Cyclobutanation ketenes

Cyclo ddltion. Ketenes are ideal components ia [2 + 2] cycloadditions for additions to the opposite sides of a TT-system as shown ia the cyclobutane product (2) ia Figure 1. Electron-rich double bonds react readily with ketenes, even at room temperature and without catalysts. In conjugated systems, ketenes add ia a [2 + 2] fashion. This is illustrated ia the reaction foUowiag, where the preferential orientation of L (large substituent) and S (small substituent) is seen (40). This reaction has been used ia the synthesis of tropolone [533-75-5]. 

The facile formation of cyclobutane products is indeed another important contribution of enamine chemistry (302-306). The formation of cyclobutanes has also been found in the closely related reactions of amino acetal derivatives of ketenes with acrylic esters (307). 

The photolysis of cyclic diazo ketones in hydroxylic solvents leads to ring contracted carboxylic acid derivatives via this ketocarbene -> ketene rearrangement. Examples of such reactions are given in (2.24)239) and (2.25) 240). In this last example a photoequilibrium between the diazo ketone and its valence isomer, a diazirine, has been observed, both products then eliminating nitrogen to afford the cyclobutane carboxylic acid. 

The Lewis acid catalyst 53 is now referred to as the Narasaka catalyst. This catalyst can be generated in situ from the reaction of dichlorodiisopropoxy-titanium and a diol chiral ligand derived from tartaric acid. This compound can also catalyze [2+2] cycloaddition reactions with high enantioselectivity. For example, as depicted in Scheme 5-20, in the reaction of alkenes bearing al-kylthio groups (ketene dithioacetals, alkenyl sulfides, and alkynyl sulfides) with electron-deficient olefins, the corresponding cyclobutane or methylenecyclobu-tene derivatives can be obtained in high enantiomeric excess.18... 

Treatment of RCH(SPh)COCl with triethylamine resulted in the in situ generation of alkyl (phenylthio) ketenes, which were trapped by olefinic compounds following thermal[2 + 2]cycloaddition to form cyclobutanes (223) 74). 

Cyelobutanone has been prepared by (1) reaction of diazomethane with ketene,4 (2) treatment of methylenecyclobutane with performic acid, followed by cleavage of the resulting glycol with lead tetraacetate,s (3) ozonolysis of methylenecyclobutane, (4) epoxidation of methylene-cyclopropane followed by acid-catalyzed ring expansion,7 and (5) oxidative cleavage of cyclobutane trimethylene thioketal, which in turn is prepared from 2-(co-chloropropyl)-l,3-dithiane.8... 

Penta-alkylphosphorane intermediates are also inferred from the products of the reaction of these ylides with silacyclobutane, from which hydrogen is eliminated.44 However, the cyclobutane ring is left intact when the reaction is carried out with more bulky ylides (Scheme 10).46 Silicon- and germanium-substituted allenes have been prepared by the reaction of monometallated ketens with stable ylides, e.g. (43).46... 

Diels-Alder, imino dienophiles, 65, 2 Diels-Alder, intramolecular, 32, 1 Diels-Alder, maleic anhydride, 4, 1 [4 -h 3], 51, 3 of enones, 44, 2 of ketenes, 45, 2 of nitrones and alkenes, 36, 1 Pauson-Khand, 40, 1 photochemical, 44, 2 retro-Diels-Alder reaction, 52, 1 53, 2 [6-h4], 49, 2 [3-h2], 61, 1 Cyclobutanes, synthesis ... 

Ketene dimerization is the principal synthetic route to 4-methylene-2-oxetanones. This reaction proceeds very satisfactorily for ketene and methylketene, but disubstituted ketenes dimerize only to cyclobutane-1,3-diones. The cycloaddition reaction of r-butylcyanoketene to ketene and to methylketene gives a-cyanoalkylidene-/3-lactones in about 40% yield in addition to the cyclobutane-1,3-dione dimer of f-butylcyanoketene. A mechanism has been proposed for the formation of both types of dimers from a common zwitterionic intermediate (equation 111), with the relative amount of each product determined by the configurational equilibrium of the intermediate (80JOC4483, 75JOC3417). 

