino acids L-bis-... 

An alternative mechanism featuring aryl cation intermediates, rather than aryl radicals, (the aryl cation proposal , Scheme 3) was considered shortly after the discovery of the reaction. This would invoke a completely non-radical mechanism to explain the observations. Loss of dinitrogen from an arenediazonium salt would afford an aryl cation which then cyclizes to cation 4 this could be (reversibly) intercepted by TTF acting as a nucleophile to give rise to salts 2, solvolysis of which would afford alcohols 3. However, this proposal can be dismissed. Firstly, these... 

More recently, elegant mechanistic studies on intramolecular Meer-wein reactions by Beckwith et al. considerably extended the utility of diazonium salts. They showed that many electron donors could convert an arenediazonium cation into an aryl radical which cyclized in good yield to form dihydrobenzofurans and indolines. The final radical was functionalized as a halide, sulfide, or ferrocene. Thus, the credentials of diazonium salts as electron acceptors were well established, and the stage was set to investigate the interaction between diazonium salts and TTF. 

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