Enolization, photochemical

Only relatively few examples of interesting target molecules containing rings are known. These include caryophyllene (E.J. Corey, 1963 A, 1964) and cubane (J.C. Barborak, 1966). The photochemical [2 + 2]-cycloaddition applied by Corey yielded mainly the /ranr-fused isomer, but isomerization with base leads via enolate to formation of the more stable civ-fused ring system. 

The photochemical addition of trifiuoroiodomethane to unsaturated systems has been thoroughly investigated by Haszeldine. Little use has been made of this reaction in the steroid field. Irradiation of the enol ether (64) in trifiuoroiodomethane containing pyridine in a quartz vessel furnishes in 60 %... 

Photochemical rearrangements of enol esters, enol lactones, and enol ethers... 

Photochemical oxacarbene formation, 307 Photochemical rearrangements of cross-conjugated cyclohexadienones, 330 Photochemical rearrangements of enol esters and enol lactones, 339... 

Having shown that the enol silyl ethers are effective electron donors for the [D, A] complex formation with various electron acceptors, let us now examine the electron-transfer activation (thermal and photochemical) of the donor/ acceptor complexes of tetranitromethane and quinones with enol silyl ethers for nitration and oxidative addition, respectively, via ion radicals as critical reactive intermediates. 

Table 2 Thermal and photochemical nitration of enol silyl ethers with tetranitro-methane in dichloromethane.

Comments on the thermal nitration of enol silyl ethers with TNM. The strikingly similar color changes that accompany the photochemical and thermal nitration of various enol silyl ethers in Table 2 indicates that the preequilibrium [D, A] complex in equation (15) is common to both processes. Moreover, the formation of the same a-nitroketones from the thermal and photochemical nitrations suggests that intermediates leading to thermal nitration are similar to those derived from photochemical nitration. Accordingly, the differences in the qualitative rates of thermal nitrations are best reconciled on the basis of the donor strengths of various ESEs toward TNM as a weak oxidant in the rate-limiting dissociative thermal electron transfer (kET), as described in Scheme 4.40... 

The alternative electrophilic mechanism for the nitration of ESE with TNM requires a close approach of a hindered ESE to a N02 group on the quaternary carbon center of TNM. However, this transition state is sterically very demanding, and it will not readily account for the observed reactivity. Furthermore, the observed lack of regioselectivity in the nitration of the isomeric enol silyl ethers of 2-methylcyclohexanone that leads to the same 2-methyl-2-nitrocyclohexanone (in thermal as well as photochemical nitration) is not readily reconciled by a concerted (electrophilic) mechanism (equation 18). 

DDQ ( red = 0.52 V). It is noteworthy that the strong medium effects (i.e., solvent polarity and added -Bu4N+PFproduct distribution (in Scheme 5) are observed both in thermal reaction with DDQ and photochemical reaction with chloranil. Moreover, the photochemical efficiencies for dehydro-silylation and oxidative addition in Scheme 5 are completely independent of the reaction media - as confirmed by the similar quantum yields (d> = 0.85 for the disappearance of cyclohexanone enol silyl ether) in nonpolar dichloromethane (with and without added salt) and in highly polar acetonitrile. Such observations strongly suggest the similarity of the reactive intermediates in thermal and photochemical transformation of the [ESE, quinone] complex despite changes in the reaction media. 

The enone system itself is usually part of a five- or six membered ring, although acyclic a,(3-unsaturated ketones and enols of P-diketones are also found to undergo cycloadditions under certain conditions. For seven- and higher membered rings the primary photochemical event is Z—E isomerization around the C—C double bond, the E-isomer then eventually undergoing further thermal reactions. 

The conjugated diene dienoestrol (65) was irradiated at 254 nm in 90% aqueous methanol. Rotation and cis-trans photoisomerization gave (66) which underwent a photochemical [1, 5]sigmatropic rearrangement to give (67). Photocyclization followed by enol-keto tautomerism then gave the isolated dihydrophenanthrene dione (68) [56]. 

Hydroxymethylenecyclopropanols (340) have been shown" to be intermediates in the photochemical rearrangement of a, -unsaturated carbonyl compounds (339) to 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds (341). The products are eventually obtained by double tautomerization of the enol and cyclopropanol portions of (340). 

Recently, Kochi et al. described a novel photochemical synthesis for a-nitration of ketones via enol silyl ethers. Despite the already well-known classical methods, this one uses the photochemical excitation of the intermolecular electron-donor-acceptor complexes between enol silyl ethers and tetranitrometh-ane. In addition to high yields of nitration products, the authors also provided new insights into the mechanism on this nitration reaction via time-resolved spectroscopy, thus providing, for instance, an explanation of the disparate behavior of a- and (3-tetralone enol silyl ethers [75], In contrast to the more reactive cross-conjugated a-isomer, the radical cation of (3-tetralone enol silyl ether is stabilized owing to extensive Tr-delocalization (Scheme 50). 

Scheme 50 Photochemical a-nitration of ketones via enol silyl ethers.

The reaction of Cjq with silylated nucleophiles [47] requires compounds such as silyl ketene acetals, silylketene thioacetals or silyl enol ethers. It proceeds smoothly and in good yields in the presence of fluoride ions (KF/18-crown-6) (Scheme 3.10). The advantage of the latter synthesis is the realization of the cyclopropanation under nearly neutral conditions, which complements the basic conditions that are mandatory for Bingel reactions. Reaction with similar silyl ketene acetals under photochemical conditions and without the use of F does not lead to methanofullerenes but to dihydrofullerene acetate [48]. 

Scheme 11.4 Photochemical reaction of 14 with singlet oxygen, leading to the cluster opened fullerene 19. (i) O2 hv, benzene (II) [2+2] cycloreversion, keto-enol tautomerization.

Reaction of o-iodobenzenesulfonamide 265 with the potassium enolate of ketones 266 in liquid ammonia under photochemical conditions affords 1,2-benzothiazine 1,1-dioxides 267 in excellent yield (Scheme 37) <2005JOC9147>. While a variety of other ketone substrates have been investigated for this reaction, those containing /3-hydrogens afford significant amounts of benzenesulfonamide by dehalogenation of the starting material 265. 

The photochemical rearrangement of enamides of carboxylic acids 20,113-116 is analogous to the photochemical rearrangement of enol esters (Section VII), except that it proceeds more efficiently and in much higher yield. It seems that the latter can be attributed to the high photochemical stability of the photoproducts. The )3-iminocarbonyl compound 187 formed immediately after the... 

It is important to note that a possible photochemical ring expansion by [1,3]- or [l,5]-acyl shifts in the 5-membered vinyl lactams 191 has not been observed,4,116 nor have [l,5]-shifts of acyl groups involving an aromatic ring been reported for either enol esters or enamides. However, an example of a similar [l,5]-alkyl shift, 193 -> 194, in related ketene dialkyl acetals is known.24... 

A photochemical reaction of the silyl enol ether of acetophenone and benzaldehyde provided the 2,3-diphenyl-3-trimethylsilyloxyoxetane (13) with excellent regioselectivity (> 95 5) and diaster-eoselectivity (> 95 5) (91TL7037). In this example, the diastereoselection was explained by anti-approach of the two phenyl groups during the carbon-carbon bond forming step from the diradical intermediate (Scheme 7). 

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