Ethylene photocycloaddition

Photochemical [2 + 2] cycloaddition is a powerful way to produce cyclobutanes, which, in turn, are reactive synthesis intermediates. N-Methylpyrrole adds aldehydes via [2 -I- 2] photocycloaddition to give transient oxetanes with high regioselectivity Ring-opening produces 3-(oi-hydroxyalkyl)pyrroles which are oxidized easily to 3-arylpyrroles, such as 3-BUTYROYL-l-METHYL-PYRROLE. With a special apparatus, ethylene is conveniently added to 3-methyl-... 

Cyclobuta[fc]chroman-4-ols, derived from chromones by a [2+2] photocycloaddition to ethylene, are prone to acid-catalysed rearrangements. Elaboration of the parent system prior to rearrangement has enabled the marine sesquiterpene filiformin <96JOC4391>, the henzo-1,3-dioxan nucleus of averufin <96JOC9164> and cyclobuta[h][l]benzoxepin-8,9-diones <96CC1965> to be synthesised. 

Figure 9.8. A cartoon showing (a) the conical intersection for the [2+2] photocycloaddition of two ethylenes, drawn in the branching space corresponding to the distance between the two ethylenes R (Xj) and a trapezoidal distortion (Xj), and (b) an avoided crossing in a cross-section R (Xi).

Scheme 54 summarizes Font s synthesis of (+)-grandisol (36), the male pheromone of the cotton boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis) [80]. The key-step is the double [2+2] photocycloaddition of ethylene to bis(a,(3-butenohde) A to give B, which yielded C after glycol cleavage. The recently identified pheromone of the oleander scale (Aspidiotus nerii) possesses a structure similar to that of grandisol (Scheme 54), and its synthesis was reported by Ducrot [81 ] and also by Guerrero [82,83]. 

Reports of [ 2 + 2] cycloaddition of nitrogen containing heterocycles to alkenes are so numerous that attention can be drawn here to only a few. Recent examples include the acetone-sensitized photoaddition of 4-oxazolin-2-one (248) to ethylene to give the cis-adduct 249,203 the photocycloadditions of N-substituted imidazoles to acrylonitrile204 and of N-methyl-4-hydroxy-quinol-2-one to cyclohexene,205 and the photoaddition of pentafluoro-pyridine to ethylene to give the 1 1- and 1 2-adducts 250 and 251,... 

Photo-induced conversions are also important synthetically. The photocycloaddition of 5-substituted uracils 69 with ethylene has been used for the synthesis of 2-aminocyclobutanecarboxylic acids. The addition reaction worked well with carbon and fluorine substituents and also with a Cbz-protected amino. However, uracils with other 5-nitrogen substituents (NH2, NHBn and NO2) failed, only starting material being recovered. The sequence also worked for the 6-isomers but somewhat less consistently <06SL1394>. 

The addition of the 2-substituted 2-cyclopentenone in (4.57) to ethylene affords an intermediate which is converted to tricyclo[4.2.0.01,4]octane 469a). A similar broken window compound was also obtained by an intramolecular photocycloaddition of a 2-cyclopentenone (4.58)469b). 

Ring enlargement.1 A new route to seven-membered ring systems from a cyclohexenone (1) involves a photocycloaddition of ethylene to provide the bicy-clooctanone 2. Addition of lithio-1,3-dithiane to 2 provides the adduct 3, which on reaction with HgO and HBF4 forms an unstable rearranged hydroxy aldehyde... 

In contrast to the preceding syntheses of kelsoene. Piers and Orellana used ethylene 8 in the [2-1-2]-photocycloaddition key step to furnish tricyclic ketone rac-lO diastereoselectively (Scheme 2) [11]. In accordance with the report by Srinivas and Mehta, attempts to homologate the sterically encumbered ketone rac-lO using the Wittig, Magnus [18, 19] or Taguchi [20] pro-... 

Reduced pyrimidines are much less stable toward hydrolysis than the fully conjugated analogs, and this is often used synthetically to produce amino acids and diamines. The BH3 reduction of cyclic amidines (1,4,5,6-tetrahydropyr-imidines) to hexahydropyrimidines, and their subsequent hydrolysis was mentioned above <1999JFIC105>, but there are many more examples. For instance, m-cyclobutane /5-amino acids 544 can be prepared from the cyclobutane derivatives 542 formed by the [2-F2] photocycloaddition reaction between uracil and ethylene <2002TL6177, 2004TL7095, 2006SL1394>. 

