Carbonyl compounds photocycloaddition

The next three chapters by Fleming, Armesto, and Rao deal with different aspects of alkene photochemistry alkene [2+2]-photocycloaddi-tions to other alkenes, di-7i-methane (DPM) rearrangements of 1,4-dienes and oxa-di-7i-methane (ODPM) rearrangements of 3,y-unsaturated carbonyl compounds. Photocycloaddition of an ether-tethered 1,6-diene by Cu(I)-catalysis leads to the exo-selective formation of the bicyclic tetrahydrofuran derivative 4 [4]. By direct electronic excitation of a... 

As was mentioned in Section 13.2, the [27t + 27i] photocycloaddition of alkenes is an allowed reaction according to orbital symmetry considerations. Among the most useful reactions in this categoty, from a synthetic point of view, are intramolecular [27t + 2ti] cycloadditions of dienes and intermolecular [2ti + 2ti] cycloadditions of alkenes with cyclic a, -unsaturated carbonyl compounds. These reactions will be discussed in more detail in Section 6.4 of Part B. 

Photocycloaddition Reactions of Carbonyl Compounds and Alkenes. Photocycloaddition of ketones and aldehydes with alkenes can result in formation of four-membered cyclic ethers (oxetanes), a process often referred to as the Paterno-Buchi reaction.196... 

Scheme 6.11. Photocycloaddition Reactions of Carbonyl Compounds and Alkenes...

This article will only discuss two particular kinds of photocycloaddition reactions, the photodimerization or cross-cycloaddition of two olefins to yield a cyclobutane derivative, and the photoreaction of an olefin with a carbonyl compound to give an oxetane, Eq. 1 and Eq. 2. The inportance of substituent effects in reactions of these types is pointed... 

The photocycloaddition of an aldehyde or ketone with an olefin to yield an oxetane was reported by Paterno and Chieffi in 1909. 58> Contemporary studies on the synthetic utility and mechanistic features were initiated nearly 50 years later by Biichi et al. 59) Two review articles summarizing synthetic aspects of Paterno-Biichi reactions have been published 6.12)) and mechanistic studies have been reviewed several times. 6,38,60-62) The reaction involves the addition to olefin of a photo-excited carbonyl moiety. This circumstance makes it advantageous to review this reaction before a discussion of olefin-olefin additions, because the solution photochemistry of carbonyl compounds is probably better understood than any other aspect of organic photochemistry. Many of the reactions of carbonyl compounds have been elucidated during studies of the important phenomena of energy transfer and photosensitization. 63-65)... 

The [2+2]-photocycloaddition of carbonyl groups with olefins (Paterno-Buchi reaction) is one of the oldest known photochemical reactions and has become increasingly important for the synthesis of complex molecules. Existing reviews have summarized the mechanistic considerations and defined the scope and limitations of this photocycloaddition73. Although this reaction likely proceeds via initial excitation of the carbonyl compound and not the excited state of the diene, the many examples of this reaction in natural product synthesis justify inclusion in this chapter. 

The Paterno-Buchi photocycloaddition between carbonyl compounds and furans was first described in 1965 (equation 6)80. This report noted that only the head-to-head product 171 was formed, and that high exo face selectivity was exhibited. Subsequent to this and other early reports, this reaction has been systematically explored by several groups, owing largely to the various ways in which the 2,7-dioxabicyclo[3.2.0]hept-3-ene ring system can be exploited730,81. 

On irradiation with alkenes, carbonyl compounds undergo photocycloaddition to give oxetanes in the Paterno-Biichi reaction ... 

The photocycloaddition of a carbonyl compound to an alkene was discovered as early as 1909 by Paterno and Chiefifi [78] who employed sunlight as the irradiation source. In the 1950s the reaction was more intensively investigated by Biichi et al. [79] using artificial light sources. The Paterno-Biichi reaction has been studied mechanistically [80] and some important aspects are summarized in Scheme 37. Upon n r -excitation (1=280-350 nm), aldehydes... 

Carbonyl Compounds, The Photocycloaddition of, to Unsaturated Systems The Syntheses of Oxetanes (Arnold). 

VII. Tabular Survey of Photocycloaddition Reactions of Carbonyl Compounds to Unsaturated Systems which Yield Oxetanes. 349... 

