Aromatic compounds photocycloaddition

The photochemical cycloadditions of alkenes and alkynes with aromatic compounds have received by far the most attention. Yields of [2+2] cydoadducts can be good, but reaction times are often long and secondary rearrangement products are common [139, 140, 141,142, 143,144, 145,146] (equations 63-65). The pioneering mechanistic and synthetic work on aromatic photocycloadditions has been reviewed [147],... 

Aromatic compounds can participate in both [2+2] and [4+2] photocycloaddition reactions with uracil derivatives to give either benzocyclobutane or ethenoquinazoline (barrelene) derivatives, which can then undergo a number of subsequent photochemical reactions. The products obtained are dependent upon the reaction conditions, and thus the photocycloaddition reaction between naphthalenes 470 and l,3-dimethyl-5-fluorouracil 471 in cyclohexane gave 4a-fluoro-5,10-ethenobenzo[/]quinazolines 472 as products as a result of a [4+2] photocycloaddition (photo-Diels-Alder) reaction <2002TL3113, 2003H(61)377>. 

Photocycloadditions of naphthalene derivatives to alkcnes have been recently reviewed.60 Examples of such reactions are the photocycloaddition of naphthalene to 2,3-dihy-drofuran,61 of 4-methoxy-l-naphthonitrile to acrylonitrile62 and of 2-trimethylsiloxynaph-thalene to methyl acrylate.63 2-Naphthols undergo cycloaddition with ethene in the presence of aluminum trihalides only.64 Other bicyclic aromatic compounds, e.g. A-acylindoles65-67 and /V-methylphenanthrene-9,10-dicarboximide,68 have also been studied in detail. Irradiation of 5/f-dibenzo[u,i7]cyclohepten-5-one (21) and dimethyl 2-methylfumarate (22) in dioxane gives the cyclobutane adduct 23 in 73% yield.69... 

Synthetic applications of these photocycloadditions to aromatic compounds are sometimes hampered by low chemical yields and poor selectivity in the photoreactions. However, a number of elegant syntheses of tricyclic sesquiterpenes have been hased on intramolecular 1,3-phutocycloadditions ie.g. 3. SI), and these represent a completely new approach to the preparation of such systems. 

A. Gilhert, in W. M. Horspocl (ed.). Synthetic Organic Photochemistry, Plenum 11984). Photoaddition, photocycloaddition and photocyclization processes of aromatic compounds are all covered in this account of synthetic aspects of aromatic photochemistry. 

Further evidence for different reactivities of exdplexes and termolecular complexes was also found in photocycloadditions of olefins to aromatic compounds [107]. Depending on the degree of charge transfer, the reaction course turns from meta to orlAo-cycloaddition [78, 80] (cf. Scheme 16). 

Whether the role of the second olefinic partner is catalytic or a triplex intermediate is involved is not yet clear. The role of triplexes in photoreactions of aromatic compounds with olefins may be even more complex. For example, excited biphenyl forms both a fluorescent dual and triple exciplex with 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene [120]. The possibility of these two pathways of deactivation can explain the inefficient photocycloaddition in the particular case of 1biphenyl /cyclopentene [121]. 

A variety of four-membered ring compounds can be obtained with photochemical reactions of aromatic compounds, mainly with the [2 + 2] (ortho) photocycloaddition of alkenes. In the case of aromatic compounds of the benzene type, this reaction is often in competition with the [3 + 2] (meta) cycloaddition, and less frequently with the [4 + 2] (para) cycloaddition (Scheme 5.7) [38-40]. When the aromatic reaction partner is electronically excited, both reactions can occur at the 7t7t singlet state, but only the [2 + 2] addition can also proceed at the %% triplet state. Such competition was also discussed in the context of redox potentials of the reaction partners [17]. Most frequently, it is the electron-active substituents on the aromatic partner and the alkene which direct the reactivity. The [2 + 2] photocycloaddition is strongly favored when electron-withdrawing substituents are present in the substrates. In such a reaction, crotononitrile 34 was added to anisole 33 (Scheme 5.8, reaction 15) [41 ], and only one regioisomer (35) was obtained in good yield. In this transformation, the... 

Scheme 5.11 Synthesis of tricyclic cyclo butene derivatives with intramolecular [2 + 2] photocycloadditions of aromatic compounds. The addition is followed by rearrangements leading to the final products.

The most characteristic photochemical reaction of aromatic compounds is their cydoaddition with alkenes. The intramolecular reaction is suitable for the synthesis of complex structures, such as those depicted in Scheme 9.49, where [3+2]-photocycloaddition leads to structures which resemble natural products (aphidico-line and stemoclinone). An interaction of the arene singlet excited state with the alkene ground state gives rise to the meta adduct [83, 84]. 

The photocycloadditions of readily accessible aromatic compounds lead to highly functionalyzed products in only one step. They can be used in a flexible manner for the synthesis of numerous target structures. The total synthesis of these products is considerably shortened and simplified by applying the photochemical cycloadditions as key steps which was particularly demonstrated with the transformation of many intramolecular meta cycloadducts [66]. 

Mizuno K, Maeda H, Sugimoto A, Chiyonobu K. Photocycloaddition and photoaddition reactions of aromatic compounds. In Ramamurthy V, Schanze KS, eds. Molecular and Supramolecular Photochemistry. Vol 8. New York Marcel Dekker, Inc., 2001 127-316. 

Intramolecular Cyclization Reactions This Section is concerned with photo-induced cyclization reactions of aromatic compounds in which the final product is also an arene. Examples of intramolecular cyclization in which the product is a stable aliphatic system (e.g. intramolecular meta photocycloaddition of ethylenes to benzenes) are considered in Section 3 of this Chapter. The present type of process occurs for a wide variety of systems and may involve arene-arene and arene-ethylene photo-oxidative cyclization or reactions proceeding by loss of halogen acid. For several years now one of the major interests in these processes has been in their use as synthetic procedures and again within the review period there have appeared a number of accounts which illustrate this feature. Stilbene-... 

Comeliesse, J., de Haan, R., Ortho Photocycloaddition Reactions of Aromatic Compounds. In Ramamurthy, V., Schanze, K. (eds), Understanding and Manipulating Excited state Processes, Marcel Dekker, New York, 2001, pp. 1 126. 

The simultaneous formation of two or more a-bonds has always attracted synthetic chemists since complex molecules can be built up in one single step. Therefore it is not surprising that highly developed syntheses of natural and artificial products often made use of cycloaddition procedures. The meta photocycloaddition of aromatic compounds to alkenes certainly belongs to this category and has reached its summit of application in the admirable work of Wender s group. Hence this chapter describes photocycloadditions of various types covering mainly meta [3+2], ortho [2+2] and para [4+2] ones. Even an unusual example of an [6+6] cycloaddition is presented. The fact that only one substitution reaction is described may indicate that synthetic studies of electron transfer activation only started recently. 

Addition of simple ethylenes to polynuclear aromatic compounds has been reported for a variety of systems in recent years.10 The light-induced 1,2-addition of acrylonitrile to naphthalene has been intensively studied by McCullough and co-workers.ei It is, however, now interesting to read that polymerization of the ethylene can occur under such conditions.82 and his group have carried out several studies in this area and they have now described the stereospecific 1,2-photocycloaddition of 1-naphthonitrile with cis- and //wts-l-phenoxypropenes.88... 

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