A convenient method for generating ketenes in the absence of salts is the pyrolysis of suitable ketene precursors. The yield of 5 (R = Me) increases to 93% when propionic anhydride is heated to 55CEC (40 min).53 For unsymmetrically substituted dialkyl- or arylalkylketenes, stereoisomeric cyclobutane-1,3-dione mixture formation is the norm with little preference of any one stereoisomer. This point is illustrated in the product ratios 6A/6B summarized in the table. 

The metal-free eyclobutane-1,2-dioxime can be generated by oxidative displacement. It is interesting to note that, unlike ketene dimerization, head-to-head dimerization takes place here. The chromium ketenimine complex 20 is prepared by reaction of the Fischer-type chromium carbene complex with alkyl isocyanides.60 A cyclobutane-1,2,3,4-tetraimine 24 has been reported from the reaction of the ketenimine phosphonium ylide 22.61 Bisimine 23 has been proposed as the intermediate in this transformation. 

Ketene acetals as well as tri- and tctraalkoxyethenes are sufficiently nucleophilic to react with alkenes possessing two or more electron-withdrawing groups giving cyclobutanes as seen in the examples below.3134... 

Ketene thioacetals can also be used as ketene equivalents in the preparation of cyclobutanones and cyclobutanes. Boron trifluoride catalyzes the [2 + 2] cycloaddition of 2-[(l-pyrro-lidinyl)mcthylene]-1,3-dithiane (39) with dimethyl maleate (40).17 Although the cycloadduct is obtained in good yield, stereochemical integrity is not maintained and the thermodynamically most stable isomer predominates. 

The use of chiral catalysts can result in asymmetric induction in [2 + 2] cycloadditions. The cycloaddition of ketene dimethyl thioacetal (44) with various enamides (43) in the presence of a chiral titanium(IV) catalyst, generated in situ, gives good yields of cyclobutanes 45 with high enantioselectivity.18... 

Allene ketene cycloadditions are of greater synthetic utility than cither mixed allene dimerization or mixed ketene dimerization. In this class of reaction the ketene is the more reactive species and homodimerization of ketene can be minimized by use of excess allene. Such cycloadditions always result in 2-alkylidenecyclobutanones with the sp carbons of both moieties forming the initial bond. In substituted allenes and ketenes, mixtures of stereoisomers of 2-alkylidenecyclobutanones are obtained with very little stereoselectivity, the stereoisomers arise from cisUrcins isomerism in the cyclobutane ring and EjZ isomerism of the exocyclic double bond. In unsymmetrically substituted allenes some regiochemical preference for ketene cycloaddition is observed. Examples of dimethylketene allene cycloadditions are summarized in Table 1,2... 

The cyclodimerization of ketenes would in principle give cyclobutane-1,3-diones. The problem with this class of reactions is the formation of homodimers in instances when a particular ketene is too reactive or when two ketenes possess similar stabilities. The cycloaddition of mcthylphenylketene and isopropylphenylkctenc is a case in point of cyclodimcrization of similarly reactive ketenes giving a statistical distribution of cross-dimerization and homodimerization products.14... 

Photocycloaddition of ketene acetals with enones gives cyclobutanes which can be converted to cyclobutanones (see Section 1.3.2.3.). When a chiral ketene acetal was used, photocycloaddition with cyclopent-2-enone gave a low yield of the cycloadduct with only 30% enantiomeric excess.23... 

Virtually all reactions involving cyclobutane formation via cycloaddition of a cumulene to another C —C double-bond system involves excitation of this latter moiety, e.g. an enone or a quinone, and not of the allene or ketene itself.1 Earlier examples of such reactions have been discussed in Houben-Weyl, Vol. 4/5 b, pp 926 931. 