The photocycloaddition of a carbonyl compound to an olefin with the formation of an oxetane 3 was first observed by Paterno and Chieffi in 1909.1 They reported obtaining a compound in good yield from the irradiation of benzophenone in a petroleum mixture rich in 2-methyl-2-butene, for which they proposed the oxetane structure. Although Paterno and Chieffi had suggested the correct structure, it was not until 1954 that Buchi and his collaborators reinvestigated this reaction and... 

Little has been reported concerning the mechanism of the photocycloaddition reaction however, much is known about the photoreduction of carbonyl compounds.15,16 It has been shown that both hydrogen abstraction, leading to photoreduction, and most photocycloaddition reactions of carbonyl groups are characteristic of the same type of excited state reagent, that is, the carbonyl n,n state.17 Furthermore, much is known about the emission (phosphorescence and fluorescence) of carbonyl compounds, and all of this knowledge can be brought to bear upon the photocycloaddition reaction. 

There has been very little study of the photocycloaddition reaction, where the carbonyl compound was excited with light of varying wavelengths. For the simple carbonyl compounds, irradiation absorbed only by the n - it transition has been used with success. Irradiation of the more complex carbonyl compounds, for example, benzophenone, can be such that both the w and the (of the benzene chromo-... 

One of the limitations of the photocycloaddition reaction is that the unsaturated system may itself act as a quencher. Conjugated dienes fall within this category since they quench the n,ir triplet of some carbonyl compounds. For the photoreduction of benzophenone in benzhydrol, the ratio, kqlka, for m-piperylene is 750 (Table II), which indicates that this diene is indeed an efficient quencher for the reaction. 

Irradiation of carbonyl compounds in the presence of dienes usually leads to the isomerization38 and dimerization39 (in concentrated diene solutions) of the dienes, but no photocycloaddition products. These reactions indicate that the dienes have quenched the carbonyl triplet. It is also known from spectroscopic studies that the triplet... 

Thus, the observations that (a) dienes quench the photoreduction reaction (b) the isomerization and dimerization of dienes is sensitized by the it,n carbonyl triplet and (c) there is a lack of photocycloaddition products with dienes, taken in conjunction with the relative energy levels of carbonyl compounds and dienes, form a consistent picture. 

If the triplet energy of the carbonyl compound is below that of the diene, triplet-triplet transfer will become inefficient and photocycloaddition may occur. For example, the triplet energy of 1,4-benzo-quinone is about 50 kcal mole - V41 and photocycloaddition to dienes can indeed occur.42 The products are spiro-pyrans 13 (not vinyl oxetanes), which may arise via the allylic radical intermediate 12. 

The ,ir singlet may not be quenched to the same extent as the triplet. For some carbonyl compounds, as with acetone with maleic anhydride, where the rate of photocycloaddition is fast enough to compete with intersystem crossing, this state may play an important... 

Some carbonyl compounds are unreactive in the photocycloaddition reaction because their excited states undergo molecular rearrangement. Illustrative of this point is the isomerization process involved upon irradiation of 2-methylbenzophenone. This ketone is known to be stable to irradiation in isopropanol,45 and irradiation in the presence of isobutylene yields a complex mixture which contains little, if any,... 

One of the most important and difficult questions to answer for any photochemical reaction is which excited state is involved. Since these are the reagents, it is obviously important, if generalizations are to be made, to know which state is responsible for a given reaction. The question is difficult to answer because several different types of excited states, both singlet and triplet, are attainable even with the simplest of carbonyl compounds, and their reactivity may, in some cases, be similar. All of the discussion thus far has implied that the photocycloaddition reaction is characteristic of the n,n state. What is the evidence that this state can be involved and what is the character of this state which makes it reactive ... 

In general, carbonyl compounds that are reactive in the photocycloaddition reaction are also reduced upon irradiation in isopropyl alcohol.17 Subject to the limitation of triplet-triplet transfer to the olefin mentioned previously, the converse is also true. That is, carbonyl compounds that are photoreduced in isopropyl alcohol can form oxetanes unless their triplet energies are high enough for the olefins to act as quenchers. Thus, the two reactions are characteristic of the same type of excited state. (This is not an exclusive generalization.) The quenching experiments mentioned on pp. 308-311 provide evidence that the reactive state can be the triplet and, in some cases, only the triplet. Evidence for this state being n,ir comes from the fact that carbonyl compounds which are reactive usually emit from the n,n triplet, while those which are unreactive emit from some other excited state. 

