2.5- Cyclohexadienones photo rearrangement

Photolysis of benzene solutions of l-methoxycarbonyl-2-naphthylmethyl 2,6-di-methyl substituted phenyl ethers induces C-O cleavage with formation of 2,4-cyclohexadienone intermediates which are subsequently photo-rearranged into meta substituted phenols. In methanol, 9-anthrylmethoxy-pyrid-2-one or l-pyrenylmethoxypyrid-2-one undergo photoheterolysis to give the C-O heterolysis products l-hydroxypyrid-2-one and the arylmethyl methyl ether, together with 2-pyridone, aryl-substituted methanol and aryl aldehyde derived from homolysis of the N-O bond. Evidence shows that an intramolecular exciplex plays a crucial role in C-O bond heterolysis. 

As can be seen, the pathway from the cyclohexadienone to the ortho-rearranged phenol does not imply a jump over an energy barrier (34 kcal/mol), but a tunneling from the vibrational energy levels located at E(vo) = 0 kcal/mol and E(vi) = 3.9 kcal/mol (4.4 kcal/mol for the deuterated compound). Analogous results have been reported for the photo-Fries rearrangement of 2,4-dimethoxy-6-( ara-tolyloxy)-v-triazine (28) to give 2,4-dimethoxy-6-(2-hydroxy-5-meth-ylphenyl)-v-triazine (29) (Scheme 11) [43]. 

The reaction could proceed via the known lumiketone rearrangement of the tautomeric 2,5-cyclohexadienone (78, Fig. 44) (54). This is however not the case. Since the equilibrium between humulone and 78 is shifted in favour of tautomer 3, all the light is absorbed by 3. Photo-enolization of 3 would only lead to the ground state of 78 (55). It may be concluded that the rearrangement proceeds via the known dienol form of humulone (3, Fig. 44). Usually, 2,4-cyclohexadienones are cleaved... 

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