Ground state dienes

Ionization of 1,5-hexadiene in fluorochloroalkane matrix (Scheme 2.43) represents cation-radical monomolecular reactions. The initially formed cation-radical collapses to the cyclohexane cation-radical, that is, spontaneous cyclization takes place (Williams 1994). Zhu et al. (1998) pointed out that the ring formation from the excited valence isomer in the center of Scheme 2.43 is easier than in the corresponding ground-state dienes. Notably, tandem mass spectrometry revealed the same transformation of 1,5-hexadiene in the gas phase too. This provides ns with a hint that mass spectrometry can serve as a method to express predictions of monomolecnlar transformation of cation-radicals in the condensed phase. A review by Lobodin and Lebedev (2005) discnsses this possibility in more detail. 

A related phenomenon has been observed in the benzophenone sensitized isomerization of c/y-piperylene.150 The measured quantum yield of cis to trans isomerization increased from 0.55 to 0.90 as the concentration of piperylene increased from 0.08 to lOAf. This observation can be rationalized as arising from addition of the piperylene triplet to a ground state diene molecule to give a biradical intermediate which can either cyclize to the dimer151 or dissociate to give two molecules of the more thermodynamically stable trans-isomer. This mechanism predicts that the quantum yield for the isomerization of /runs-piperylene to cw-piperylene should decrease with increasing diene concentration, an experiment that has not yet been reported. 

Conjugated dienes take part readily in triplet-sensitized photodimerization. and the products obtained from buta-1.3-diene (2.691 include a (4 + 2) adduct as well as slereoisomeric (2 + 2) adducts. The reaction is non-concerted. and a rationalization for the products is provided on the basisof the formation of a biradical intermediate as shown (which is the most stable of the three possible biradicals that might be formed in the first step), by the attack of triplet diene on ground-state diene. Cross-addition takes place in some systems, such as myrcene (2.70) where a triplet diene group attacks the alkene within the same molecule direct irradiation of myrcene gives mainly... 

Diene triplets can also be made to add to perhaloolefins,266 although with less ease than to ground-state dienes. Again the products are those expected from the most stable biradical intermediates, and the product ratios differ from those obtained in thermal additions. No photosensitized dimerization of the haloolefins occurs. 

In a molecule with electrons in n orbitals, such as formaldehyde, ethylene, buta-1,3-diene and benzene, if we are concerned only with the ground state, or excited states obtained by electron promotion within 7i-type MOs, an approximate MO method due to Hiickel may be useM. 

Alkyl derivatives of 1,3-butadiene usually undergo photosensitized Z-E isomerism when photosensitizers that can supply at least 60 kcal/mol are used. Two conformers of the diene, the s-Z and s-E, exist in equilibrium, so there are two nonidentical ground states from which excitation can occur. Two triplet excited states that do not readily interconvert are derived from the s-E and s-Z conformers. Theoretical calculations suggest that at their energy minimum the excited states of conjugated dienes can be described as an alkyl radical and an orthogonal allyl system called an allylmethylene diradical ... 

N-Aminobenzoxazolin-2-one (4), which was readily prepared by animation of benzoxazolin-2-one with hydroxylamine-O-sulfonic acid, is also a useful nitrene precursor (Scheme 2.2). Oxidation of 4 with lead(iv) acetate in the presence of a conjugated diene resulted in exclusive 1,2-addition of nitrene 5, to yield vinylazir-idine (6) in 71 % yield [6]. The formation of vinylaziridines through 1,2-additions of methoxycarbonylnitrene (2) or amino nitrene 5 contrasts with the claimed 1,4-ad-dition of nitrene itself to butadiene [7]. Since the reaction proceeded stereospecif-ically even at high dilution, the nitrene 5 appears to be generated in a resonance-stabilized singlet state, which is probably the ground state [8]. 

The non-preservation of cis stereochemistry of dienophiles 24 and 26 in the adducts 25 and 27 is due to a cis-trans photoisomerization of the double bond and to the concerted suprafacial Diels-Alder cycloaddition of diene to the ground state of trans dienophiles. 

Pyrolysis of the parent thiirane oxide 16a monitored by microwave spectroscopy led to the conclusion that the sulfur monoxide is generated in its triplet ground state, although the singlet state ( A) cannot be excluded completely (equation 8). A later study presented evidence, based on the stereoselective addition to dienes of sulfur monoxide generated from thiirane oxide as well as thermochemical data, that the ground state S is formed exclusively ° . ... 

As the triplet energy of the sensitizer becomes less than that necessary to excite either form of the butadiene (Et < 50 kcal/mole), it is proposed that energy is transferred via nonvertical excitation to lower energy twist forms of the diene triplets.(11> The product distribution again reflects the ground state population of s-cis and s-trans forms ... 

The mechanism for the formation of the 2 1 adducts and 2 2 adducts is believed to involve [4 + 4] addition of excited benzene to the trans diene to yield (60), which either dimerizes or reacts with ground state butadiene172 ... 

With two y,8 double bonds, two a,/3 double bonds, and the possibilities of cis and trans ring fusions with syn and anti configurations, 20 isomeric dimers are possible. Surprisingly, only one product is formed in a head-to-tail fashion. The sole product of the irradiation of the 3,5-diene-7-ketosteroid (76), however, is the head-to-head dimer. The specificity and mode of addition arise presumably through the effect of the specific environment of the chromaphore. The dimerization of (75) is believed to involve the addition of the a,fi double bond of a photoexcited molecule to the less hindered y,8 double bond of a ground state molecule. The photocondensation of (76) with cyclopentene, in which steric hindrance should not be a controlling factor, was found to yield a cyclobutane product involving the a,/ bond of the steroid in contrast to dimerization across the y,8 bond. 

It should be mentioned that the present review does not cover in detail the ground-state electronic and/or molecular structure of diene and polyene radical cations as revealed, for example, by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy or variants thereof. 

The primary process taking place in a PE spectrometer is best viewed as a reaction in which a closed-shell diene or polyene M in its electronic (singlet) ground state 1 >Po reacts with a photon of energy hv to yield a radical cation M+ in one of its electronic doublet states 2excess energy kinj ... 

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