The photoaddition of the pyran-2-one (330) to ethylene to give the adduct (331) has been employed in a synthesis of grandisol,274 and the cyclobutane derivatives (332 and 333) were obtained on irradiation of the pyran-4-one (334) in 2-methylpropene.275 Photocycloadditions of dehydroacetic acid276 and 2,4-dioxo-3,3-dimethyl-2,3-dihydropyran277 have also been described, and the synthetically useful addition of 2,2,6-trimethyl-1,3-dioxolenone (335) to 2,3-dimethylbut-2-ene has been reported.278... 

Wiesner and coworkers have emphasized that while the equilibrium constants between the two diastereomeric photoexcited states and anionic intermediates respectively should be similar, there is no reason to expect that they must be numerically identical. Small differences in equilibrium constants could in some cases reverse the stereoselectivity of photocycloaddition with respect to metal reduction. The group of Cargill94 examined the validity of Wiesner s models by the photoaddition of tert-butylcyclohexenone 178 with ethylene. Irradiation at low temperature (—78 °C) afforded a mixture of three isomers 179-181, in which the photoproduct 179 is the major product while isomer 180, expected to be the major one based on the first model, was obtained as the minor isomer. This result seems to rule out the first model (it does not take into consideration the reversibility of the first bond formation in the intermolecular photoadditions), however, it is consistent with the second model (Scheme 39). 

The first model was used later on to rationalize the experimental fact that photocycloaddition of ethylene to the trans -fused enone 182 proceeded smoothly while the cis-fused... 

On the basis of these observations, Bryce-Smith et al. [115] introduced a rule stating that for addition to benzene, Pmeta when 9.6 eV < IP (alkene) <8.65 eV. They concluded that if this rule is correct, ortho addition of ethylenes to Si benzene necessarily involves an element of charge transfer to or from the ethylene. Indeed, a marked effect of polar solvents (methanol or acetonitrile) in promoting the ortho addition of benzene to ethyl vinyl ether and tetramethylethene was observed (portho increased by 20-50%, whereas cpmeta was unaffected. One exception to this rule was found by Heine and Hartmann [10], who discovered that vinylene carbonate (IP = 10.08 eV) undergoes mainly meta photocycloaddition to benzene, accompanied by some para addition. Bryce-Smith and Gilbert [46] commented that their rule referred to quantum yields and not chemical yields, whereas no quantum yields were given for the vinylene carbonate additions. Moreover, quantum yield measurements should be made at low conversions because most ortho cycloadducts are photolabile. 

Pentafluoropyridine is known to undergo photocycloaddition with ethylene [89,90] and cycloalkenes [91] at the 3,4-position of the pyridine ring. Recently, Sakamoto et al. reported that metacrylonitrile adds to the 2,3-position of 2-alkoxy-3-cyano-4,6-dimethylpyridines (24a,b) to give 7-azabicyclo[4.2.0]octa-2,7-di-enes (25a,b) [92] (Scheme 10). This work was developed to the photocycloaddition of furan to pyridine ring as a first example (Scheme 10) [93],... 

The fadal diastereoselectivity of intermolecular cyclopentenone [2 + 2]-photocy-cloaddition reactions is predictable if the cyclopentenone or a cyclic alkene reaction partner is chiral. Addition occurs from the more accessible side, and good stereocontrol can be expected if the stereogenic center is located at the a-position to the double bond. In their total synthesis of ( )-kelsoene (11), Piers et al. [22] utilized cyclopentenone 9 in the [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition to ethylene (Scheme 6.5). The cyclobutane 10 was obtained as a single diastereoisomer. In a similar fashion, Mehta et al. have frequently employed the fact that an approach to diquinane-type cis-bicydo [3.3.0]octenones occurs from the more accessible convex face. Applications can be found in the syntheses of (+)-kelsoene [23], (—)-sulcatine G [24], and ( )-merri-lactone A [25]. 

From a preparative point of view the heteroatom in P-position has an influence because important latent cyclobutane cleavage pathways exist in the product. The prototypical reaction of this type is the [2 + 2]-photocycloaddition/retro-aldol reaction sequence (de Mayo reaction) [55-57], the course of which is illustrated for substrate A3 (Q = O, PG = protecting group) in the reaction with ethylene as a generic olefin. 