Intramolecular [2n + 27r] cycloadditions leading to cyclobutanes formally belong to valence isomerizations. Alkene/alkcne, ketene/alkene, and allene/alkene cycloadditions have received detailed attention. These rearrangements provide powerful methods for the synthetic arsenal. An example is the facile synthesis of bieyelo[3.2.0]heptenones 3 by intramolecular ketene/alkene cycloaddition after electrocyclic ring opening of cyclobutenoncs l.89... 

In addition to the alkylations discussed above, some special reactions have been reported that enable the solid-phase synthesis of cycloalkanes. These include the intramolecular ene reaction and the cyclopropanation of alkenes (Figure 5.5 see also [44]). Cyclobutanes have been prepared by the reaction of polystyrene-bound carbanions with epichlorohydrin, and by [2 + 2] cycloadditions of ketenes to resin-bound alkenes. 

Ketenes also can be used for the synthesis of cyclobutane derivatives through [2 + 2] cycloadditions with suitably active alkenes (Section 13-3D) ... 

Exercise 28-10 Write a mechanism for formation of cyclobutane from the photolysis of cyclopentanone, and ketene from the photolysis of cyclobutanone. 

Unlike coumarin, chromone (206) undergoes efficient unsensitized photoaddition to tetramethylethylene, cyclopentene, ketene dimethyl acetal, and but-2-yne.180 The major product of such an addition to tetramethylene is the cis-fused cyclobutane derivative (207) the formation of the two minor products (208 and 209) is easily rationalized. Added benzophenone has no visible effect on this cycloaddition, which is therefore believed to involve the attack of triplet chromone on the ground-state alkene. Photoaddition to furo-chromones has also been studied,179 and the photosensitized cyclo-... 

The formation of four-membered rings through 2 + 2 cycloaddition is a well-established reaction and the most generally effective synthetic approach to cyclobutanes. Most olefins cannot be induced to undergo this reaction thermally, a finding that is readily rationalized by the forbidden nature of the 2s + 2s addition and the steric difficulties associated with the allowed 2s + 2a pathway. There are nevertheless exceptions. Olefins substituted by two or more fluorine atoms undergo thermal 2 + 2 additions under relatively mild conditions,16 as do ketenes and allenes. 

New examples of [n2 +, 2] photocycloaddition of maleic anhydride (318) to alkenes have been reported.262 The major product of addition to ketene (319), for example, is the spiro cyclobutane (320).263 The stereoselective addition of dichlorovinylene carbonate to phenanthrene has been described,264 and the photoaddition of this carbonate (321) to the alkene (322)... 

Keywords ketene silyl acetale, alkine, [2+2]cycloaddition, cyclobutane... 

Similarly, photolysis of the cyclobutane-1,3-diones 19—21 produces varying amounts of ethylenes, ketenes and polymers in addition to carbon monoxide and the cyclopropanone, as was shown in Scheme 4, Section 2.3. 10>81)... 

So special reactions are often used to make cyclobutanes. In the next chapter we shall see that thermal cycloadditions of alkenes with ketenes give four-membered rings, but the commonest method is photochemical cycloaddition. You are already aware that Diels-Alder reactions (chapter 17) occur easily when a diene 6 and a dienophile 7 are heated together and six-membered rings 8 are formed. Have you ever wondered why four-membered rings 9 are not formed instead Orbital symmetry allows cycloadditions involving six Ti-electrons but not those involving four 7r-electrons.2... 

Presumably the silyl enol ether of 37 adds in a conjugate fashion to the unsaturated ester 39 and the intermediate enolate then cyclises onto the cation 40 to give 38. This will happen only if the stereochemistry of 40 is the same as that of the product 38 as the 4/5 and 4/6 ring fusions must both be cis. This suggests that the first step is reversible. The formation of the cyclobutane requires that particular relationship between ketone and unsaturated ester so this kind of reaction is less versatile than photochemical cyclisation. Asymmetric versions of these reactions are also known.14 Probably the most versatile thermal method to make cyclobutanes uses ketenes and is the subject of the next chapter. 

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