Nonconjugated Carbonyl Compounds

Another common umpolung synthon is a homoenolate. Normally the ft position of a carbonyl compound is an electrophilic center (by Michael addition to an 0, /3-unsaturated carbonyl derivative). To make it a nucleophilic center, an organometallic is needed since it is unactivated and nonconjugated. A common way to do this is to use a /3-bromo acetal. 

Cycloaddition of carbon-carbon double bonds can also occur intramolecularly. Direct irradiation of simple dienes leads to cyclobutanes. This is a singlet-state process and is concerted. The stereochemistry of the cyclobutane can be predicted on the basis of orbital-symmetry rules (Part A, Section 10.1). Nonconjugated dienes can also undergo photochemical cyclization employing mercury or carbonyl compounds as sensitizers. Cyclobutane formation is usually unfavorable with 1,4-dienes because it would result in a very strained ring system. When the alkene units are separated by at least two carbon atoms, cyclization becomes more favorable sterically ... 

These reactions are characteristic of nonconjugated carbonyl compounds other reactions (page 841) may be observed when conjugated carbonyl systems are photoexcited. 

The radical addition of sulfinates to unsaturated compounds via the iodosulfonylation-dehydroiodination reaction sequence constitutes a general method for the preparation of vinyl sulfones the latter may be rearranged to aUyUc sulfones by treatment with base. The radical addition may be carried out on a, -unsaturated carbonyl compounds as well as alkenes. In the case of unsaturated carbonyl compounds the elimination process can be quite stereoselective, ( )-alkenes being normally formed. For the addition to nonconjugated alkenes, conditions have been described for the preparation of either ( )- or (. -alkenes. ... 

In general, selectivity is excellent for nonconjugated aliphatic and alicyclic carbonyl compounds, but diminishes for conjugated aldehydes. This preference can be exploited in the reduction of mixtures of aldehydes, however. 

Compound A is a cyclic, nonconjugated keto alkene whose carbonyl infrared absorption should occur at 1715 cm-. Compound B is an a,B-unsaturated, cyclic ketone additional conjugation with the phenyl ring should lower its IR absorption below 1685 cm-1. Because the actual IR absorption occurs at 1670 cm-1, B is the correct structure. 

---