Tsutsumi, K., Nakano, H., Furutani, A., Endou, K., Merpuge, A., Shintani, T., Morimoto, T., and Kakiuchi, K. (2004) Novel enhancement of diastereoselectivity of [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of chiral cyclohexenones to ethylene by adding naphthalenes. Journal of Organic Chemistry, 69, 785-789. 

Several sesquiterpene skeletons include cyclobutane rings [78]. Some representative examples are summarized in Sch. 20. As can be easily seen, syntheses of caryophyllanes 78 and panasinsanes 79 are based on photocycloadditions to 2-methylpropene, those of tritomaranes (kelsoanes) 80, protoilludanes 81, and sterpuranes 82 are based on photocycloadditions to ethylene, while the bourbonane skeleton 83 is accessible via... 

The importance of the ethylene ketal described above with respect to stereocontrol of the de-Mayo reaction is emphasized by later published works of two other teams. Fetizon and co-workers obviously followed a similar concept and carried out photocycloaddition reactions with 96a in model studies (Scheme 23) (Si). As can be seen from retroaldol product 98, exclusive a attack of the cyclohexene has taken place. Thus, the relative stereochemistry of the BC ring connection is opposite to that of taxane. Totally comparable results were obtained by Berkowitz et al. in the course of cycloaddition reactions of cyclopentene, cyclohexene, or those of a cyclohexenone ketal to the camphor derivative 96b (.84). 

Full details of the effects of acid and solvent polarity on various photocycloaddition reactions of ethylenes and acetylenes to benzene have been published and a mechanistic rationale of the observations has been presented. Thus the largely homopolar concerted meta cycloaddition of ethylenes to benzene, which yields the tricyclo[3.3.0.0 "]oct-3-ene system (36), has little sensitivity to either solvent polarity change or the presence of a proton donor, but the onho process leading to bicyclo[4.2.0]octa-2,4-diene derivatives (37)... 

The biradical (42) is widely considered to be the intermediate in the mela photocycloaddition of ethylenes to benzenoid compounds. Evidence for this rests largely on the observation that with substituted benzenes the 1-substituted isomer of (36) is formed preferentially. Sheridan has attempted to generate (42) independently and hence explore its possible intermediacy in the... 

Wender and co-workers have continued their elegant use of the meta photocycloaddition of ethylenes to arenes as the key step in the synthesis of several naturally occurring compounds. The major product from irradiation of benzene and vinyl acetate is the 1-endo acetate of (36), and using this as the starting material, the total synthesis of the ant defensive secretion, isoiridomyrmecin (50), has been accomplished in seven further steps." There... 

The aminocyclopropane derivative 374 and the propellane 372 were obtained, each in 26 % yield, by photocycloaddition of 370 and ethylene in acetone . Diradicals 371 and 373 were suggested as intermediates in the photoreaction (equation 90). The use of isobutene or 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene instead of ethylene gave no cyclopropane product . 

Photocycloaddition of ethoxyethene to the enone (81) at 254 nm in methanol affords the adduct (82). Addition of the same alkene to the enone (83) also proceeds via a cyclobutane intermediate but this is unstable and ring opens to afford the cyclo-octane derivative (84). A study of the addition of the optically active alkene (85) to the enone (86) affords four cyclobutane adducts two from head-to-head addition and two from head-to-tail addition. These cycloadditions load to a double induction giving either increased or decreased diastereoselectivity.The intermolecular cycloaddition of ethylene to the enone (87) yields the two adducts (88) and (89). The photoadducts are apparently susceptible to secondary irradiation and the maximum yields of the adducts was obtained at 50% consumption of the starting material (87). Under these conditions (88) and (89) were obtained in 71 and 23% respectively. The isomer (88) was taken on through several steps to afford ultimately racemic starpuric acid a... 

In the case of the [2 + 2] photocycloaddition of substituted ethylenes, the two situations remain equivalent for head-to-head addition (1,2 arrangement of the substituents) but are no longer equivalent for head-to-tail addition (1,3 arrangement of the substituents), since the latter affects the energy difference between the two localized forms of the nonbonding orbitals. Ac-... 

---