Electrocyclic rearrangements stereochemistry

Exercise 21-23 Show how one can predict the stereochemistry of the electrocyclic rearrangement of frans,c/ s,frans-2,4,6-octatriene to 5,6-dimethyM, 3-cyclohexadiene by a favorable concerted thermal mechanism. 

Thermal and photochemical cycloaddition reactions always take place with opposite stereochemistry. As with electrocyclic reactions, we can categorize cycloadditions according to the total number of electron pairs (double bonds) involved in the rearrangement. Thus, a thermal Diels-Alder [4 + 2] reaction between a diene and a dienophile involves an odd number (three) of electron pairs and takes place by a suprafacial pathway. A thermal [2 + 2] reaction between two alkenes involves an even number (two) of electron pairs and must take place by an antarafacial pathway. For photochemical cyclizations, these selectivities are reversed. The general rules are given in Table 30.2. 

A pericyclic reaction is one that takes place in a single step through a cyclic transition state without intermediates. There are three major classes of peri-cyclic processes electrocyclic reactions, cycloaddition reactions, and sigmatropic rearrangements. The stereochemistry of these reactions is controlled by the symmetry of the orbitals involved in bond reorganization. 

In this primer, Ian Fleming leads you in a more or less continuous narrative from the simple characteristics of pericyclic reactions to a reasonably full appreciation of their stereochemical idiosyncrasies. He introduces pericyclic reactions and divides them into their four classes in Chapter 1. In Chapter 2 he covers the main features of the most important class, cycloadditions—their scope, reactivity, and stereochemistry. In the heart of the book, in Chapter 3, he explains these features, using molecular orbital theory, but without the mathematics. He also introduces there the two Woodward-Hoffmann rules that will enable you to predict the stereochemical outcome for any pericyclic reaction, one rule for thermal reactions and its opposite for photochemical reactions. The remaining chapters use this theoretical framework to show how the rules work with the other three classes—electrocyclic reactions, sigmatropic rearrangements and group transfer reactions. By the end of the book, you will be able to recognize any pericyclic reaction, and predict with confidence whether it is allowed and with what stereochemistry. 

Several cases of photochemical reactions, for which the thermal equivalents were forbidden, are shown below. In some cases the reactions simply did not occur thermally, like the [2 +2] and [4 +4] cycloadditions, and the 1,3- and 1,7-suprafacial sigmatropic rearrangements. In others, the photochemical reactions show different stereochemistry, as in the antarafacial cheletropic extrusion of sulfur dioxide, and in the electrocyclic reactions, where the 4-electron processes are now disrotatory and the 6-electron processes conrotatory. In each case,... 

The conversion of a pentadienyl to a cyclopentenyl cation is an electrocyclic reaction of a system containing loury-electrons delocalized over five atomic orbitals, and should therefore be a csorotatory process. In the example just described, the stereochemistry of the cyclization reaction is masked by subsequent rearrangement of (alkj l groups, which ultimately affords the most stable carbonium ion. The stereochemistry of the cyclization of divinyl ketones under acidic conditions, however, is conrotatory, as predicted ... 

Mass Spectrometry. Green has given an exhaustive review of the consequences of molecular stereochemistry on organic mass spectrometry. In this, the stereoisomeric dependence of the electron-impact-induced rearrangements of alcohols and carbonyl compounds, the apparent electrocyclic fragmentations, and bond cleavage reactions are all covered in detail. 

The addition of ozone (O3) to alkenes to give a primary ozonide (molozonide), which rearranges to an ozonide and eventually leads, on reduction, to carbonyl compounds (aldehydes and/or ketones), has already been mentioned and the reaction itself is shown in Scheme 6.11. However, it is important to recognize that this is only one example of a 4th- 2n electrocyclic addition and that orbital overlap for many sets of these reactions dictates their courses as well. Thus, to show the similarity of some of these dipolar 3 -f 2 addition reactions Equations 6.53-6.56 are provided. Although any alkene might be used as an example, (Z)-2-butene is used in each to emphasize that aU of them occur with retention of stereochemistry and, in the first (Equation 6.53), the reaction with ozone to form the primary ozonide (molozonide) is presented again (i.e., see Scheme 6.11). In a similar way, with a suitable azide, R-N3, readily prepared from an alkyl halide (Chapter 7), the same alkene forms a triazoline (Equation 6.54) and with nitrous oxide (N2O) the heterocycle (Chapter 13) cis -4,5-dimethyl-A -l,2,3-oxadiazoline (ds-4,5-dihydro-4,5-dimethyl-l,2,3-oxadiazole) (Equation 6.55). Finally, with a nitrile oxide, such as the oxide derived from ethanenitrile (acetonitrile [CH3ON]), the same alkene yields a different heterocycle, the dihydroisoxazole, 3,4,5-trimethyl-4,5-dihydroisoxazole (Equation 6.56). 

A review which covers sigmatropic rearrangements in addition to Diels-Alder reactions, 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions, electrocyclic reactions, and ene reactions has appeared. The stereochemistry of [3,3]-sigmatropic reactions of chiral carbon compounds has been reviewed, as have diastereoselective Claisen rearrangements of substrates bearing chiral auxiliary and enantioselective variants of achiral substrates. Examples of [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangements used in the synthesis of various types of 3-chromene derivatives have been reviewed. ... 

In Summary Conjugated dienes and hexatrienes are capable of (reversible) electrocyclic ring closures to cyclobutenes and 1,3-cyclohexadienes, respectively. The diene-cyclobutene system prefers thermal conrotatory and photochemical disrotatory modes. The triene-cyclohexadiene system reacts in the opposite way, proceeding through thermal disrotatory and photochemical comotatory rearrangements. The stereochemistry of such electrocychc reactions is governed by the Woodward-Hoffmann rules. 

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