Buta-1.3-diene cycloadducts from

In cycloadditions of enones to alkenes novel strategies have been adopted for ring expansion of the cycloadducts, either by the choice of appropriate alkenes, e.g. 2-(trimethylsiloxy)buta-1,3-diene,70 vmv-2-trimethylsiloxybuten-2-oales71 or 3,3-dimethylcyclopropene,72 or by using 3-oxo-l-cyeloalkene-l-carboxylates as enones.73 Asymmetric [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of cyclopent-2-enone to a (+ )-dihydrofuran acetonide constitutes the cornerstone of the synthetic strategy in the first total synthesis of the novel antitumor metabolite ( )-echinosporin.74 The cycloaddition product 25 from treatment of 2-(2-carbomethoxyethyl)-2-cyclopentenone (24) with ethene has been used as a precursor for the preparation of tricyclo[4.2.0.01,4]octane.75... 

The [4+1] cycloadducts formed from 4,4-bis(trifluoromethyl)-l-oxa-buta-1,3-dienes (92JPR219) and tin(II )-chloride are transformed on heating into 4,4-difluoro-3-trifluoromethylbut-3-en-l-ones, which on treatment with sodium hydride yield 2-fluoro-3-trifluoromethylfurans (92CC348). When heated with phosphorus pentasulfide, l-aryl-4,4-difluoro-3-trifluor-omethylbut-3-en-l-ones give 2-fluoro-3-trifluoromethylthiophenes. The fluorine atom at C—2 of the furans and thiophenes can readily be substituted by a wide variety of nucleophiles (92JPR3II). This reaction sequence represents a preparatively useful method for the selective introduction of biologically relevant substituents into the C—2 position of 3-trifluoro-methyl-substituted furans and thiophenes (Scheme 87). 

One major drawback of the cycloaddition approach to cycloproparenes is the low reactivity of 1,2-dihalocyclopropenes towards unsubstituted or monosubstituted buta-1,3-dienes which occur preferably in the s-trans conformation. Owing to the low thermal stability of the cyclopropenes, long reaction times are often required, and the yields of cycloadducts are low. These difficulties may be overcome if the required 1,6-dihalobicyclo[4.1.0]hept-3-ene precursor is constructed from a cycloprop-l-ene-l,2-dicarboxylate. The cycloadditions are carried out at 25-40 C in high yield. Hydrolysis and halodecarboxylation of the adduct produces the cyclo-proparene precursor, albeit in disappointing yield. Nevertheless, the approach was used for the first preparation of a cyclopropa-fused tropone 16. ... 

There are several reports this year of photocycloaddition reactions between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and 1,3-dienes. Anthracene (58 R = H) or 9-cyanoanthracene (58 R = CN) give [4 -I- 4] and [4 -I- 2]adducts on irradiation with buta-1,3-diene, but the different product ratios and temperature effects are used to support the previously proposed biradical mechanism for the reaction. Another report from the same group deals with anthracene-hexa-2,4-diene and 9-phenylanthracene-penta-1,3-diene or cyclohexa-1,3-diene systems in the case of 9-phenylanthracene (59) and cyclohexa-1,3-diene, two [2 -I- 2]cycloadducts involving a terminal aromatic ring are isolated, as well as the more usual [4 + 2] and [4 -f- 4]adducts involving the central ring. Irradiation of substituted anthracenes... 

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