Cyclobutane derivatives, ring

Within the cubane synthesis the initially produced cyclobutadiene moiety (see p. 329) is only stable as an iron(O) complex (M. Avram, 1964 G.F. Emerson, 1965 M.P. Cava, 1967). When this complex is destroyed by oxidation with cerium(lV) in the presence of a dienophilic quinone derivative, the cycloaddition takes place immediately. Irradiation leads to a further cyclobutane ring closure. The cubane synthesis also exemplifies another general approach to cyclobutane derivatives. This starts with cyclopentanone or cyclohexane-dione derivatives which are brominated and treated with strong base. A Favorskii rearrangement then leads to ring contraction (J.C. Barborak, 1966). 

Photodimerization reactions of some other simple alkenes and dienes follow/39-30 36-182 Although not a dimerization reaction, photochemical ring closures to yield cyclobutane derivatives are analogous and are included in this section 31-35 ... 

The ring expansion of cyclobutane derivatives to other carbocycles remains to be one of the most powerful tool in synthetic organic chemistry. Cyclobutanones are exceptionally facile starting materials for the preparations of y-lactones as well as cyclopentanones. 

As depicted in Scheme 11, ylides 39 derived from 4-methyl-[l,2,3]triazolo[l,5- ]pyridine react with Michael acceptors, which, upon nucleophilic attack at C3 and ring opening, lead to nucleophilic displacement of nitrogen. The intermediate diradical led to a mixture of compounds, including alkenes and a cyclobutane derivative when methyl acrylate was used, and the indolizine 40 with methyl propiolate as the electrophile <1998T9785>. Heating 4-methyl triazolopyridine with benzenesulfonyl chloride in acetone also confirmed decomposition via a radical pathway. 

Thus, to achieve mirror-symmetric or centrosymmetric cyclobutane derivatives, one would start with monomers that are substituted with dichloro groups or amide functions, respectively. Both the chlorines and the amide groups can subsequently be removed readily, without affecting the stereochemistry of the ring. 

That the situation is different for photochemical reactions is indicated by a particularly interesting recent study of some dialkylketones (239). In solution, 5-nonanone, 152, reacts photochemically to yield the cyclobutanol 153 and its isomer 154 in comparable amounts. Within the urea clathrate, however, 153 is the dominant product, with only traces of 154 being formed. The cyclobutanols analogous to 153, that is, having methyl and hydroxyl cis, also predominate in the urea-clathrate-mediated photocyclization of 2-hexanone and 2-undecanone. It might be expected that the bulky cyclobutane derivatives, which almost certainly cannot be crystallized in a urea clathrate, would also not be formed in such a clathrate. There are decomposition pathways (cleavage reaction 0 of the diradical intermediate that occur both in the clathrate and in solution. Nevertheless, the ring closure is a major pathway of reaction even in the clathrate. 

The aryl groups of the styryl systems need not be unsubstituted, as has been illustrated before for the cyclizations encountered in the synthesis of naphthalenophanes from 120. Indeed cyclization to afford a cyclobutane derivative where methoxy groups are on the adjacent ring position to the vinyl moieties has also been studied. The irradiation of 138 affords the m-cyclophanes 139 and 14065. Further study has sought to evaluate the steric effect of o-methoxy groups in such molecules66. 

The mechanism of this reaction is still not clear, but the key steps are probably a cyclopropylcarbinyl to cyclobutyl ring enlargement [45] with subsequent ring enlargement of the cyclobutane derivative 46. In fact, such cyclobutane derivatives 46c,d could easily be prepared in 86 and 94% yield, respectively, by stirring dichloromethane solutions of 42c,d in the presence of AI2O3 at 20 °C, and 46 c, d quantitatively isomerized into 47 c, d upon heating in DMSO at 100 °C for 2 h. 

One of the problems associated with thermal cyclodimerization of alkenes is the elevated temperatures required which often cause the strained cyclobutane derivatives formed to undergo ring opening, resulting in the formation of secondary thermolysis products. This deficiency can be overcome by the use of catalysts (metals Lewis or Bronsted acids) which convert less reactive alkenes to reactive intermediates (metalated alkenes, cations, radical cations) which undergo cycloaddilion more efficiently. Nevertheless, a number of these catalysts can also cause the decomposition of the cyclobutanes formed in the initial reaction. Such catalyzed alkene cycloadditions are limited specifically to allyl cations, strained alkenes such as methylenccyclo-propane and donor-acceptor-substituted alkenes. The milder reaction conditions of the catalyzed process permit the extension of the scope of [2 + 2] cycloadditions to include alkene combinations which would not otherwise react. 

Several photochemically induced vinylcyclopropane to cyclopentene rearrangements of nor-carene derivatives to form bicyclo[3.2.0]heptenes can be understood as ring contractions of cyclohexenes to cyclobutanes. Upon direct irradiation of norcar-2-ene (bicyclo[4.1.0]hept-2-ene) at 214 nm (pentane solution), however, complex product mixtures were obtained containing only small amounts of bicyclo[3.2.0]hept-2-ene, while toluene sensitized photolysis in 50 millimolar solution in degassed pentane at 254 nm gave mainly the cyclobutane derivative 13 in addition to EjZ-isomeric hepla-l,3,6-trienes.72... 

Bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes 63 can also be prepared by elimination reactions of cyclobutane derivatives 62. As a result of the nonplanarity of a cyclobutane ring, Cl and C3 are only separated by a distance of approximately 2.1 A. This unique structural feature of cyclobutanes explains the remarkable ease with which they can be transformed into bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes. 

The substituents at the 1-position of the cyclopropyl ring can have an important influence on the reaction pathway. Thus, fluorination and simultaneous ring expansion to cyclobutane derivatives is observed on treatment of substituted [l-alkyl(or aryl)cyclopropyl]phenyl-... 

Cyclobntane. A few examples of cyclobutane derivatives have been described in the carbohydrate series. Formation of this type of ring involves a 2+2 cycloaddition. Relevant examples of cycloaddition of dichloroketene on glucals, explored by Redlich [195] and Lallemand [196,197], and significant transformations of the four-membered ring, such as ketone 165a, are given in Scheme 56. 

J. W. Pan, I. Hanna, and J. Y. Lallemand, Optically active cyclobutanones from glycals. 2. Synthesis of chiral cyclobutane derivatives by tetrahydropyran ring-opening, Tetrahedron Lett. 32 7543 (1991). 

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