First Example Pericyclic Reactions

The first pair of examples we would like to discuss occurs in a field which lends itself naturally to be conquered by theory. Indeed, the past three decades have seen the exploration of mechanistic details of pericyclic reactions as one of the major success stories of computational chemistiy. Rooted in qualitative molecular orbital theory, the key concept of 

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There are several general classes of pericyclic reactions for which orbital symmetry factors determine both the stereochemistry and relative reactivity. The first class that we will consider are electrocyclic reactions. An electrocyclic reaction is defined as the formation of a single bond between the ends of a linear conjugated system of n electrons and the reverse process. An example is the thermal ring opening of cyclobutenes to butadienes ... 

The best way to understand how orbital symmetry affects pericyclic reactions is to look at some examples. Let s look first at a group of polyene rearrangements called electrocyclic reactions. An electrocyclic reaction is a pericyclic process that involves the cycli/ation of a conjugated polyene. One 7r bond is broken, the other 7t bonds change position, a new cr bond is formed, and a cyclic compound results. For example, a conjugated triene can be converted into a cyclohexa-diene, and a conjugated diene can be converted into a cyclobutene. 

The connection of radical and pericyclic transformations in one and the same reaction sequence seems to be on the fringe within the field of domino processes. Here, we describe two examples, both of which are highly interesting from a mechanistic viewpoint. The first example addresses the synthesis of dihydroindene 3-326 by Parsons and coworkers, starting from the furan 3-321 (Scheme 3.79) [128]. Reaction of 3-321 with tributyltin hydride and AIBN in refluxing toluene led to the 1,3,5-hexatriene 3-324 via the radicals 3-322 and 3-323. 3-324 then underwent an elec-trocyclization to yield the hexadiene 3-325 which, under the reaction conditions, aromatized to afford 3-326 in 51 % yield. 

The main reason for the rapid development of metathesis reactions on a laboratory scale (the reaction itself had been known for quite a long time) has been the development of active and robust second-generation ruthenium catalysts (6/3-14 to 6/3-16), which usually provide better yields than the first-generation Grubbs catalysts (6/3-9 or 6/3-13) (Scheme 6/3.2). This also reflects the huge number of domino processes based on ruthenium-catalyzed metathesis, which is usually followed by a second or even a third metathesis reaction. However, examples also exist where, after a metathesis, a second transition metal-catalyzed transformation or a pericyclic reaction takes place. 

When the 7r-systerns of two or more double bonds overlap, as in conjugated dienes and polyenes, the 7r-clccIrons will be delocalized. This has chemical consequences, which implies that the range of possible chemical reactions is vastly extended over that of the alkenes. Examples are various pericyclic reactions or charge transport in doped polyacetylenes. A detailed understanding of the electronic structure of polyenes is therefore of utmost importance for development within this field. We will first discuss the structure of dienes and polyenes based on theoretical studies. Thereafter the results from experimental studies are presented and discussed. 

The Diels-Alder reaction is the best known and most widely used pericyclic reaction. Two limiting mechanisms are possible (see Fig. 10.11) and have been vigorously debated. In the first, the addition takes place in concerted fashion with two equivalent new bonds forming in the transition state (bottom center, Fig. 10.11), while for the second reaction path the addition occurs stepwise (top row, Fig. 10.11). The stepwise path involves the formation of a single bond between the diene (butadiene in our example) and the dienophile (ethylene) and (most likely) a diradical intermediate, although zwitterion structures have also been proposed. In the last step, ring closure results with the formation of a second new carbon carbon bond. Either step may be rate determining. 

The first chapter, High Pressure Synthesis of Heterocycles Related to Bioactive Molecules by Kiyoshi Matsumoto, presents a unique high-pressure synthetic methodology in heterocyclic chemistry. Basic principles and fruitful examples for pericyclic reactions, such as Diels-Alder reactions, 1,3-dipolar reactions, and also for ionic reactions, such as Sn and addition reactions, are discussed. The review will be of considerable interest to heterocyclic chemists and synthetic chemists. 

First, pericyclic reactions are defined, and an example of their unusual stereochemical selectivity is presented. A theoretical treatment of pericyclic reactions requires examination of the MOs for the conjugated molecules that participate in these reactions, so MO theory for these compounds is developed next. Then a theoretical explanation for the selectivity and stereochemistry observed in each of the three classes of pericyclic reactions is presented, along with a number of common examples of reactions of each kind. 

Enamine catalysis involves a catalytically generated enamine intermediate that is formed via deprotonation of an iminium ion and that reacts with various electrophiles or undergoes pericyclic reactions. The first example of asymmetric enamine catalysis is the Hajos-Parrish-Eder-... 

There are, however, also many examples of mixed domino processes , such as the synthesis of daphnilactone (see Scheme 0.6), where two anionic processes are followed by two pericyclic reactions. As can be seen from the information in Table 0.1, by counting only two steps we have 64 categories, yet by including a further step the number increases to 512. However, many of these categories are not - or only scarcely - occupied. Therefore, only the first number of the different chapter correlates with our mechanistic classification. The second number only corresponds to a consecutive numbering to avoid empty chapters. Thus, for example in Chapters 4 and 6, which describe pericyclic and transition metal-catalyzed reactions, respectively, the second number corresponds to the frequency of the different processes. 

You may think that there s not much to say about the no-mechanism pericyclic reactions, but there is. First, how they proceed stereochemically and even whether they proceed at all depends on whether the reaction is conducted thermally or pho-tochemically. For example, many [2 + 2] cycloadditions proceed only photochem-ically, whereas all [4 + 2] cycloadditions proceed thermally. Second, all pericyclic reactions proceed stereospecifically, but the stereochemistry of the products sometimes depends on the reaction conditions. For example, 2,4,6-octatriene gives cis-5,6-dimethylcyclohexadiene upon heating and /ran,v-5,6-dimethylcyclohexadienc upon photolysis. These phenomena can be explained by examining the MOs of the reactants. The rules governing whether pericyclic reactions proceed and the stereochemical courses when they do proceed are known as the Woodward-Hoffmann rules. 

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