Table IV summarizes the pertinent characteristics of some of the naphthyl carbonyl compounds. All of these compounds emit from a it,7T triplet very similar to that of naphthalene. Those that have been studied are resistant to photoreduction in isopropyl alcohol and photocycloaddition with 2-methyl-2-butene25 and isobutylene.17 Significant oxetane formation was, however, observed with the aldehydes, albeit with only moderate efficiency (quantum yield approximately one-tenth that of benzaldehyde).25...

The photocycloaddition of carbonyl compounds to unsymmetrical olefins (electron rich) can give two products however, usually one predominates. For example, the photocycloaddition of benzophenone to isobutylene gives a mixture of the two oxetanes 30 and 31 in the ratio of 9 1.17 This ratio is consistent with the preferential formation and/or closure of the intermediate 30a relative to 31a. The diradical 30a is more stable than 3la since a tertiary radical is more stable than a primary radical by about 8 kcal.62 Many of the examples listed in Section VII are consistent with this apparent generalization there are, however, exceptions. 

One important reaction which competes with photocycloaddition is hydrogen abstraction. The n,ir state can both abstract hydrogen from, and add to olefins. If the starting olefin or carbonyl compound has easily abstractable hydrogens, this competing reaction can become so important that oxetane formation is excluded. 

An example where this abstraction from the carbonyl compound competes with photocycloaddition was discussed in the previous section (p. 312). In that case, 2-methylbenzophenone underwent intramolecular hydrogen abstraction, yielding the tautomeric enol,46 a process which completely inhibited the photocycloaddition reaction.37... 

The importance of the carbonyl n,tr state as a reagent for the photocycloaddition reaction has been mentioned (p. 305). This represents a major limitation, for many carbonyl compounds attain states other than the n,it which are either unreactive, react inefficiently, or undergo other photochemical reactions. It is impossible, at this time, to provide rigorous rules for predicting when a carbonyl compound will attain, and maintain long enough to react, an n,n state. It is perhaps best to mention additional examples of carbonyl compounds that do not yield oxetanes upon irradiation in the presence of simple olefins, presumably because the n,n state is not attained and/or maintained, and to point out how, in some cases, it has been possible to exert some control over this limitation. 

The irradiation of , 3-unsaturated carbonyl compounds in the presence of olefins does not usually lead to oxetanes. In some cases, however, a photocycloaddition reaction takes place, yielding a cyclobutane ring. This has proved to be a useful reaction which has warranted recent review.71 These carbonyl compounds typically are not reduced upon irradiation in isopropanol, nor do they show any phosphorescence emission. The mechanism of this reaction has been discussed 72,73 however, the nature of the excited state involved (n,n or 7r,7r singlet or triplet) is still in question. 

There are some cases where both types of photocycloaddition take place. For example, cinnamaldehyde and crotonaldehyde yield, upon irradiation with 2-methyl-2-butene, both the oxetane and the cyclobutane products.26 In marked contrast, mesityl oxide, as similar as it would appear to be to crotonaldehyde (Table I), is stable to irradiation in the presence of both isobutylene and isopropanol.37,74 These differences in reactivity of a,/9-unsaturated carbonyl compounds have been attributed to conformational (that is, s-cis or s-trans) differences.74... 

For carbonyl compounds that ordinarily would react in the n,n triplet state, an important reaction which can compete with photocycloaddition is energy transfer to the unsaturated system. When the triplet energy of the unsaturated system is below that of the carbonyl compound, triplet-triplet transfer may take place to the exclusion of oxetane formation. Such is the case when irradiation of a carbonyl compound in the presence of a diene results in isomerization and dimerization of the diene, while no direct photocycloaddition takes... 

Norbornene is a good olefin to use as a probe for the triplet-triplet transfer process since the norbornene triplet yields dimers. When carbonyl compounds are irradiated in the presence of norbornene, the ratio of photocycloaddition product to norbornene dimers is dependent upon the n,ir triplet energy of the carbonyl compound. A series of experiments which illustrate this effect is summarized in Table VII. 

The same inefficiencies occur in the photocycloaddition reaction of carbonyl compounds with high-energy triplets to acyclic olefins (Table VIII). Here, the olefin triplet presumably deactivates before dimerization can occur. 

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