Cycloadditions, radical cation Diels-Alder cycloaddition

It is important to note that the reactions are fundamentally different from similar radical cation Diels-Alder reactions initiated with the use of a photochemical electron-transfer reaction [35, 36]. In photochemical reactions, a one-electron oxidation of the substrate leads to a cycloaddition that is then terminated by a back electron transfer . No net change is made in the oxidation state of the substrate. However, the reaction outlined in Scheme 13 involves a net two-electron oxidation of the substrate. Hence, the two pathways are complementary. 

Scheme 33. Only two out of 32 possible isomers of 32 are formed in this highly peri-, chemo-, regio-and stereoselective radical cation Diels-Alder cycloaddition [365b, cj.

The radical cation Diels-Alder reaction has been the subject of many mechanistic and theoretical investigations and has been shown to have much synthetic potential. With regard to heteroaromatics, the reaction has been exploited by Steckhan in the cycloaddition of indoles and 1,3-dienes. This reaction occurs smoothly upon photosensitization by triarylpyrrilium tetrafluoroborates. The reaction is satisfactory rationalized as involving addition of the indole radical cation to electron-rich dienes (Scheme 35), and the regioselectivity is in accord with theoretical predictions [104]. The reaction with exocyclic dienes has been developed for the synthesis of carbazole derivatives such as 52 and 53 [105]. 

A study of the stereoselectivity of the radical-cation Diels-Alder reaction of indole with the diene 139 gave a mixture of both cis and trans adducts. This lack of stereospecificity is consistent with other evidence that the radical-cation cycloaddition is non-concerted. <93TL6391>... 

Bauld and coworkers, especially, developed the analogous Diels-Alder (4 + 2) cycloaddition reactions. These reactions are conveniently catalyzed by tris(4-bromophenyl)aminium hexachloroantimonate (78) or by photosensitization with aromatic nitriles. The radical cation-catalyzed Diels-Alder reaction is far faster than the uncatalyzed one, and leads to some selectivity for attack at the least substituted double bond for the monoene component (Scheme 18, 79 —> 80), but only modest endo selectivity (e- and x-80) [105]. Cross reactions with two dienes proved to be notably less sensitive to inhibition by steric hindrance of alkyl groups substituted on the double bonds than the uncatalyzed reactions, as cyclohexadiene adds detectably even to the trisubstituted double bond of 2-methylhexadiene (82), producing both 83 and 84. Dienes such as 85 react with donor-substituted olefins (86) to principally give the vinylcyclobutene products 87, but they may be thermally rearranged to the cyclohexene product 88 in good yield [105]. Schmittel and coworkers have studied the cation radical catalyzed Diels-Alder addition of both... 

The first studies on cation-radical Diels-Alder reactions were undertaken by Bauld in 1981 who showed [33a] the powerful catalytic effect of aminium cation radical salts on certain Diels-Alder cycloadditions. For example, the reaction of 1,3-cyclohexadiene with trans, iraw5-2,4-hexadiene in the presence of Ar3N is complete in 1 h and gives only the endo adduct (Equation 1.14) [33]. 

It is believed that clay minerals promote organic reactions via an acid catalysis [2a]. They are often activated by doping with transition metals to enrich the number of Lewis-acid sites by cationic exchange [4]. Alternative radical pathways have also been proposed [5] in agreement with the observation that clay-catalyzed Diels-Alder reactions are accelerated in the presence of radical sources [6], Montmorillonite K-10 doped with Fe(III) efficiently catalyzes the Diels-Alder reaction of cyclopentadiene (1) with methyl vinyl ketone at room temperature [7] (Table 4.1). In water the diastereoselectivity is higher than in organic media in the absence of clay the cycloaddition proceeds at a much slower rate. 

Luche and coworkers [34] investigated the mechanistic aspects of Diels-Alder reactions of anthracene with either 1,4-benzoquinone or maleic anhydride. The cycloaddition of anthracene with maleic anhydride in DCM is slow under US irradiation in the presence or absence of 5% tris (p-bromophenyl) aminium hexachloroantimonate (the classical Bauld monoelectronic oxidant, TBPA), whereas the Diels Alder reaction of 1,4-benzoquinone with anthracene in DCM under US irradiation at 80 °C is slow in the absence of 5 % TBPA but proceeds very quickly and with high yield at 25 °C in the presence of TBPA. This last cycloaddition is also strongly accelerated when carried out under stirring solely at 0°C with 1% FeCh. The US-promoted Diels Alder reaction in the presence of TBPA has been justified by hypothesizing a mechanism via radical-cation of diene, which is operative if the electronic affinity of dienophile is not too weak. 

Acetylchloride is a trapping agent that allows the reaction to go completion, transforming the product into a less oxidizable compound.The results of other reactions between indole (57) and substituted cyclohexa-1,3-dienes show that the photo-induced Diels-Alder reaction is almost completely regioselective. In the absence of 59 the cycloaddition did not occur the presence of [2+2] adducts was never detected. Experimental data support the mechanism illustrated in Scheme 4.14. The intermediate 57a, originated from bond formation between the indole cation radical and 58, undergoes a back-electron transfer to form the adduct 60 trapped by acetyl chloride. 

The cation radical Diels-Alder cycloadditions of cis- and franx-prop-1-enyl aryl ethers to cyclopenta-1,3-diene catalysed by tris(4-bromophenyl)aminium hexachloroantimonate are stepwise processes involving an intermediate distonic cation radical in which the carbocationic site is stabilized by the electron-donating functionality (Scheme 9). " ... 

A cation radical chain cycloaddition-polymerization catalysed by tris(4-bromophenyl)aminium hexachloroantimonate has been reported to afford polymers with an average molecular weight up to 150000. Both cyclobutanation and Diels-Alder polymers were obtained. " The reactivity of the phospine radical cation towards nucleophiles was studied. Tributylphosphine reacted with l,l-dimethyl-4,4-bipyridinium (methyl viologen, MV) in the presence of an alcohol or thiol (RXH X = O, S), which resulted in the gradual formation of the one-electron reduced form... 

This section is devoted to cyclizations and cycloadditions of ion-radicals. It is common knowledge that cyclization is an intramolecular reaction in which one new bond is generated. Cycloaddition consists of the generation of two new bonds and can proceed either intra- or intermolecularly. For instance, the transformation of 1,5-hexadiene cation-radical into 1,4-cyclohexadienyl cation-radical (Guo et al. 1988) is a cyclization reaction, whereas Diels-Alder reaction is a cycloaddition reaction. In line with the consideration within this book, ring closure reactions are divided according to their cation- or anion-radical mechanisms. 

Cycloadditions can also be catalyzed by cation radicals generated from aminium salts.537-539 In fact, these are cation-radical chain reactions mimicking Diels-Alder reaction. Interestingly, 2,4-dimethyl-1,3-pentadiene undergoes either a Brpnsted acid-catalyzed cycloaddition [Eq. (6.93)] or cation-radical-catalyzed cycloaddition [Eq. (6.94)] to yield different addition products 539... 

A number of electrocyclic reactions under PET conditions have been reported. In this way, A-benzyl-2.3-diphcnylaziridinc (40) underwent a 3 + 2-cycloaddition with alkene and alkyne dipolarophiles to afford substituted pyrrole cycloadducts (41) via the radical cation intermediate (42) see Scheme 7.80 Elsewhere, novel arylallenes have been used as dienophiles in a radical cation-catalysed Diels-Alder cycloaddition reaction with 1,2,3,4,5-pentafluromethylcyclopentadiene, which often occurred with peri-, chemo-, facial- and stereo-selectivity.81... 

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