Carbonyl compounds 2+2 -photocycloaddition with alkenes

The Patemo-Biichi reaction is a photocycloaddition reaction of a n,ji carbonyl compound to an alkene in the ground state from either the Si or the rl i state. The reaction can occur through the initial C O bond formation or through a previous formation of the C—C bond. A frontier orbitals approach can be used to explain the formation of oxetanes. We can observe the HSOMO-LUMO interaction in which the half-occupied ji carbonyl orbital interacts with the unoccupied ji molecular orbital of an electron-deficient alkene, and a C,0-biradical is formed. The LSOMO-HOMO interaction in which the half-occupied n orbital of the carbonyl O atom interacts with the ji orbital of an electron-rich alkene, and a C,C-biradical is formed [13, 14]. 

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... 

If you see a four-membered ring, think [2 + 2] cycloaddition, especially if the ring is a cyclobutanone (ketene) or light is required (photochemically allowed). Ketenes and other cumulenes undergo [2 + 2] cycloadditions with special facility. An oxetane (four-membered ring with one O) is often obtained from the [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of a carbonyl compound and an alkene. 

Another synthetically important photochemical reaction is the Paterno-Buchi reaction, i.e., the photocycloaddition of ketones and aldehydes to olefins. This is a milestone in organic photochemistry and involves attack of the n,ji triplet of the carbonyl compounds to an alkene in the ground state, mostly in the triplet multiplicity, although reactions via the singlet are well known. With nucleophilic olefins, the reaction occurs through the initial formation of a CO bond, in the opposite case, formation of a C-C bond occurs first. The use... 

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 of Alkenes and Dienes. Photochemical cycloadditions provide a method that is often complementary to thermal cycloadditions with regard to the types of compounds that can be prepared. The theoretical basis for this complementary relationship between thermal and photochemical modes of reaction lies in orbital symmetry relationships, as discussed in Chapter 10 of Part A. The reaction types permitted by photochemical excitation that are particularly useful for synthesis are [2 + 2] additions between two carbon-carbon double bonds and [2+2] additions of alkenes and carbonyl groups to form oxetanes. Photochemical cycloadditions are often not concerted processes because in many cases the reactive excited state is a triplet. The initial adduct is a triplet 1,4-diradical that must undergo spin inversion before product formation is complete. Stereospecificity is lost if the intermediate 1,4-diradical undergoes bond rotation faster than ring closure. 

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... 

The synthesis of nitrogen containing heterocyclic systems by photocylo-addition processes is virtually limited to examples involving [ 2 + 2] cycloaddition of imines, nitriles, and azo compounds. Successful additions are few in number and the requirements for success uncertain. The reactions do not proceed with the facility with which carbonyl containing compounds undergo photocycloaddition to alkenes to give oxetans, and various explanations have been advanced to account for this observed lack of reactivity.226... 

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

With conjugated dienes, photocycloaddition of carbonyl compounds occurs at one of the double bonds to give vinyloxetanes. An interesting example is the reaction of acetone with 2-methyl-l,3-butadiene, which gave the two oxetanes (60) and (61) in a ratio of 3 1 and a total yield of about 20% (72JA8761). Other alkenes which have been used for photosynthesis of oxetanes include enol ethers, ketene acetals, enamines, allenes and diketene, with the reaction of the last compound with benzaldehyde illustrated in equation (105) (75CPB365). 

Oxetanes can be formed by intramolecular reaction between a carbonyl group and an alkene, and this has been used (4.74) in making analogues of thromboxane A, (one of the compounds responsible for the control of blood clotting), albeit usually as the minor product. A special case of intramolecular reaction is seen for a,p-unsaturated carboxylic acids 14.75), where the product is an oxete that is tautomeric with a p-lactone. Oxetes may also be formed by photocycloaddition of ketones or aldehydes with alkynes the oxete normally ring-opens at room temperature to give an a,p-unsaturated carbonyl compound (4.76), but at lower temperatures its spectral... 

Photochemical reactions provide a classical access to four-membered ring compounds that generate major interest in organic synthesis, notably as intermediates in multistep syntheses. The [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of a,(3-unsaturated carbonyl and carboxyl compounds with alkenes and [2 + 2] photocydoaddition of ketones with alkenes (the Paterno-Buchi reaction) are discussed in Chapters 6 and 7, respectively. Yet, aside from these transformations, a variety of further reactions provides a systematic access to four-membered rings that possess a wide structural variation. Four-membered ring compounds may also be created via less-systematic photochemical transformations, many of which can be carried out without additional chemical activation. As a consequence, such transformations are rendered not only very convenient but also extremely interesting within the context of green chemistry. ... 

In contrast to photocycloaddition reactions of carbonyl compounds to electron-rich alkenes (which proceed with a low degree of stereoselectivity in the case of triplet excited carbonyls), reactions with electron-deficient alkenes, such as cyanoalkenes, are, although rather inefficient, but highly stereoselective [101]. Kinetic analysis showed that these reactions involve the... 

This reaction pathway is usually favoured when an aromatic moiety and an alkene bear electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents, respectively (or vice versa). This addition involves a charge transfer and the course of the reaction is sensitive to the solvent polarity. Such a mechanism may resemble that of [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of alkenes to aji-unsaturated carbonyl compounds (Section 6.3.2). Scheme 6.81 shows examples of two intermolecular processes and one intramolecular [2 + 2] photocycloaddition reaction (a) crotononitrile (196) is added to anisole (197) to yield several stereoisomers of 198 in 38% chemical yield and with high regioselectivity, which is linked to bond polarization in the exciplex 818 (b) hexafluorobenzene (199) reacts with 1-ethynylbenzene (200) to form the bicyclo[4.2.0]octa-2,4,7-triene 201 in 86% yield 819 and (c) irradiation of 202 in methanol leads to the single photoproduct 203. 820... 

A wide variety of other carbonyl compounds can give Paternb-Biichi products when irradiated with alkenes. Studies have been reported on regio-selectivity of photocycloadditions of carbonyl compounds such as thiocarbonyls [91], benzoquinones [92], diacetyls [93], and uracils [94]. A large number of intramolecular reactions have been reported, where the restraint of the reactant structure helps to give good regioselectivity. 

As noted in the introduction to this section, under UV light irradiation, carbonyl groups [42] and alkenes [43] will add photochemically in a 2 + 2 sense across the 2- and 3-positions of indole, but only if an acyl or aroyl group is present on the indole nitrogen atom. The photocycloaddition reaction of carbonyl compounds with acylindoles was first reported by Julian and Tringham in 1973 [42], They found that irradiation of N-acetylindole or N-para-chlorobenzoylindole with benzophenone, benzoyl-formamide, or methyl benzoylformate gave oxetane products, as shown in Scheme 12. The stereochemistry of the products was not reported. No products were obtained when the indoles were irradiated with acetophenone, benzaldehyde, acetone, or propionaldehyde. This observation... 

A comparable approach was used by some of the same authors in the study of the regioselectivity of the photochemical [2 -I- 2] cycloaddition of triplet carbonyl compounds with a series of ground state electron-rich and electron-poor alkenes, the Paterno-Buchi reaction,yielding oxetanes. Very recently, the regioselectivity of the [2 -I- 2] photocycloaddition reaction between triplet (n-n ) acrolein and substituted olens in their... 

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